and delivery..

At this point, I'm feeling like a computer with all of the wires that are in me. I had an IV line, the oxygen thing on my finger, the line for my epidural, a blood pressure cuff, a heartbeat monitor, an internal contraction monitor and a line pumping fluid back into my uterus.

I'm starting to feel the contraction pains on my left side. We try to get it corrected but it doesn't work. I'm worried about making it through the contractions with the pain that I don't realize something is going on. All I know is that I squeeze Michael's hand so much I'm surprised they aren't broken. Michael was amazing talking me through each contraction.

Next thing I know, Dr. Virtue comes in. I don't remember much of what he says but I know I'm put on oxygen and he says something about a C-section. A bunch of nurses start coming in an unhooking my wires. I see my mom and mother-in-law crying so I knew something was going on. I just didn't know what.

Michael is thrown a set of scrubs and starts getting dressed as i'm rushed out of the room. So, I knew something bad was happening but all I could focus on was the fact that the nurse couldn't keep my bed between the walls; she kept hitting everything. That was not very comfortable.

As I'm wheeled into the OR, they tell Michael to stay in the hallway as I'm prepped for surgery. Dr. Virtue looks at me and says because my epidural didn't take on the left side, they were going to give me another dose of medicine and give it 10 minutes. If it didn't work, I'd be put to sleep and they would do a C-section. This terrified me and I tried to tell the doctor that he wasn't putting me to sleep. Of course, he laughed =)

Come to find out, everytime I had a contraction, Dominic's heartrate fell into the 80s; way too low. He was going into distress and we needed to get him out quickly. I was hooked back up to monitors and his heartrate was stable. Doctor Virtue told me it was time to push and try to prevent a c-section. With the next contraction, I began pushing. Then, I realized they hadn't let Michael in the room yet. I told Dr. Virtue I needed Michael and a nurse ran out and got him. Three or four contractions later and Dominic arrived.

It took about 45 seconds to a minute for him to make his first sounds and the entire time I was crying uncontrollably. Thank the Lord for Michael. While the NICU doctor was tending to Dominic, I was receiving 30 or so stitches. Ouch is all I can say...