Baby Story

Karrick Gordon Hanzon

aka "Chewie"

Born June 20, 2013

9:28 a.m.

7 lbs. 8 oz. 

21 inches

Before I get into Karrick's arrival story, here's a quick timeline some of the events this month...

June 10- My dad arrived for a visit and to do some Alaska business.

June 11- I had a doctor appointment.  He checked my cervix.  I was dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced.  We discussed options.  My doctor said most babies are 5 days late...we decided to give him 7.  We scheduled induction for the 19th..

June 12- Official "due date".  But I think due dates are really just a mean trick.  Anyway, I went to Costco and stopped on my way home for coconut frozen yogurt.  The end.

June 14- My mom arrived for a visit.

June 15- My sister Wendi arrived for a visit.  We all picked her up from the airport and then went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse to celebrate Father's Day.  Then we went straight back to the airport to drop dad off so he could take his red eye flight back to Utah.

June 16- Happy Father's Day!  Thought this would be an excellent birthday for Chewie...He didn't agree.

June 18- Another doctor appointment.  We were informed we were placed on the "on-call" list for induction due to higher risk patients.  Not fair.  (But I'm not sorry I don't have high blood pressure or diabetes...)  At this appointment my doctor swept my membranes.  Don't ask--google it if you really want to know.  He said it increased chances of going into labor by 6%.  We figured we didn't have anything to lose.  He also said it could make the contractions I was having stronger...

June 19- I called the hospital at 8 a.m. to check in with the charge nurse (since that's what my doctor told me to do).  She told me to call back at noon.  I started having more intense contractions...the kind that actually hurt.  I called the hospital back at noon and the charge nurse said to call back at 4 if I hadn't heard from her by then.  I continued to have contractions here and there...but nothing regular.  I called the hospital back at 4 p.m. and the nurse told me to call back at 6:30 p.m.  (after shift change) to check in with the night charge nurse.  When I called back at 6:30 the message was still the same.  But I was told that my doctor (who was there at the hospital) wanted to keep trying to get me in.  So she said to keep my phone handy and they would call me.  But if I hadn't heard anything by 6 a.m. to give her a call.  She said there were a lot of first time moms having very long labors...I said I was also a first timer, so I will probably be in the same boat once I finally got there.  I also mentioned I was having contractions and if things kept progressing maybe I would go into labor on my own and be able to come in.  She said that would be great if that happened.  I agreed...of course.

