As i'm sitting here watching the BYU game, eating Ihop with my husband, and my baby boy is sleeping upstairs I decided I needed to blog about Walden's birth (almost a month ago, ah! Where does the time go!?)
So at all of my 3rd trimester appointments, I was measuring several weeks ahead. At one point, I was measuring 3 weeks ahead! It seemed as if Walden was growing quickly and big and that he would make his arrival earlier than anticipated. 37 weeks came and went, 38 weeks came and gone, 39 weeks my mom showed up and we were certain it would be any day now. 40 weeks... still nothing! I was barely dilated, and was having no painful contractions. That last week of pregnancy was probably one of the most mentally challenging weeks of my life. I couldn't sleep because of my hips, my stomach felt like it was going to rip open it was so stretched out, I had probably 2 shoes that fit me, and probably 2 pairs of pants (I was carrying him SO LOW.)
It was a really hard week. Corey knew I was struggling and had several people reach out to me giving me words of encouragement and positive vibes. I just want to publicly thank all of you who reached out via phone, text, email & FB. It seriously lifted my spirits.
As I was nearing my 41st week, my uncle Doug, who is an anesthesiologist down here in LV, made many calls to my doctor, and the hospital and finally got me a firm induction date. (THANK YOU A MILLION UNCLE DOUG!)
(Heading to the hospital. SO PREGO!)
8:12 - I was checked by the nurse and was still dilated to a 1. Walden was VERY comfy. They also performed an ultrasound to make sure his head was down, and it was. Good boy.
8:28 AM - Given a 1/4 of a cytotec pill was inserted into my cervix and it was actually very successful in starting contractions.
10:00 AM - My contractions were coming fast and close together, not painful yet though.
12:57 PM - Dilated to a 2.5.
4:07 PM - Dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced. During this exam my water broke.
4:36 PM - The pain was getting more intense and I got an epidural. By about 5:00 PM, it was beginning to take effect.
5:30 PM - Dilated to a 5.
The BYU vs. UCLA game was on and those of us in the hospital room were all watching it on our iPads, yes, even me! BYU lead the whole game only to lose in the last minutes by one point.
8:47 PM - Checked and there was no change since 5:30.
10:50 PM - Dilated to a 7 and 100% effaced.
"It seems like little Walden was waiting for the game to be over." - Grandma Stone
12:19 AM - I surprised the nurses by being fully dilated to a 10! Woo! We all thought that I would begin pushing, but baby's head had not dropped yet. So Dr. Reynolds ordered that I 'labor down' for a couple of hours to see if his head would drop.
2:42 AM - I started pushing, but to no avail. I was not making any progress pushing. After 2 hours of pushing, (4:18 AM) Walden hadn't dropped down at all. The nurse called Dr. Reynolds again and the decision was made that the doctor would come in at 5:00 AM and if baby was not dropping then a c-section would be necessary.
At this point I was so exhausted. My epidural was wearing off and I was in a lot of pain. I could feel everything and still couldn't get Mr. Walden out. I remember Corey holding my hand and telling me how good I was doing, and I was so tired I just wanted to give up and leave Walden inside the womb. I didn't think I had any energy left in me. I had such a great support team though. Corey, my mom, Ann, and Corey's mom, Susan were doing everything in their power to help me. My mom was massaging my feet with essential oils. They were all feeding me ice chips, rubbing my forehead, holding my hands (allowing me to squeeze their hands).
I remember at this point saying a little prayer to Heavenly Father. I pleaded for help from him and his angels. I needed divine help to carry out this divine process. My prayer was immediately answered. I knew I was getting help from heaven. I literally went beast mode. The nurse asked me if I would like to give it one more chance before going in for a C-Section. Seriously here came beast mode. Corey told me after that at that point, my yells turned from painful and feminine, to something you'd hear in the wild. Finally, Walden dropped into position.
5:00 AM - My body was ready, every contraction my body was wanting to push him out, but the Doctor wasn't there yet, so they were telling me not to push. That is the most impossible thing to do. When your body is ready to get the baby out, that baby is going to come out, doctor or no doctor. The baby was crowning and the doctor finally made it into the room, got her gear on and was ready to catch the baby. Which was good, because my baby WAS COMING! (She arrived fully expecting to do a c-section, not catch a baby!)
At 5:24 AM on September 20, 2015, Walden Stone Wozniak was born weighing 8 lbs, 1 oz, and 19 inches long. And man, was he a cute little baby. The second the doctor caught him she put him on my chest and Walden was wide-eyed and alert, staring up at me. What an amazing moment. I was in complete shock (literally), looking at that little boy. I remember thinking, "I did it, I just birthed a baby." Corey was able to cut his cord.
(This picture is so powerful to me. Walden's first moments of life and he was being held onto by me, the doctor, Corey and Grandma Susan. My mom's hands would have been in there but she was taking this photo, which I will treasure for forever.)
(I really think I went into shock. What a powerful moment.)
(Corey cutting the cord)
They quickly whisked Walden away to get his stats and then he was taken to the NICU for about 2 hours, because he was "singing" which meant he had some liquid in his lungs. I had a lot of tearing and wreckage, they pumped me full of meds (at this point I was in so much pain), and the doctor began stitching me up. That was a long and painful process.
At some points during that long labor, I didn't know if i'd be able to do it. But I did! And my son made it here happy, healthy, and SO HANDSOME! What a miracle. I can't believe what our bodies are capable of. I grew and delivered an 8 lb. baby. I'm still amazed.
(Hanging with my Doc.)
We all just ooed and awed at him. Walden got lots of kisses and hugs and visitors and we are so grateful. What an amazing, spiritual experience. I have felt the love of the savior so strong since this little boy has entered our lives. He is such a sweet spirit and I know he was sent right from Heaven and Heavenly Father to bless us and teach us.
Walden, welcome to our family. We love you so. <3
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