Carter Jerling LeBaron - Birth Story

So we are a family of four now! It is crazy how much our lives can change over a single day. =) I wanted to write down his birth story before I forgot it.

It all started on Friday September 7th when I had my appointment in College Station. Just a reminder...College Station is where my baby doctor is at and its 3 hours away. So the last few weeks Ryan and I have been making sure that we have someone with me just in case something happens on the drive up and this week my Mom went with me. I had no intention of staying, I mean I hoped I would be but I carried Mavrick 40 weeks and 2 days so I figured that I still had a couple of weeks. Before I left that morning to go I had picked up the house and been nesting for a week or so but as a whole the house was not too bad when I left but not ready for a baby. Needless to say I still brought my hospital bag with me just in case. So I had my appointment and I was still less than a 1 dilated and no progression on the effacing scale. Cool...to be expected with me. It was still frustrating though. So we left and visited my Sister-in-law Ashley, Emma & Claire. Went out for lunch and then started home around 1:00. About 30 min into the drive I start having contractions and lots of back pain, of course! So we get out of the car in Conro and walk around Target for a while to see if it goes away before we headed back to college station. I really didn't want to deliver this baby on the side of the rode. Lol. =) So we ended up heading back. I called Ryan around 5:00 and said...come on up I think we might have this baby. So...after the contractions had been going on for 4-6 hours straight they STOPPED right when Ryan got up to College Station. Ugh!!!!

{History of Birthing for Me and my Mom:}
So with Mavrick I was only dilated to a 1 when I went into the hospital and I had contractions for days before. I also jumped from a 4 - 10 in dilation in just 8 min. So you can see my concern for wanting to be in College Station for the labor process. My Mom went really fast with all of us too. She said her water never broke until she was a  4 and in the hospital, she had early labor contractions for days before she went into the hospital but they were never the same as the last child, and once she was a 4 it was no later than an hour when the baby came out. So my history and my Mom's have been pretty much identical. I thanked her for passing down her crappy labor genes! NO WARNING SIGNS! Haha.

So...the entire weekend I was contracting on and off. We stayed at Jeremy and Ashley's for the weekend hoping to go into the hospital one of theose nights. Mavrick was left behind in Vidor which was super hard on me for some reason. I just didn't like not having my entire family there with me but I know it would have been immpossible with him there. We had a full house at Jeremy and Ashley's already and another toddler, especially Mavrick would have been crazy! It was nice spending time with just Ryan though. On the agenda for the weekend: Do what ever I can to put myself into labor.

What we tried to get me to go into labor:

1. Labor Cake: Ash found a recipe for a cake that would put you into labor supposedly. All it did was almost send us into a chocolate Coma!
2. Walking & Going to the Park: They had a pretty steep slide at the park that had a bunch of bumps on it. So naturally I took Emma down it a couple of times. Ryan said it might have been the funniest thing he has ever witnessed me do. Lol. =)
3. Castor Oil: Took it with my first son to go into labor, it did absolutely nothing for me this time. I guess I could have taken more but it was so nasty. Lol. =)
4. Jumping Jacks & Exercising: Needed to open my cervix more so I thought those would help. I did lots of butterfly stretches. Haha. =)
5. Spicy Food!: Ok...anyone who knows me knows that I can't take alot of heat, so Jeremy and Ryan made sure I ate a ton of spicy food. Which actually did make me have alot of contractions. But it was hard. I even ate nasty, disgusting jalapeno's and the hottest enchiladas ever! I will never eat a jalapeno again...they are so disgusting!
6: We tried a couple other things to but I will not mention those on my blog. ;)

Now that I look at the list its kinda ridiculous how much we tried. Lol. =) I went into the hospital twice that weekend for contractions and got sent home both times. I felt like such a moron! Lol. Even the nurses said that it was wierd and they don't see contractions like mine, with no change in the cervix to follow. So after getting checked in the hospital they called my doctor and he told me to stay into town tonight and come by his office first hing in the morning and he would check me. So we got a hotel room after the nurse gave me 10 mg of Ambient that my my Doctor told her to give me for sleeping. I think he knew that I had not been sleeping good and worrying and awake all night with contractions so it was super nice of him to give me some. But it knocked me out and made me loopy! Haha. But hey...when we checked into a hotel room I guess the lady at the front desk felt so sorry for my pathetic butt she gave us a huge suite for the cheapest room cost. Haha. =) Ryan said he had to pretty much carry me to the hotel room cause I was so out of it. 

