PART 1
What a crazy last few weeks I've had. First off, on Labor Day which was the 5th of September we didn't do a whole lot of anything. Just trying to make sure that the items needed in my absence at the hospital would be in the house, so we took care of picking up those few things that I hadn't gotten to yet. And then come that evening we had already been planning on going to the Orem Owlz baseball game that was happening that evening. Well, it all started off because we didn't know that the game time was an hour earlier than normal. ( I don't know how we didn't notice that before we got to the ball park that night). So when we got to the game it was already the top of the 3rd inning.
Yes I was at the ball game the night before I was scheduled to have my baby!! I was having contractions on and off all throughout the day but nothing that seemed time-able or regular to indicate I was in labor at all. So I made it through the ball game, and at the end we were ready to leave because we were still waiting to hear from the hospital to know what time to report to get ready for the c-section. So we were leaving the ball park and the event staff was handing out little "fat boy" ice cream sandwiches were GOOD!!
We hopped in our van and headed home, and halfway home we got a call on my cell phone, but doofus me left the phone in the bag which I put in the back of the van. We missed the call but found out that it was labor and delivery calling me. So I called them back (which I'm surprised that they called that number anyway as I had given them my home phone and Chris's cell numbers to contact us through). They told us that our c-section was scheduled for 9:30 am the next morning and that I needed to be there by 7:30am in order get prepped and be ready in time. All the kids were excited because now everything started to seem so real.... and I, well I started to CRY because all of a sudden here is this time that I thought would never get here, and I wasn't sure I wanted it to happen yet. I'm chalking that up to pregnancy hormones.... haha...
So now, I couldn't put off packing my hospital bag anymore... I needed it ready to go in the morning!! I had mostly everything together, but I had to double check and then add a few things I hadn't put together yet. We thought we would have a really crazy morning trying to get the kids to school and our 4 year old Ethan to whomever would be watching him. When it dawned on us that I only had to be at the hospital from 7:30 till it was time, and that Chris could easily be a driver and get everyone to school and the sitters etc.... we worked it out to have Chris's sister Amy watch Ethan for us, and we were able to just drop of the older school kids at school about 15 minutes earlier than they should have been there. So that was the plan to shoot for as of the night before.... Well I tried to sleep as best I could.... and knowing how lousy sleep I had been getting for the previous few weeks I'd be surprised if I had any better sleep tonight. Well, after I had everything ready and a bag ready with some supplies in it for Ethan I attempted to get some sleep. Well, I had contractions still coming into the evening and they had all been painful even the ones throughout the day time. So I was just trying to relax and not think anything of it.
I was trying to get some sleep and trying, and trying... but I ended up having a few contractions almost every hour and they were WAKING ME UP!! they HURT!! OUCH.... Around 4:30 (maybe even earlier but this is when I started keeping track) I realized I was having contractions about every 5 - 7 minutes apart and they hurt like nothing I'd ever experienced before!! Okay well maybe I had experienced it before but I couldn't remember how bad and intense they were from before. Well, I eventually had to start breathing to get through these, and I was crying because they were causing me A LOT of pain. And everyone else was SLEEPING, so I was jealous too!!!
I tried not to think anything of it, and just tried to work through each contraction, and finally around 5:30 I decided I needed to get my shower, because who was I kidding I wasn't really going to get any sleep. I showered and had a few while in the process of taking my shower .... so I braced myself against the walls for some support.
Chris was up around 6am and I was in tears and updated him on the condition I had been going through for the last hour and half. Now things seemed to be more serious and real, and we had to get the kids ready ... and take with us, so that Chris could just take me to the hospital, and then turn around and drop off the kids without needing to go home to get them ready or anything. SO .... it was an EARLY morning for our family, we aren't used to being up that early! And I was exhausted.
So we arrived at the hospital about 10 - 15 minutes earlier than we were told to be there, and when I arrived I said how I was scheduled for a c-section but that I was in labor as well and had been contracting since 4:30am. Once I was sitting in a wheelchair I told Chris to take the rest of them and hurry and get back!! They pulled me into my pre-op room and who ever tried to get my IV started wasn't very good or I just had retarded veins that wouldn't cooperate, so it took three attempts to fnally get one in, and the placement of it couldn't have been worse. It ended up in my right arm (which I am right handed) and it was in the crook of the arm. ANNOYING to say the least.
But the nurse checked me to see how much time they had to get the OR ready and I was at a 5 by the time I got there, and I was only at a 1.5 on Friday the 2nd of Sept. So I was for sure in labor and being a huge baby about it. I didn't want anymore pain.... !!!! And the whole time I was anxious for Chris to make it back!!
The Doctor who was supposed to do the surgery at 9:30 wasn't even in the hospital or close by, so luckily another doctor with the same office was there, and stepped up and took over. They got me into the OR around 8:30ish to get the spinal block in place, and once that was in place within just a few minutes I was in HEAVEN... no more pain. Which of course, meant no more control of my legs either. The nurse checked me again and in an hours time I went from a 5 to a 7!! She was not waiting to be born any longer -- today was the DAY!
Just after that Chris was in the OR with me in his "scrub" gear with the camera in hand and was there to hold my hand finally!! I don't think I have ever loved him more than at that very moment when our eyes met and we knew what was about to take place. And within just a few minutes about 10 or 15 - I heard the first cries of our little daughter Esther Caroline Randolph!! Boy what a set of lungs she has!!
