Starting from February; Crystal's pregnancy went well the whole way through. At 36 weeks the Doctor measured her a little small and scheduled an Ultrasound just to cover the bases, all was well and baby (before she had a name) was just over 7 lbs +/-. Work continued for me, and starting the first Monday in May I began to work the graveyard shift as a temporary position so that I could make a little extra money before D-Day. I was in a constant state of non-sleepness it was pretty rough for the first several weeks. Things got better (I actually think I was just getting used to 5 hrs of sleep a day).
Then on the morning of Friday June 25th Crystal called, several times, and said that she was headed to the hospital and that she was in a lot of pain. Crystal got in at a little past 3 in the morning and I met her as she was being wheeled back to Labor and Delivery. The nurses there checked us in, but before admitting us needed to observe Crystal and do an exam to she how she was doing.
Turns out that the pain that Crystal had been experiencing was contractions and she was having them 3-4 min. apart, and she was dilated to a 2 almost 3, with 90% effacement. Not enough to be admitted...bummer. So we began walking the halls and doing the labor dance. Crystal was hung in there and an hour and a half later they hooked her up again to see how she was doing.
There was very little progression at all. I was thinking that they were going to send us home (45 min away). So we told them how far we lived and they said that they would observe her a little longer and that they would re-evaluate in another hour. So back to the hall we went. The contractions were obviously getting stronger but she wasn't dilating and that was the criteria that we needed to be admitted and get the ball rolling.
By the time that they examined Crystal again it was just before 6 in the morning and there was no progression at all. Dr Mellum was due to be in the department at 7 and the nurses said that they would have us stay and let the doctor decide what he wanted to do.
Everyone left and we were alone. Hooked up to the monitors with contractions getting harder and ever more painful, we counted the minutes until 7. In that time Crystal was in a tremendous amount of pain and just wanted to be admitted so that they could get her some relief. The monitors could never stay put for long. So shortly after the nurses left they stopped working, but never the less Crystal did an amazing job of breathing through the contractions and only a couple of times needed help to stay on task. She was a real trooper.
Finally, 7 o'clock! The nurses came back in and found that the monitors had been knocked around and hadn't recorded a thing. As the nurse went to do her exam, she says, "Whoa, ummm, wow." and then, "Could you come take a look at her," speaking to the other nurse, "I can't feel the other side here she is so paper thin." So the other nurse does her exam and can't get a good feel. She waits until the next contraction and says that yep she is very thin and a 9+!!!
At this point things really started to move fast. Between that contraction and the next her water broke and after her water broke, the next contraction started. At this point Crystal looks up and says, "I HAVE to push!" The nurses looked at her and then at each other and said,"I guess we had better hurry and get you into a room then! Try and blow this one off if you can."
They wheeled her across the hall and into the labor room and started her pushing. One and a half hours and an episiotomy later...hello Eva Crystal born @0847, 20in long and 7lbs 5oz.
Little did I know that they round up for the official weight.
I just thought that they all came out as nice even numbers!
Her eyes are goopy from the drops that they put in them.
Can't really see it here but she has nice long toes.
Dang she is cute.
Happy Momma and Proud Papa!
I was pretty lucky to get any of these pictures. As a result of not being admitted, we didn't bring in our labor bags and camera gear. So just after they wheeled Crystal into the delivery room, she remembered (how I have no idea) that we didn't have the cameras! So here I am, wife pushing out a baby, and no camera! Do I run out, get the camera and possibly come back to a baby in her arms? Or stay, and not have a single picture of our first child's birth! I asked Crystal what she wanted me to do, and she said to RUN! I was to the car in back in one contraction! I arrived back in the room way out of breath, only to realize that I couldn't say anything about it...I wasn't having a baby.
The other really cool thing that happened was me being able to catch the baby and clamp and cut the umbilical cord! That was such an awesome experience. Babies are way squishy coming out.
Little Eva we are so happy to have you here! Welcome to the world!
