5 AM: We arrived to Cottage Hospital on Monday the 8th. We met our nurse Michele and were already told by Dr. Echt that nurses switch shifts at 7 AM so we knew that Michele would basically be checking us in and then we would meet the nurse who would hopefully be the one to help coach me through the birth of the baby. Michele was great and got us all checked in.
Aren't I looking stylish in my hospital gown? Seriously, there has to be a better design for these things. They are so uncomfortable, they don't cover you, the snaps and ties are confusing and by the time they hook you up to the monitors and IV's, you are all tangled up with what feels like a paper smock with power cords wrapped around you.7:00 AM: My new labor nurse arrives, Robin, and I was so happy to see her as I remember her being one of my nurses when I delivered Samantha.
I am all checked in, vitals taken and IV's placed.
Robin hooks up the heartbeat and contraction monitors to my belly and as soon as I am laying down on the hospital bed I start to feel contractions. They were mild but consistent and I was shocked because Robin had not even started the pitocin drip. If I would have known that what would send me into labor would be the actual hospital bed, I would have checked in a long time ago!
7:30 AM: Pitocin drip begins at the lowest setting and the goal was to up it every 1/2 hour depending on my progress.
8:30 AM Dr. Echt arrives to check on me. She breaks my water which was painless and tells me I am 4 cm's and 90% effaced (I was 3 cm's and 70% effaced a few days prior at my last appointment).
Since I was getting induced, I really couldn't avoid some of the interventions I was getting however I could try to manage my pain better this time around. I did not go into this thinking I could or wanted to do it without an epidural but I did discuss it with Dr. Echt and Robin and they both said they would coach me through it if I wanted to try to make it through without one. After a quick pep talk and some advice from a few friends who had an epidural-free labor, I decided I wanted to try it without one or at least hold off alot longer than I did with Samantha but it was not a deal breaker so have the anesthesiologist on speed dial just in case :)
Since I was getting induced, I really couldn't avoid some of the interventions I was getting however I could try to manage my pain better this time around. I did not go into this thinking I could or wanted to do it without an epidural but I did discuss it with Dr. Echt and Robin and they both said they would coach me through it if I wanted to try to make it through without one. After a quick pep talk and some advice from a few friends who had an epidural-free labor, I decided I wanted to try it without one or at least hold off alot longer than I did with Samantha but it was not a deal breaker so have the anesthesiologist on speed dial just in case :)
9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Contractions started to pick up. They were strong and consistent but I could manage them. I just kept breathing through them and reminding myself what my friend Sarah told me, "Contractions are ONLY a minute and then you get a 2 to 3 minute break". And this was all true. During the breaks I would try to visualize meeting the baby and focus on my breathing.
I was pretty uncomfortable in the hospital bed. I was able to get up but was hooked up to the IV so I had to drag that darn cart with me if I wanted to stretch my legs or go to the bathroom (which I must have went about every 15 minutes).
Robin only upped the pitocin one time because my contractions were timed perfectly and were getting pretty intense.
12:45 PM Things changed......... All of a sudden the contractions were so intense and painful that I started to panic. It felt like someone was taking an ax and chopping me in the back. I tried new breathing techniques - fast breathing, slow breathing. I tried standing up, laying down, having Todd massage my back, then yelling at Todd to stop touching me. I couldn't focus anymore. I started to feel nauseous and thought I was going to throw up. I also started to have visions of my labor with Samantha which was so painful because she was coming out sunny side up. I could no longer relax in between contractions because I was well aware that in about 2 minutes, the person with the ax was going to be back to lay into me again!
Robin could tell that I had hit the point where I couldn't handle it anymore. She told me that normally when patients start to experience what I was feeling they are in the transition stage which is the most intense part of labor that gets you to 10 cm's.
Robin said that she wanted to check me before we called the anesthesiologist as I may be very close and she would help get me through as best she could.
Robin checked me and said I was at 5 cm's. She tried to spin it to be more positive by saying, "You are half way there!" but that was not going to work on me. I needed the epidural immediately! She offered up a narcotic to me first but I knew that I would probably end up getting the epidural anyways and I didn't want to take the additional drug which I figured would wear off quickly and only make me vomit.
