Birth Day

With all the hussell and bussell of life with a newborn, school beginning for the boys and every day since moving by at a rapid pace, I failed to post Zach's birth day pictures and the story of his arrival.

August 11, 2009

36 weeks 2 days pregnant

Last day of summer vacation

1-3 PM: Hit the pool for a few hours and properly say goodbye to our favorite summer haunt

4 PM: Head to Georgetown, KY with the kids to the NFL Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp

While driving there, called my little brother Rhett to wish him a Happy Birthday. Comment that he won't be sharing his birthday with our baby.

6 PM: Grab dinner from a Wendy's drive thru in Georgetown. While ordering have a few hard contractions with the dreaded back pain. Anytime I go into labor I have serious back labor pains. Wonder if this could be the beginning of the end.

7 PM: Get home immediately download the pictures, start cleaning up the house and do laundry, got backpacks out, wrote checks for lunch money and laid out clothes for the boys- just in case I need to head to the hospital later on.

8 PM: Blog about the football event knowing if I do have this baby, it will be one less thing I will have to post (dumb, I know, but true). Plus I can sit and write and not worry about labor- hard to do when you are having contractions

9 PM: Start writing down the time between and length of my contractions. Tell Rich I am writing down my contractions. Rich begins to get nervous.

9:30 PM: Call my dad. Contractions are 7-10 minutes apart and last 1 minute. My dad says they are not regular enough to go to the hospital. If I went they'd say I was not in active labor and send me home.

10 PM: Put kids to bed. Wonder what in the heck we are going to do if I have the baby tonight. School starts at 7:45 AM the next day! I can't haul them to someones house and I can't ask someone with school age kids to come over. Major problem.

11 PM: Decide to get ready for bed, pack a bag, but only put all the toiletries on the counter- just in case.

August 12, 2009

12-2 AM: Difficult time sleeping. Hard contractions.

2:30 AM: Sit up and start timing contractions. Put on sweats and jacket. Rich wakes up and sees me and gets worried again. We still have no idea what we are going to do with the kids if I have to leave. Think- "I'm fine." Then a contraction hits and I think "I need to go to the hospital."

3 AM: Tell Rich we'll both just go back to sleep.

3:01 AM: Lie down. Next contraction- WATER BREAKS.

3:01 AM: Freaking out because now I HAVE TO GO IN. I have fast labors.

3:02 AM: Call Ashlee Millar's cellphone. Twice. Wake her up and ask her to come over. She immediately says yes and leaves her sleeping husband and sons and rushes over.

3:05 AM: Call my parents to tell them we are headed to the hospital.

3:10 AM: Ashlee arrives- LIFESAVER!!!

3:10- 3:30 AM: Drive to UK hospital- even run one red light. So Hollywood. Call Rich's parents and Kristi.

3:32 AM: Park car and walk across the street into hospital. During a contraction have to stop and sit on "smokers curb" (no less that 10 people out smoking at 3:30 AM!) to wait out the pain so I can continue to walk

3:45- 4 AM: Wait in an empty triage waiting area. Really? So busy at 4 AM you can't take a woman whose water has broken and is in labor back to get checked!

4:05 AM: Finally get hooked up to a monitor and can hear baby's hear beat. Such a relief!

4:06 AM: Meet the first doctor. Family medicine INTERN. Been a resident for 6 weeks. Oh my goodness. No way in H--- this dude is going to check me.

4:20 AM: Finally get a OB resident in to check me. I'm at a 5. Dang. I am dying. Wishing I was at least an 8.

4:30 AM: Intern keeps yakking asking me stupid questions- can't remember what- I just can't talk. Close my eyes and breath and hope he goes away.

4:35 AM: Tell the anesthesiologist I can't have an epidural. My platelets are too low (knew that from my last doctors appointment when they drew my blood). Very sad to see her leave and know I've got to do this on my own.

4:40 AM: Not sure which attending is on call.

4:49 AM: Nurse asks me to get on a wheelchair so they can move me into a birthing room. Have to wait out the contract before I can move off the bed.

4:51 AM: While being transported see MY OWN PERINATOLOGIST standing there. Realize she's on call. She is going to deliver me. Almost start crying out of gratitude and relief. What a blessing.

5:05 AM: Dr. Hansen checks me. Dilated to an 8 plus. 90 percent effaced. She tells me she'll check me again in 20 minutes. Whew. Knowing that made each contraction easier.

5: 25 AM: I'm at a 9 and 100 effaced. Dr. Hansen tells me she'll be in the hallway and to tell the nurses if I feel the need to push, she'll come right in. Close my eyes and remain silent and hope no one wants to talk.

5:45 AM: Feel pressure. Holler at the nurse.

5:50 AM: Nurses start all the prep and Dr. Hansen and the OB-Gyn intern are in place. Can't believe he's almost here!

6:05 AM: Four HUGE pushes later we welcome (nameless) Baby Boy Jackson into the world. Say a silent prayer he is here safely-a true miracle baby. I also am SO happy labor is over. Am surprised at how GIANT he is being 3 1/2 weeks early. Notice his reddish hair. I had been expecting black like all the others.

6:06 AM: Rich strokes my hair and tells me he loves me and is proud of me. He keeps saying, "He's beautiful Cheryl. He's strong and healthy and perfect." My eyes tear up. At that moment, I could not have loved Rich more.

6:10 AM: After he was weighed and cleaned up, I finally go to hold, smell and kiss my beautiful, perfect baby boy. Realize I am blessed beyond measure. He's a true gift and I am infinitely indebted to my Heavenly Father for giving me my precious children.At triage in between contractionsBaby Boy Jackson (no name yet) His face was so bruised (just like Josh's was) and his eyes had broken blood vessels. It was a fast delivery, but his little face took a beating.
8 pounds 5.4 ouncesHospital had mother and baby be 'skin to skin' to help the baby transition better. Not sure if I believe in that stuff, but to just hold him tight, rub his soft hair and know the pregnancy and labor were finally over and he was here and safe and perfect, was a miracle to me.My children!First time opening his eyesOur family- I love this picture "The Boys"Ashlee and Mac came bearing gifts: candy, magazine and homemade chocolate chips cookies. All that AFTER she came over at 3 AM and got my kids ready for school! She's a saint!Bishop Tom Blodgett Dr. Wendy Hansen. She delivered Zach. She's wonderful. She is a perinatolgist (an obstetrical sub specialist concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications) and first read my ultrasound at 14 weeks when my mom was in town. It was a dramatic and difficult day for me, full of scary emotions and tears. Dr. Hansen also was the first doctor during this pregnancy that acted like she cared about me and my unborn baby. She was kind, helpful and did all she could to get me in to see a doctor for a regular OB visit. She followed me throughout the entire pregnancy, though my official OB-Gyn was Dr. Alisa Gambrell. Dr. Hansen is now the OB-Gyn Department Chair.August 13, 2009

Zachary Steven Jackson (the hospital would not discharge the baby without a name!) dressed and ready to GO HOME!Rich and the kids decorated, while baby Zach brought a few gifts of his own to tell his big brothers and sisters how much he already loves them.