Your Birth

Our first, precious boy, Alexander Samuel Pollock, was born on May 29th, 2014.

Time: 4:25am
Stats: 6lbs. 15.8oz, 19 inches long
Hair and Eyes: Black hair, deep blue eyes

Alex was about 6 days past his due date and we love how small and precious he is!

 On Tuesday, May 27th, around the afternoon, I had my first minor contraction. It was just a baby one and I realized they came every 20-30 minutes. I sent Gary a text to give him a heads up, but told him not to rush. Later that evening, still mild and bearable, they grew closer together, about five minutes apart. Knowing they would probably send us home, we went to the hospital as instructed to get checked out. Sure enough, after some observation, I was told I was barely over a centimeter dilated and to go home. The contractions didn't stop, however, and continued overnight, becoming a little more painful and keeping me awake.

The next morning, they were still bearable, but more painful as they continued every 5-7 minutes. I had a regular prenatal appointment that morning, so Gary and I went together as he took the day off "just in case". Once again, I was told I had barely stretched to a 2. It was frustrating as the contractions would not stop and were gradually getting worse. So, Gary and I did everything we could that day- climbed stairs, did a lot of walking, squats and exercises, and even ate a "pregnancy pizza" as suggested by his sister. The contractions continued to worsen throughout the day, but I still avoided the hospital. Around 7pm, however, Gary noticed me crying after a few back-to-back contractions. I was unable to focus on anything else, so he took my hand and said, "we should go." So, off we went. My contractions were mostly in my back and hips, which is called "back labor", due to the baby's positioning. He was still where he needed to be, but he was facing the front instead of my spine (90% of the time the baby naturally flips around closer to delivery, which he did).

After monitoring me for a bit and checking me out, I was relieved to find out I was now at a 4 and good to be admitted (I was determined to stay at the hospital as the contractions were too painful, even if I had been a 2). Over the next half hour, I went to a 6. It was a process getting the epidural, but oh my, that was a relief! My water broke right after the receiving the medicine.

My parents had arrived around 11:30pm and we waited. I was instructed to get as much rest as possible. At one point, the whole team of nurses and the doctor quickly came into the room and gave me a shot to stop the contractions. Apparently my contractions were way too close together- and because my water had broken, the cord was being squeezed with each contraction- meaning the baby's heart rate dropped with each contraction. Too close together= baby's heart rate too low for too long. At this time, the doctor went over the idea of a C-section if this continued to happen and said it would possibly be an option. They had to pump amniotic fluids back into me to give him more room to "swim around" and take pressure off of the cord.

Another few hours had passed by and again they had to give me a shot to stop contractions as they were too close together- and I was still at a 6.

Around 4am, the doctor came back into the room and told me she wanted to discuss having a C-section after all since I wasn't progressing and the cord issue was still a concern. However, she said she wanted to give me one last check to see if I had dilated any more. As she was checking, she said aloud, "Oh, well, you're at a 10! Let's get ready to push!"

After 25 minutes of pushing, our son entered this world. What a blessing he is! It was also amazing to watch the process through a mirror. They flipped him, cleared out his mouth, and we heard those beautiful first cries. I couldn't stop smiling and even teared up. What a happy momma I was!

Welcome to the world, Alex!