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Gavin John Franz Sex: boy Born: 01 July, 2009 Age: 0 years & 146 days Birthday in: 219 days Starsign: Cancer Development: See the 4 months page. Biggest achievement so far: Sleeping 4.5 hours in a row and surprising us by being a boy!

Birth details

Original due date: June 26
Type of delivery: Vaginal (with pain relief)
Duration of labor: 15 hrs
Weight @ birth: 7lbs 6 oz
Length @ birth: 20 inches

Due date came and went. Mild contractions with nothing organized...we went in for induction on the evening of 4th day overdue. Spent the day walking around a plant nursery, planting flowers and resting/watching movies with husband.

Went into hospital at 8:30 p.m.. Was started on cervadil around 9:30. I was still 1 - 2 cm dialated (had been for 3 weeks) and 70% effaced (up from 30%). Was more worried about not being allowed to get up to pee for 2 hours than anything else! Within 10 - 15 minutes I started contracting on my own!

At the end of the 2 hours, the contractions were feeling like pretty decent menstrual cramps so I asked for a shot of nubane (sp?). An hour and a half after that, cat napping, etc, the shot started to wear off so I asked for another. The nurse (young gal, kinda chatty but positive and pretty good) said she would check me each time I asked for pain meds. This was now just 5 hours after getting there...holy moses she said! I was dialated 5 cm! She quickly had me walk down the hall to a full out lovely labor/delivery room and the anesthesiologist came to give me my epidural. It hurt LESS than getting the IV which was not that bad. They wanted to slow my dialation down or at least not rush it since I needed one round of antibiotics for strep B. Thankfully I was not allergic to Clindamycin (although it has bothered my colitis since then) that I had to take due to allergies to Pennicillin and Erythromycin. At 4 a.m. I mentioned I thought the epidural was wearing off and they gave me another blessed dose (YEAH) and I was 9cm!!!

At 6 my doctor arrived (the house doctor was very nice but I was so glad to see my regular doc) and he had the nurse work with me on a few practice pushes...but I was so numb I didn't do very well. So we waited about 2 hours and the epidural started to wear off on my left side...holy hell did it feel like the worst charlie horse ever! I got a new nurse - Karen - who was an old pro. So calm, so collected. As the doc came in and out - delivering other babies - she must have told him it went to far the other way (yes I did cry / was in pretty bad pain for about 30 min) and he had me get another hit of drugs. Whew!

I took a zofran for nausea (brought myself) and about 2 hours later reluctantly started to push, but my stomach and insides actually felt BETTER pushing! Karen offered to put up a mirror, I was hesitant but agreed. Oh man, I POOPED!!! Oh well...she just kept changing my pad under my bottom and was I glad it was just her and my husband in the room. She temporarily inserted a catheter 2 x (I never felt a thing) to get pee out and I did start to see the baby's head with each push after that. I couldn't take my eyes away and she remarked how efficient my pushes got after that. I pushed for one hour and then the doc came in and said "let's have a baby!". Then it hit me and I started to cry (happy tears) when they put the blanket on my belly and 3 nurses came into the room to turn on the baby warmer and get ready for our child.

I had wanted to hear the doctor say "it's a girl or it's a boy" but my ears were ringing. Both he and my husband said it's a boy but I never heard them. Never saw hubby cut the cord, I was crying so hard with joy, amazement and wonder as they put my healthy crying son on my belly. It was such an amazing experience and I'm so very, very, very blessed.

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