Monday, October 18, 2010

How You Were Born

Levi, you are the best thing that has ever happened to us. This is how you came into the world.

On Wednesday, October 6th, we arrived at the hospital at 5pm to be induced. By 6pm they had placed the cervadil. I was 1cm dialated. At 10pm, our doctor came in to check on us and warned we might have to go home in the morning if there were no significant changes. Well, 20 minutes later my water broke and we knew you would be born soon! By 12pm I received an epidural which was wonderful at first. I got really chattery with the nurses and everyone could tell I felt much better. At 1am I was 4cm dialated and by 6am I was 10cm! My doctor was in surgery so they told me we would wait to push and let the baby labor down on his own. Once 8am rolled around, I started pushing and 2 hours later I had made little progress. Meanwhile, the epidural seemed to be working on my left side more than my right, and it kept waring off completely. They kept giving me a little boost called a bullis. After 2 hours of pushing I took an hour break. Then 2 more hours of pushing. Even less progress this time. Then another break. Then another 2 hours of pushing. All the while the epidural would all of a sudden quit working. Ouch!! My nurse was absolutely amazing! She prayed for me and was so supportive and wonderful the entire time. God sent her to me knowing what a blessing she would be during such a trying time. She began warning me that the baby might not be able to fit and a c-section might be necessary. She said I was pushing well and he just wasn't budging. They called my doctor and he asked that the operating room be prepared just in case. When he arrived he talked with me about using the vacuum as a last-ditch effort. He knew how much I wanted to avoid a c-section and he tried all he could to help me do that. I was afraid of the vacuum but didn't feel any pain from it. Unfortunately, even with several good pushes with a few contracti0ns, he told me that the baby did not budge one little bit and that we would need to have a c-section. I knew I had tried my hardest and that I had given everything I possibly could a try, so I felt ok about going in for surgery. The anesthesiologist decided that my epidural wasn't effective enough for surgery, so he gave me a spinal. The whole experience was surreal. I felt like I was in good hands and my nurse was right by my side. I was so relieved when Randy was allowed into the operating room. He had been so amazing that whole time. He knew exactly how to encourage and support me. He counted during my pushing. He told me I was so strong and he was so proud of me. He was more incredible than I could have ever asked for. I couldn't believe how quickly they got the baby out. As soon as they held him up, I began crying tears of joy. He was finally here. He was beautiful. At that moment, I didn't care a thing about the pain or the time it took for him to arrive. I didn't mind laying on an operating table and being cut open. He was here! I was a mom. The nurses kept saying he looked so healthy. He peed all over the place when the nurses were cleaning him up. When they weighed him and discovered he was 7lb 15oz, they remarked that he would be over 8 pounds had he not peed everywhere! He was 22in long, but that was because his poor little head was swollen from all that pushing I did. At the pediatrician a week later, we discovered he was actually 21in long. You were born on Thursday, Ocober 7th at 6:02pm. What an experience! We felt the prayers of our family and friends and knew peace that surpasses all understanding. We are so thankful for this beautiful little life that God has created. Our prayer is that we will raise him to know the Lord and to come to a saving relationship with Him. Welcome to the world, Levi! We love you!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Welcome Levi!

Levi Paul Carpenter
October 7, 2010 at 6:02pm
7lb 15 oz, 22in. long

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Countdown...

So the countdown is on! At our last doctor appointment, he told us that he will check me at our next visit to see if we are ready to induce on the 7th or not. It might be a little later than that. I am hoping our little guy comes on his own in the next few days.

We are busy getting last minute things done and enjoying our last few days as a family of 2!

Our community group prayed for us on Thursday and I have been feeling more and more peace. I have been struggling with anxiety and nervousness because of the unknown. I know I can trust in the plan that God has for our baby to be born. The story is already written and now we get to see what it is!