Hey Jude!

He's here! He's finally here...

Jude William Logan is just 11 days old today. He came into this world on May 8, 2008 at 3:40pm. I cannot believe so much time has passed since his birth! Time sure does fly.

Derrick and I had been given 2 due dates. The first was May 6th...the second was April 29th. I was banking on the latter...actually...I was always under the assumption that he would come earlier...since the Drs. were saying he was "measuring big" and had been head down for a while. Yeah. Those were some annoying days of waiting...and waiting! At our last appt. I set up an induction date of May 8th. I didn't really want to be induced...but I didn't want to wait any longer either- and neither did Derrick- he never did blog about the day I freaked out at the waiter at Abuello's...great story. I shall save it though! So. The day of the 7th. What a crazy day. I frantically cleaned the house (for the zillionth time) and then Derrick and I headed out to Olive Garden- for what was to be our last dinner out as just him and I. We were both kinda sad at the thought that things would never be the same- but exillerated at the same time at the change to come. I called the hospital at around 9pm to see if they could estimate what time they would be calling me (they originally said they'd call from midnight to midnight and be ready!)...they told me no sooner than 2am. Cool. I'd get a few hours of sleep. Yeah. Not so much! I had barely slept 45mins when the phone rang. It was 12:25am! Oy. I wish we would have videotaped the events that took place over the next 1/2 hour...oh wait. Derrick did! We frantically got our stuff together...brushed out teeth, changed etc...and headed over to Scottsdale Shea hospital. At 2am the nurse started me on Pitocin. I was determined to do this w/o an epidural. Tori (Derrick's sister) arrived shortly after to guide us through all this hoopla...she also helped me and encouraged me to breathe through those contractions...Pitocin contractions are much stronger they say... Then the drama starts.

I'm not sure what time it was...but they moved me to my delivery room and broke my water. THAT was an interesting feeling! There was meconium in my amniotic fluids...so whenever this baby came out- the nurses would need to suction him right away so he wouldn't get any into his lungs- they also needed to monitor us closely for fetal distress...after that was a waiting game for my cervix to dialate. I was at a 3/4. At some point they took me off Pitocin. Our heart rates were dropping. I didn't know this. My contractions were getting somewhat strong...but I'd been able to breathe through them...when they put me back on Pitocin...it was like the contractions doubled from when they took me off...but I didn't get a chance to breathe through it! Oy. Not fun. Epidural please! I reaaaaaaaally didn't want to get it...but I also knew that I wouldn't be able to handle much stronger contractions later at this rate! I got the epidural at around 7am. From 8-11am, I was only at a 5. Our heart rate continued to drop during hard contractions...and I kept being taken off Pitocin. Dr. Shannon came by around 11am and told me that they'd try the Pitocin one more time...but that I should be dialting 1cm each hour...and that hadn't been happening. She instructed us that if the Pitocin didn't work again...we'd have to do a C-section. Her motto "healthy mom, healthy baby". With the presence of meconium and our decreasing heart rates, we had to get baby out. This news was devestating. I didn't want to be induced. I didn't want an epidural. And I CERTAINLY did not want a C-Section!!! 1pm- They took me off Pitocin. Our heart rates just kept dropping everytime we'd have a really big contraction. I was still at a 5. They began prepping us for the C. Dr. Shannon would be in at 3pm to perform the surgery. That was just super. I had 2 hours to sit there and wait...and listen to all the ridiculous women yelling around me and then the sound of a baby's cry. Tori was watching my contractions on the monitor at this time...I could tell her when I was having them...the epidural was wearing off. I told the nurse at 1:30 that I could feel them. They weren't painful...as a matter of fact, they weren't strong enough to dialate me anymore...they were puny in terms of contractions...but I could feel them. At 2pm I was feeling pain. My woo-hoo was on fire! I don't think my nurse thought I could really feel it. But they gave me a shot of something in my IV. It was supposed to kick in in 15 mins...but 30 mins later, I was still feeling pain. The aneasthesialogist came back...and said he could put more epidural in (or something...) or I could wait. Wait?! Why wait?! Okay. I'll wait. Maybe they're right and I'm having phantom crotch pains. 2:50pm. I'm still feeling it! My nurse was so sweet. She said she'd check to see if I'd dialted any more...and that if I had dialted to a 7...maybe my Dr. could wait a little longer before doing the C...but not to get my hopes up b/c my contractions (on my own) were not strong enough and were inconsistent (4-6mins apart). She checks me. I'm fully dialated! !!! Derrick, Tori and I broke down. We were so excited. Now they were preparing me for a vaginal birth! Dr. Shannon came in at 3:15pm. She scrubbed in and sat down at 3:30pm. They told me to push. I pushed. The room went crazy. WOW! THAT WAS A GOOD PUSH. Darn tootin'! I pushed through 3 more contractions. Total of 8mins. And Jude was out. And I felt everything. And I loved it. Derrick got to yell out "It's a boy!" Tori was snapping away a million pictures. I was crying tears of joy! He's here! He's here.... Unbelievable. I couldn't believe he was finally here...and that he was a HE! I have a boy. A son! Jude William. I love him.