Caleb-Ray-Hilton`s birthstory

I guess this birth story starts on Monday, may 12th because that is the day I think Caleb began to make his way into the world. I was feeling very bad that day. Almost as if I were getting sick. I felt extreamly tired and run down. I was at work and I went to use the bathroom and noticed this filmy white discharge when I wiped. I wiped again and there was more. Like a glob of it but it was clear and there wasn't any blood. I called the doc and told them and she said it did indeed sounds as if it were my plug but that labour could be 1-7 days or more away. I called Nathan and told him not to get too excited but that I wanted him to know I lost some of my plug! I went back to the bathroom 30 minutes later and there was more plug! Wooohoooo! Then nothing....sigh.

Tuesday I felt better and went to work as normal. That evening, Nathan took me to the park and we walked all around the garden area. It was a very nice long walk. I was still feeling tired and a bit run down and after the walk, Nathan took me to 711 to get a slurpee. We had to go to 5 diffrent 711's because the kind of slurpee I like (banana or pina colada) was out at each!!! Nathan is so sweet to have taken me all over the city finding the perfect slurpee because I know he was tried and wanted to go home. I was still not feeling great so I told my boss I would work from home the next day.

Wednesday 5/14 I worked from home for a few hours but I needed to go to the office for a meeting. After coming back home, I felt more exhausted than ever but of course, Nathan wanted to go for a walk again. This time we took the dogs to the park with us and went to a secluded area in the back so we could let the dogs lose and run around and play. It was a lot of fun and we stayed out for a while and played and walked. By the time we were heading hme, I had a very hard time walking. I had a horrible stitch in my side as if I had run a mile!!! Nathan kept asking me if it were contractions (all excited like he gets!!!) but I assured him it wasn't. We left the park and went on a hunt for the perfect slurpee again!! When we got home, we just relaxed bit and went to bed really early!! I had to be at work at 7am the next day so I went to bed and feel asleep around 9pmish.

At 11pm I woke up to the tv. Nathan had left it on and it woke me up. I tried going back to bed (being that I had to work at 7am...ugh!!) but i couldn't. So I got out of bed, got online, went back to bed, watched tv...peed like 20 times in an hour and finaly at 2am I decided it was late enough and I had to go to bed!! I decided it was best if I pee one last time before going to sleep so I rolled myself over with much difficulty and went to the bathroom.

As I was using the bathroom, I felt/heard a "pop" "pop" sound and it felt like I was kicked in my cervix but without the pain that being kicked normally brings! I remember a friend saying something about a "pop" when using the bathroom and how she thought her water broke so I got really excited for about 3 seconds until I realized....there was no water. I tried to push a bit but nothing. So I got up and went back to bed. The dogs had jumped up in my spot so I struggled to get them off and as I bent over, I pushed a bit again and a gush of fluid came out!!! I hobbled back to the bathroom, turned th elight on and reached down. It was wet for sure and clear! I pushed again and a bit more fluid came out! I cleaned myself up then went to the bed and softly shook Nathan awake. When he opened his eyes...I said real softly "Honey, don't freak out but I think my water just broke." He poped up in bed, eyes all red and looked at me and smiled. That's when another gush came and the water just started the trickle down my leg! I hobbled back to the bathroom to get a towel and told Nathan I was certain my water broke!!

Nathan gets up and starts getting dressed as I call the doc. I told them my water broke but there were no contractions. He told me to come in to the Labour and Delivery ward and that I woukd be admited. So the time was finally here!!! I called my parents, who live 3 hours away, and told them not to freak out and not to rush down too crazy. In the mean time, Nathan is picking up the house, vacuming the floor and cleaning because we know guest will be coming and we hadn't picked up in a few days. While he is doing that, I'm online telling the girls on this site that my water broke!! At around 3:30ish, I start to feel slight contractions. I tell nathan that it is time and we have to go soon. The hospital is 30 minutes away so I tell him I'm ready to go!

We get packed up and head out. During the ride there, I can feel the contarctions coming but it's more discomfort than pain. By the time we get to the L&D ward, I'm in even more discomfort. The nurse brings me into a room to check to make sure my water broke (because the fluids dripping down my legs and the 3 pads I just soaked up in 45 minutes isn't proof enough) and it is confirmed that my water broke and I am completly effaced but only 1 cm dialated! They bring me into my delivery room and let me get settled in. The contractions are coming stronger and at this point, I'm cursing myself and Nathan for not watching out lamaze video more than 2 times!! I actually brought the video with me to L&D thinking I would have time to watch it one more time.

