US DUNCANS: Harrison Arrow Duncan

Harrison Arrow Duncan

8 Ibs 12 oz

20 3/4 inches long

December 18th, 2016

10:25pm

All week I was so impatient and grumpy that he hadn't come yet.

Everytime I had a doctors appointment, my doctor would tell me how low he is and that I probably won't last the week! That was 12-6. I was 38 Weeks and 2cm and 75% effaced.

Then 12-13 I was 39 Weeks 4 Days and 3cm Dilated and 80% effaced. She said again "He is SO LOW!"

I went two days passed my due date. Same as I did with Lily.

fast forward to December 18th around 6pm

We had a long day and got the kids down for sleep and we decided to go to bed early in case I woke up in the middle of the night. Lucas was still transitioning from nights so he went straight to sleep.

I, however, could not sleep. I was in pain. I was grumpy. So I watched a couple YouTube Videos and then decided to go to bed at 7:30

I was so upset I tweeted this:

No joke: 5 minutes of laying there, I feel a gush of water. Not a lot. Nothing like when my water broke with James. So I get out of bed and go check things out. I was pretty sure my water broke so I immediately texted my mom so she could come right away to watch the kids. I told her I wasn't in pain and she didn't need to rush. She lives all the way out in Inkom.

I went and took a shower and while I was in there I had my first contraction.

I got dressed and woke up Lucas to tell him that I was pretty sure I was in labor.

There were a couple false alarms that week so I'm pretty sure he didn't take me seriously, because he fell back asleep.

Since then I got some more contractions and tried waking him up again.

Then my mom got here and Lucas finally got up.

By then, I was having some painful contractions. So I hurried him along and told him we had to go now.

So we headed out the door and by the time we got to the four way stop by our house, I was in legitimate pain.

Lucas and another car got there about the same time, Lucas totally could have gone, but let the other person go. That's when I got a little mad considering I was in ACTUAL pain. I got short with him and said GO!

haha, looking back it was funny, at the time, not so much.

(We just don't snap at each other like that)
anyways...

It was 8:21 and we headed to the hospital.

By the time we got into the parking lot, my contractions were at LEAST 4 minutes apart and PAINFUL.

We hurried up there and they put me in one of those joint rooms, until they decided "IF they should admit me," I was clearly in labor. I should have said, "Get me a real room and don't waste my time."

But alas, I didn't.
The doctor on call (Don't recall his name) checked me and accidentally broke my water while checking me. They then had to ask me all these questions and all this stuff while I'm literally dilated to a 7 and feeling like dying.

fast forward a little bit to the actual room.

I keep asking for an epidural because I know that it takes the anesthesiologist quite a while to come. So I just keep asking and they keep saying he is coming.

Guys, I didn't mean to sound like such a wimp, but I have NEVER had the desire to give birth without pain meds. It just wasn't important to me. I have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

I take advantage of modern medicine and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I was checked like, every 20 minutes and I just kept dilated more.

By around 9:30 ish, the anesthesiologist FINALLY CAME!

He walked in and I said, "I've never been more happy to see someone in my life!"

Well, I went through ALL of that, the epidural and everything come to find out that
IT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL. Not even a little bit.

So by 10:15 I was at a 10 and screaming.

I was not prepared to give birth naturally.

End of story.

It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I was so scared that I was shaking and couldn't calm down. I kept saying, "I HAVE TO PUSH" and the nurse and everyone was rushing around getting things ready and saying "Don't push, You have to wait you have to wait.
What I meant to say was, "HE'S COMING AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT."

It was CRAZY!

So I was at the hospital for 2 hours from getting there to having him.
I didn't even have to push, really

I pushed twice and he basically flew out of me.

I progressed so quickly.

Looking back, I'm so embarrassed. I know women give birth naturally all the time. I just had 0 preparation for this pain. Lucas told me not to ever feel embarrassed, but there were a lot of people in that room and I was inconsolable at one point.

More on that in another post...
it was 10:25

Harrison came out and the pain almost went completely away.

That sounds cliche, but it's true. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

The doctor said, "Look at all that hair"

It was such a surprise that he had so much DARK hair!

We were just so in love from the moment he came into our lives.

I was a tad out of it, but the nurse asked me, "Do you want to hold him before we clean him?"

and at first, I said No...which was weird and then I said, "Yes, YES! I want to hold him."

I was just so exhausted. I absolutely understand why it is called "Labor".

He is perfect.

and the labor just didn't matter. The pain, I have immediately forgotten.

I would truly do it again and again.