Robert Jack Alvord has ARRIVED!

Robert Jack decided to make his entry into this world a little early. Friday, September 26th, I thought my water was leaking. I decided against going in cuz I was afraid they were going to tell me that I had just peed my pants. Well, it kept "leaking" Saturday so we went in on Saturday afternoon for them to tell me I just keep leaking PEE! Well, then Sunday came and around 12:30pm I starting having contractions. I've had a LOT of braxton hicks contractions but these were pretty consistent, so I started keeping track. Around 8 that night they were about every 4-5 min apart but not painful. We decided to go for a walk to see if they would get worse or go away, well, they started coming every 2-3 min. On our way back to the house, we witness a dog getting hit by a van and went and sat with him until animal control came. Poor puppy. I think he made it but we didn't call and ask. We headed to the hospital around 10:30 and at about 11:30 the contractions were getting REALLY painful and weren't stopping but I was only dilated to a 1cm and still only 50%. They gave me an IV thinking maybe I was dehydrated. I actually had 2 bags and then gave me a morphine shot for the pain. They eased a little, at least they weren't on top of each other but I never started progressing so they sent us home around 3am. Poor Bryce went to work the next day. I was still having contractions so I stayed home. Around ten, I decided to head back in. My Aunt took me and I told Bryce we'd let him know if they were serious ones. Well, they gave me a stronger pain shot and they really slowed so they sent me home! I was so frustrated. At this point I just wanted to be done. I was 36 weeks and 6 days so if he would have been born Monday he would have been a preemie. I rested that whole day and went to bed early after taking an ambien to help me sleep. Around 5am I woke up and felt a like I had really peed my pants so I got up to go to the restroom and change and THANK HEAVENS i was sleeping on a towel because I stood up and GUSH my water was broken. I screamed to Bryce to get up that my water had just broken so there was no turning back. He called the hospital to see if we needed to rush or if we could both shower and come in. I wasn't having ANY contractions at this point. We showered and got to the hospital right before 6am. The checked and for sure my water had broken. A storm had rolled in and the pressure changed and I was the 9th girl that night to come in with her water broken! They started me on pitocin around 6:30am and we started the waiting game. Around 10:30 my contractions were getting really painful. I was only a 2cm but at 12 noon they gave me my epidural and I could finally relax. I had the nicest nurse Sherri. She had a bit of a social issue because she would come in and say the most random things. IMPORTANT things but they would just be at random times. Like one time she came in and said, "Now you know to NEVER shake a baby right?" Really, I never thought about it. DUH! But I guess people would need to know but she was weird in her timing. My aunt Karen came around 1:30 and was there with us the whole time. Bryce's mom flew in from Georgia (she had been on vacation) and arrived around 7:30pm. I was a 7 at that point. Dougie and Melissa got there shortly after that. Around 8 everyone went and ate dinner. I even made Bryce go get food. At 10:30pm I was 10cm and 100%. So at 10:55pm I started pushing. What a WEIRD feeling but I was determined. well at 2:05 am they gave me one last try to see if he'd stay down or it was time to do a C-Section. Poor little guy's vitals were ok, but they tried to vaccuum him with no success and he wasn't staying down. I tried one last round with no luck and so the preparations were made for the C-Section. Lots of more drugs and about 30 min later I was taken in to the OR. Poor Bryce was SOOOOO nervous for both of us at this point. He was amazing. Everyone says you grow closer but I never could have imagined the feelings of gratitude I would feel towards him and the love that would come from just having his support let alone the love and overwhelming JOY I felt the first time I saw him hold Robert. So....at 2:43am after LOTS of tugging Robert Jack Alvord entered the world. He didn't cry right away but was REALLY active. Not a surprise to me because he was so active all my pregnancy and his SUPER activity caused his cord to be wrapped around his face, then this neck, then a shoulder, oh yeah and then tied in a knot! SERIOUSLY! So he was face-up trying to come out and then had the cord wrapped that many times around him. There was NO HOPE in his coming out. They we found out his head measured 37 1/2 cm and normal is about 34 cm. He was 8 lbs and 21 inches long. They took him away and Bryce went with him while they sewed me up and took me to recovery. The anesthesiologist took my oxygen off and the epidural had worked SOOOOO well, my lungs were numb. It was so scary because I couldn't breathe but he quickly put it back on after I gasped out that I couldn't breath. A pediatrician came in and checked on his VERY swollen head. He had gotten a blister on the top of his head from rubbing it on my pelvic bone while I pushed. Plus bruising from being stuck and being down there so long. He became VERY jaundiced and spent an extra day in the hospital then had to be in the lights 3 days at home. We're doing good!!!