He's Here!

So let's start out by saying our baby boy has arrived and he is healthy and strong. So here is the birth story...
On Oct 6, 2010 we needed to get our tires changed on our little car as one of the tires had a whole in it and could not be fixed so we decided to just put the winter tires on. Well Brad was at work so I thought it would be ok for me to lift them into the car myself, so I did. Once the tires were on I headed back home and had a burst of energy so I decided to clean the entire house and organize everything in the babies room, this only took a good 5 hours. That evening Brad and I took Skeeter on a walk to the dog park and that is when I think I felt my first contraction. It was nothing horrible and was bairable but I just knew that it was different. Well we finished our walk and decided to go to bed early that night, 10:00! I was feeling good and fell straight to sleep. I woke up at 12:45 AM to go to the bathroom and went to pull my pants up when a little gush of fluid hit the ground. I wasn't quite sure if it was my water breaking so I didn't know if I should wake Brad up. I walked around for a while and then checked to see if there was anymore fluid and there was so this is when I decided to wake up Brad. He said it had to be my water so I called the Health Link to see if I needed to go in, as I was not having contractions. She said to go in within the next 5 hours. So i got my bag and myself ready and then tried to get some more sleep. By around 2:00 I started to feel some contractions every 8-10 mins lasting about 30 seconds. I couldn't get to sleep as I was nervous and excited all at the same time. So I continued to time my contractions and by 3:00 they were coming every 5 minutes and lasting about a minute long. For about an hour this went on so I decided to wake Brad again and head to the hospital. This is it I thought! So I called my Doula and told her we were on our way! She told us to keep her updated and call her once we were admitted. So we got to the hospital at about 5:00AM. We were the only ones in triage and they wanted to check to see if my water had broken. So at 6:00 AM they checked and said I was 2-3 CM and that they weren't quite sure if it was amniotic fluid or not. So they told us to go for a walk to see if this would open my cervix up. We went outside and Jen ( our Doula) was waiting for us. So she got me started on the stairs, we did this for about 2 hours and then went back to check if I had opened up at all and to check my amniotic fluid. At 8:00 AM I was now as 3 CM and they said that my water had broken and sent me to get admitted. I then came back to triage and they told me to continue walking around. We continued to do stairs and walk outside to get me more dilated. I am still laughing when I think of all the strange looks I received when I would have to stop for a contraction. Hello I am in a hospital, I swear no one had ever seen a pregnant person walking around before. I even had a guy kinda glare and shake his head at me!!!
I think I did stairs for a good 5 hours, wow what was I thinking!! By around 11:00 they took me into the delivery room, I was now 5 CM. So we worked on a few different positions, squatting, the ball, leaning against the bed, etc. I think squatting was my favorite! Once I had reached 6-7 CM they told me that they would need to brake my water more, as it had broke at the top and was just leaking out, to get things to speed up. They said that the contractions would be more intense but it would speed everything up. So I agreed and believe me they weren't kidding about the intesity. This was such horrible pain but I continued to just breath through it. I went in the shower to see if it would help with the back labour, as he was turned the wrong way. That shower was the worst thing I had ever experienced. I was so uncomfortable and just wanted out. I tried a few different positions, kneeling down, sitting and squatting but that was it. I need to get out of there. So I went back to my favorite postion of leaning over the back side of the bed. At 3:30 I was dilated to an 8, I was getting close I thought just a little while more!! HA well that's what I thought!! I was at 8 CM for 2 hours when I had a strong urge to push, almost unbariable, they told me to jsut breathe through it and that they would check to see where I was at. 8 CM they said. So I continued to breathe through it just wanting to be done with this.They said they would check me in and hour or so. That seemed like a life time, I just wanted to scream but I held it together and said to my self, "jsut one more hour until I get to hold my little guy in my arms." Well an hour went by and still 8 CM. Are you kidding me, here I was with major back labour, the urge to push and I still had 2 more CM to go. I didn't know if I would make it. They starting asking me if I wanted the epidural but I didn't want to slow anything down so I declined. Brad and even my doula were almost wanting to tell me to take it. But I had made it this far and I really thought in the back of my mind if I had got it I probably would have had a c-section. So after another 2 hours of 8 CM, they decide to move me to the bathroom to squat over the toilet to see if moving postions would get me dilated. Well it worked and within the next 20 mins I was ready to push. As soon as I heard the words "push" come out of the docotors mouth I was ready. They got me the squatting bar and i started. They told me it would probably be about 2 hours of pushing, I had had it! After about 10 pushes I started to feel his head and I told the doctor, who was across the room. She took her sweet time to get to me, probably thinking I was crazy and took a look and yes I was about to have this baby. She continued to tell me to push and within 15 minutes our baby boy had entered the world.
Channing Michael Holt was born on Oct 7, 2010 at 8:52 PM at a very healthy weight of
9lbs 4 oz and was 22inches long.
As they passed him to me to hold, I started to cry. I couldn't believe I had my baby boy in my arms. I have been waiting for this day for 3 years and it was here. He was mine, all mine and of course Brads too. They pain was gone and it was worth it. Brad came to my bedside and said, "that was the most grotes but most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" I held him Channing for a while and then Brad took him as I got stitched up.
I experienced a 4th degree tear, from his shoulders and it took about an hour to stitch me all up.
My family was waiting in the waiting room for us when we were being transferred to the postpartum unit, so they got to see him for the first time. They couldn't stay because it was past 11:00 so I felt bad that they had waited so long kinda for nothing. I stayed in postpartum until Saturday afternoon and then finally got to take little Channing home.

I seriously feel so blessed to have him in our lives. There is no happiness like having a child. He just brings such joy and happiness to Brad and I and really feel like he is a true miracle. I am so excited to be a Mom and watch our little guy grow up. I love watching Brad with him, he is such a good Dad and I know that they will be best friends when he is older. I also just want to thank everyone for all of there support as we have gone through this journey. I want to thank my parents for coming and helping out as I have had to rest for the past couple weeks, for cleaning, dinners, and just taking him when I need to sleep. Thank you to my mother in law for coming a cleaning , the many dinners, and always calling to see how I am doing. Thank you to my sister Lindsey for coming and helping and staying with me for a few days. Thanks to my sisters, Stacy and Shannan, who are far away for just being there to talk to and for there many calls! Thanks to my sister in law, Kim for the awesome frozen meals you supplied us with, delicious!! Also to my visiting teachers for there meals. My friends for coming and visiting with us. A big Thank you to our amazing Doula, Jen, for her support and advice through labour and delivery. I honestly don't think we could of done it without her. And another thank you to my amazing husband for believing in me and supporting me through pregnancy, labour and delivery. I was not always the happiest pregnant women and I am so glad Brad was so patient with me. Brad stood by me this whole time and encouraged me to be brave and I did it. I know because of him. I love you and thank you for all you do! Last but not least I want to thank my Father in Heaven. I know he has created this little miracle and made it possible to have him in our lives. He is why my baby is here today. Thank you all for everything.