We decided to schedule an induction for our due date of Thursday October 24th for a couple of reasons. There was some concern over how large Te2 would be and we also didn't want to risk delivering over the weekend. Charles was worried the staff at the hospital on the weekend wouldn't be as prepared for our special circumstances and my OB would be right there during the entire labor since Thursday is a regular work day. We were told to arrive at the hospital at 7:30 that morning.
I had really been dreading being induced. I knew it was a good idea, but I just didn't want to do it. I tried everything to induce labor. We went on walks every night, I went to Jamba juice and drank pineapple smoothies, and I even had Hideaway build a pizza I had read about that was supposed to induce labor. It ended up costing over $20 for a medium! None of these worked. I went in on Wednesday for my weekly appointment and they checked me and I was between a 3 and a 4.
That night we went to the Storybook Forest with the Fong family and then to Othello's for dinner. It ended up being a late night for Wills, so we rushed through bath and bed time since he had school the next day. My mom and sister were here and the plan was Charles and I would head to the hospital around 7:15 and they would get Wills up and get him off to preschool. They would then come over to the hospital after that.
Thankfully, Te2 was listening to his mama and decided he would just come on his own. At around 5 o'clock Thursday morning I woke up with a strong cramping pain that would come and go. I decided to break out the contraction timer on my phone just to check. Turns out they were happening every 4-5 minutes and lasting about 1 minute. At around 6, I decided I must really be in labor and woke Charles up to let him know I thought we should go ahead and get going. We both took showers and packed the last few things. I went and told my mom we were going in early because I was already in labor.
We got to the hospital during shift change, so that wasn't the best timing, but they still did a great job of checking us in and getting us to a room. After we got our nurses for the day, things moved pretty quickly. I got checked again and was told I was 4 which was a little disheartening. My contractions were good, so there was no need for pitocin. They asked if I wanted an epidural, and I did. The anesthesiologist was quick and entertaining! He was a big flirt with the nurses and was cracking me up.
My OB came in later to check my progress and I was at a 7, so she went ahead and broke my water. The anesthesiologist came back in to check on me and I let him know the epidural wasn't working on my left side. This same thing happened with Wills and also happened to my sister with both of her kids. He made an adjustment and it kicked in on the left. My nurse then went in to put in my catheter and she couldn't get it because the baby's head was in the way. They called my OB back in and saw that we were ready to push. They got everything ready and 4 pushes later, Te2 was here! They handed him over to us and Charles and I were so surprised. We had prepared ourselves for the unilateral cleft lip and palate and it turns out that he has an incomplete unilateral cleft lip with a gum line notch, and NO palate involvement! This was definitely prayers answered!
Ephram Theodore Te
9 lbs 11 oz, 21 inches long
October 24th at 11:18 AM
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