Cantley's Birth Day

 Every year on our birthdays, my mom would tell us the story of the day we were born.  She would tell us how she was feeling, what she was doing, and how we decided to make our entrance into the world.  I want to carry on that tradition with our sweet Cantley.  Here's his story & I may warn you, in true "Megan fashion", it's not for the faint of heart LOL:

I woke up Thursday morning (April 23, 2015) and felt kind of "off".  Like, I may get sick but hmmm, may just need a chocolate muffin.  I took a shower and started to get ready for work.  As I was about to put lotion on my legs,  I kind of hopped up on the bed and 'whoops'...my water broke. (On my Anthropologie bedspread I might add! :)  It was about 7:30 a.m. I kind of stood there stunned for a minute and then got the biggest butterflies in my very large  tummy.  I called Brett, who was already at work, and he said "Nu Uh!"  Haha!  Once I got off the phone with him,  I called my sister and my mom, texted my all my friends' group threads, told my co-workers I would not be coming in, called in a substitute for the next 2 days (my last day before maternity leave was supposed to be the next day), and took my last pregnant selfie. naturally..

Brett came running in packed his car full of all of our stuff, then realized the car seat was in my car, so unpacked his car and moved the stuff to mine.  Once we got into the car, he starts to back out and almost hits his own car which was still behind my car, so then he has to get out and move his car. I was telling him that we had plenty of time and to calm down, but his type A personality was shining that day!

 I started having contractions on the way to the hospital, nothing major, just uncomfortable but Brett thought it necessary to turn on the car flashers..bless his heart.  He was so sweet and so funny that morning.  Then we parked on the wrong side of the hospital so after we walked up to the door and realized it, Brett had to run back to the car to move it and pick me back up as I was waiting there with a blanket draped around me because I was soaking wet...What a scene!  We finally got to the right place and all checked in and got to the laboring room.

Cantley's heartbeat looked good but my blood pressure was ridiculously high.  (Like 165 over 112 high).  It had never been like that before and it wouldn't go down.  The nurse was calling my doctor over and over to see what to do but found out she was out of town.  Unexpected, but we'll roll with it.  The doctor on call was one I had never met.  She decided over the phone to start me on magnesium to help my blood pressure go down.  She said it would make me feel like I had the flu.  Once it started, I got incredibly hot.  I felt like I was in a tanning bed with brand new bulbs for hours.  (Ladies will get that reference.)   They kept giving me medicine to dilate, and I slowly..v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y...was. 

The contractions started to get worse and worse.  They gave me something in my IV for the pain, not an epidural, which is what I wanted, but it helped get me through Thursday night.  The doctor told me I could do my epidural if I had to, but she would wait.  So I waited..and waited.. until I just couldn't take it anymore.  The doctor was still telling me to wait a little longer until I was more dilated, but I honestly had never felt pain like that before.  I mean, my body's been through a lot over the last few years just to get this little guy in my belly, so I pride myself on being a tough cookie, but daaaaaang.  I got the epidural around midnight Thursday night and it worked..for then haha.  Brett and I slept on and off from midnight on as I continued to dilate.  At about 8:00 a.m. I was 10 cm..yes!  Time to push.  ....and push  .....and push.  I pushed for over 3 hours, but this little man was not coming past the pelvic bone.  I could feel every contraction and push on my left side.  It was like the epidural was only on the right part of my body.  (Kudos to those women who go all natural.  Y'all are superwomen.)  Finally, by 11:00 am with a very upset husband and big sister, we asked about a C section.  My water had been broken for over 24 hours, I had been dilated to 10 cm and pushing for over 3 hours, I was still on the magnesium IV that made me feel absolutely awful, and was completely exhausted.  They kept telling me the baby's heart rate is fine so we could keep trying to push after a little break.  The baby was fine, but the mama was not fine.  They told us it was our choice to keep pushing or do a C section.  Umm C section for the win please.

The anesthesiologist came in shortly after we made our choice and he was a breath of fresh air.  He made me not feel those daggum contractions, he was asking all sorts of questions about the baby and college, and it was just a much more pleasant scenerio.   Getting wheeled into the operating room was a very surreal feeling.  It was not what I expected my delivery day to be like, but it was so exciting.  Brett came in all suited up and sat by my head.  I could not feel a thing, and I loved it.  After what seemed like only a few minutes, we hear everyone say "Happy Birthday!"  Cantley was here.  At 1:01 p.m. Friday, April 24th.  They showed him to me and then took him to the examining table. Brett went over with the camera and I just laid there listening to his little cry, crying myself.  Listened to them say 7 lbs 9 oz 20 inches long.  Listened to them tell us how cute he was.  Then, Brett brought his tiny squishy face over to me and I got to feel his cheek next to mine.  What.an.amazing.feeling.  Our baby, who we thought wasn't even possible to conceive, was here.  An absolute miracle!

Our families were allowed to come in an hour after he was born.  These sweet people had been waiting a loooooong time (30 hours..yikes)  in that waiting room for this little man.  It was so cool to see everyone see him for the first time.  So much love in that red room of pain labor room.

Waiting room fun...

Richard brought Chik-fil-a!

Aunt Kel & Uncle Bucky

Brett showing pictures to everyone before they could come in.

KK and PawPaw seeing Cantley for the 1st time

Mama C

Paw Paw Heinrich

Aunt MG

Aunt Rach

Daddy

I had to go back on the magnesium drip for another 12 hours so we stayed in the labor room until 3:00 Saturday morning when we were moved to our post-partum room.  There we stayed until Monday morning.  We had so many precious friends and family come see us.  Cantley was a popular dude.

Kate and Pres

Sambo

Aunt Sissy

Uncle LuLu

Sweet Southwind friends

Molls

Karen

Amber

Cantley and all his aunties.

Kimmie

Aunt Alie

Kristen

Nana, Jake, and Carson

Rozzy

Ms. Anthony from Southwind.

Josh checkin things out.

Kelly, Brett, Josh, and Rach

Sweet boy!

Uncle Chris

My sweet Southwind co-worker who delivered her baby on the same day I did mine.  Too cool!

Our new family of 3!

So there's the story of our little one coming into the world. The doctor joked that I got to experience both types of delivery.  It was definitely not how I pictured our birth plan, but the nurses were amazing, my husband was amazing, and my family & friends waiting outside all that time were amazing.  It's funny how our brains block out painful things to protect us.  I had to ask Brett and my sister about all the gory details to write this post because I had already forgotten.  I guess that much love can do that. :)