Camden is HERE!!

 Camden William Graves

Arrived 2/21/11 @ 3:30pm

7lbs. 6oz. ~ 19 3/4in. long

The Birth Story: (may contain TMI - read with caution)
I called the hospital twice Monday morning to see if they might have room for me to have an induction.  At 9am, they told me no, so I made plans to get out of the house and do something with the family.  I was really upset and crying a lot.  After such a long, emotional weekend, I just didn't want to sit at home and wait.  I was just about to post my pregnant woes on blogger when at 9:30am, my phone rang.  It was the charge nurse from labor & delivery.  She called and said, "Alright, hurry up and get in here before I change my mind."  I started crying (tears of joy this time) and Kris and I sprang to action getting everything together to head to the hospital.

We arrived at L&D at 10am.  I had been having contractions and passing bloody mucus all morning and the night before, so I knew something was going on.  When they checked my cervix upon arrival, I was already 3-4cm and 80% effaced, and my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart.  Since I tested positive for Group Step B, they wanted to start my antibiotics right away and wait on starting the pitocin because it's not safe to deliver until you've had at least 4 hours of the antibiotics.  I got the antibiotics at 10:50am, and the nurses and doctor decided that 2:50pm would be our goal to break my water and up the pitocin level, so they started me at a level 2 (which is practically nothing).

At around noon, my doctor came in to check on me and my progress and to say hi.  At that point she told me I could get an epidural whenever, but that the anesthesiologist would be starting some C-Sections soon.  Since I was already uncomfortable and having painful contractions and lots of back pain, I decided to go ahead and get one.  I got the epidural at 1pm.  It was AMAZING!  It kicked in and I was comfortably watching "Cinderella" and cake shows on TLC in no time.  I went ahead and called a sitter to watch the kids so that my mom could come up to the hospital around 3pm for the rest of my labor and the delivery thinking he would probably arrive around dinner time.

At 3:00pm, the nurse checked my cervix again and said that I was fully effaced and 5-6cm.  She upped my pitocin level 6 (still not much, because it goes to 30).  Shortly after, my mom arrived.  I was progressing really well.  The nurses stepped out of the room and I commented to Kris that I felt some pressure like I had felt right before Reagan started crowning, so he called the nurses back in.  The nurse lifted the blanket and my water had broken.  At this point it was around 3:15-3:20pm.  She decided to check me again and I was fully dilated!!  Shocked and surprised, she said, "well, let's do a couple practice pushes and see what happens."  I did 2 sets of 3 pushes with the next 2 contractions...and then I laughed (I had 2 nurses, Kris, and my mom all making funny faces with me while coaching me through the pushes...couldn't help it).  The nurse yelled, "No!  Don't laugh!  Don't push!  We need to call the doctor..the baby is coming!"  But the doctor was in another delivery, so they called a midwife.  The midwife RAN to get to my room.  As soon as she came in the door (not even past the curtain) Camden's head popped out and by the time she got to the delivery bed, he was out and on my chest.  It was 3:30pm!

He came out like a rocket...completely on his own...and the doctor AND the midwife missed it.  The whole thing happened so fast, but it was such a relief after such a rough pregnancy and a rough last month.  We are so excited and completely in love with him.  He's such a sweet little boy!