Welcome to the World Griffin Blaine!!

My last post was written just four days before my little boy decided to make his debut. How much can change in such a short amount of time!!
I am going to try and remember as much of that day as possible. Unfortunately, a dose of Fenagrin and Demoral clouded a portion of this exciting day!
On Friday, February 24th, I finally fell asleep about 2:00 in the morning. I got up several times to use the bathroom which was unusual, even at 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant. During one of my short bouts of sleep, I dreamt that I was having contractions and was timing them. I hadn’t been feeling that great, and finally at 5:00 a.m. I decided to go ahead and get up to time my contractions. Thankfully, I have an app on my phone that did a great job keeping up with them! I ate some poptarts for breakfast, and sat on the couch with my phone. They were anywhere from two minutes to eight minutes apart. Since they weren’t very consistent, I wasn’t too concerned. However, they were not letting up! I texted my mom just to let her know what was going on. She was ready to drive directly to Russellville, but I talked her into waiting at least until 8:00, which was when my doctor’s office would open. From 6:00 – 8:00, my contractions became stronger and more consistent. They lasted about 45 seconds and were 2-3 minutes apart. I decided to go ahead and finish packing my hospital bag and picked up the house. I also did a load of laundry since all my sweat pants were dirty.
At 8:00, I called my doctor, and of course they didn’t answer. I called the hospital, and they said I could come in to get checked. I really didn’t want to go in and be sent home, so I waited another hour. My contractions were getting stronger. Bran was a substitute bus driver this morning. I texted him after I called the hospital and asked him to go ahead and come home. I was taken aback when he replied with, “Well I have an appointment at 8:30.” I didn’t say anything back… Fortunately, his boss made him come home. He helped me pick up the house, and by 9:00, Dr. Escue’s nurses returned my call. They basically laughed at me and told me to get to the hospital ASAP. My mom was already on her way when I texted her to tell her that we were going to go to the hospital.
My contractions were getting more painful. In our birthing class, they told us to enter the hospital through the Emergency Room. When we got to the ER, I couldn’t believe that they made us walk across the hospital, find the elevator, and go up to the maternity ward. I was appalled, especially since I couldn’t  walk through my contractions! Two sweet physical therapists could clearly see that we were lost and helped us find the elevator. A sweet old man that was a volunteer got me a wheelchair as well. I was so thankful.
Finally we made it up to the correct floor, and they wheeled me to a room. I was immediately hooked up to a bunch of stuff, and they began my check in process and blood work. When they checked me, I was already at 4 cm and 80% effaced. Just the day before at my doctor’s appointment, I was stuck at 2 cm and 50% effaced. My doctor also told me that Griffin was still up very high and was going to be a small baby. I was not expecting it to happen this fast!!
Since I couldn’t get my epidural until my blood work was completed, they decided to give me a dose of Fenegrin and Demoral. If only I would’ve known what that was, I would’ve refused!! Demoral is crazy stuff. I was so loopy and had no idea what in the world was going on! I hated it. Once my mom showed up, I couldn’t even carry on a conversation with her because I was so out of it. It was ridiculous. Never again!
At noon, Dr. Massey came in and gave me my epidural. I was at 6cm and 100% effaced. I had an excellent epidural! I was much more comfortable after that. In fact, the only pain I really felt was my stupid blood pressure cuff that took my blood pressure every five minutes. It was very annoying! Dr. Escue broke my water at about 6 p.m. when I was 8 cm. An hour or so later, I was at 10 cm. However, I didn’t start pushing until 9:30ish. They wanted me to “labor down” which basically meant letting my contractions push the baby down lower into the birth canal.
Pushing was a different experience… I had absolutely no feeling at all. In fact, my right leg was so dead. It felt like it weighed at least 600 lbs. It was hard to determine if I was pushing correctly, but the nurses and my doctor said I did a great job! Bran and my sister stayed on my right side, while my mom and a nurse were on my left side. Bran was so encouraging the whole time. I think he truly enjoyed the entire experience. I asked him to remain by my head and not to look “down there,” but I’ve found out over the past week that he saw everything! Labor is a humbling experience… Anyways, my sister reminded me of how to push which kept me focused. And my precious mother counted for me. They were all amazing, and I couldn’t have done it without their support!
After an hour of pushing, Griffin Blaine was born at 10:25 p.m. I cannot describe the feeling of watching him being born and seeing him for the first time. I could not believe that God had blessed us with a perfect 9 lb boy that was almost 22 inches long with white blond hair! Being a mom is so humbling. My doctor held him up for us to see, and I burst into tears. I could not believe that this moment was finally here! Brandon cut the cord. Dr. Escue asked if I wanted to hold him, but I wanted to wait until my delivery was completely finished and I was in a bit more comfortable position so I could truly enjoy the first moment with my son. Once my placenta was delivered, I was so overwhelmed with relief and the sense of it finally being over. I then got to hold precious Baby G. He is absolutely perfect.

He’s the cutest kid ever!