After months of waiting, the last month not patiently I must admit, the newest addition to the family has arrived!
I went into labor (first contraction) at 4:25pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2005. I had spent the afternoon scrubbing the walls of my office, which still aren’t finished might I add. 
I must say that I can tell that my baby loved me before he was born and you’ll see why as you read on.
Luckily, Zach had been home from school for about 1/2 hour so I didn’t have to worry about him getting out of school or who would pick him up and take him to the hospital. This was a concern of mine from the day I found out I was pregnant. Hunter must have known! 
My mom was here with me and I had been having braxton hicks contractions for awhile and had been dialated since 35 weeks. I knew immediately that this was the real thing and as soon as my mom looked at me I think she knew too. Every time I had pains before she wasn’t in the room and when I got to her they would stop…but not this time!
I had talked to Jerry at work just minutes before the first contraction and was going to go to his work and pick something up from him, but after 3 or 4 of the pains I decided that we were going to go to the country store just up the street instead. I figured that I still had plenty of time so we went to the store, but came right back home because the contractions were only 5 minutes apart at that time. The longest between any of my contractions was somewhere between 9 and 12 minutes. When we got back home I called Jerry and told him that I wasn’t coming to the mill because I had had a few contractions since I talked to him last. I told him that he didn’t have to come home right then if he didn’t want to. He decided to call his mom and I decided that I was going to make dinner for him, Zach, and Mom! HA HA HA Jerry came home. The contractions were averaging between 3 and 5 minutes and were getting much stronger. Now, with Zach I started labor at night and didn’t realize I was in labor until about 6am and didn’t go to the hospital until 5pm that night, so I thought I still had plenty of time. There I go thinking again!
After almost an hour of this I called the doctor and she called me back at 5:50 and told me that she wanted me to go ahead and come to the hospital. Once everyone was ready to go we headed to the hospital…Mom driving, Zach directing, and Jerry and I in the back seat timing contractions and nervous as could be. This is Jerry’s first child and I was surprised at how well he did!!! You could tell he was nervous and scared, but he did wonderful!!
We got to the hospital right before 7pm and when we went in the ER called up and asked someone to come down and get me. When I turned around to meet the person who was coming to get me I got a nice surprise. At first glance I didn’t even recognize who she was (after all I was in labor and didn’t care who was going to take me to the maternity floor as long as someone did and quickly). When I did my double take I realized that it was a great friend of mine from high school, Brannon. We hugged and she took me up to the maternity ward along with the whole clan that came with me (My mom, Zach, Jerry’s parents, Jerry’s sister and neice).
Once up stairs they took me to my room and the nurses were all so nice. They gave me my gown and asked for a urine sample so I went in the bathroom and got dressed and peed in the cup as they requested. Then I went out to the bed and they hooked me up to the monitors and told me to bear with them because “Today is the first day with a new computer system!” I thought oh my gosh, this is going to be fun. They started asking me all kinds of questions, some of which I wondered why they were asking, but I politely answered them all.
I did interrupt them to ask if my mom and Jerry’s mom and sister could come in the room at this point. They said yes and I think Jerry went to get them but I’m not sure to be honest, I was a bit busy you see. Once they got in the room, the nurses were still asking questions and the contractions were getting longer and stronger. The rest is kinda blurry to me, but I will do my best.
I don’t remember when the nurse first checked my cervix but I know that the first time I was 4 cm dialated and the next thing I remember was 7cm (I think I was 7 when the doctor came in and checked). I remember the doctor coming in and when the nurse told her how dilated I was she said ok, I’m gonna go change clothes and I’ll be right back. She asked if I wanted an epidural and I said no (just can’t get past the tube/needle in the spine thing) and then she asked if I wanted something to just take the edge off and I hesitated but finally said yes. I remember some other nurses trying to get my IV in and the vein in my arm kept rolling so they decided to put it in my hand and they laid all their things on the side of the bed next to me and I ended up kicking it all on the floor with the next contraction I had. I also remember when they gave me the pain meds because it stung and I could feel it move through my veins. The doctor returned and broke my water and I was never so glad when she told me that I could lay on my side if I wanted to and that it would actually take some pressure off the baby and make it easier for him.
I remember the nurse asking me early on if I wanted a tubal ligation and I looked at Jerry and said “No, and he’s glad you asked now and didn’t wait until the pain got even worse.” At one point they asked me if I had a living will and I said no and then they asked if I wanted information on one and I was in the middle of a contraction and said “Yeah, sure, whatever!” Everyone got a kick out of that one!
I remember my brother, Adam, coming in the room when he got to the hospital standing at the end of my bed asking me how I was feeling!! Everyone said they thought I was gonna come off the bed at him, but I didn’t. I just said something along the lines of “How do you think?”
During the whole time I was squeezing Jerry’s hand with my right hand (still paying attention to make sure he didn’t give me his right hand, which is broken) and Wendy’s hand with my left hand, one time lifting her off the floor when I rolled over! My mom was rubbing my lower back and quite hard too. She kept reminding me to concentrate, because she said that she thought I was going to hyperventilate on them! I remember one time she stopped for just a second and I begged her not to stop. Jerry’s mother was rubbing my stomach, which I never in a million years would have thought would help, but it did!! If you guys are reading this you are life savers…thank you so much and yes, I will pay for therapy if you need it for your hands! Wendy, Mildred (Jerry’s Momma), and one of the nurses had bets on what time he was going to be born!! I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
Ok, enough of the play by play hu? Just give you the baby details right?
Here they are: Hunter Richard Lewis
Born: 9/13/05 @ 9:03pm (total labor 4 1/2 hours…I told you he loved his mommy before he was born)
Weight: 6lbs. 14.6oz.
Length: 20 inches
Mom, Dad, and Hunter came home on 9/15/05. All four of us are doing well! I’m so proud of Zach, he is such a proud big brother! Jerry is doing good, but has been battling a head cold all week so he’s steering clear so as not to make the little man sick, but I know it’s killing him! Grandma headed back to Indiana on Wednesday morning and arrived safely last night. I received an IM from her this morning and I hope she is getting the rest she needs and deserves! Thanks for all your help and support Momma! As for me, I’m surprised at the energy I’ve had. I know it is going to catch up to me sooner or later and after the last few days I’m thinking sooner!
Oh yeah, there was a reason I told you about the urine sample: They never did take it! I found that extremely odd, but oh well…guess they didn’t need it! Never got my living will info either!!
