When I woke up Saturday morning, the first thing I thought was, "today feels exactly like it did almost a year ago when I went into labor with Walker." Of course, I am about 50 pounds lighter now and not nearly as uncomfortable as I was that day, but otherwise, this past Saturday was just like that Saturday that I gave birth to my baby boy.
Saturday April 10, 2010- It was a beautiful day; we were going to go to Tyson's football practice, then Sydney's (our neighbor and friend) birthday party, and then I was going to work. And this past Saturday, we had the exact same plans- football practice, Sydney's birthday party, and then work. Of course last year, though, my plans didn't quite go as expected because my water broke bright and early that morning, and I ended up at the hospital giving birth to my Walker. I don't think I ever told the story about the day I gave birth to Walker, so I'm going to try to do my best to remember what I can.
Like I said, I woke up bright and early that glorious Saturday morning in preparation for my long day ahead. I remember not wanting to get up and shower because I was so big and miserable and just wanted to sleep in, but I had promised Tyson I would bring Jake to his football scrimmage. So, I got on up and showered (thank goodness), and then Jake woke up; I fixed our normal breakfast (eggs and toast) and then continued getting ready. It was about 8:15 that morning, when I kept having the urge to pee. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's important to the story. Anyways, I kept feeling the need to go to the bathroom, but very little would come out each time. I remember thinking it was the weirdest thing, and then all of a sudden when I stood up, I felt something dripping down my leg. Now with Jake, my water broke when I was in the shower, and I never really got the "gush" that they say that you get so I wasn't sure if that what was happening. I called Tyson anyway to get his opinion.
Tyson had left for work that morning way before I woke up. He isn't supposed to have his phone on him at practice, but Coach Callaway had given him approval just in case. I swore to Tyson that I would only call him in emergency, so he knew when that phone rang that it was serious. Here's kinda how our conversation went down:
Me- (calling Tyson's phone to tell him about the "drippage")
Tyson- "Are you in labor?"
Me- "I don't know..."
Tyson- "What do you mean you don't know? Did your water break?"
Me- "I can't tell...I think it did or either I just peed on myself..." Long pause as I walk down the hallway....and then SPLAT! "ummm, yeah...my water just broke...all down the hallway!"
Tyson- "So, you're telling me that your water just broke?" And then cheers erupt from his players in the background. :) "I'll be right there!"
Hahaha. I think I'll always remember that conversation; Tyson said that when his phone rang his players were all hooting and hollering and were so excited.
After Tyson and I got off the phone, I called my mom and told her that she needed to hit the road. Next, I started calling my friend, Casey Rae. Casey Rae was supposed to be on call to keep Jake when I went into labor; unfortunately, Casey Rae was asleep and missed the call. :( So I called my neighbor and best friend, Ginger and she said she would watch Jake. I can't tell you what a relief it is to know that your child is in good hands....thanks, Ginger!
After I got all the phone calls made, I rushed around the house trying to finish getting me and Jake ready, getting us packed, and picking up the house while waiting on Tyson. Now, I never really got to experience contractions with Jake, so I had really wanted to at least have some with Walker so I could say I knew what they were like. Be careful what you wish for, Beth! As soon as my water broke, the pain began!!
Tyson got home pretty quickly and we shuffled Jake off to Ginger's. I remember being sad leaving Jake, but I was hurting and uncomfortable at that point and just wanted to get to the hospital. Tyson, like he did when I was in labor with Jake, felt the need to race to the hospital and run every red light on the way. By the grace of God, we made it safely in one piece. ;)
We got to the floor around 9:30ish and they put me in a room and we started the admission process. I was super sad to learn that my doctor wasn't on call...I LOVE Dr. McKee. Anyway, the on-call doctor, Dr. Heath, came and saw me and said since I had eaten a "big breakfast" that my c-section wouldn't be until later that day around 2 pm. She told me that I could have pain medicine or get an epidural, but I decided to tough it out. Bad idea.
The contractions weren't that long or that frequent, but they were not fun at all. I did get to blog, play on the computer, and talk to my hubby (which is a treat these days!), but I was pretty miserable. Around noon, I had had all I could take; I called the nurse and asked for pain medicince, and it was too late to get it. :( By that point, my mom had arrived and things started moving pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I was being wheeled to the OR.
For some reason, the c-section is somewhat of a blur to me. I can still remember Jake's c-section pretty vividly, but not so much with Walker's. Everything went really smoothly with the c-section (other than some blood pressure issues as evidenced by the 3rd photo), and as they pulled Walker out, I heard laughter erupt in the room. Apparently when they pulled Walker out, he grabbed ahold of my uterus (TMI again) and wouldn't let go. The other doctor literally had to grab Walker's hands to make him release the uterus. Ha! I should have known right then that he'd be attached to my hip and never want to let go of his mommy!
The other thing that I remember from the c-section is my first glance of Walker- I thought "he looks tiny...I bet he only weighs 7 or 8 lbs." He was 9 lbs 4 oz, which is only 4 oz less than Jake was, but he looked so much skinnier; I guess maybe the extra 0.5 inch that he had on Jake spread his fat out a little more evenly. My other thought was, "he looks nothing like Jake."
After they got Walker cleaned up, he and Tyson and the nurse went back to the room while they finished sewing me up. If I remember correctly, by the time I got back to the room, my dad, my grandparents, and Mary Ann had arrived and already began oohing and ahhing over my sweet boy.
After that, the rest of the day was a blur. The Morphine PCA made me so sick, and I just felt terrible. The nurse finally turned off the Morphine late that night, and I woke up at 6 am the next morning ready to shower and love on my baby.
I spent much of the hospital stay just holding Walker because I wasn't sure how much I would be able to once I got home. Here it is almost a year later and I just can't get enough of holding my sweet boy. Yes, he is still attached to my hip and wants to be held constantly, but that is perfectly fine with me...most of the time. ;)
This is "puppy," by the way. Walker LOVES his puppy! 
This is the look Jake gives me whenever I pull out the camera. 
Who comes to the Zoo to actually see the animals anyway? 
Jake on the same slide when he was 9 months old!
I had to put this one on here...this is Walker making his shy face. I have so many baby pics making this face. :) Love my little mini-me!