Unless this is your first time here you may know that I had a fear going in to this pregnancy. A fear of the cord. While perfectly healthy babies resulted from the previous two deliveries, I was still concerned. I spent every appointment bringing up my concern and was blessed with just an ultrasound for all my efforts. This was supposed to appease my concerns. The cord was once again around his neck, just like his brother. This was when I started working my magic and asking for a scheduled induction as soon as humanly possible. In theory I thought it would be safer to labor in it's entirety under the watch of a fetal heart rate monitor. Just in case the nuchal cord would cause distress. Which leads us to the morning of Monday, December 15th, 2014.We were set to induce at 8 am. Which in my limited hospital speak means hurry up and wait and in all actuality by 10 you'll be started on whatever route they chose for you. We were placed in the same labor and delivery room as my sister only four short months before, which we all thought was kind of cool. The pitocin didn't get started till almost 11 by the time it was all said and done and my impatience was already running high. By 1 pm I was tiring of the contractions and asked to be checked for progress so I could get my epidural. My most beloved epidural. No go. The unhappiness factor about overtook the room. I hadn't counted on not being able to get it when I wanted it. I was told that while I was having increasingly painful contractions my body was not catching on and progressing into active labor and so no, angry mother, you cannot have it just yet. They offered other pain management options, i.e. narcotics, but I wasn't ready for that. I didn't want to be loopy and truly I had no idea how I would react to them. So I soldiered on in mostly silence and death glares.At 4:20 pm I was so very uncomfortable and frustrated and it was at that point my water was broken. Things went fast then. The very next contraction was the worst one yet. It's amazing how quickly it can get worse. Yes body we mean to be having a baby today and there isn't much you can do to stop it. I had my epidural in and working by 5:15 pm and was feeling perfectly content. Matt went to get a bite to eat and returned with my dad and my sister, which was shortly before 7 pm. Unfortunately for them they pretty much had to turn heel and leave the room as I had just called the nurse in to tell her I felt pressure. That sweet pressure. When they emptied my bladder at 7:15 pm the head was right there and so in came the midwife. Only five minutes of pushing later, Dominic Matthew entered the world at 7:29 pm. 8 pounds. 9 ounces. 21 inches. He was facing the wrong direction just like his brother. He had the cord around his neck just like his brother (twice in fact). But unlike his brother it affected him not. He nursed for an hour and a half and later that night let us sleep for well over three hours. Ten fingers. Ten little toes. He's a cool cat. He looks so much like his brother it's like I have two of them. Twins practically.And now, photos.
And that is the story of how a family of four, became a family of five.
