Everett Oscar Fleckner

EVERETT'S BIRTH STORY
WARNING: Viewer discretion advised!  :)

On Monday, March 21st, Brad and I went out for pizza at Alpine Bakery, my request for our last meal as a married couple without children.  Just as our pizza arrived at the table we received a call from the Northside Hospital Women's Center that we were to check in at the hospital by 8:00 pm to begin the induction process.  We quickly finished dinner and headed to the hospital in relative silence.  As excited as I was that we were so close to meeting our baby, the reality of what I was about to go through was starting to sink in.  When we arrived at Northside, we were the only expectant parents checking in, so the process went really quickly, and before we knew it, we were entering our labor and delivery room, room 5A.  As I changed into my super glamorous hospital gown, Brad unpacked a little and made our room more comfortable.



Not sure why this pic was taken in the bathroom, but there I am pre-labor.



Room #5A



Settling in for the night and the Cervidil.


After we settled in, Bryn, our labor and delivery nurse for the night, came in to help us fill out all of the necessary paperwork.  By the time we were finished, I felt like I'd signed my name a hundred times!  Bryn also hooked Everett and I up to the monitors.  Once I was all hooked up, we realized that I was actually already in early labor and having contractions.  Bryn showed me how to spot my contractions on the monitors and I realized that I'd been having mild contractions for a while, but they were so faint that I thought it was just Everett moving around.  Bryn left us alone and Brad and I started up a game of UNO to take my mind off of things.  Just as I was starting to relax, another nurse named Jessica came in to put in my IV in preparation for what was to come.  I've never had an IV before and I am, or was, phobic about needles, so I sort of had a meltdown at that point.  At around 10:00 Bryn returned to start the Cervidil and she also gave me an Ambien for obvious reasons.  I think I drifted off to sleep around 11:00 only to be awakened around 4:00 am by some stronger contractions, a really uncomfortable feeling in my you-know-what, and a woman screaming in the next room.  The uncomfortable feeling turned out to be my fully effaced cervix.  At 6:00 am Bryn returned with one last surprise for me before the end of her shift, an enema.  I have one word for that experience, YUCK!  At 7:00 am, Heather, our labor and delivery nurse for the day, came in.  Heather informed us that I was now dilated four centimeters and she started the Petocin through my IV.  My water broke almost immediately.  After that, my contractions went from uncomfortable to unbearable!  Prior to my water breaking, my contractions were somewhat erratic and only mildly painful.  Afterward, my contractions were about two minutes apart and excruciating!  I am not kidding when I say that I felt like my body was being ripped in half!!!  Thankfully, Christine Gordon, our midwife can in right about then.  She told us that I was now dilated seven centimeters.  She asked if I thought I wanted an epidural and I said that I definitely did.  She gave me some medicine to help me relax and called for the anesthesiologist.  He arrived to start my epidural at 8:50.  Unfortunately, he had to reinsert my epidural three times!!!  If you've ever had an epidural, you know that having it done once is more than enough!  Because it took such a long time for the epidural to be inserted correctly, my blood pressure dropped drastically, as did Everett's heart rate.  Christine returned and made the decision to slow things down a bit.  She stopped the Pitocon and gave me some oxygen.  I was thankful for the pain relief and very groggy due to the low blood pressure and medication, so I dozed off for a while.  During that time, our parents came and went, as did several nurses and other hospital staff.  The awesome staff worked hard to get my blood pressure and Everett's heart rate under control.  At around 1:00, Everett and I were both stabilized and Christine came in and I started pushing.  It turns out that Everett is just about as stubborn as his mama, because I pushed for about the next hour and a half without making much progress.  It turned out that Everett was coming out facing sideways, instead of facing my back, as he should have been.  Just as it was beginning to look like I was not going to be able to get the job done, our labor and delivery nurse Heather gave me an amazing pep talk and and after a little more pushing, Everett was born at 3:09 pm.  He was 8 pounds 2 ounces, 21 inches long, and a little cone-headed.  Thankfully, the cone-headedness was temporary!  All kidding aside, he is absolutely perfect!!! 

Ready to start pushing

Our first meeting



Dad cutting the cord



Proud Papa

Tired, but Happy Mama

Our stay in the hospital was rough and our first few days at home are kind of a blur with a lot of crying by both Everett and me.  Thankfully, now that I am feeling physically better, I'm also feeling better emotionally.  Everett is really settling in to life in our home and even though every day presents Brad and I with new challenges, we are so in love with our son.  Throughout the entire labor, delivery, and postpartum experience, Brad has been absolutely amazing.  I am so thankful for him everyday.  He is already proving to be such an incredible father.  More than ever, he is my rock and I am more in love with him today than ever before.  The birth of our first child was a humbling and awe-inspiring experience and I am so overwhelmed with emotion every time I think about what Brad and I now share.

Heading home from the hospital

Hank and Everett meet at last

EVERETT'S FIRST CHECK-UP

On Monday, March 28th, Everett had his first check-up at Roswell Pediatrics and I am so proud to say that he now weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces!  My number one goal when we left the hospital was to get him back up above his birth weight and with the help of Brad and my mom, that goal was accomplished!!!  I won't say that breastfeeding has been a picnic, but seeing Everett thrive and grow makes it all worthwhile.  And, as an added bonus, we now get to stretch the amount of time between two of his nighttime feedings, which means we all get a little more sleep.

At Everett's first appointment we saw Dr. Flax.  A nurse asked us lots of questions, weighed Everett, and then took his temperature.  He was not fond of that part at all, nor was he happy about the whole naked on the table thing.  Next Everett was checked-out by the doctor.  He informed us that Everett seems happy and healthy and is thriving so far!  He provided us with a lot of information, some new, some not.  Finally, he answered all of our questions.  The appointment was over in about thirty minutes and we left feeling really proud of ourselves and Everett.

Heading to the doctor

I'm such a big boy!  8 pounds 5 ounces!

One Week Old!