Baby Zeke has arrived!

I decided that my blog was the only place I was really going to post my "birth story" so that I didn't have to write it over and over in emails, Facebook, or Myspace. Zeke was born on Thursday, January 22nd at 2:11 a.m. It was quite an experience and definitely didn't go the way I had planned for it to go!

I worked on Wednesday at five with the little boy from Tresco. As he was doing his gymnastics class, I wrote thank you cards between contractions. :) I wasn't too sure if they were actual contractions though, because I have Braxton Hicks contractions for the majority of my pregnancies. Anyway, I went home and made dinner and went to Walmart. During this time I continued to have these contractions but they weren't really hurting yet. I didn't want to get sent home, so I did as much as I could to keep them coming. Soooo...I did the dishes, cleaned the living room, and did some laundry! I called my mom at like 9 and told her she might be getting a call later, but that I wasn't sure. I called again after 10:30 and told her that I would probably be going to the hospital that night but I still wasn't sure if I was in active labor. LOL...an hour later there was no doubt. Luckily, my mom had decided to make the trip down instead of waiting.

I arrived at the hospital at 12a.m. ...this part makes me mad. :( I had a nurse "in-training." -Great, right? They put me in the little room where they are supposed to evaluate you and ask you those stupid questions about you and your family that you have answered 300 times. My nurse never checked to see if I was dialated, but I was having horrible contractions. Apparently, these contractions every 30 seconds weren't enough to convince them that I was that far along. They even told me when I asked if I could get my epidural that I would have to show significant "change," whatever that is, and that I would have to be far enough along. Anyway, finally after an hour and a half, they were going to take me to my room. (STILL hadn't checked me.) I asked my nurse, "Aren't you going to check and see how far dialated I am?" She responded, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me!" She checked me, made a face, and told me she was going to have her 'trainer' check me. She came in, checked me, and told me that I was at a "7-8, 100% effaced, and -1. DO NOT PUSH!" GREAT! So, I told her I wanted my epidural...NOW! She just laughed and said, "Oh no, you waited too long to come in! You don't have time for an epidural, this baby is about to come out. Your doctor isn't even here yet, and I might just have to deliver him!"

I wanted to kill someone. I cried because I was in so much pain and the idea of being in more did not appeal to me! Anyway, they had me WALK to my own room. I climbed into the bed, they put an IV in me, and within a few minutes I was needing to push! They told me to wait while they got their scrubs on and stuff. (Yeah, okay, let me just wait for you losers to get ready while I hold this baby here. Thanks!) I opened my eyes for just one second and I saw the happiest thing EVER! (My midwife walking through the door!) I pushed maybe 3-4 times and Zeke was born. It was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt, but once he was out, the relief was amazing. Plus, I had this amazingly beautiful baby to distract me! He is wonderful and Sydney absolutely loves him...for the most part! :) We have seen a few instances of jealousy, but she just loves to kiss on him and hug him...CONSTANTLY. Zeke and I are both doing great though, and the recovery of this pregnancy/birth has been so much better than with Sydney!

Still have the belly!

Okay, so two weeks and counting. I was thinking about this pregnancy as compared to my last. Last time I wanted Sydney out SOOOO bad. She was really low and I was always so uncomfortable. Anyway, with this pregnancy, the position that Zeke is in isn't too bad! I rarely feel uncomfortable. Big, but not uncomfortable. So, anyway, I guess that is a blessing from Heavenly Father because I really think that I will be pregnant for the full time this time. I have prayed that he will be born when he is supposed to, and I think that "THAT" time is a little later when Brennan will hopefully be feeling much better.

Brennan doesn't sleep more than one to two hours a night lately. He has been really miserable with this horrible cough. It keeps him up ALL night. Every time he relaxes, it irritates his throat and he can't stop coughing. No medicines have helped because they are all for "common" cold type symptoms and his is radiation burn, not just a sore throat. So, Brennan is DONE with his radiation treatments! He finished his 28th on Wednesday. So, now we just start the waiting game of the few weeks it might take for these side effects to go away. It could take 4-6 weeks for the main symptoms to go away, but a year for him to feel back to "normal." It is pretty hard emotionally for me to see him go through a lot of what he has been dealing with. It is even more frustrating to know that I can not do ANYTHING really to alleviate pain, frustration, etc. Right now, he is on a liquid diet because his throat is so sore and swollen. So, if anyone has any ideas besides chicken noodle soup with the skinny noodles, or smoothies, let me know. Ideas are hard to come by! He can't have anything hot, cold, spicy, or anything with spaghetti sauce/tomato, or chocolate. It really makes it hard to cook for this man!