The Kochers*: August 2009

37 weeks pregnant!!!!!

Elijah is here 3 weeks early!

Okay - so ... I was having contractions around 10:00 Wednesday evening, I really thought they hurt, but I was like, okay, this isn't too bad. I just knew when they were coming, I could feel it. (I'm thinking since I'm pain tolerant that they were really really really bad, but I was dealing well with them) Well, finally at like 12 or so, I went and laid in bed thinking they would stop if I switched position, I had only been asleep for 10 minutes (that's what Kevin said) and I shot straight up and screamed! It was like someone had just stabbed me in the stomach it hurt so bad. I got up, ran to the restroom and tried going to the bathroom (#1, #2 and puking) - I couldn't stand, sit, anything. I kept telling Kevin though, they were going to go away, that we didn't need to go to the hospital. Well after Kevin saw me trying to do all three, he knew we needed to go - well, there was a problem, hahaha, I had NOTHING ready. While I was having a contractions, I was leaning into the dryer getting a shirt to come home (not sure why my mind went straight to what clothes I would wear home, hahaha) - we threw TONS of stuff together and got in the car. Well, I barely could sit the whole way the hospital because of how uncomfortable it felt to sit, didn't really hurt, just couldn't do it. So, we get to the Emergency Room - well first, Kevin dropped me off at the door and I had to stop because of a contraction, a woman came up to me and kept saying, "mam' - are you okay? are you okay" I couldn't answer and then she said, "oh, you're in labor" and walked away from me. So I go in, they wheel me upstairs. They said can you use the restroom, I said yes, I need to go, well I started having a contraction and then another one so they literally put me in the bed and pulled my pants down. They said I didn't have enough time to go, ha. Well, they hooked up me to the monitors, etc ... I said I wanted an epidural, they said okay, we'll call him. Well, they checked me right away, I was 4 cm, she checked ten minutes later, I was 5 cm. They kept telling me the guy to give me the epi would be there any moment because since he was on duty, he stayed in a house that the hospital provides across the street. Well, then they checked me 30 minutes later, I was 8 cm and the doctor hadn't even showed up to deliver the baby. They were getting nervous. Also, since I dilated so fast, the anesthesiologist didn't make it in time. I was ticked, hahaha! Also, my precious little Elijah's heart rate was dropping quickly, all the way down to 50. They kept trying to roll me over, have me sit, lay, etc to get it back, but he was just dropping, they said they were going to have to do an emergency c-section if it didn't change. Well, since I dilated so fast, I wasn't going to have the c-section, I could just start pushing, well at 8 cm my water broke, but I didn't even know it, I had to get a quick catheter because I had such a full bladder. I pushed for 10 minutes at the most and he was here. His cord was wrapped so tight around his neck that the doctor had to dig his fingers in between his neck and the cord to get it off. So - I got to the hospital at 1, our little guy was born at 2:30 - I had the most amazing delivery, I can't complain. We got to come home finally on Saturday night at 5:30 because we had to wait for him to have a wet diaper after his circumcism. He's doing great, I love him so much!!!!! Okay, so this email is huge, but it's the whole story!

www.babybellaphotography.com/login password 0730elijahk

Let's take a look at baby Elijah's life so far :)

Elijah's first picture - born at 2:30 a.m.

Just minutes old!

6 lbs 0 oz.

He dropped so fast when I dilated that he got a huge bruise on his face, blood shot eyes and a cone head. He looks perfect now, everthing is normal.