Carter is here!
Wow. What a crazy experience that was! I'm still trying to process all that happened & I hope I can remember all of the details. I was in shock for quite a while (maybe I still am). But Carter's arrival into the world was something I never will forget.

Shortly after the last post at 11:30pm, I tried to get as much done as I could. I had this burst of energy & although I knew I needed to save it for labor, I couldn't. The contractions were getting stronger by the minute & at 12:30am, I knew this was the real deal. I labored in bed on my hands & knees, but that didn't feel too great. It felt much better if I leaned over the kitchen counter or something of that height. I decided to walk around in the kitchen for a bit. By 1:00am, I thought that the shower might be a good place to relax. While this made me clean, it only made the contractions worse & I couldn't take it any longer. By 1:30am, I was on the phone with my OB's office so they could call the hospital to let them know I was on my way.

From 1:30-2:00am it was a mad rush of preparation at home. Bill got Logan up, who upon wakening, told Bill in an irritated tone "I don't want to sleep at Little M's house". As Bill took care of Logan, my contractions were painful enough that I was now moaning & screaming & writhing in pain in the kitchen. I had been throwing up. We were just about to head out of the door at 2:00am when my water broke in the kitchen. I was in shock. There was a huge gush of fluid & I just looked at Bill in a panic. "SHIT! MY WATER JUST BROKE! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!". I knew the contractions were only going to get stronger from that. Bill practically threw Logan in the car as I changed my pants. We drove to photographer friend's house with contractions being about every 2-3 minutes apart. She only lives 3 minutes away.

As Bill took Logan into her house, the contractions were killing me. I was screaming & hanging on for dear life. I felt pain shoot down the front of my legs. I felt the urge to push - in my friends driveway. Bill ran back to the car & put the pedal to the metal. He ran every red light & every stop sign. Thankfully being in a smaller town at 2:00am, there was no traffic. We got to the hospital in 5 minutes where I tried to fight the urge to push. Bill parked the car at the ER entrance & I literally ran through the doors to the security guard running to me with the wheel chair. "Do you have any knives or weapons?", he asked. "WHAT? NO! I'M IN LABOR!", I screamed through contractions.

They ran (more like sprinted) me up to the labor & delivery unit. They tried to get me on the scale. "PLEASE! NO!!", I screamed. As we were running past the nurses station, I began to wretch again. Someone grabbed something for me to throw-up in. I was puking & contracting & trying to tell them to call for an epidural at the same time. As we ran through the doors of the delivery suite, I begged. "PLEASE SOMEONE CALL THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST NOW! I HAVE TO PUSH!" I got on the bed & took off my pants, then threw my jacket & chapstick at Bill. "She's complete. Everyone get in here now", one of the nurses said. "You're not going to have time for an epidural. You're going to have to do this naturally", the head nurse said. "SHIT!", I screamed in a panic. "It's OK, you can do this", she reassure me.

So, without having changed into a gown, still in my pajama top, no IV's or drugs, I held on to the headboard of the bed with a white knuckle grip & screamed bloody murder at the top of my lungs with every contraction. The nurse was awesome telling me that Carter was almost here. "Do you want to feel his head?", she asked. I shook my head No because I couldn't let go of the headboard. The room filled with nurses (8 of them Bill later told me) & Bill slowly sunk back into the background of the room on my right side behind the headboard (probably in more shock that I was). Three or four pushes later, Carter was born.

He had the cord wrapped around his neck & they had to do a double clamp to cut him out. He also swallowed/breathed in some meconium, so he didn't cry after being delivered. They whisked him away to clear him out & get him on oxygen. It seemed to take forever, but I wasn't worried or really had any emotion at all other than pure shock & disbelief, trying to process all that just occurred. That's the only thing I could say after asking if he was alright - "I can't belive this just happened & I can't belive I didn't have an epidural". Bill joked about how I got the birth plan I wrote almost 3 years ago with Logan. I watched them work on him as the OB tried to dig out the placenta & stictch me up - I had a 2nd degree tear because the delivery was so fast & furious. Finally, he cried. I was all cleaned up & ready for him to nurse so I took off my pajama shirt & we cuddled for a good hour our more while the nurses took care of the paperwork that we would have done beforehand if we had time.

Arriving at the hopital at 2:25am, Carter was born on September 12th at 2:41am, 6 pounds & 10 ounces, 19 inches long. A little more than 24 hours later, we are getting settled in at home as a family of four.

Pictures to come tomorrow.