So Monday morning came, we took showers, got dressed and packed up as if we were heading back to Vidor after I saw my Doctor. We went into his office around 10:00. He is so awesome...seriosouly just the nicest doctor I have ever talked to which is why I go to him. He checked me and to our surprise I was dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced!!! WHAT THE HECK!? It was like an answer to my prayers to here him say that. I think I still had some of the sleeping aid in me that morning cause I was pretty sluggish and tired but as soon as he said that I perked right up. He said..."ok...well lets go have this baby!" It was so nice to here him say those words. I asked him if he was sure and that I am not just trying to have a baby cause I wanted to but more because of our situation and he said "Kayla...even not looking at your situation I would tell any of my patients that its time to go to the hospital. And given your birthing history of how fast you go and  how fast your mom goes once you get to a certain point it would be unwise to send you home or even out of the hospital at this point." It was exactly what I needed to hear. I think I just needed him to tell me EXACTLY what to do to take the worry off of Ryan and I. 

So we went into the hospital around 1:00 and they started setting me up and giving me a small dosage of pitocin to regulate my contractions. Ashley my sister-in-law was awesome enough to call ahead and make sure I got the best nurse on staff. She works there in labor and delivery so she was a HUGE help in the labor process. I was so glad she was around. =) They gave me my epidural pretty soon after I got in too since I do go so fast there would have not been time to give it to me after I was a 4. They came in...checked me like 3 times and I was a 3 until 5:45 that evening. Then they checked me again around 6:40 and I was already a 10 and ready to push. Ryan did pretty good this time in the labor department...he got pretty white and pasty when they gave me the epidural, but other than that he did great. At 6:45 my Doctor and nurse came in and we started pushing. I pushed 2 times and for no more than 4 minutes and this little guy was out by 6:50. =) My Mom cut the umbilical cord again for our little one, Ryan doesn't really like doing it and so mom was the next candidate. He is not that sentimental about it and I don't like to push him to do anything like that cause he might pass out. Lol. =) So I take what I can get. I didn't tear at all either which has made the recovery of giving birth to Carter so much more enjoyable. I think Heavenly Father knew that I had Mavrick back home to still take care of so he blessed me with quick recovery and easy birth of Carter. 

It was so amazing to see my little guy. He had so much hair compared to Mavrick and it is DARK! Maybe he will get my hair but I doubt it. He looks so much like Mavrick did its crazy. He was beautiful. =) He weighed in at 7 lbs and 3 oz and was 19.25 inches long. Mavrick was 7lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. So pretty close. I am still amazed at the love I had for him instantly, which was something I was worried about. I just couldn't imagine loving a child the same amount as I did my Mavrick so that was also a huge blessing to have right up front. 

Choosing a name: We had a couple picked out but none of them fit. I think we were just reading a list the night after he came and stumbled over the name Carter and both kinda slept on it the night after. We woke up the next morning and both said yes to it. Which is huge for us cause we pretty much argue the entire 9 months of pregnancy about names. Haha. We think it fits him perfectly...it doesn't mean anything cool but oh well. You can't win them all.

Our slimy little angel. I guess they rate babies right when they come out on their color/how quickly they turn pink, reflexes and response time, and other things. They rate from 1 - 10 and they gave him a 10. Which I guess is very rare my Doctor said. When I say he was perfect...he was perfect even by hospital standards. Haha. =)

Grandmama cutting the umbilical cord. The doctor said when carter was starting to come out he came out holding onto the umbilical cord. Haha. =)

First baby cries are the best!

I guess they put 7lbs 3 oz on his certificate so that is what we are going with.

Footprints

He looks just like is older brother did I still can't get over it!

We love our new little boy and are so grateful for him and excited to have him join our family.

Love,

One proud Mom and Dad