Owen Mason

Due to the unrelenting craziness that has ensued, I am just now getting around to this post. (As well as many others in a futile attempt to catch up my blog!)

Owen Mason was due December 1, 2012. After having Keirnan at 37+6 weeks and James at 39+6 weeks, I fully expected Owen to be another November birthday. I was wrong, he was born in a bigger rush than James on December 3, 2012!! So, here is the story of Owen's birth:

I had a 40 week appt on the morning of December 3, 2012. I was 40 weeks 2 days pregnant. I was told I was dilated about 3cm and maybe 50% effaced. Needless to say, I had about given up and the induction was scheduled for the following Monday. That afternoon I started having contractions at 5 minutes apart and picking up in intensity. Will called to check on me, as he was in the field, around 3pm. I told him I was having some regular contractions but they weren't anything major and I'd call when I needed him to head home. About 20 minutes later I called him home. While waiting for him to get home from the ranges on the back side of the post, I called Ashley and let her know as the boys were going to be staying with he Goldman/ Salkowski family. She said her boys were sick and send Justin over to watch the boys at our house until she got off work.

We got to Labor & Delivery around 4pm and after waiting 45 minutes for someone to see me I was told I was still 50% effaced and 3, maybe 4, cm dilated. They sent me home to come back when my contractions were 3 minutes apart. We were not impressed and figured it would be James all over again and we'd be back in the morning. So off to Taco Bell for dinner before going home. While eating I started talking to a very nice woman who noticed my contractions picking up and started timing them. By the time we finished eating I was at a steady 3 minutes. I called L&D and they said to come back.

A half hour later I went back in, as my contractions were now 3 minutes apart and had increased in intensity greatly. Again, I was told that while my contractions had progressed as they should for delivery, I was still at only 3-4cm dilated and they could not admit me to the ward. I warned them that my previous children had both come very fast, with the last showing less than an hour after reaching the hospital. (I had him at IACH also, November 2010.) They said it was hospital policy that they could not admit me if I was not showing “progress.” The Nurse Midwife on duty and Dr. Long, the OB coming on duty, both told me to stay near the hospital and kept an eye on me while my contractions continued to intensify in the waiting room. The midwife was amazing as she massaged my back a bit for me to show Will how to help me. I spent a lot of time leaning on the front desk, thinking it was a good thing it was past office hours!

After 20 minutes they told me they would check me again. They had to wheel me back onto the ward as I could no longer walk between contractions. The got me back into the triage room and checked me. I don't know what I was at, but the nurse was suddenly in a hurry and they got me into a real room. Funny bit is, its the same room I had James in!! Not many military kids can say they were born at the same hospital as a sibling, even fewer can say they were born in the same room!

The nurse  got my IV in but hadn't hooked it up yet as she was still finding my pre-admission paperwork in the computer when my water broke and my son immediately followed. They clocked my labor in the hospital at a half hour. When my water broke, I told the nurse and she turned around saying let me check. She barely caught Owen as he came out. The bed was not broken down, the Dr was not in the room, and Owen hit his face on the bed! (He had some bruising from it for a couple days!) As she was catching, I found I still had a bit of humor laughing as she leaned up over me repeatedly pushing the call button and getting exasperated at the answering nurse! hehe She yelled over the mic that the baby was coming now and get the Dr in the room. He walked in literally as Owen came out. His face made me laugh again. (Well, it might have been knowing I was never going to have to push something that big out again!)

My son was born at 8:35pm, no more than 4 hours after I had originally gone in and been told to go home. If I had gone home as the nurse suggested after my second time coming in, I would have not made it to my car, none the less, back up to the ward. Needless to say, I wasn't happy that the nurse had actually tried to send me home! (Thank God I listened to the midwife who said stay nearby!)

So, there it is. The fast story of Owen's entry into the world! He was 21 inches long, and 7lbs 8.5oz. I'd post more pictures but when your labor goes that fast, there just aren't any of those wonderful picture moments! (And I realized last week that first 'family photo' is non existent for each of the boys! Oops!)