Nathan and I settle into a technique when I do being to have bad contractions and he helps me through the worst of them. They start with this "rolling" type feeling at the top of my uterus/belly then seems to sweep out across my entire uterus in a tight wave of heat and pain. I can't describe the feeling but it was starting to get worse, closer together and I was having a harder time concentrating on the lamaze techniques. Nathan's parents show up around 6 or 7ish. Around 7, the nurse checks me again and I'm 3cm dilated and i a lot of pain. She gives me something toease the pain through the IV which works immideatly and makes me feel like I'm REALLY drunk! I'm so "drunk" that I can't keep my eyes open and I fall asleep. I drift in and out of sleep for several hours and around 10ish (I think....again drunk and having a hard time keeping track of time!) I wake up. I try to be social a bit but the contarctions are getting worse. The nurse checked me and I'm 6cm dialated! Wooohoooo!! But the pain is too much. The contractions are back to back and getting stronger each time. Nathan tries so hard to keep me calm and focus. Oh my God....he was my rock! He did everything right. He rubbed my shoulders, he got the nurses when i asked him to. He tried so hard to keep me focused on the lamaze techniques. He was WONDERFUL! I would have been lost without him!

So, I'm 6cm and in a lot of pain and I tell the nurse I want the epideral. The Epi guy comes in and he is great. He works with me through my contractions and tells me to keep my shoulders relaxed and my neck relaxed so I won't get head aches. He stops working while I have contractions so that I can make it through the contraction. Nathan holds my hands and keeps me focused and sain! Once the Epi is in...lit works right away!!! I can't feel a thing! Unfortunatlry, I can't feel my legs either!! I become so relaxed that I fall asleep again!

I wake up a few hours later and to me, I feel like I have slept for HOURS. Turns out, it was just a little over an hour or so I have slept. I look at the monitors that have been tracking my contractions and it is a flat line.....no contractions. If there are no contractions.....no dialation. I start to feel a bit upset because I start to think that by getting the Epi, I have stoped the contractions and labour. Nathan comes over and I tell him that but he says he thinks the monitor isn't on right. I sit up a bit it bed and adjust the monitor. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we can see the contractions on the screen. They aren't as strong as before but they are there!

My parents show up around 12pm and we have a full house in the delivery room. My brother and his doughter are there. Nathan's sister and her friend Jonathan and the parents are there. My contractions start to pick up again and around 12:45, they are getting bad so I ask Nathan to ask a nurse to come in. A nurse comes to checkme and everyone else but Nathan leaves. My doctor, Dr. Jones (the best doc there is!!!) shows up as well!! I tell themj my contractions are hurting again rally bad and they ask me if I have pushed the drip line button attached to my Epi?? Of course not because I forgot it was there because I was DRUNK when the guy told me how to wrok the epi!!! So I push the button and I get immediate relief!!! My doc is checking me at the same time (I can't even feel her hand down there!!!) and she says, "Don't push the button again! Are YOU ready to push???!!!" Turns out, I was 10cm and the baby's head was coming!!!

So Dr. Jones leaves to get changed and Nathan and I get prepared to have a baby!!! He sets up the camcorder on the shelf behind him in a position where we can see the bed but not my "stuff"! Dr. Jones comes in around 1ish and we get to work. One nurse is on my left side holding up my left leg which I can nhot feel at all!! Nathan is on my right side, holding my right leg which I have a bit more feeling in and Dr. Jones is, well, she's down there waiting for Caleb. So at about 1pm, I start to push and Dr. Jones and the nurse were just fantastic!! They kept encouraging me, coaching me and telling me I was doing great! They helped me to push myself to it's limit. Because I had just hit the Epi line, I couldn't feel ANYTHING down there and I had to imagine I was trying to pee really hard when they wanted me to push. I felt wonderulf about it and a little bit in controle because the would wait for me to tell them when i felt a contraction coming. I could feel a tightening around the top of my tummy. It wasn't painful but I knew that when that area got tight, they wanted me to push and to keep pushing until the contraction stoped. I knew the contraction stoped because the feeling of pressure down there eased up a bit. So I would tell the doc that a contarction was coming, they would have me push real hard and hold it. Dr. Jones said my bag had not broken completly so she told Nathan to watch as she broke it. I think he was a bit unsure but he did watch and he said it was cool. After a few more pushes she said Caleb's head was crowning and asked if I wanted to touch it!!! I reached down and I felt his head! It was really neat. After another push, Dr. Jones told me to not push any more. Caleb's head was out but the cord was around his neck. She stayed really calm and said it was okay as she cut the cord. Then she encouraged me to push on just a few more really hard times! I could actually feel Caleb coming out of stomach. I was the weirdest feeling!! After only 30 minutes of pushing......Here is Caleb!!!!!

Caleb was born 5/15/08 at 1:30pm. He was 8pounds 1ounce and 20 1/4 inches long! When he came out and let out that wonderful cry, I lost it. I cried so hard and it felt so great!!! I was so happy! Nathan had tears in his eyes and he held my hand and told me I did great! They laid Caleb against my chest and I held and rubbed him. I kissed his head and I cried and I kissed him some more. Then they wanted me to feed him. He latched right on! My good boy!!! I'm so in love with this little angel!!!