All About Xander's Entrance

{warning...long post, but there are pics at the end}
I think it'll be pretty difficult for me ever forget the way my beautiful little boy made his entrance into the world. With reading previous posts, you know that I've been in labor pretty much since Saturday- nothing too serious, but just enough to make me impatient and uncomfortable as heck. Monday I visited my OB and was told that I was 2 1/2 cm dialated and that made me very happy because I figured I was well on my way to finally giving birth.

I got up a little after 7 am Tuesday morning to get Donovan ready for school and then went back to bed until 11 am. I wanted to do a few minor things around the house so I wouldn't have to worry about them once the baby came and to help keep myself busy, but the only thing I could manage to do was grab a few pillows and a blanket, the remote and phone and lie down on the couch. I felt an overwhelming need to rest and in that moment, I knew that the baby was coming that day or early the next. With all of the nesting that I had done since my maternity leave had started, this was my body's way of shutting down and preparing for labor.

I layed on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. I remember my MIL calling me and "requesting" (jokingly of course) that Xander stay in until Thursday so she wouldn't have to cancel her plans. My reply was "Thursday? You must be crazy- this baby is coming TODAY"!! I said "I'm going to tell you like I told my sister (who had jokingly said he had to come after her important meetings) that this ain't about you, it's about me getting this baby OUT!!" "I miserable"! We talked for a bit; I told her how I had felt all day, that I was starting to have minor contractions and was sick and tired of laying down all day. My body was starting to ache!

After getting off the phone I decided that I had had enough and needed to move about to get the ball rolling. I put some clothes on and drove to the scrapbook store where I teach, 1/2 hour away. As soon as I walked in, the owner asked me if I knew how many times someone had asked her if I had the baby yet. I asked her if she knew how many times someone had asked me that very same question. "You win" was her reply! LOL! I told her that I was starting to have contractions and that I needed to do a little walking around to help out a bit--what's a girl to do other than shop?! She reminded me of the dream I had- the one where I suddenly went into labor in the store after my water broke in the bathroom...I got a good laugh at that one because here I was in real life and in labor!

I went to pay for my stuff and a contraction hit, I rubbed my belly and breathed through it and she just looked at me and said "oh no you don't missy...don't "ooo ooo ooo" in this store". She is a riot! On the drive home another contraction hit, which now put them at about 15 minutes apart. Suddenly I had this undeniable urge for tacos and sweet tea so I stopped in Shop Rite and bought the stuff to make tacos. (backtracking: for the first 4 months of my pregnancy I was so so sick and unable to eat that I had lost 10 lbs. I went on Zofran to help stop the vomiting and the first thing I craved was tacos- not the fast food type (yuck), but the Ortega types that you can make yourself at home).

I went straight from the supermarket to pick Donovan up from preschool at 6:00pm and then we headed to White Castle to get some sweet tea. I drove home and my contractions had really started picking up, it was now a little after 6. I started making my tacos and they were coming about every 3-5 minutes...now I knew I was in business and started to watch the clock to see if they would progress this way for the next hour and then I'd know that it was time to call my doctor. About 30-35 minutes later, I had sat down to eat...my tacos of course...and the contractions stopped! I was confused because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel! That was short lived because once I stood up again, they started back where they left off. I talked to both my sisters on the phone, all the while walking between the kitchen and living room and breathing through contractions. I had sent Donovan upstairs to watch TV, so I could concentrate without him "mommying" me to death. I was getting excited because I knew the time was near, but thoroughly pissed off at the same time, which quickly turned to anger because I could not get in contact with Troy and I was going through this by myself!!! My contractions were starting to come 2-3 minutes apart, but this would happen for about 40 minutes and then they slowed down to about 10-15 minutes for 1/2 hour... I took a nice, long, hot shower- this helped when I was in labor with Donovan. I called my friend Doral and put her on high alert (She was going to keep Donovan and take him to school for us) and then packed a bag for Donovan.

I remembered constantly debating when I should call the doctor. I knew that I did not want to have the epidural- I wanted to go natural like last time, but I didn't want to be immobilized in the hospital, contracting for hours. I wanted to labor at home as much as possible so I could move around as I pleased, which was a tremendous pain management help...now I understand why some women opt for home births...I never understood this concept before, but I certainly do now! This was the tricky part because you just don't know, every labor and birth is different. I decided that it was time to call my doc's practice. I paid a couple of bills online, made a few "it's almost time" posts on the scrapbook sites that I visit and then made the call. I told the on call doc that my contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes, he asked if this was my first child, I told him no and he said "Ok, come on in and we'll check it out".

