The last pregnancy photo I took...right before Christmas mass on Dec. 24th
So, let's start from the beginning...
The pregnancy was a whirlwind. Living in Seattle, I started working as a barista at Starbucks when I was 18 weeks pregnant. I had a pretty easy first and second trimesters, some morning sickness, mostly at night, and aching feet from working long hours standing up.
When I was 33 weeks, Eric got a job in Austin, TX and we loaded up his Tahoe and drove ourselves and our two dogs down to Texas.
At 36 weeks, I was offered a job at a software requirements firm working as a requirements analyst and I started immediately. Awkward timing to start a job, but it was a miracle that I got such a good job when I was so pregnant. I kept working until December 28th, and then the real fun began over the weekend.
That Sunday, my parents and sister flew down to Austin (that was my due date). When they arrived, I had been having mildly uncomfortable contractions but I didn't really notice them until nighttime. We went out to eat some Tex Mex...little did I know I was actually in labor. I had no appetite and the pain was getting worse as we sat at the restaurant. Eric and I decided to head to the hospital. The nurses put me in triage and my contractions weren't very close together. I was still only 1.5 cm dilated. So we started walking. For an hour and a half...in a circle. I was in crippling pain during the contractions. After all of that, I didn't dilate any more. So, they sent us home....with a dosage of Ambien that they wanted me to take so I could sleep through my early labor.
My parents came over to our apartment to take me to my 10 am appointment the next morning. Eric was at work, so they came with me to the doctor's. In the waiting room, the contractions increased. I told the receptionist...and they got me right into a room to monitor the strength of my contractions. Laying down in that room, I started having contractions that felt as though my insides were being ripped out. Poor nurse...I squeezed the crap out of her arm and screamed at the top of my lungs right in her face. The doctor came in, Dr. Seeker...the best in Austin, to check how dilated I was. Barely 2 cm. He sent me up to Labor and Delivery and told the nurse to get me an epidural immediately and start me on Pitocin. I had already been in labor for 15 hours, I wasn't dilating, and I was in excruciating pain.
Cool fact...as I was being wheelchaired to my room, my nurse let me in on a secret- Matthew McCaughnahay and his wife were in the suite a few doors down from me (hence the security guards and police on the floor). Pretty sweet!
After another 8.5 hours of labor (much more comfortable since the epidural!!) and a warning that if I didn't dilate anymore in the next hour, I would have to have a C-section....Dr. Seeker came in to check on us. Karsten's heartrate was dropping, and when the doctor checked I was 10 cm and the little baby was on his way out! That was the most overwhelming news...baby is coming....now! After ten minutes of pushing, our little man was in my arms. Eric cut the umbilical cord and my mom was in there as well. I had amazing support.
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