Sorry for the cliffhanger. Here we go again...
After the scare of the low heart rate, I was on edge the rest of the afternoon. I tried to relax but found it hard to do so. The nurses turned out the lights and suggested I get as much rest as possible. I was progressing very slowly. Dr. Cook explained that as long as I was dilating a centimeter an hour, we were good to go in avoiding a C-section. The epidural was starting to make me feel nauseated, and at one point I was sick. By 8 o'clock I had slowly reached 5 cm. The possibility of a C-section was mentioned and explained by Julie. I was upset, but was determined to stay positive, pray, and hope for some quick progress. Dr. Cook came in around 9 pm, and I had reached 6 cm. Because I was progressing, he was willing to give me more time. I prayed harder. At this point, William mentioned to me that our boy may have a September 26th birthday instead of the 25th. I was fine with that if I could avoid a C-section.
Because of shift change, Heather was my new nurse and was just as wonderful as Julie. Around 9:15 pm, the epidural machine began beeping. Heather began changing out the bag of medicine. She had the new bag set, and the machine was still beeping. She explained that these were new machines, and they were all getting used to them. Great. She continued working on the machine for about 5 minutes. The machine continued beeping. At this point, William had walked out, only for the 2nd time of the day, to "take a lap," talk to his buddy, Keith, speak to our families who had been patiently waiting all day, and get a short break. My mom and sister were with me. After a few unsuccessful minutes of replacing the epidural medicine, Heather went to get another nurse to try the machine. I started getting nervous. I knew I had enough medicine in me for the moment, but how long until I needed more? I was on a constant drip and knew I hadn't received any for the last 5-10 minutes. I was beginning to feel my toes. The monitor indicated that the contractions were coming on hard and fast. A new nurse came in, fumbled with the machine for 5 minutes and claimed, "I have no idea." At this point, I was really nervous and beginning to feel the contractions. What if they couldn't get it fixed??? Heather explained that she would have someone go and call Mark, who apparently knew about the machines, and was somewhere on the floor. Mark was called, and Heather began setting up the delivery table, just in case. At this point, I was feeling it. My mom and sister helped me breathe through the growing pain. At one point, I said, if they don't get this fixed, I don't think I can do this. They stayed positive and assured me that I was okay. I felt like I was losing my breath. Mark finally arrived. When he walked in, I asked him if he would be able to fix the machine. His response: "I'll do my best." What??? That was not the right answer, at all. I was beginning to panic. William quickly returned from his break, took his position by my bed, and helped me breathe. I remember focusing in on his eyes as he told me when the contraction would begin, reach it's peak, and start to decline. Ten minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief when the machine stopped beeping. Because I had been without medicine for awhile, Mark gave me something extra directly through my epidural, while the drip began catching up. I began to feel relief. Those were definitely the hardest 30 minutes of the entire day. I am so thankful that the machine was fixed when it was and maybe thankful that it went out on me??? Because, when Heather checked me at 9:50 or so, I WAS 10 centimeters!!! Praise God. Perhaps the lack of medicine made me progress quickly???
Heather called Dr. Cook. He had gone home to eat dinner, thinking we were going to be awhile. Thankfully, when she called him, he was already on Riverwatch, headed our way and would be here in 10 minutes. I remember looking at the clock. It was 10 o'clock sharp. Heather decided we would go ahead and push once. She and William counted out three sets of 10 second pushes. She could see the head. When the next contraction began, she got me ready to push, checked me, and changed her mind. We would wait for the doctor. We were that close!!!
Dr. Cook walked in at 10:10. He scrubbed in, and I remember thinking how casual the atmosphere was. I was thankful for this. I guess I imagined it to be very serious, quiet, only the sound of machines beeping and lights glaring down on me, and have a very "medical" feel about what was about to happen. It was the opposite. It felt so laid-back. I remember Dr.Cook casually asking, "So, are you ready to have a baby?" YES!!! We were so excited. I pushed for the second time: again, three sets of 10 seconds.
A quick side story I want to remember. Dr. Cook is an avid Georgia fan, GO DAWGS, and a big sports fan all around. This has been a connection he and William have made from the beginning of our doctor's visits. They talk sports. When Dr. Cook walked in he joked about how we were going to have a baby on a day the Falcons and the Braves lost. After the second push, I decided to add to the sports banter. The Colts game was on in the background, and I casually commented, "Too bad Peyton isn't playing; he's my favorite." The expression on Dr. Cook's face was priceless. He whipped his head around to William, a look of complete surprise on his face as if to say, "Did she really just say that in between pushing out your baby?" William had already explained to him that if he tells me stories behind the players, I get attached, and will watch sports with him. I think they were both dumbfounded by the timing of the comment.
Okay, back to pushing. I pushed a third time. Dr. Cook said, "There's his head." He asked me to push a little bit, with about half-strength, and our baby was born. He cried immediately. It was a beautiful sound. William completely shocked me when he decided to cut the cord.
They placed my little boy on my chest, and all I could say was, "He's perfect." I was crying. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. It is a complete miracle, and a moment I will never forget! The fact that the life that William and I created, started as a small bundle of cells, grew in my body, and was born a perfect little human, can only be explained as an act of God Almighty.
William and I spent 30 minutes alone with Wills before he took him out to meet our families. It was a really sweet time for the two of us.
I wish I could have seen their first reaction, but I'm thankful Heather captured it on camera.
William Timothy Mooney, Jr. "Wills" was born on Sunday, September 25th at 10:21 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, and was 20 3/4 inches long.
Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being a mother. I will treasure every minute of this new adventure. I am excited to see what is in store for our new family of four (don't forget about Finn.) :)
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