The big day....Already???

So here I was October, 10th 2007 so a little after a month before my due date (Nov. 2nd) Actually this was my first appointment of the "every week" appointments at the end of your pregnancy. I had an appointment at 10am that morning. I go in to the Dr. office, check in, pee in a cup, and take a seat. Who should walk in but my little sister Shannon, she was due on October 5th and now is over due and miserable! Hey fancy seeing you here, we chat giggling! I get called back into my room, I am sure that Shannon shortly got called into her room, because what followed were the events that changed my life FOREVER!!! My Dr. came in and took my blood pressure and it was really high. She said "Oh that is not good", looked at my chart and it had just been getting worse over the last two months. Patted me on the knee and said I will be right back. Disappeared for about 10 min and came back....I have good news and bad news, what do you want first? I asked for the good..."You won't be pregnant much longer." "And the bad?", I asked. "Well," She replied "Shannon needs to be induced today too." What?? Are you kidding me?? I am not ready I thought! She told me that my blood pressure was out of control and I could not wait any longer and Shannon's little one was getting too fat, she was already a week past her due date. So my Dr. said that she wanted to do a quick ultrasound to see Charlies position and wouldn't you know it.....He was breach! The little bugger!!! The Dr. looked up and said "Your having a C-section kiddo." I asked "Can I go home, call my mom? She is in California, Mark and Kate? They live in Idaho. I don't know if they can all get here in time." She gave me a big hug and said "Don't worry we will wait for them all to get here, And NO you can not go home, your blood pressure is so high I don't want you driving or anything. Just walk over to the hospital (it was in the same parking lot) and go up to admitting. I will call them and let them know your coming." Shannon on the other hand did get to go home and pack a bag and make arrangements, lucky duck.
So I followed Dr.s orders and walked on over, went up stairs and got a triage room so that they could monitor my blood pressure and Charlie. I called Kate and when she answered the phone I said, "Hi Kate its Karen, Are you ready to be a Mommy today??" "WHAT???!!!" I heard on the other end, "Really, today? Oh my gosh, for real? Mark is at work and I have to pack a bag then it is a 5 hour drive, are we going to make it?", "Yes, we are waiting for you guys of course!", I said, "just drive carefully and I will see you when you get here, I love you and I am so excited for you!" She was so cute going on about how this is like the real thing, you never know when it is going to happen! She was so cute thanking me and telling me all the things she had to do before heading out of the house. She was so so excited! Then I called my Mom, she worked in California at the time (commuting back and forth) as a labor and delivery nurse. So I called her and said "Mom, how fast can you get home?" She asked, "Why?" I said, "Well you are having two grandson's born today and I don't know that you want to miss that." She started freaking out, my mom is good at freaking out! LOL I told her the Dr. said that she could wait until that evening to start my c-section. "You're having a c-section?" she asked. "Yeah, he is breach" I replied. "What about Shannon?" She asked. "No, they are just going to induce her." Shannon would take a while though, it was her first."Who is there with you?" My mom prodded. "Just me." I responded, "I'm fine." I answered.(really I was scared to death!!) I called my little sister Christy to let her know what was going on. She said she would get there as soon as she could, she had twin 2 year olds at the time, she needed some one to come watch them.

So there I was in my triage room all by my self. I they had me hooked up to a blood pressure machine that would squeeze the crap out of my arm every 10 min. Then they put a baby monitor on my belly and wanted to watch how Charlie was responding to my blood pressure. About 20 min later my sweet Dad poked his head in the door and asked if I could use some company? I said sure. He came in and sat there in a chair and looked at me. LOL My dad is an amazing man but super super shy. So I turned on some sports for him and he was a happy camper. The nurse would come in about every 10 min because Charlie would "swim away" from the monitors and we would have to find him and reposition everything. This has alot to do with me being so over weight too. I have LOTS of layers for him to hide under! LOL So it was like playing cat and mouse all day and it got really old. LOL

Shannon showed up about an hour and a half after I did and was put in a triage room near mine. It was funny, we had my dad and little sister Christy between the two rooms all day. How convenient for them, huh! I finally got moved into a room, where they started me on Magnesium, if you have ever had it I think you will agree they make this stuff in the pit of hell! LOL It makes you SUPER out of it, moody, HOT, grumpy, but also you don't care about anything. I wanted to kill everyone around me but I was trying to be so nice! I remember the nurses telling me for how much "Mag" we have you on, you should be hating us and being mean you are the nicest mag patient we have ever had! Mean while I am thinking, If you say one more word I am going to rip out your hair and make you eat it! LOL I don't know what it is but that stuff makes you crazy. This whole time I was still having to chase Charlie around with the monitor. FUN DAY!!! Then the nurse comes in to give me a IV on the other side for fluids and other things, and she stuck me like 50 times!!! Okay, I am sure it was not 50 but my veins were crap because of the mag and I wanted to kick her in the face. I finally asked as nicely as I could if someone else can try. The next nurse got me on the first stick! Thank you!!! LOL

Then the anesthesiologist comes in to go over everything and have me sign some papers. There are a bunch of people getting me all prepped, pulling my bed from the wall and my mom and Mark and Kate are still not there. I am starting to panic. My Dr. came in and I pleaded with her, "you can't take me yet no one is here". "We are just getting you ready, so that AS SOON as they show up we are ready to go." she assured me. 10 minutes go buy and they come back into the room and start to wheel me out and I lose it, start bawling and say "I'm not ready yet, no one is here." The nurse looks down and says "Honey, don't worry, they're here." Just then My Mom, Mark and Kate come running into the room. They are thrown some white suits to put on and the nurse says, "We will call you when she has her epidural placed and we are ready for you two to come in.".............Ummmmm wait a minute EPIDURAL????? Ummmmmmm Can I pass having a HUGE needle inserted into my back!!!????? LOL My mom kisses me on the forehead, Mark gave me a big hug as I was Wheeled down the hall....This was it! I get to meet Charlie!