Life is STILL changing. :)
Well, as most of you know, Josiah Reese Rodman entered the world on September 4th, 2010-- 2 days after his due date. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know how CRAZY I was going wanting to meet him (as all pregnant women do there at the end.) I figured I'd get my story in writing before I forgot too many of the details that made his arrival so special to me.
On Friday, September 3rd, I woke up feeling incredible, which does NOT happen in the 9th month of pregnancy, let alone after the due date has passed. I actually felt rested and energetic ALL day long. At this point, I had just assumed he was not going to arrive on his own and that I would have to be induced the following week, so as much as I hoped he'd be making his entrance, I had given up on it. I had been staying with my parents for a while since I would be delivering in Seymour rather than Hanover (an hour away), and every night I would go to bed and say to my mom, "I hope I'll be waking you up in the middle of the night." Well, this was the night it finally happened.
I went to bed having had some contractions but still assuming they would not be regular at all. Around 2am I woke up with some pretty intense contractions. I kept trying to fall back asleep but couldn't. Of course, I assumed it wasn't time and kept trying to go back to sleep. I went to wake my mom up and asked her to sit up with me for awhile to time the contractions before deciding whether or not to head to the hospital. From about 2:30- 3 or so, they were 7 minutes apart then went to 5 minutes apart after that point. I watched Man vs. Wild while my mom timed so I could keep myself distracted. (Every time I watch Man vs. Wild now, I think of that night). Around 3:45, I decided to call Cam at home to let him know we'd probably be heading to the hospital soon so he should go ahead and be on his way. Well go figure, he didn't answer the phone. Of course at that point I'm thinking, "Great. I'm going to have this baby and my husband is going to miss it." I tried calling twice with no answer. Finally I called his mom and told her to keep calling because I just got angrier every time I tried. Don't worry, he woke up and made it in plenty of time. :)
A little after 4, my mom and I headed to the hospital. We arrived and contractions were still 4-5 minutes apart. Cameron got there in record time-- I won't say how fast he drove to get there, but he was thrilled to have an excuse to drive fast. :) Contractions started getting extremely intense, and I opted for the epidural-- probably around 7:30 or so... I kind of lost track of time (wonder why :D ) The epidural kicked in, and as Cameron would tell everyone, the entire mood of the room changed. haha I was no longer yelling at everyone to stop talking in the middle of my contractions, and all of us got some much needed rest. The epidural kind of stopped everything where it was-- contractions stayed around 5 minutes apart for a while longer.
The nurse came in to check me and told me I was at 6cm-- which kind of bummed me out because I really thought more had been happening. Well 5-10 minutes later, my doctor came in to check me and told me I was at 9cm! I don't know if the nurse miscalculated or what, but WHOA! I had gotten myself ready for a long morning at that point, and before I knew it, it was time to push. We sent the moms out so it was just me and Cam in the room with the doctors. I pushed through 2 contractions-- 6 minutes-- and before I knew it, at 11:47am, Josiah Reese was in my arms.
This delivery was so different. With Jenna, everything felt so chaotic. I don't remember seeing them weigh her, clean her up, etc. With Josiah, I was so calm. I remember everything that was going on in the room after he was born. I saw them do everything with him. I was having conversations with everyone. It was just so different.
This part, if you have made it this far, I feel a little silly about but feel like God really spoke to me. I got the epidural but was still able to feel pressure, just no pain. When I first got it, I remember thinking, "This isn't how God intended this to be..." then I realized, it was never "intended" to be a painful experience. What I experienced this time that I wasn't able to with Jenna (the epidural with her was so strong, I couldn't feel ANYTHING) was feeling everything except the pain. I could feel his head come out, and I could feel his little body come out-- but I felt no pain. I experienced complete joy in that moment when I knew my child was about to be put in my arms and no pain! I don't know. It's hard to put into words exactly what I felt as it was all happening, but I had allowed myself to feel guilty for getting the epidural, and I feel like God was reassuring me that I didn't need to put that guilt on myself.
Anyway, the days since then have been incredible. I have been so much more laid back this time around-- maybe I'm more confident having done it once before. I am really enjoying this newborn stage. I'm getting out a lot-- going on lots of walks and outings together, and it has been such a blessing!
Sorry this is so long-- I really wanted to get it out before I started to forget the details of that wonderful night/day. :)
So anyway, there's my story. I am so thankful to have been blessed with such good pregnancies and 2 easy labor and deliveries with no complications. God is so good!
