Colt Michael Alexander–A Birth Story

I have been meaning to sit down and write Colt’s birth story for 2 months!  If I don’t do it now, I know I will forget.  The details are already hazy!

Wednesday, June 22nd was the third day of Vacation Bible School for the girls and I.  That morning, we got ready and went to the church like we had every other day that week.  I had a doctor’s appointment at 10:30 am, so I left the girls at church and went.  I had been having regular contractions so often that I felt sure I had to be pretty dilated by this point.  But, no, I was still a 2 and only 50-70% effaced.  I was SO ready to have Colt that I almost cried.  I think the doctor noted my stress and she tried to “stir things up” so labor would start.  She told us if we hadn’t gone into labor that we could come in Friday and she would make it happen.  By the time I left the doctor’s office and picked the girls up from VBS, we were headed out to the parking lot at noon.  On the way to the car, I had a couple very hard contractions.  Even though I had been having tons of contractions the last month and lots of them regular, none of them really hurt.  But this one did.  And so did all of the other contractions that came every 5-8 minutes for the next 4 hours.  By 4:00, I told Craig to come home.  Diana made her way out here to watch the girls.  We arrived at the hospital by 5:00 and signed in.  We had to wait in the waiting room for about 30-45 minutes before they came to get us in the room, and during that time, I paced the hall to keep the contractions coming because if I sat down they sometimes stopped and I was afraid it was false labor.  I did NOT want to be sent home!  My parents were on their way here and I wanted to have this boy TODAY!

So we were put in a room and got evaluated.  The contractions were sporadic and the nurse thought the patterns were consistent with braxton hicks.  Inside I was like, “NO!”  They were so painful!  But they called my doctor and I got admitted.  My blood pressure had been high that morning and the doctor knew he was going to be big.  So I guess she thought it was probably real labor or if not, it needed to be!  I was a 3 when I was first checked not long after we had arrived, and probably around 7:00, a doctor came in to break my water.  She checked me right before and I was a 5, so we told my parents to hurry.  Progress!  And with no pitocin. I got my epidural and got to feeling much better.  But an hour later, 8:00, I was still a 5, so I was afraid I was stalling out.  My parents still were not here, but we told them to take their time.  I really didn’t think he would be here before midnight.  However, an hour later, a little after 9:00, my parents had made it, and I was hurting in a little spot on my belly.  The nurse finally checked me and I was a 10!  5 cm in an hour!  Whoa.

So they hurriedly called the doctor and told me to lay on my side and keep my legs together.  What?!  He was basically crowning and I had to hold him in.  The doctor arrived within 15 minutes I think and seriously, in one push, he was out. 9:41 pm and on a Wednesday!  Something cool…all 3 of our kids were born on Wednesdays!   He was pretty cheesy and had a bruised upper lip and a bruised ear lobe from coming out so fast!  The cord was also around his neck when he first emerged, but Craig said the doctor quickly flipped it off of him and he was fine.  Maybe that was why I had been having so many regular contractions but still no labor!  Anyway, Colt weighed 8 lbs and 9 oz, my biggest baby yet.  The hospital said he was 20 1/4”, but a few days later, my pediatrician measured him at 22”.  I think that was closest to accurate.  He was a long guy.   Praise the Lord for a healthy and beautiful baby boy!  Honestly it was strange to have a boy after having two girls, and it probably took me a day to fully get used to the idea and feel totally bonded to him.  But at a very specific moment on the second day, I told Craig “He’s mine.  I feel so connected to him now.”  People say there’s something about boys and their mamas…I guess I am finding that out!  More to come soon I hope!  Big sisters, coming home, and all that.