I really wanted to take the time to write down his birth story. Since finding out we were pregnant I started a journal for him, but I figured when he finally gets around to reading it he probably doesn't want to know all the gory details of his birth! ha! So I thought I'd go a little more in depth on here, hoping it will refresh my memory.
Canaan was due to be born on August 24th, and if he wasn't I had a doctor appointment in Brandon on the 26th just to make sure everything was still okay and to possibly discuss a induction if it was necessary. On the 25th I started having some contractions, but they were few and far between so I didn't really think anything of them. At 2am on the 26 I started to really feel them consistently for about 3 hours. They were really hard to time though, so once again I tried to shake them off and not take them to seriously. At 9:30 am the same morning they started happening again, and were a little easier to time. Michael had gone to work for the morning and wasn't planning on coming with my parents and I to Brandon, but right before we left I really felt that he needed to come with us as well as all of our hospital essentials. The contractions continued on the way to the dr, but weren't getting any worse. We waited about an hour on our dr, and as soon as he came into the office he looked at me and said "you look very uncomfortable" I agreed and replied: " I think i'm having some contractions". Without hesitating he told us to go straight to the hospital and tell them that he would be on his way to check how things were progressing.
We went to the hospital and got dressed in the proper attire and hooked up to the monitors that monitored the babies heart beat and my contractions. I was in fact having contractions, but they were irregular Our dr came and checked me, and at that point I was only dilated 1.5 cm. He told me to stick around Brandon for the afternoon, go for lots of walks and come back at 5pm before heading home for the evening if I was still feeling the same way, if not we were to come back in the morning to make sure baby was okay. So we headed to the mall and super store and I tried to walk as much as I could,. The contractions weren't getting any worse, and I was starting to feel a little bit better. We decided that we should just go home and come back in the morning, but right before we left I went to the bathroom and realized I had started having some bloody show. I talked it over with my mom and she suggested we go and get checked again, just to be on the safe side. We made our way back to the hospital where our dr was on call. I was hooked up to the monitors again and my contractions seemed to be a lot stronger. Dr came and checked again and I had gone from 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm- which didn't seem like such a big jump but just a few weeks earlier I had been diagnosed with group B strep which meant that I had to be on penicillin during labor at least 8 hours before giving birth. Our doctor asked if we wanted him to break my waters or if we just wanted to be admitted and let the contractions come naturally. Since we weren't expecting to be admitted we really didn't know what to say, but I got scared all of a sudden and didn't want him to break my water. So we told him we just wanted to be admitted and see how the evening goes- to which he replied "lets break your waters". He tried twice and it didn't work, which meant baby wasn't quite ready yet! But by 6pm we got admitted and I was started on penicillin. My contractions still weren't very regular so they put me on oxytocin to try and make the contractions a lot more regular. Around 11pm I started having very frequent, very painful contractions. I started using the gas and air to ease the pain a little bit. It doesn't take the pain away, but definitely takes the edge off. At one point I had left the mask on a little to long and all of a sudden burst into a laugh attack. It was the most surreal thing because I felt like I was watching myself laughing hysterically and all I could think was "nothing is funny, why are you laughing!" but I couldn't stop! It provided some entertainment for Michael and I for sure!
I got check again around 2:30 am (I think) and still hadn't made much progress, so they decided to take me off oxytocin for the night, let me have a bath and give me something to help me sleep. By 4am I was fast asleep and didn't wake till 8:30 the next morning! I woke up feeling fantastic, and had absolutely no contractions. After breakfast I got out of bed and tried to walk around thinking it might spur them on again, but it didn't. The nurse had mentioned asking the doctor if we could get a day pass and just hang out in Brandon for the day to see if things would progress naturally. He came and checked on me again and I still hadn't changed, but in the process he broke my waters. So at 11 am I wasn't leaving the hospital anymore! I was put back on the penicillin and oxytocin and started having consistent contractions. This whole times my contractions were really hard to trace so I had to have something put on my uterus to track them properly which thankfully worked! I continued on the gas and air but the contractions were getting stronger and stronger. I eventually decided on an epidural and thankfully it didn't take to long get it. But with an epidural comes a catheter, which for some reason made me feel so uncomfortable the whole time! We got checked again at 7:30 pm just before shift change, and I had dilated to a 5.5 which was progress but not exactly what they were hoping for. The idea of a c-section was tossed around if my 9:15 pm no progress had been made. Not to long after shift change I started to feel lots of pressure, and I just felt like the epidural wasn't working. I could still feel all the contractions so they raised the medication pretty much as high as it could go. I was frozen all the way up to my chest! At 9pm the pressure and pain got so strong I practically begged the nurse to check me early. Good thing she did because I was now fully dialated! At 9:15pm I started pushing and by 10:21 our precious little boy was born!
The last 2 hours of labor happened so quickly, and I think took everyone by surprise. I had totally convinced myself that a c-section was the only way this little guy was going to be born! It worked out perfectly that my mom came in to check on me just as I was getting checked so she was able to stay in the labor room with Michael and I. It was such a blessing to have both of them by my side. Michael did so well, he usually doesn't do very well in hospitals- but he exceeded my expectations! He stood by my side the entire time, I really couldn't of done it without him! As soon as our wee man entered the world Michael yelled "It's a boy!" and just hearing the excitement in his voice made my heart so happy. We now had our first son, and couldn't be more thrilled!
Canaan Brian Andrew was born on August 17th and 10:21pm. He weighed 8 pounds 14 oz and was 21 3/4" long.
There's a lot more to share, but I will save that for another post- I seem to have written a novel :) We are loving having this little bundle of joy in our lives, and couldn't be more blessed!
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