Finally!!!

Thomas Cash finally made his entrance on October 29, 2007 at 6:15pm by c-section. It wasn't that mom didn't put forth a noble effort (24 hours of labor, including about 5 hours on pitocin) but I only dilated to 8.5cm. For one check they said I was close to 9, but subsequent checks showed I went to 8.5 and stayed there for hours. At one point, I got really nauseaus and asked for a puke bucket, and started to shake really bad. I asked one nurse if this was the transistion phase and if I could push yet, and she said, no, I actually was past transition, but I wasn't to the pushing stage.

I had decided that I would only go with paracervical blocks for pain relief because those wouldn't have an effect on the baby. And they did work wonderfully, the first 7 times (I'm a record holder at both the hospital and for the doctor!) But once we figured out I wasn't going much past 8.5, we decided to see if pitocin would "put me over the edge". So I got hooked up to that and it was working. My contractions were definitely coming harder and faster. I was having piggybacks which lasted over 2 minutes with about 30 seconds in between. This went on for about 3 hours and finally, after being awake for 40 hours, and having no pain relief, I broke. I asked for the epidural. My rational was that maybe I was exhausted and not relaxing enough and the epidural would help. So I got my epidural (which was patchy) and they ramped up the pitocin, so I could still feel the contractions.

At 4 the doctor and OB came in and said they thought I might need a c-section. I asked for another hour to try, so they agreed as both the baby and I were doing well. My mom went home to get my dad, so I kind of knew it wasn't a question of if, but when I was getting the c-section. They got back to the hospital about 5pm and the doctors came back in. I said that I would agree to to c section if they truly thought I wasn't going to be able to have the baby the regular way. Both doctors looked at me and said, "it looks like he is too big. We tried pushing your cervix over his head, but we can't. We have to do the c section."

It was about 5:30pm at this time and they called down to get the room set up. At this point, the epidural wasn't helping and I was having the big contractions from the pitocin. So I did what any person would do...I started crying hard. Eugene and the nurse kept trying to make me do the breathing, but I wasn't really listening. Eugene was getting all scrubbed up so he could go in with me.

At 6:00pm they wheeled me an and gave me a spinal. Due to the curve in my spine, they decided a second one would be a good idea.

They got me on the table and brought Eugene in. After a few minutes, I said I felt something on my lap, but I didn't want to know what it was. I asked them if they had started yet and Dr. Flinders said "I can see the head and he has a ton of hair! Eugene! Stand up, you have to see this!" Eugene stood up and started to get teary. After a few minutes of pushing hard on my upper abdomen, they pulled the baby out! Eugene got to cut the cord, clean him up and go to the nursery with him.

I stayed behind so I could get sewn up and look less like a mackeral laid open at a fish market.
Dr. Flinders and Dauenhauer kept saying "That was a big baby" but no one knew any numbers. So Dr. Flinders called down and asked. The birth APGAR was an 8 and the next was a 9, so he was good and healthy. Then I heard him say "21 inches long and 9 POUNDS 1 oz".

While they were sewing me up both doctors commented on how red and inflammed my muscles and uterus were. I was told that essentially, my contractions were at the intensity needed to push the baby out, but because he has turned to be sunnyside up, and he was 9 pounds, and my pelvis was just a little too narrow, it was like trying to push a baby out through a brick wall. Dr. Flinders said he though I would have been fine if he was in the 8 pound range, but a no go on the 9.

Geez, this is getting long! Anyways, Thomas Cash Allen was born at a healthy 9 lbs, 1 oz, 21 inches long. He was born tongue tied just like mama and had to get his tongue clipped when he was 2 days old. It was essential to him being able to nurse. After seeing how much he cried after that, there was no way he was getting else snipped.