I told Troy it was time to go. He rushed and put the bags in the car, put Donovan's shoes and coat on over his pajamas and carried him to the car. It was now about a little after midnight and suddenly at that very moment, my contractions started doubling up...they started coming really hard and strong almost as if someone just threw a switch. I quickly realized that I may have waited just a little too long and hoped and prayed that we make the trek to the hospital in enough time. It seemed to take me forever to get in the car. We drove to the other side of town and dropped Donovan off at my friend's house at about 12:25 am. The hospital was 1/2 hour away and I prayed the entire time that we'd make it. I remember worrying that we were going to get stopped for speeding because Troy had (carefully) run about 3 red lights and then did about 85 miles an hour on the Parkway and Turnpike. He kept saying "hang in there babe, we're almost there", but I could hear the panic in his voice. I remember at one point telling him "shhhh please be quiet, I need to concentrate"! I'm one of those, I need complete silence, in order to concentrate on breathing and getting through these contractions type of women!

Once we got off the Turnpike, I began worrying about the ride down Route 18. There was some major construction going on and I just thought, "how the hell am I going to survive all of those bumps?"! (I knew the road pretty well as this is the one that I travel everyday to and from work). I was really moaning and groaning, but I made it down that road. Our exit was in sight and it wasn't long now....unfortunately for me there was more construction and Troy hit and bump really hard while I was in the middle of a contraction. OH.......MY.......GOD!!! The pain that shot through me....!! OMG, OMG, OMG! I have no words to explain it!

We were around the corner from the hospital and now it was ON! Troy pulled up to the emergency room door and ran in to grab someone. There was no way that I could get out of the car. The wheelchair was right there in sight, but I couldn't get out. The triage nurse and Troy kept saying you have to get out and I kept saying "Ok, Ok, Ok.....I can't mooooooooove"! The nurse replied "honey, we have to get you up to L&D" so you can have this baby. It was purely by the grace of God that I was able to hoist myself out of that Jeep Cherokee and into the wheelchair. I prayed "God please do not let me have this baby right here", that bright red Emergency Room sign was not what I wanted to see as I welcomed my son into this world.

I sat in the wheelchair, but my feet were dragging we had to stop and it seemed to take forever to put them up. Can you believe they actually tried to triage me? WTF?! Couldn't they see I was on the verge of spewing amniotic fluid all over the floor? Someone with sense called L&D and was told to send me up immediately. It was a loooong trek from emergency to L&D. In L&D, everything seemed to move at warp speed, especially my contractions. Everyone kept telling me to move here and move there, couldn't they just pick me up and put me where I needed to be? I didn't have the strenghth to move! I was bombarded with questions, most of which I ignored the first time around...couldn't they read my mind? I just wanted to close my eyes and push! Where was Troy? Couldn't he answer for me? Then I heard his voice finally...he had gotten lost in the barrage of hallways and elevators after parking the car.

I remember contracting and then doing that "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm" afterward- everyone starting yelling, "don't push, don't push". But I really had to push, the pressure down below was building and I felt as if I was going to burst. I did it again and on the 3rd time I said "I really have to puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush". Finally they caved, the resident cut my amniotic sac, 2 pushes later and Xander was here! 1:29am, just 1 hour after we dropped off his big brother- talk about cutting it close. Xander was born at 1:29 am on 4/9/08. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19 1/2". It all happened so fast!! Troy was so overcome by the sight of blood, the tools and the super quick delivery that he almost passed out!! He started breathing fast, feeling dizzy and getting hot so the nurse took him in the hallway to sit down. The on call doc came to me and introduced himself. I guess because of our schedules, he was one of the doctors in the practice that I didn't get to see during my pregnancy. He said "didn't I just speak to you?"..."you did a great job...cut it close, but at least you can go up and get some rest now"...rest...finally someone who made sense!

Anyway, Xander was breathing a little fast so they sent him to NICU. His breathing was fine by the next day, but his bilirubin levels were a little elevated. My baby has jaundice and has to stay in the NICU until the levels go down, which means that I had to leave the hospital without him...sniff, sniff! But, I'd rather be safe than sorry- he's healthy, doing well, totally gorgeous!

I can't believe how much he looks like Donovan did when he was born. The similarities are amazing, I've already matched up a few photos and you really can't tell them apart. I had a feeling he was going to look like his big brother. Donovan was all over me during my pregnancy- it was his way of bonding with his "baby brudder". Because Xander was in the NICU, Donovan wasn't able to see him other than the 30 second peek we managed and the pictures. He was so disappointed, but he's being suprisingly patient and understanding about it...well as patient and understanding as a 4 year old can be. LOL! I can't wait to get Xander home so we can all start bonding as a family of 4!

Here are a few pictures- Daddy, Mommy, and baby Xander! Look at those proud smiles!


Here's my little boy flashing me with those big brown eyes. Just one look...that's all it took...I'm so in love! Isn't he gorgeous? Can you see the reason why even air gave me heart burn? Now if he were a girl, he'd probably be bald.
Be still my heart! One of my fave photos so far- so you know this will be on a layout very soon!!!

He's flashing those "Puss 'N Boots" eyes again, this time at his Aunt Nett...yeah, he has her wrapped around his finger already, too!

The End!