Gunner has arrived and here is his birth story :)



Gunner Owen
Born: 4/17/15 @ 3:03 p.m.
Weight: 7lbs 12 oz
Length : 19 1/2 inches

Gunner arrived Friday and is perfectly healthy and beautiful!!:)

His birth story starts early that morning (about 7:20ish) .. I had just finished my breakfast and getting the boys theirs when I heard my phone! I checked to see who it was .. private number .. I ignored it at first (anyone who knows me knows I do NOT answer strange numbers lol) but i remembered moms work number shows up as 'private' so maybe its her and answered it just in time:)! It wasn't Mom but it was the Dr ..usually the nurse calls to tell you about blood work and such so I was very shocked that it was actually Dr. Ricaurte on the other end of the line ! He told me that he had just looked over my blood work and it was showing low platelet levels and with my high blood pressure and crazy swelling lately he was saying that i had a MILD case of Pre-E! (Oh wow i thought for sure nothing was wrong because i felt pretty good! ) Then he went on to tell me he feels best if we induce today because he has seen pre-e cases get out of control over night and didn't want to risk that happening to me and baby over the weekend!! My heart was racing with nervousness and excitement ..he asked if that would be an inconvenience and i said "no! I already had the day off and someone lined up to watch the boys for the day just incase anyways" We ended the call with an "i will see you later"! Alright, its really happening it was kind of hard to believe i would be having my boy by the end of the day!:)

By 7:30 I was calling Chad to tell him the news (we decided to send him to work because i figured my BP probably went down and nothing would show up on my blood work) !! I probably should have waited to calm my emotions first but my first attempt at calling him went like this "Hi. Where are you? .. We are to be at the hospital by 10 (as im starting to cry happy tears of course! lol) there was something showing up on the blood work" then i couldn't contain my tears and told him i would call him right back lol yeah pretty sure i scared the crap out of the poor guy!!! ;) Sorry Chad, LOVE you!! Any who i called him back with in five minutes to explain everything and found out he was an hour away and should be able to make it back to davenport by 930..well that was a little too close for me (i didn't want to end up at the hospital admitting myself alone) soo i called mom! She was working but able to get out of there and drive me down to the hospital, perfect ! I could have driven myself but that saved us from having two vehicles at the hospital :)

By now it was about 8:20 and Phylicia was here to watch the boys (still thinking just for my appointment) but i explained everything to her and made sure it was ok that they watched them for over night too! She told me that Chads mom had already bought things to have the boys over for the night 'just incase'! Great news!! I then decided I was going to treat the boys to sausage mcmuffins from McDonalds and myself to a Iced Caramel Mocha :) By the time we were finished eating and drinking Mom had arrived! HERE WE GO!!:) It was still a little surreal ..

When we arrived at the hospital it was a little after 9:30 and Chad was pulling into the parking ramp as we were about to walk in! Perfect timing :) we waiting for him and then got ourselves admitted for an induction at 10!! I got into our room a little after 10 and was told to get into that lovely hospital gown and leave a pee sample (they were still worried about the Pre-E of course and had to check my urine every time i used the bathroom for high protein levels..they were always normal though!) My first nurse got me all hooked up to the monitor watching the contractions and baby boys heart rate and checked my cervix (i was at a 3 the day before) i was now almost at a 4 already she said! Great start !!.. she then put in my IV and drew blood from there..witch caused a huge bloody mess!! Good thing i am not squeamish or a nervous person because that was gross (you usually don't see that much blood until the end of labor ;)) i couldn't help but think to myself though "ugh..is this an indicator on how the labor will go??" lol but she got me all cleaned up and good as new in no time!