And here's where the real story begins---

June 20- After we went to bed, things started to get more uncomfortable.  Laying down wasn't as fun as I wanted it to be.  I kept having really bad back pain and contractions.  Not cool.  (But they didn't last 1 minute, 4 minutes apart for 1 hour...so I didn't think it was "for real".  Now I know that's a bunch of B.S.)  Anyway, I sat on an exercise ball with my head resting forward on pillows that I stacked on the bed.  That felt better, but I couldn't really fall asleep that way without tipping over.  I did eventually get some sleep laying down, but not a whole lot.  I just wanted my phone to ring so we could go to the hospital!  Around 3:30 a.m. Luke suggested I take a shower.  The hot water felt heavenly on my back!  While in the shower my water broke (at least I thought it did...and as it turns out I was right).  I told Luke to call the hospital and tell the nurse that we were coming.  When he called the nurse told him they had just gotten a reprieve and to come on in (we would have gone anyway...but I thought I would call because I had been talking to them on and off for the past 24 hours).  I got dressed, gathered the bags (that had been packed forever), and told my mom we were leaving.  On the way to the hospital (which was 20 minutes away) things got more and more and more uncomfortable/painful.  Now the contractions were lasting a minute and I couldn't talk through them.  All I could do was try not to punch the dashboard.  (Turns out I'm violent when in pain...but I knew this from the time I had PRK eye surgery and I kicked the base of the vanity cupboards because my eyes hurt so so so bad.  Luckily I didn't break anything though...)  Anyway, Luke was great--he gave me numbers (like we learned in our 1 day childbirth class) so I would be distracted and breathe through the pain and eventually we arrived at Providence Hospital.  I got out and started on my way in while Luke got all of our stuff.  I headed toward the main doors, but I had a feeling they were closed and that I should head toward the Emergency entrance, but I saw a guy walk out of them so I thought for sure they would be open.  Nope.  They weren't open yet. (Turns out they open at 5 a.m. and we were there around 4:30 a.m.)  Walking hadn't been horrible--it was better than sitting.  So we (by this time Luke had caught up to me) headed toward the Emergency entrance.  The lady at the desk quickly opened to door to the main part of the hospital so we could make our way back towards the main entrance and labor and delivery.  She asked if I needed a wheel chair and I said no.  (Big mistake.)  About half way down the first of 2 long hallways (think "L" shape) I broke into a cold sweat.  Things were getting bad quickly.  I don't really remember getting to labor and delivery desk..but we did somehow.  (With heavenly help--for sure!)  Thank goodness I preregistered at the hospital.  We still had some check in things to do which lasted far too long...Luke did most of the stuff.  I just had to sign my name and somehow stay upright.  Once we got into triage I told the nurse I needed to use the bathroom.  And I knew this was a bad sign.  From my class I knew that there came a point when if you felt you needed to use the bathroom you needed to have a nurse with you.  I thought there's no way I'm at that point yet...so I didn't mention these concerns to the nurse but I resisted pushing in any way shape or form just to be safe...   I changed into my hospital gown and laid on the bed and prayed out loud for strength.  When the nurse came back she checked to see how dilated I was.  And then she said "it looks like you are dilated to 9 centimeters.  I need to go make a phone call."  After she left the room I *might* have said a swear word.  (And by that I mean I did.)  9 centimeters!  Are you kidding me!  She came back in and said we needed to go on over to labor and delivery.  She asked if I wanted to go in a wheel chair or have them take me on the bed.  I said take the bed!  When we got to the delivery room I had to move onto another bed.  Luckily I made it.  My i.v. got inserted right away.  The nurses were apologetic that they didn't have time to numb the area before inserting the i.v.  I didn't care.  It was the least of the pain I was feeling!  They got me all hooked up to the monitors and they put a monitor on Karrick's head.  I had to wear an oxygen mask (and I hated every second of it--i also hated the blood pressure cuff that took my blood pressure every minute..well not that often, but it felt like it).  My doctor came in and checked my cervix and the baby.  Turns out he was posterior (face up instead of face down) and stuck.  (Which was why I was having horrible back pain and why he wasn't delivered on the way to the hospital alongside the highway.)  My doctor tried to turn him...twice.  And I just want to say that it was the most time consuming and uncomfortable thing ever.  I wanted to tell him to stop it and go away.  But I didn't.  (Thank goodness!  My doctor is the nicest and most cool under pressure doctor.  I'm so glad I didn't yell at him!)  In the middle of all of this they had me get on my hands and knees to help with the back pain during contractions.  And during one of the contractions I managed to get the tape from my i.v. stuck to my oxygen mask and pulled it right out.  Blood was going everywhere.  I felt bad.  I even apologized.  The nurses said it was ok and gave me a new i.v. in my other hand.  All this time Karrick wasn't doing very well. I remember seeing my doctor looking at the monitors saying he wasn't liking what he was seeing.  I guess his heart rate would go down after every contraction..instead of up.  (They were also having a hard time getting the readings from him because his monitor was stuck on top of all of his hair.)  I didn't get to see the monitors.  I just heard all the beeping.  Lots and lots of beeping.  They had me start pushing a little, but Karrick wasn't moving.  So then my doctor asked what I thought of an epidural because in the case I would need an emergency c-section (which he thought I might need due to not knowing how big the baby was, not knowing if he could be delivered posterior, and not getting good vitals from him) I could be awake instead of having to be put to under.   I said yes. (I was never opposed to getting one anyway.)  The guys with the drugs were there in no time!  I was worried I wouldn't be able to hold still, but I was fine.  Everything went perfectly and things settled down a whole bunch!  I was a whole different person!  I was less stressed and baby was less stressed.  I laid on my left side.  Later the nurse moved me to my right side and Karrick didn't like that one bit.  His vitals changed for the worse.  So I moved back to my left side.  During all of that he decided to turn and come out the right way.  I started pushing again.  When it got to the part where his head was almost out the nurses asked if I wanted to see it and/or touch it.  I declined.  (I really didn't want to know what was going on down there.  I just wanted to stay focused on getting him out!)  And after only about 30 min total of pushing (because I am awesome at it--that's what the nurse said..bless her!) Karrick was born. (9:28 a.m.)  Oh and I almost forgot that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice!  They had people from NICU there to check him out (due to meconium being present in the fluid) so he was delivered and transferred over to their warm table in the corner to get checked out.  We knew right away his lungs worked-since he came out screaming!  After awhile they had Luke come over and cut the already clamped and cut cord.  (If you have read the book "Dad is Fat" by Jim Gaffigan--which you really should because it's hilarious--you will know why we are laughing about Luke getting to "cut the cord"..It's not even a medical procedure...).

Everything is so surreal.  I can't believe we have a son!  And he didn't look like an alien!  His head did look a lot like a jelly bean, but after what he went through I'm impressed he looked so good :)  (And besides those little pink and blue hospital issue hats are perfect for disguising that.)

Hopefully sometime I can get Luke to write his side of the story.  He probably remembers more/different things than I do.

But now the real adventure begins!

And if you are wondering why it took me so long to write all this out--it's due to my new "working conditions":