The Story of Amos

Here is the birth story....

Because of the all the moving we'd been doing and getting ready to do again, we had decided to be induced.  I scheduled the induction for Friday, October 26.  By Wednesday of that week I had been feeling very sick with flu-like symptoms and at night getting the shakes so bad I couldn't lay still enough to relax and fall asleep.  So I called and had the induction moved up a day.

Thursday morning, October 25, Andy and I drove to be at the hospital by 6:45.  Right as we pulled up to the doors I got sick.  I was really nervous that was going to continue throughout labor.  We got checked in and settled into the delivery room.  They wanted to start pitocin right away, but I asked to have my water broken first to see if that would start labor.  Unfortunately the doctor couldn't break the bag, saying it was likely there wasn't much fluid.  The pitocin was started and contractions started coming quickly and within the hour were 3-6 minutes apart.  The only bad part was I was still only dilated to about 4 cm. (Yes, I did get an epidural!)

Andy and I had been discussing the building of our house and there were some things that we needed to do in the next few days and I told Andy that I'd be in labor for a while if he wanted to run and take care of those things right then.  Isn't it funny the way things change from your first child to your third?  I never would have let him leave the hospital during my labor with Georgia!  About 5 minutes after he left the nurse checked me saying I was now dilated to about an 8, but she wanted someone to double check.  The second nurse confirmed that I was dilated to a 7 and so I called Andy and told him not to dilly dally - things were now moving quickly!

Then things got a little ugly.  I started shaking again - violently.  It was so bad I wanted to be restrained.  I couldn't relax my arms, shoulders, chest, neck, or head.  I got sick again and my temperature was around 101.  They packed me with warm blankets and towels, but I wasn't cold.  I was only able to relax when it was absolutely quiet and with Andy holding my hand.  Sadly, it isn't quiet for more than a minute or two in the delivery room with all the ins and outs of the nursing staff. 

Eventually the doctor came in and told me they were having a hard time reading the baby's heart beat and she wanted to put something on his head to keep better track of it.  I really didn't want that.  But then she checked me and said, "Oh no.  It's time to push."  Praise the Lord!  I started pushing at 1:39 pm and the baby was born at 1:53.  His shoulders were very broad and he was stuck for a minute.  It took the doctor with the help of two nurses to wriggle him out!

He was a healthy boy weighing 9 pounds and 6.5 ounces and 21 inches long.  No wonder my back had hurt so bad!  We had come to the hospital with two names picked out and I left it to Andy to decide, but neither one seemed to suit the baby.  We started looking at some names we had discarded in the past and Amos was one of them.  Both of us had temps after labor and Amos' blood sugar was a little low.  He had to have heel pricks done for the first 24 hours (poor baby!) and I was started on antibiotics.  After a couple of days we were both back to normal.

Now we are in the throws of life with three children (whew!) and I'm so thankful for the time Andy is taking off from work.  We are still awaiting the completion of our home and then maybe life will be right again.

 Just born 10/25/12

 

 Proud big sister Georgia

 



Kisses from Lola 10/26/12

 

Amos Andrew 3 weeks old