1:30 PM Dr. Ramos, the anesthesiologist, arrived. I could actually hear him outside the door chatting with someone and I was freaking out wondering why he wasn't coming inside our room. I was dying! The pain was so intense.
He came in with a huge smile and started to tell me all the side effects of an epidural , "headaches, nerve damage, convulsions, paralysis, cardiac arrest, maternal death....." I wanted him to stop talking and just stick that needle in my back.
After enduring one more horrendous contraction, he placed the epidural and slowly but surely the pain turned into intense pressure. Then shortly after that, the pressure subsided where I could still feel I was having a contraction but it was manageable.
2:00 PM I went to the bathroom for about the 50th time and something felt different. The pressure was unbearable and I told Todd to go get Robin.
Robin said she better check me and sure enough, I was an 8 and fully effaced so basically when the pain was at it's worse and while Dr. Ramo's was administering the epidural, I was going through the transition stage.
3:00 PM Since I was progressing so quickly Robin thought she would check me and we heard the words, "It's time to push, there is going to be a baby here within the hour. I am going to go call Dr. Echt."
This is the photo we took of ourselves while Robin was calling Dr. Echt. We both kept saying, "I can't believe we are going to meet our little GIRL!" And we also kept saying," Already?!" I had only been laboring for about 6 hours!3:20 PM Dr. Echt came in, put on her scrubs and told me to push.
1 PUSH
And then another PUSH
And then Dr. Echt said, "STOP!, Slow Down, One tiny push............"
This picture doesn't show the "goods" but it is definitely a BOY!
At 3:29 PM, Thatcher Robinson surprised us all!!! He was a big boy, 9 lbs and 21 inches! Much bigger than Samantha.
Daddy got very emotional when he discovered he had a healthy son!
Dr. Echt was awesome and reassured me several times that, "yes, it is a boy and yes, that is a penis."
Proud Mama, enjoying a turkey sandwich, while Todd went to the nursery with Thatcher to get cleaned up and checked.
Samantha meeting Thatcher for the first time. We made the mistake of telling her for the past 6 months that it was a girl and that we were naming her "Piper". So the first meeting was a bit confusing when she heard it was her baby brother named, Thatcher.
She kept saying, "Isn't she cute. She is so tiny. She is my baby."
After this photo we had to pry Samantha's hands off Thatcher. She did not want to let him go and began screaming and crying, "My baby, my baby, I don't want to leave my baby". Basically my parents had to grab her and take her home because she was causing a huge scene. So I didn't get any pictures of my parents with the baby. 
Dancing Grandma meeting her grandson
Papa Ward 
Daddy is most likely showing Thatcher some surfing website and Mommy is wondering why Daddy keeps getting in the hospital bed :( Since Thatcher was doing great and I felt great, we decided to stay only the required 24 hours at Cottage Hospital rather than stay an extra day. While everyone was very nice and helpful, if rest is what you want, you are better off at home. I am not exaggerating when I say that someone knocked on our door every 10 minutes during our 24 hour stay. Blood pressure checks, temperature checks, blood draws, baby nurses coming in to take Thatcher's vitals and to take him for tests, nurses pressing on my stomach, nurses checking to make sure I am peeing enough, cleaning ladies, food service, a church lady wanting to give us a blessing, lactation consultants, birth certificate people and so on and so forth.
Uh Oh! Thatcher doesn't seem to like his car seat. By the way, this is the same outfit we brought Samantha home in. It fit Thatcher a lot better than Samantha.
On our way home!
The token "leaving Cottage Hospital" shot
Samantha posing with Piper, I mean, Thatcher (she calls him "Thatchy").
Samantha looks like an 8 year old compared to the little guy
Daddy doing story time with his kids
naptime
And this is how we have seen Thatcher for most of the week. I know it is just the honeymoon period where they sleep 22 out of 24 hours and soon he will be waking us up to eat but right now, dare I say it is easy?!
And as far as labor experiences go, I couldn't have asked for a better one. I don't even want to get into Samantha's story as it would take me weeks to type up the 36 hour fiasco - but all worth it Samantha :)
Samantha is still waiting to become a big sister 
These two better not be making a reference to how big I am getting.......
