A marathon of a different kind...

I decided to keep my running blog separate from this one. This blog will be used to keep family and friends everywhere updated on Ty's life since many of you are not near by. I'll do my best to update it on a regular basis...so check back often!

Before you begin reading...be warned that this entry will include details of my labor and delivery. Some of them are not so fun and may be TMI for you. I hope you'll read (obviously, or I wouldn't be sharing it with you!) but don't say I didn't warn you:-) Ok, here goes.

I'm going to split up this post into 3 days because the story wouldn't be complete if I didn't share the entire weekend with you.

Friday July 23, 2010

My due date was July 26 and on this day I had an appointment with my midwife Penny. I was already 3cm dilated, 80%effaced and his head was at -1 station. The purpose of my 1:30pm visit was to check and see if I had made any progress and to strip my membranes to "speed up the process". Penny was on call that weekend so we both really wanted me to deliver Friday night. As I was getting ready for work that morning I went to the bathroom and had this sudden and paralyzing sharp pain up the left side of my back. This was the WORST pain I had ever felt in my life followed by some power puking. Ruddley had already left for work and I remember crying out for him and was sure that I was in labor. Once the pain passed I jumped in the shower and rushed to the hospital (which is also where I work).

I got in around 8:00am and they put me on the monitor, sent me to ultrasound and eventually told me that I was not in labor but had most likely passed a kidney stone. WHAT!? No, I have to be in labor. Ugh. I was not happy. Penny ended up stripping my membranes then and sent me home around noon.

I slept until around 4:00pm when I woke up with that same back pain and some more puking. I called Penny and she had me come in (mind you, its a 40 minute trip to the hospital) for a renal ultrasound. Ruddley got up to 100mph on the interstate as I am in the passenger seat throwing up in a plastic bag. mmmm classy. We arrived at the ultrasound, me in tears and Ruddley not really sure what to do. They got me a stretcher to lay down on while we waited for the doctor to come from his house to do the ultrasound (it was after 5:00pm on a friday). It was there that I threw up some more and had that nasty pain in my back. After my ultrasound they ended up admitting me to the maternity unit for the night. My A-MA-ZING friend Danielle met us at the hospital and spent the night with us! They gave me morphine for my pain, something for my nausea and hooked me up to IV fluids. I was in heaven and flyin' high!! I apologize to anyone I texted or called while I was in this state of mind, but I was feeling goooooood (This is why I avoid pain meds at all cost!!) Danielle and Ruddley were getting a big kick out of the fact that I couldn't put a sentence together to save my life. I think I had gone through 2 liters of IV fluids and 2 liters of water from my water bottle when Danielle pointed out how much fluid had been pumped into me and I had NO urge to go to the bathroom. Can you say dehydrated??? The rest of the night was pretty much a blur. At some point I passed out and Ruddley and Danielle went to bed.

Saturday July 24, 2010

There's not a whole lot to say about today. I really don't remember too much of it. Ruddley left in the morning and went home to get some stuff done at the house. Danielle stayed until noonish when my mom showed up. I spent the entire day at the hospital and finally came to grips with the fact that I indeed was not in labor and it was kidney stones. Penny told me to do some walking and that may help. She is also a fellow runner and knew that 29 laps around the maternity unit was equal to 1 mile. With the help of Danielle, my mom and my friend and co-worker Chris who stopped by I was able to walk 4 miles!! Sadly, it did not help and around 8 or 9 that night I was sent home....again. They sent me home on Ambien to help me sleep and when I got home was in some pain so my mom called and asked if I could take Tylenol PM. That combo put me to sleep until 1:45pm Sunday...

Sunday July 25, 2010

I didn't wake up until 1:45pm that day. I got up, went to the bathroom and then started downstairs to say hi to Ruddley. I made it to the top step when my water broke! YAY!! This meant I HAD to be in labor. I called Penny....again...and she again told me to come back in. Poor Ruddley got me back in the car for yet another trip to the hospital and again pushing the speed to 100mph. We got there and I asked him to get a wheelchair and he wheeled me up to maternity. I remember getting off the elevator and saying to the same nurses I had seen all weekend "I'm NOT going home this time and I want an epidural!" They were kind enough to put me in the same room I had been in all weekend. The rest of the night was a blur to me and I will try and recall as much as I can. Penny confirmed with me that I wanted an epidural and made the phone call. As the contractions got closer I was in more and more pain and the anesthesiologist could not have come fast enough. I remember him trying to explain how the epidural worked and I could have cared less. I think at one point one of my awesome nurses told him to just do it and forget the explanation. With that, he gave it to me. ahhhhhhhh best.idea.ever!! Life was sooo much better and I made several comments about people who give birth naturally are crazy and I would NEVER do it. I even said "THAT is my favorite doctor ever!"

I have no idea how much time had passed but my contractions were starting to hurt again. I remember saying "Penny, they are getting worse, like when I came in!!". My epidural site was checked and found to be leaking. Apparently the entire back of my shirt was wet. Penny had to break the news that not only did the epidural leak, but I was too far along to do anything about it and I would have to go at it naturally at which point I said "that is NOT my favorite doctor anymore". At this point I was so frustrated and in so much pain I didn't think I could do it. Penny had me roll over onto my right side and she held my hand and said "This is easier then running a marathon, you can do this Sarah!" to which I responded "Then I'm never running a fucking marathon". But it was her confidence in me at that moment that made me dig down deep and work through the pain.

Ruddley was there holding my hand the entire time and kept reminding me to breathe. I just wanted this all to be over. I remember Penny telling me it was time to push and that she was getting her table ready. She swore that pushing would be less painful then riding through the contractions (I agree!). I'm told I was an excellent pusher...for what that's worth:-) I felt like I had been pushing forever and kept asking if I was almost done. Penny and the nurses were so great and every time they made it seem like I just needed one more and kept me going. At 7:55pm one nurse said "He will be born by 8:00". I looked at the clock and felt like the end was in sight. 35 minutes of pushing and my little boy, Tyler Jackson Emerson entered the world at 8:00pm on July 25, 2010. Weighing 9.0lbs and 20inches long.

Unfortunately the next 2 hours were spent stitching me back together. That part didn't hurt...it's the week following where I can't walk that hurts! Each day gets better and better and soon I'll be back to running again:-)

I can't say enough about Penny and the Nurses at the hospital. They were wonderful and put up with me and all my visits over the weekend! The next few days were filled with visitors. It makes it easy when you work at the hospital that you deliver at for co-workers to stop by. Danielle came back up Monday morning and was my very first visitor. She came in and said "Where is everyone!?" haha, shes so cute! At one point I really wanted to take a shower and she said "I'll babysit him while you take a shower...although I don't really know what to do with him" and me being a first time mom responded "That's ok, neither do i" haha. Danielle brought me a sweet gift a bag of doritos...mmm and this kick as running tank top...

With that....I think this post is long enough. Stayed tuned to watch Ty grow...I'll be back with pictures and stories! I'll leave you with a few of my favorites from the last week.