By now it was around 10:45 and she was waiting to start the Pitocin until baby boy moved (he was sound asleep the whole time we were on the monitor so far) and showed an acceleration in his heart rate.. well she eventually went and got me apple juice and a popsicle in hopes that the sugar would make him wake up! So i drank about half of the apple juice and a bite or two of the popsicle (EWW cherry;)) and off he went kicking like crazy making his heart accelerate! She started the Pitocin right at 11:) and with in no time i could feel contractions they were starting right off the bat at 5 minutes apart! Chad, Mom and I were taking our bets on what time Gunner would arrive! I mentioned i never get to watch Ellen anymore so he would show up right after Ellen ;) Mom said she thinks it will be sooner then that, after queen Latifa (sp) and Chad agreed with her because he didn't think it was going to be a very long labor ;) Mom stayed in the room for about the first hour which was nice and then she left to meet up and wait with Grandma Pinky:)

The nurse came in every 25 minutes or so turning up the Pitocin by 2 each time and asking how i was and what i would rate my pain ..i always told her just 1 or 2 and that it just feels like Braxton hicks tightening and the only reason they were really uncomfortable was because they made me have to PEE SOO BAD!! lol I could tell they were getting closer and closer together though and by the time they switched nurses i was contracting every minute (around 1:30). My new nurse i absolutely loved! She was much more talkative and seemed way more at ease about everything:) She of course asked me about the level of pain and i still said a 2 at most.. then she proceeded to say sence i am contracting every minute she is going to turn down the Pitocin she started by just turning it down by 2..

Shortly after that Dr. Ricaurte and his intern came into the room! Dr explained he was going to break my water i told the nurse.. Its not going to be much longer at all..things always speed up after my water is broke!! Then his intern explained who he was, he follows Dr. Ricuarte around and may do some things such as checking cervix ect..and asked if that was ok he be in the room ..i said that's fine . Then i got checked and i was up to 5 stretched to a 6 even already! My nurse told me that was a great jump for such a short time and i was thinking again "oh wow it wont be long usually i skip right past 7,8, and 9 ;) lol!" Then my water was broke and usually i HATE that part its one of the parts i think is painful ..but this time it was a simple POP and little trickle trickle! Before the Dr left he mentioned that i was contracting pretty often and asked if i could tell (of course i can tell) but again told them i was fine and they turned the Pitocin ALL the way down to as low as it could go ;)

Around 2:30 the nurse came in asked how i was i said the same..but mentioned i could feel much more pressure like the baby is getting lower into position! She told me that she wanted me to go to the restroom to try and see if that would slow my contractions..and while i was on the toilet i thought to myself "lord he feels so low what if he comes out in the toilet ;) lol!" of course he didn't but going to the restroom didn't help slow down contractions either ..my body was just ready to get things done i guess!! ;) and by 2:50 Dr and intern were back in to check me again ...i was at a 9!! Sweet!! Also this may be TMI but while Dr was checking me i could feel him take his finger all the way around the babies head ..i was told later by the nurse that was him stretching me to a 10! Crazy!! Then the Drs told me they were going to gear up and get the table of things they need and would be back shortly to start pushing!! And this is where things really started!!

As SOON as everyone walked out the door my body started pushing on its own and i could feel Gunner on his way out and i was in pain now.. i was also trying to hold him in, i didn't want chad delivering this little boy!! ;) With in seconds my body did it again and I was trying my HARDEST to keep that baby in and apparently i hit the call button and told Chad to get the nurse but i was so focused on trying NOT to push i don't really remember pushing the button ;) ha! The nurse came in right away and my body was pushing again and she kept telling me to "just breathe" but this baby was coming and i felt like i couldn't losen up until the Dr was in there and ready!! She was rushing around and yelling out the door to get the Dr in here and someone needs to bring the table in quick! Well again this all is so rushed and i was in good pain by now ( no meds ) i don't remember them all coming in (i always kind of go to my own little world in my head and ignore everything around me) but i remember hearing when you feel a contraction push!! Thank GOD!! And that's just what i did pushed about twice and his head came partially out.. but got stuck two more pushes and still there .. i could feel myself getting frustrated and anxious to get him out, see him and be DONE with the pain ..so i pushed as hard and long as i could and out he came.. with one more small push that is for his body:) !! And there he was on my chest and looking perfect!!

I am SO VERY happy after everything we went through this pregnancy Gunner is completely healthy and wonderful!! I am so blessed for such a great and easy labor (all together it was 4 hours and 3 minutes!) and to have my family completed:)!!