Pictures to come later.... (Blogger isn't letting me load them right now)
What a crazy last few weeks I've had. First off, on Labor Day which was the 5th of September we didn't do a whole lot of anything. Just trying to make sure that the items needed in my absence at the hospital would be in the house, so we took care of picking up those few things that I hadn't gotten to yet. And then come that evening we had already been planning on going to the Orem Owlz baseball game that was happening that evening. Well, it all started off because we didn't know that the game time was an hour earlier than normal. ( I don't know how we didn't notice that before we got to the ball park that night). So when we got to the game it was already the top of the 3rd inning.
Yes I was at the ball game the night before I was scheduled to have my baby!! I was having contractions on and off all throughout the day but nothing that seemed time-able or regular to indicate I was in labor at all. So I made it through the ball game, and at the end we were ready to leave because we were still waiting to hear from the hospital to know what time to report to get ready for the c-section. So we were leaving the ball park and the event staff was handing out little "fat boy" ice cream sandwiches were GOOD!!
We hopped in our van and headed home, and halfway home we got a call on my cell phone, but doofus me left the phone in the bag which I put in the back of the van. We missed the call but found out that it was labor and delivery calling me. So I called them back (which I'm surprised that they called that number anyway as I had given them my home phone and Chris's cell numbers to contact us through). They told us that our c-section was scheduled for 9:30 am the next morning and that I needed to be there by 7:30am in order get prepped and be ready in time. All the kids were excited because now everything started to seem so real.... and I, well I started to CRY because all of a sudden here is this time that I thought would never get here, and I wasn't sure I wanted it to happen yet. I'm chalking that up to pregnancy hormones.... haha...
So now, I couldn't put off packing my hospital bag anymore... I needed it ready to go in the morning!! I had mostly everything together, but I had to double check and then add a few things I hadn't put together yet. We thought we would have a really crazy morning trying to get the kids to school and our 4 year old Ethan to whomever would be watching him. When it dawned on us that I only had to be at the hospital from 7:30 till it was time, and that Chris could easily be a driver and get everyone to school and the sitters etc.... we worked it out to have Chris's sister Amy watch Ethan for us, and we were able to just drop of the older school kids at school about 15 minutes earlier than they should have been there. So that was the plan to shoot for as of the night before.... Well I tried to sleep as best I could.... and knowing how lousy sleep I had been getting for the previous few weeks I'd be surprised if I had any better sleep tonight. Well, after I had everything ready and a bag ready with some supplies in it for Ethan I attempted to get some sleep. Well, I had contractions still coming into the evening and they had all been painful even the ones throughout the day time. So I was just trying to relax and not think anything of it.
I was trying to get some sleep and trying, and trying... but I ended up having a few contractions almost every hour and they were WAKING ME UP!! they HURT!! OUCH.... Around 4:30 (maybe even earlier but this is when I started keeping track) I realized I was having contractions about every 5 - 7 minutes apart and they hurt like nothing I'd ever experienced before!! Okay well maybe I had experienced it before but I couldn't remember how bad and intense they were from before. Well, I eventually had to start breathing to get through these, and I was crying because they were causing me A LOT of pain. And everyone else was SLEEPING, so I was jealous too!!!
I tried not to think anything of it, and just tried to work through each contraction, and finally around 5:30 I decided I needed to get my shower, because who was I kidding I wasn't really going to get any sleep. I showered and had a few while in the process of taking my shower .... so I braced myself against the walls for some support.
Chris was up around 6am and I was in tears and updated him on the condition I had been going through for the last hour and half. Now things seemed to be more serious and real, and we had to get the kids ready ... and take with us, so that Chris could just take me to the hospital, and then turn around and drop off the kids without needing to go home to get them ready or anything. SO .... it was an EARLY morning for our family, we aren't used to being up that early! And I was exhausted.
So we arrived at the hospital about 10 - 15 minutes earlier than we were told to be there, and when I arrived I said how I was scheduled for a c-section but that I was in labor as well and had been contracting since 4:30am. Once I was sitting in a wheelchair I told Chris to take the rest of them and hurry and get back!! They pulled me into my pre-op room and who ever tried to get my IV started wasn't very good or I just had retarded veins that wouldn't cooperate, so it took three attempts to fnally get one in, and the placement of it couldn't have been worse. It ended up in my right arm (which I am right handed) and it was in the crook of the arm. ANNOYING to say the least.
But the nurse checked me to see how much time they had to get the OR ready and I was at a 5 by the time I got there, and I was only at a 1.5 on Friday the 2nd of Sept. So I was for sure in labor and being a huge baby about it. I didn't want anymore pain.... !!!! And the whole time I was anxious for Chris to make it back!!
The Doctor who was supposed to do the surgery at 9:30 wasn't even in the hospital or close by, so luckily another doctor with the same office was there, and stepped up and took over. They got me into the OR around 8:30ish to get the spinal block in place, and once that was in place within just a few minutes I was in HEAVEN... no more pain. Which of course, meant no more control of my legs either. The nurse checked me again and in an hours time I went from a 5 to a 7!! She was not waiting to be born any longer -- today was the DAY!
Just after that Chris was in the OR with me in his "scrub" gear with the camera in hand and was there to hold my hand finally!! I don't think I have ever loved him more than at that very moment when our eyes met and we knew what was about to take place. And within just a few minutes about 10 or 15 - I heard the first cries of our little daughter Esther Caroline Randolph!! Boy what a set of lungs she has!!
Pictures to come later.... (Blogger isn't letting me load them right now)
