Birth of Jack Albert Christman

Ready for Jack's crazy story?

Once upon a Monday, I was feeling really really pregnant and uncomfortable.  I had been wanting baby to come out for weeks now but had finally come to terms that He was on his own time schedule (and I should probably wait until the "due" date before I got too impatient).  All weekend I secretly planned very active activities and used the awesome energy I felt to really enjoy them.  (Activities included- park with the kiddos, movie night with friends, dance date night with hubby and kiddos at the church, hiking at the arboretum).  Sunday I woke up sick.  Nauseous, diarrhea, bloody show, no energy... these were all good signs of pregnancy coming to an end but none too comfortable.

So Monday morning 11:00'ish the doctor's office called asking if Tuesday's doctor's appointment would still work.  This is the first time they have ever called with a reminder, so I felt like it was really random. I used the opportunity to double check that the bloody show and the random contractions (contractions every fifteen minutes then every hour then every 30 minutes, etc) were okay.  Instead I was told to report to the Labor and Delivery Floor of the hospital!!!  I broke down.  It was all fine to wish labor to happen when it wasn't happening but that it might really be here was another story.  It also made it hard because Jason was at school and that meant I would have to go in all by myself.  I was so tempted to ignore the doctor with the excuse that I wasn't having regular contractions yet.

I stalled as long as I could by picking up the house a little bit, getting the kids all ready, calling Jason to let him know what was going on, finding a friend to take the kids the whole afternoon and evening, if needed.  I had a friend who normally worked but had been sick over the weekend and so was not able to work on Monday.  It was defiantly a tender mercy on my part.  She came with me to the hospital for my moral support and sat and talked with me for the two hours of wait time before they could see me.  

When they finally called me back to hook me up to all the monitors it was about 4:30pm.  I was dilated to a two (which I had been since last Tuesday).  They monitored me for the next hour recording the baby's heart and my contractions.  Everything was looking fine for me to just go home until there was a brief second where I had a contraction and baby's heart dropped after the contraction.  Because of that the doctor ordered that I stay the night hooked up for further observation.  They would decide in the morning if I would go home, be induced (if his heart dropped again), or if I was lucky enough to have gone into labor.  Yuck!  My wonderful friend took my van and went and picked up Jason from school.  He dropped her off at her house with the car seats and He headed up to meet me.  She then went and picked up Clair and Caleb from our other friends and took them home.  She put them to sleep and slept over so Jason could spend the night with me.

In the meantime they took me to a delivery room where I was hooked up to all the monitors and given an IV.  I was having so many mixed emotions.  I wished I hadn't of listened to the doctor.  I was pretty convinced that I would be going home in the morning and would have to do it all over again.  Jason and I ate a late dinner, he studied a little bit for a test he had the next day and then we went to bed.  We both slept as well as we could :)

The next morning I prayed more than ever to be able to just stay.  We had a good morning call from the kids and it made me miss them so much.  Clair asked right away if we had, had the baby and Caleb demanded we come home then cried when i told him I couldn't.  I didn't want to have to go home and leave them again.  The doctor came at 8:00 to check me.  I was extremly surprised to find I had dilated to a 4! and was 75% effaced.  Well, my prayers had been answered and I was able to stay.  They broke my water right then.  The next hour was spent getting everything ready for the epidural.  I felt like I was a champ during it.  They allowed Jason to stay and be my steady voice.  I closed my eyes and focused on his voice calmly counting for me to breath (in- 2,3,4 out- 2,3,4)  The nurse stood in front of me and let me hold her hands and squeese them when I needed some reassurance.  She had a great calming and positive voice that told me how good I was doing.  I was so glad for it to be done.  

At 9:00 they checked me again and I was still dilated to a four.  That was a blessing because it allowed Jason to leave and go take his test that was at 9:30.  He did it in record time and was back to the hospital by 10:40'ish.  While Jason was gone my contractions picked up and started to happen about every two seconds.  I was so grateful, again, for the epidural.  With Clair and Caleb the epidural had been so strong I had been numb up to my chest.  So it was kind of fun... fun isn't the right word... good?  It was a good experience to actually feel my body working.  It felt like the blood pressure band on your arm when it tightens in intervals then slowly releases all at once.  My stomach felt like it was taking steps up a mountain, getting tighter and tighter, then would suddenly deflate.  When Jason got back they checked me again and we were all very surprised to find that I was dilated to a 8 and 100% effaced.  It was now about 11:00.  I started feeling some sharp pains on my right side with the contractions and so I pushed the button to allow the epidural to give more pain relief.  Jason and I then relaxed and started talking.  At one moment we heard a loud "Wah."  My first thought was that it came from my stomach.  Then I wondered if there was a baby outside our room.  Then I wondered if my phone was on... I went to check for my phone and happened to look at the monitor.  Jack's heart rate was going crazy!  Jason went to get the nurse.  The nurse came in.  Jason lifted the blanket on the bed to help the nurse adjust the monitor.  All Jason could say was, "baby! baby! baby!"  There he was on the bed!!!!  11:26am The nurse commanded Jason to go get help.  It was a moment of chaos as other nurses came into the room to get Jack off the bed, cord cut, and all those other things.  My doctor came in about five minutes later breathless from running (She had left for fifteen minutes to run across the street to check on another patient at her office).

The next little while all I could do was sit there.  We had missed some steps... was it really over... had that really happened?  But there was my handsome Jason holding a baby that looked just like our other two.  Healthy, happy... such a blessing.  

7lb 9oz

20 3/4 inches long

The rest of the day was kind of a fuzz.  I just floated through it.  I felt super weak and tired.  It helped a lot when I was able to get some food in me.  Once I was situated in a recovery room it was about 4:00pm.  Jason left to go get the kids.  Our friend who stayed the night had taken them out to another good friends home in Memorial area to spend the rest of the day.  Jason then brought them to the hospital for dinner and then up to see us.  It was SO good to see them.  They were so excited to see "their Jack."  And it made me feel so good to watch how soft they were without even being asked.  Caleb was so cute asking if he could "pet" him.  Clair I think will be a great little second mommy.  She held him like a pro.  I felt very very happy.  We are now a family of five!