Pierce's Birth Story
We had all been waiting and waiting and waiting for little Pierce to make his debut into this world, and he finally arrived at 8:36 pm on March 26, 2015. He weighed 8 lbs 9 oz, and was 22 inches long. Labor and delivery was incredibly short (thus we don't have any pictures of the process), and we couldn't be more blessed to have yet another healthy, happy Reynolds baby!
Papa, Darlin' and Bibi were all in town anxiously awaiting the birth of Pierce Carlton. We had been told by two separate doctors that he would most likely arrive mid-month, so we were all set weeks before his actual arrival. On the 26th (the day of his birth), Bibi (who had been here one day) decided to make lasagna for the family while Momma and Darlin' took Emmie to the park, Daddy worked, and Papa buffed out our truck (nice of him, huh?!). Dinner was going to be at around 7, so we left for the park a little after 6. We swung with Emmie and laughed and enjoyed our time at the park, and I told Darlin' I was starting to feel some contractions but I wasn't going to hold my breath that they were actual labor contractions, because I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions ('practice' contractions) for months!
We got home and sat down to eat dinner, and I had to stand up during most of it and brace myself on the table because I was in so much pain. I was warned by Darlin' and Bibi not to eat too much, since I would most likely get sick during labor (if this was true labor). But I wanted to eat lasagna! So I ate my whole meal, and calmly told Grant it was 'time to go to the hospital'. He asked if he had time to take a shower, and I told him I thought he did.
Well, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and I sat on the toilet to try to relieve some of the pressure. Contractions had gone from barely anything to rolling one on top of each other so intensely that I was groaning and squirming quite a lot. Grant realized he didn't have time for a shower, and said we should get going. We left for the hospital at around 7:30, and Grant was in such a hurry that he forgot his wallet and his wedding ring! We sped down I-95 to Kootenai Medical Center, and I was writhing in the passenger seat, pushing my hands against the ceiling of the car because, quite frankly, I couldn't think of anything else to do to deal with the pain. The contractions were so intense now that they felt like they were continuous, with maybe thirty seconds or so between them.
When we got to the hospital, I walked to the registration desk in the ER and told her "I bet you can guess why I'm here." I was congratulated by a sweet couple in the lobby just as Grant was walking up, and I told him to 'deal with this' (meaning the registration, even though I had pre-registered) as I went to the bathroom. I walked down the hall to the bathroom and noticed I was bleeding quite a bit, so when I returned I told the woman trying to get our paperwork done and told her we needed to complete it later and I needed to get to the delivery room immediately (bold, I know!). She essentially threw the paperwork down and said "Okay! Let's get you to your room!" and grabbed a wheelchair and wheeled me down the hall. A patient transport guy met us at the doors to the wing and RACED me down to the delivery room, where I was immediately put into a gown and checked. According to our nurses, we got there at 8:09 pm. After examining me and accidentally breaking my water all over the bed, the nurse said "I don't feel any cervix..." and Grant asked her to elaborate. She said I was already dilated to a TEN!
Long story short, she told me not to push until the doctor got there, which was HARD not to do, because the pressure and pain were so intense that all I wanted to do was push to relieve it all. The doctor finally showed up at around 8:20 or so, and said "let's have a baby!" I was so relieved!! It only took two pushes (after the first, Grant said "I saw his head!" and I said to him "HE WENT BACK IN?!?!"). After the first push, I was determined to get him out, because I had absolutely no pain medicine and I was shaking and feeling like I was going to pass out from the pain. The doctor said I was a rock star and couldn't believe labor was so fast and my pushing was so efficient! Pierce was born after two pushes, exactly 29 minutes after we arrived in the delivery room!
My mom arrived RIGHT after Pierce was born (she took the video below just after she walked in, and couldn't believe she already heard cries). As she arrived and asked where I was, the nurses all commented that I was the one who 'arrived ready to push' and said they couldn't believe it!
After Pierce arrived, Papa and Darlin' got to spend some time with us in the delivery room, and at around 11:30 I was taken to a shared room because they were so busy they didn't have any more private rooms available. Grant wasn't allowed to stay (which made us SO sad!) because of the rooming situation, but everyone came the next day to see Pierce and celebrate his arrival. We were discharged the night after he was born, and our nurse pointed out that we were leaving the hospital exactly 24 hours after Pierce was born, at 8:36 pm on Friday.
I stayed up and stared at you all night, my love! I just couldn't sleep...and couldn't put you down!!
Dr. Riley came to look at Pierce on Friday morning. He was looking GREAT!
Emmie meets her brother for the first time!
Haha!!
PROUD
Emmalyn had a fun day even though Momma was stuck in the hospital all day!
We made it home!!!!!
