Kim & Duane & Andrew: Welcome Andrew!

Andrew's birth story:

Since I wasn't dilated really at all on my 40 week appointement, the doctor scheduled me to be induced after staying the night in the hospital to be given a drug to help me dilate. We were admitted at 7 PM on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 and I was given Cervadil to help with dilation. When they hooked me up to the monitors we found out that I was indeed having fairly regular contractions but just wasn't feeling them. We went to bed for the big day ahead and around midnight I started to actually feel the contractions. It was hard sleeping with the baby heart rate and contraction monitor on, plus the contractions got stronger as the night went on but I managed to get maybe 2 hours sleep. We were woken up around 6:30 AM to have the Cervadil removed and for me to take a shower. The Cervadil did it's job because at that point I was 1-2 cm dilated with regular contractions.

After my shower they found that I was getting a slight fever and my heart rate was a little elevated. They broke my water and decided not to induce more labor with Pitocin because of that. I wasn't upset at that, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of pitocin because I'd read it brings on super strong and close contractions, can stress out the baby and can cause breast feeding issues. The slight fever and raised heart rate got better as the IV gave me fluids and it turns out they were a blessing in disguise because I was able to labor on my own and make enough progress that they never had to give me pitocin.

By 9:30 AM I was really uncomfortable with the contractions. I felt nauseous when they would happen and afterwards I'd feel like I was on fire. I was just past 4 cm at this point and so I asked for the epidural. The anestesiaologist came in and gave me the epidural around 10 AM and it slowly began to work. It was such a weird sensation to slowly loose feeling from my chest down. I'll never forget feeling my legs and thinking they were swollen 3 times their normal size but it was just the numbing feeling - kind of like how big your tongue and lips feel when you get novicaine.

Around noon I was about 8 cm so Duane made the call to the parents to come to the hospital. Dr. Senzon was in to check on me shortly after that. She found that I was progressing quickly and that the baby was in a face up position. Babies are supposed to be face down to fit more easily through the pelvis. She tried to turn him but he was pretty wedged in my pelvis. She asked if I'd be completely upset if I had to have a c-section and said that if he did come vaginally he would most definitley have a cone head. She wanted me to push for an hour and see how far he'd come down.

Around 1 PM, I began the pushing and after an hour they were really impressed with how far he'd made it. Dr. Senzon didn't want to have to do a c-section at that point because he was so low and my nurse Marina encouraged me to get him out as it would be so much better than a c-section for recovery. Duane was great and held my hand, my head or leg when pushing while encouraging me to keep it up. Around 2:30 Dr Senzon told me that if she performed a small procedure he'd be out and I agreed to have it done otherwise we could be pushing for hours. Once she started, I gave one more push and he was out! He cried right away and they put him on my chest. We were in love right away, he looked so squishy and swollen but adorable. Duane cut his cord, they got me cleaned up and him as well. Duane and I decided he looked like an Andrew and that became our final choice...Andrew Allen Peck.

He was born at 2:49 PM, weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches long. He is just perfect and we adore him!

Here are some of his earliest pictures:

After being admitted to room 247, last pic of him in my belly