Chase is here!!!!

My contractions started around 6:45 am, and I think Tyler must have sensed it because he woke up then too.  Chris stayed home from work since I had a doctors appointment at 10:15, which worked out perfect! We took Tyler to Leslie's house and I knew he would be fine but I still struggled with this part. This is the first time I have ever been away from Ty over night. His friends Alex and Ava were waiting for us at the door and once we walked into the house we might have well not existed! Ty went straight to playing while Mommy watched in amazement at this independent little boy who was about to become a big brother! With a slightly emotional goodbye we made our way to a last minute errand to drop off some pictures then headed to the doctors.

By this point I was having contractions about every 10-12 minutes. At my last appointment they said they were sending women over to the hospital and considering last week I was 4 cm, 75-85% effaced and they stripped my membranes I thought for sure they were going to send us over. It turns out I was  5 cm and told to go eat some lunch, go for a walk, and then head on over to the hospital once my contractions were every 7 minutes. IT WAS FINALLY THE DAY! We celebrated with lunch at Tokyo and during our lunch my contractions jumped to every 4 minutes. With how quick Tyler came we did not want to take any chances so we headed to the hospital.

We made our way up to the 4th floor of Piedmont Newnan Hospital and checked in.

They put a band on my and then made Daddy go wait in the waiting room. WHAT?!?! They said as soon as they had me settled in triage he could come back in but it was about 45 minutes before they let him come back, and probable only because I was asking so many times when he could come back!! They monitored my contractions which were coming about every minute-2 minutes but  I was only 5 1/2 cm and they told me to go walk the halls for an hour...My contractions became consistent at every 1 1/2  minutes and were starting to get pretty strong.  Daddy would hold me, rub my back, and get me ice whenever I needed until our time was up. At 2:00 they checked me again and I was 6 cm (only 1/2 cm in an hour?!?) but it was enough for us to get our own room. They started my IV and an hour later it was time for an epideral!! Since Daddy is not a fan of needles they made him wait in the hall until my epideral was finished so we wouldn't have him passed out on the floor. I must admit that my contractions were so much more overwhelming at this point in my labor with Tyler so I didn't really feel the needle. That was sadly not the case this time and he had to adjust the needle several times before it was in the right spot. It took about 15 minutes for it to kick in but it was well worth the pain. Naturally it started to wear off after an hour and a half so the nurse called the anesthesiologist back in. He topped off my epideral since I was so close to pushing in hopes that it would work in time. The good news is that it did work, the bad news is that my right leg was like fall off the bed completely numb. Of course this is when Mr. Chase decided he was going to drop his heart rate which meant the nurse was literally holding my leg as we turned from side to side in hopes of a better heart rate. It worked and we were back on course.

My nurse Cheryl said her shift ended at 7 and introduced us to her replacement. This sucked, I really liked her and felt well taken care of. Her replacement Sarah checked me and said I was ready to go so Cheryl decided she would stay and see us through!! They decided to sit me up and give Chase time to get lower so we took the time by ourselves to say a prayer. No sooner than Daddy had said finished our prayer did the nurses rush in and say push.

I was so confused I didn't even have time to realize what they had said! Turns out Mr. Chase was trying to enter the world the same way his brother did, by giving Mommy and Daddy a heart attack with his heart rate. We had to turn me on my side (which is very challenging with a numb leg and a low baby!!) and they call the doctor in. She informed us it was time to get him out and had me start pushing with the next contraction while she was putting on her gown. When the 2nd contraction came she told the nurse to gather supplies for a vacuum and all I could think of was here we go again. Luckily with the third contraction Chase was born!!!

They laid him on my chest and I was crying so hard with relief I couldn't even see him. He was quiet, too quiet and I started to tell him to cry because Mommy needed to hear his cry. He gave him a little whimper and the nurse said they were going to take him to the warming table to stimulate him. It was the longest 30 seconds of my life as I sat helplessly across the room waiting for that sound. Daddy was by your side and as soon as I heard that cry he looked at me and I knew you were ok. They gave you a quick bath (which you loved OH so much), weighed and measured you, and handed you to Daddy. Daddy was so happy to have you in his arms and finally with us, but his turn was short. He walked over to me and I held you in my arms with so much love as I just stared at you. Daddy hugged us both and told me how strong I was and how much he loved us as we watched you snuggle into my chest. It is amazing how you can love someone instantly and so intensely that your heart feels like it is going to burst. You are safe, you are loved, and we are now a family of 4.

Chase Daniel Gervais

7 pounds, 8 ounces

20 inches

July 23, 2014 

7:23 pm

Newnan, GA