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Along Abbey Road | A Lifestyle And Family Blog : Wesley Matthew's Birth

11.18.2013

Wesley Matthew's Birth


Tossing and turning in the quiet hours in the middle of the night, the cramps and tightening came on like a steady ebb and flow... at 2 am on Monday, October 28, to be exact.

I figured the uncomfortable pangs that were keeping me awake were just a stronger form of Braxton Hicks contractions preparing me for the big day, which was still another 3 weeks away. It couldn't be labor! 

Boy, was I terribly wrong.

To be sure I wasn't just being a boob and making things up in my mind, I began timing the pesky little contractions. The first one popped up lasting about 90 seconds. Hardly 5 minutes later, the next one sprang up... and the next at 7 minutes... and after that at 6 minutes. Not meticulously regular, but steady enough that I figured I ought to do something after an hour of laying and waiting in my bed. A shower sounded like a lovely idea. 

Standing there letting the hot water trickle down my back and the steam enwrap my body, I wondered if it was in fact the day we'd meet this little dude. But, there were so many items yet to be checked off on the new baby to do list! My hospital bag hadn't even been packed, for Pete's sake! We all know that was taken care of promptly with my OCD nesting instincts in overdrive.

Before I knew it, 5 am rolled around and I somehow miraculously fell back asleep for a couple of glorious hours. Matt went his usual way to work since I convinced myself this was simply false labor, but that changed, too, once we hit 10 am and I was still having contractions. All the water and rest in the world wasn't halting these suckers like the midwife recommended when I called in. It looked as if labor and delivery was the next stop on my ticket!

My sweet sister-in-law came to the rescue to pick up Luke for the day, Matt scurried home from work, and by 1 pm we found ourselves standing at the admissions desk of L&D saying, "Umm, I think I'm in labor?"

You see, I couldn't be sure because I was induced with Luke from a faulty amniotic sac AKA my water broke and I didn't know it. Was this or wasn't this the real deal? Labor is a tricky little thing, I must say.

On came the fetal and contraction monitors and there I sat scrolling through garbage afternoon TV on those chunky plastic hospital controllers with the giant buttons. Sure enough, tiny, steady mountains appeared on the monitor. The contractions were definitely not a figment of my imagination and they progressively became more strong. In 3 hours I had gone from barely a soft cervix to a dilation of 3, and any dilation meant we'd be meeting our little man very soon. The stubborn babe was still breech, which of course called for a c-section. I am sure the nurse thought I was a psycho as a fired my c-section questions at her like a torpedo.

"I am very prone to panic attacks, especially in hospitals... Will I be able to breathe?... Oh dear, what if I pass out?... Maybe we should just knock me out cold?... How big is the scar?... What if I feel it?...  Can I have a heart to heart with the anesthesiologist?"

Heart to heart the blessed anesthesiologist and I had -- that Dr. G. should consider a career in counseling should he ever decide to stop mixing sedative cocktails. He pinpointed my worries and concerns and even dug deeper on a psychological level, suggesting my fears stemmed from the need for control and a whole other bag of deep-rooted crazy lady issues adding to my apprehension. A modern day Freud, I tell you!

The clock struck 4:45 pm, Matt suited up in his white bunny suit and off they rolled me into the blinding florescent lights of the sterile operating room. Dr. G. had me hunch over on the small operating table and within 30 seconds my lower half was uselessly numb and limp. And I could breathe! I felt marvelously warm and relaxed, actually. It was like being wrapped in a blanket freshly pulled from the dryer. Dr. Brody then came in next and before I knew it, my insides were being shuffled around a bit (a strange feeling) and admired. She literally shouted out, "You have beautiful innards!" Why thank you, I thought in reply. I keep them nice and healthy with a strict diet of sugar, you know ;) 

Then that sound I'd been waiting the last 9 months for rang like a beautiful melody in my ears. Our sweet boy entered the world with a shrill cry of itty bitty helplessness at precisely 5:19 pm. To our surprise and happiness, his cord wasn't wrapped, my uterus was shaped normally, and our baby hadn't flipped head down because he was doing the full-on splits (quite the acrobat!). They lowered the drape, and I was able to take a peek at his perfectly round and gorgeous head before whisking him away to clear his lungs and wrap him all snug. Meanwhile, my impeccably shining innards were being returned to their rightful places and I laid there in a silly, impenetrable state of bliss. He was here safe and sound. Everything was just so serene and fulfilling, and as far away from the drama I initially imagined it to be.

