So..labor.

Not long after I posted the whole
PEEING on myself post,
my contractions started!!
At 3:43 a.m. I had a contraction a little more powerful than those
lovely braxton-hicks.
I thought, OH GEEZ. Here we go!!!
I woke Jackie up, to tell him that they had started.
He told me "you better get some sleep now!!!"
Umm. Excuse me!? I am about to push a baby out of my uterus and YOU want me to SLEEP!?
YEAH RIGHT!!
I tried, though.
I REALLY tried.
But, it didn't work.

I got up, went to the laptop and started looking up some info. on birthing babies.
{I was at the hospital and "induced" with Charlotte, so this was kinda new}
I didn't have nurses coming in and out my room to tell me what was going on,
and all that good stuff. I called my mom to tell her that I thought today was the day. She lives about 4 hours away. She told me that she wanted to sleep a couple more hours then she would leave. Thanks mom!

Fast forward to about 7:30 a.m. I was finally tired enough to attempt sleep again. All the while having a few contractions within every hour.
When I woke up around 9, I was exhausted,
and having the contractions were still coming.
Not closer together or stronger...just coming.
Jackie and Charlotte headed off to church without me.
I wanted to stay behind and rest some.

Momma was here about an hour before Jackie and Charlotte came back.
I called my friend Jewel to see if she was busy for the afternoon.
{I had told her months ago, that if I went into labor early, that I wanted her to rush to the hospital BEFORE I put the gown on, to get some maternity shots ....hahahaha}
She came over after lunch and we all went outside to take some photos!
Yes, in between contractions!!

And, yes....the shots of me are kinda rough.
Jewel did the best she could with what she had! ha ha
THANKS JEWEL! I really appreciate ALL you have done for me!!!!

After the photo shoot, I noticed the contractions getting a little stronger.
But still very sporadic.
One at 15 minutes...the next at 25. Then down to 10! and back up to 30!
It was nuts!
By this time in the late afternoon, I had already called the hospital a handful of times.
Each time they said the same thing....you COULD be like this for a few days...even weeks.
BUH! I don't think so ladies!!!!

So, when it came time for choir practice, I told Jackie to go ahead, but I was going to stay home.
Boy..was that EVER a good idea!!
About an hour after he left, the contractions came closer together and a lot harder.
But, they were still random.
Closer together at times, but like 10 minutes then down to 6 then back to 20..then back down to 7 minutes!
Then, all of a sudden....they came at 8 minutes...8 minutes....8 minutes....6 minutes....6 minutes...4 minutes....4 minutes....4 minutes....3 minutes....3 minutes.....3 minutes.....3 minutes.....

When I hit that first 8 minutes is when it felt like someone hit me with a truck....and not a matchbox truck, either.
And, as they got closer together....that's when the truck would back up....rev it's engine and bring a friend! Oh how it hurt!!!!
Around the 2ND 4 minute contraction..I called Jackie to tell him to come home. Whether the nurses at the hospital liked it or not we were going to the hospital.
He didn't answer...which I didn't expect him to.
He TEXTED me.

Are you kidding!?

Apparently not, because while I was waiting for another contraction to pass so I could respond to his text....he sent one that said...and I quote: Hello?

OH NO HE DIDN'T!

YES HE DID!

My response was as follows....{mainly because I was having another contraction, but I was SOOOO mad that I didn't feel it as strongly....HA! ANGER...now that's a drug.}

"bad ones... and close, come home"

THEN he decided to call me!
He was leaving and he would be home in less than 5 minutes.
Good to hear.
By the time he got home, I was sitting on the couch practically beside myself in pain...crying...and on the phone. On hold no less, with the hospital.
I handed Jackie the phone and he waited on hold while he lead me to the truck.
FINALLY the DR. got on the phone and Jackie told him we were on the way and that the contractions were 3 minutes apart.
We got about 5 minutes away from the hospital and my water breaks!!!
I do not know HOW it didn't get through my pants and onto the seat...but it didn't!!
Thank the good Lord!
When we pulled into emergency, I wanted to shout to Jackie...where is VALET parking, when you need it?!
But, I didn't.

This older lady was standing in between the entrance doors when Jackie opened my door. Jackie ran inside to get a wheelchair..and she followed him back to our truck.
I was in the middle of a MAJOR contraction and did not want to move...nor was I capable of doing so even if I wanted to. She kept telling Jackie to pick me up! PICK HER UP!! PICK HER UP! She was shouting.

Finally I said...DO NOT TOUCH ME...in my best "head-spinning....split-pea spewing..demon-posessed voice. After that one passed, I got into the wheelchair and he rolled me inside. When we got checked in at the ER, they wheeled me up to the Birth Center. As soon as we got there, they wanted to hook me up to fetal monitoring...check me...and all that fun stuff...all while I was having the WORST pain in my ever-lovin' life.

I was BEGGING for that epi! PLEASE HELP ME... I had cried so much in the last hour...I had NO tears left. The nurse checked me...a 7!!!! Oh well...there goes the epidural.

Oh well!? OH NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Okay....okay...Kari.....ask for the next strongest thing.

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME.

GIVE ME SOMETHING. ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!

The nurse finally brought the IV machine in. Even in the middle of a contraction, I practically dislocated my shoulder to get my arm ANYWHERE near her and that blessed dose of WHATEVER it was they gave me. I asked..."How long before this kicks in?" She said, "I haven't even hooked it up yet". Ummm...what are you waiting for!? Some sign from above that this is the time!?

Well, honey...here's your sign..it's called I AM IN LABOR!!! She left...without giving me the meds...I THINK she went back out to get them But I cannot be sure. When she came back, she put the stuff in. I seriously have NO IDEA what they gave me. But, then she checked me again, and said it was time to push and she was going to get Dr. G.

The meds hadn't even reached my ARM yet, and I was pushing!!! 3 pushes and she was out.

SERIOUSLY!!!!

At 8:36 pm, less than an hour after we arrived at the hospital, Audrey Christine was born.

And me, pretty much un-medicated.

Honestly, looking back, it wasn't THAT bad.

Don't get me wrong...those contractions were...well, from another place....

{THANKS A BUNCH EVE!!!!}

But, the whole pushing experience wasn't that bad.

The worst was when they said DON'T PUSH.

That hurt.

But, all in all....after all is said and done...not too bad.

And, I am sure you guys are like, WHAT!? She made that whole thing sound TERRIBLE.

And, it was. But, bearable.

Hey! If I lived to tell the tale....so can YOU!
I know now that the next time, {yes I did say next time...ha ha}

I can do it without the epidural.

Granted, I hope I am there in time to get the sting off of the contractions....

But, no epidural.

Anywho.

All that, and I got an AWESOME prize!!!

Audrey. My sweet little Audrey!

What a beautiful blessing she is to my life.

And, she is such an easy baby.

Well, so far, anyway.

She cries practically ONLY when she wants food.

Then she sleeps through everything else.

An easy baby!

I don't expect it to last, though.

It never does.

But, right now, it is a beautiful thing.