Wednesday July 27th:
We had a regular doctors appointment scheduled for this day. Last week my blood pressure was borderline high so our doctor had us monitor it at home and warned us that if it was not getting any better at our next appointment that we would talk about inducing within the week. We were a little nervous about being induced so we brought our bags and I cleaned the house like a mad woman! Honestly though we figured it would be the end of the week or early the next before we would be induced but we were being prepared, "just in case." They came in and check my blood pressure and decided that my blood pressure was still to high and that we needed to talk about induction. My doctor made a few calls and told us to come back at 4:30 (3 hours later) and check into the hospital. After freaking out a bit we ran across the street to PF Changs and grabbed a quick bite. Then we had a few more minutes to kill so we went and visited Kelli for a last minute pep talk! We checked in at 4:15 and they put us in the room and gave me a gown and told me to get comfortable. They started an iv line and started monitoring the baby. We were just giddy about meeting our little no name baby! They started cervidil around 10 pm and by 1 am I was in full on labor on my own. I was doing pretty good with pain management. Since I had high blood pressure they had me on constant monitoring so moving around was really hard. I spent most contractions just breathing it out and moving as much as I could in bed. John rested on and off when I wasn't begging him to rub my back.
Thursday July 28th:
At 2 am they decided that since I was in active labor on my own that they would not go on with the next round of cervidil. I was really getting excited even though I wasn't progressing that fast. At 7 am my doctor came in and said that my contractions weren't really consistent enough and that she was going to break my water and start pictocin. I made it about an hour after this before I was begging for the epidural! The anesthesiologist bragged that he had pretty much given me the perfect epidural. I had to agree! I could still move my body as I wanted I just couldn't feel anything! I could have gone days with the epidural! Things were progressing nicely! At around 3:30 I was dilated to a 7 but my temperature had spiked to 100.3. Also the baby's heart rate was averaging around 185. They gave me tylenol and told me that they would give me about an hour before they started talking about other options. At 4:30 my doctor came in and my temperature was 101.8 and the baby's heart rate was still high. She said she wasn't comfortable to let me keep going for possibly another 3-4 hours so we were going to do a c-section. Within seconds people were in the room prepping John and I for the OR. Poor John, his biggest question was, "Do I have time to go to the bathroom?" They told him if he hurried! I didn't even really have time to panic. Next thing I knew I was strapped to the table and my doctor was going through the checklist with the 15 staff members in the room. Then John got to come and and I started to cry. I couldn't believe we were about to meet our soon! He leaned down and kissed me and I asked him what are we going to name him??? He smiled and said, "After all you have been through today, we can name him what ever you want!" Gatlin Reid it was!
At 4:47 Gatlin Reid Hasler made his grand entrance into the world kicking and screaming! John's and my eyes immediately meet and filled with tears! My doctor said, "Wow what a big boy as she was pulling him out." John got to watch them clean him up and I asked what he weighed. They said 8 lbs 10 oz. I was shocked! No wonder I wasn't progressing any faster! He was perfect! I spent the longest 20 minutes of my life being sewn up while John went with Gatlin to the nursery to get cleaned up and ready to officially meet mommy. They wheeled me back into my room and I saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. My sweet husband holding my precious son and just smiling and talking to him. It was over! He was here! The next few hours were really rough for us. The meds used during the surgery made me really sick. So I spent the next 3 hours throwing up while John and my dad alternated applying pressure to my incision to keep my stitches from ripping while I vomited. I would not have made it if it wasn't for my mom and mother-in-law holding Gatlin while I barfed! Finally I was able to sit up without throwing up and everyone went home.
Friday July 29- Monday August 1:
The next 4 days were a blur from day to night and in between our guests and the doctors being in and out. We couldn't wait to get home!!! I swear I cried more in these few days than I ever had in my whole life! My hormones were all over the place! Breastfeeding was really rough on us and we were really getting frustrated with each other. Once we made it home we all took a collective sigh of relief and relaxation.
Life at home with Gatlin is amazing. I can't help but sit and stare at him and praise God for his amazing blessing! I know now that I have stood strong through the toughest trial thus far in my life. I know that life is truly fragile. If two years ago God would have blessed us with our first baby making it to term I don't think I would have been as thankful as I am today. I had to learn to trust in God and His perfect timing in order to receive the greatest blessing. Never will a day go by that I don't thank God for allowing us to have Gatlin. He truly is a blessing and miracle straight from God's hands.
Thank you all for being such great friends and supporting me during the past 2 years. You will never know how much your love and prayers were coveted. Days that I felt I couldn't go on I know it was your prayers lifting me up! Now I feel like one chapter is closing while another is just beginning!