Within 20 minutes the nurse rolled me into my recovery room where I was able to finally cuddle and nurse that darling new child of ours. Matt and I just stared and stared at this incredible new life in our arms. His cheeks and lips were kissably perfect and he had the roundest, softest baby head I have truly ever seen. The nurse weighed and measured him, with his stats ringing in at an ideal 7 lbs, 8 oz and 19.5 inches long, and a whopping Apgar score of 9.9 to boot! Practically perfect in every way.

Wesley Matthew Rodriguez, you are a gem and we are so lucky to be blessed as your parents. There is just something about you, kid. I can already tell you've a mind of your own, a strong sense of conviction and a special purpose in this world. You are golden and our lives radiate even brighter now that you're a part of our clan. We love you, Dubs.

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14 Comments:

At November 18, 2013 at 10:53 AM , Blogger Elizabeth said...

Oh, gosh, this brought me to tears! So beautiful, congratulations! xx

 
At November 18, 2013 at 11:11 AM , Blogger Bridget said...

congratulations!!!!!! i'm so glad he's here!

 
At November 18, 2013 at 11:30 AM , Blogger Christina @ The Murrayed Life said...

I'm still in denial that I'm almost 23 weeks along and going to welcome our second so soon, but this got me all weepy and excited for what's to come. Thank you, and welcome to your sweet, adorable Wesley. <3

 
At November 18, 2013 at 12:43 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

What a great story. thanks for sharing! And an adorable baby boy you have!

 
At November 18, 2013 at 1:57 PM , Blogger Jessica Holly said...

Those were Clara's exact stats!!!! Weight height and apgar :) I love how you wrote this! C sections always scared me but yours sounded so peaceful! I'm so glad he's here. Also, I agree, labor is so weird! I swore all the way to the hospital that I was just having Braxton Hicks and I showed up dilated to a 5.5!!

 
At November 18, 2013 at 7:21 PM , Blogger Offer KINDNESS. Choose GENEROSITY. Give LOVE! said...

Congratulations.
Dubs is so perfect!!!

 
At November 18, 2013 at 8:21 PM , Blogger Erin Collins said...

Such a sweet story! So happy he is here! He is such a handsome little guy!

 
At November 18, 2013 at 8:22 PM , Blogger Erin Collins said...

Such a sweet story! He is such a handsome little guy!

 
At November 19, 2013 at 7:16 AM , Blogger Dox said...

Congratulations! Gorgeous baby and mama :)

 
At November 19, 2013 at 8:10 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I'm so happy your birth turned out to be okay! He really is so darling Abbey. Congrats to your new family of four!!! P.S. He and I share a birthday.... :)

 
At November 19, 2013 at 10:09 AM , Blogger jenna j. said...

abbey this is beautiful. i got chills and tears in my eyes reading it. all those fears you had, and god was with you the entire way giving you that sense of peace! ahh.. i love it. congrats on your new fella. i love your blog!

xo jenna
sweet grace

 
At November 19, 2013 at 8:41 PM , Blogger Bekka said...

Perfect my friend, perfect. I can't get the image of him doing the splits out of my head! That is incredible. He is pure sweetest. Hugs to you and yours. And your beautiful innards:)

 
At November 22, 2013 at 10:08 PM , Blogger Carl F. said...

Abbey,

My wife and I are very glad we found your blog! We have enjoyed all of your posts and look forward to your future posts. You have an adorable family!

My wife and I recently started http://www.SlouchHeadwear.com and sell little slouch beanies for kids. They would be super cute for your kids so check it out :) They are all handmade by my wife. You can use the code THANKS10 to save 10% up until Thanksgiving Day!

Consider us new followers of yours :)

Carl

 
At November 27, 2013 at 12:48 PM , Blogger Jessica @ Here&Now said...

What a special story! Now as we planned, but just as HE did.
xx
Here&Now

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