'Birth Story' of sorts.

My baby boy is here!

Sometimes it's still so strange for me to think that this little man was the one kicking me in the ribs all those months. He is literally the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. He smiles in his sleep and pees all over the place during diaper changes, including on Chad while he's across the room at the doctors office. He sleeps better with tons of noise which makes it difficult to get him back to sleep at four in the morning. But I'm in love. I wouldn't change anything at all, and I'm enjoying every second of getting to know his sweet young spirit.

I won't be sharing Caleb's actual birth story. Something about it seems extremely personal to me. But just know it didn't go like I'd planned. I am not one for pain. Ask anyone. But three failed epidurals and quite a bit of pitocin later I believe I found something in myself I didn't know was there. I know that I wasn't doing it alone. I had family support and I had help from my Heavenly Father to make it through no doubt the most painful experience I'd ever endured, and in the end, I wouldn't change a thing. I love every bit of how my baby came into the world and I love everything it taught me about myself. End birth story rant.

What I am sharing is how the whole process started. Wednesday the 20th of February, I woke up with a small wet spot in my underwear. By the way, of me talking about wet spots in underwear is tmi, stop reading now. There's a lot more where that came from.
I didn't pay a lot of attention to it because my doctor specifically told me that water breaking would be either a big gush or a trickle down my leg. This didn't trickle, therefor no big deal. But it kept happening. Chad and I were actually organizing Caleb's things when I explained what was happening. He said it wouldn't be a bad idea to call the nurses hotline just to be safe.
I called, and they told me to go straight to labor and delivery. I wasn't expecting that at all. What a surreal feeling that was. Both chad and I left the house with jitters!
We arrived at labor and delivery and did our paperwork and eventually got into a triage room. They had me change and hooked me up to monitors and checked the fluid to see if it was amniotic. I had some anxiety during the test. Something in me told me it'd be negative. But something felt wrong about that. But I shrugged that off as just wishing it were positive.
Turns out, it was negative. They brought in an ultrasound to check Caleb's fluid, and he was at a safe level 12. This test gave me some relief from that earlier mentioned anxiety, and later I found out chad had the same anxious feeling that also went away with the ultrasound. We were sent home. I was feeling so embarrassed. They had kept repeating the old "he's probably just really close to your bladder, it's totally normal to have leaks like that" over and over. It drove me crazy. I'm not peeing every time I move. I empty my bladder and it happens right after. Sheesh. Needless to say I was a little frustrated, but mostly humiliated because for all I knew, they were right.
The leaking continued throughout the day, and I tried not to pay attention to it. We went to sleep and just before I woke up, I had a dream somebody was talking to me, very concerned. They grabbed my shoulders and said, "your water broke!"
I woke up immediately after to feel my underwear more wet than ever. I frantically felt the sheets underneath me only to find them dry. I found myself embarrassed again. Great. Now I'd really peed myself.
But I went to the bathroom and emptied a full bladder only for the leaking to continue immediately after. I was beginning to feel a little crazy. All of it came out clear. Not even close to yellow. I didn't understand. Chads mom suggested putting on a pad and lying down, because amniotic fluid will pool when you lay down and come out when you sit up again. So I laid there twenty minutes and sure enough, when I sat up, a little mini gush happened. Frustration ensued.
I went downstairs to make sure it wasn't yellow and to my surprise I actually found pink! That was it. I actually called the office instead of the nurses hotline and again I was told to go in to labor and delivery immediately. Chad had just left for work, so his mom and I went together. Again I was checked into the triage. They did the same test to sample the fluid that was leaking and we waited.
Negative again.
At this point I was at a loss. I was that crazy lady. The one that cried wolf all the time. She was I and I felt so silly. They brought in the ultrasound again and at this point I was almost annoyed. Just send me home! Why torture me anymore! They continued to do the same things they had done the day before, when the nurse turned to me and said, "your levels are dropping. You're at a 7 today, so you are losing fluid. We're going to keep you and induce your labor." Wow. Wasn't expecting that.
I couldn't believe it. I called Chad and he was as surprised as I was. He ran home to grab a few things and rushed to the hospital just as things were starting up. About 12 hours of labor later, we welcomed a perfect 7 pound 14 ounce, 20 inch long baby boy into our family. Seeing him made everything worth it. Cliche, I know. But cliches are cliche for a reason.
It was such a relief for me to know that I understood my body. That I was right about leaking fluid. I couldn't believe it, but even that gave me a new sense of self confidence. I could trust myself to know what was happening with my body. Even if it seemed crazy. I felt somehow validated. I was no longer that silly woman that was obsessed with coming into labor and delivery because she peed herself. And that was a great feeling!

Looking back, I'm so grateful for family. I had so much support through everything. But I'm especially grateful for the man I married. I know him being by my side helped me more than he knows. He kept me going when I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. He is my biggest support and my very best friend. I love him so much and I'm so grateful everyday to Heavenly Father for letting me marry him for time and all eternity. If Caleb turns out anything like his wonderful father, I will be proud to say the least. He's already an amazing father and, just when I thought it impossible, I love him all the more everyday I see him with Caleb. But I'll stop there. Don't want to get TOO sappy. ;)

Caleb Chad Eddington
Born 2/22/2013 at 12:59 am
7 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long