Carson: A Birth Story

All of these beautiful photos were taken by Karla Lewis Photography

Check out her amazing work here:  https://www.karlalewisphotography.com/

As I was getting closer and closer to my due date I told everyone that baby could come after Sunday the 19th. My OB did a gentle check at 38 weeks I was still at 2cm so I was happy he was staying put for now. On the 19th I had a lesson/game to do for all the primary kids in place of their while all the teachers attended a training and that night was an event called Great to Be 8 that I had all the food, programs and handouts for, plus I was speaking at. AND I just got a new presidency so they're all brand new. So when my water broke at 2am Sunday morning I laughed at the irony.

I had just gotten up to use the bathroom and hadn't fallen back asleep yet. I rolled over and felt a gush and my eyes shot open. 'Are you kidding me? Today?!' I got up to inspect but deep down I knew my water broke, there was no way I could have peed myself when I has just emptied my bladder. When I flipped on the light and told Dan I think my water broke he laughed because he knew that I had said any day AFTER the 19th would be great. We're trying to be sure though because I'm still in disbelief. Dan is googling on his phone, "Does it smell like bleach?" Yeah, actually it does. Ok this is real and happening, we better come up with a plan.

I decided to start calling people first because I have no idea who I'd be able to reach at 2am. However my first phone call, my right hand girl, my best friend Tara answered her phone (hallelujah!) and came on over right away. I owe her like a thousand cookies. While she was coming over, I showered, got dressed, got my hospital bag and gathered all the things that I had for all the Primary events happening that day. I put a key under my doormat so whomever could come and get all the supplies for the game, food for Great to be 8 and the programs. Dan made sure B's bag was packed, pack a backpack for him, set out a carseat for B just in case and we left! Driving to the hospital felt so surreal. The moon was a huge blood orange crescent, so pretty!

When we walked into the ER there was already another pregnant lady and her husband who's water broke too! What are the odds haha. They brought us into triage and by this time I started feeling contractions which were around 5 minutes apart. They hooked me up to the monitors, checked me and I was a 4cm! This is happening! I think by 5am we were admitted and taken upstairs. I signed all the papers and they got the IV with penicillin going right away. I was Group B positive this time so ideally they'd want 2 bags of penicillin in me before I deliver.

After I was all hooked up it was pretty quiet, just a waiting game. Dan was doing some work, sending all the emails to finish up and delegate anything he needed while I was texting (and probably waking people up) to make plans for Brooks for the day as well as telling my primary presidency all the things I needed help with to cover. I knew it would all work out and it wasn't my fault but I still felt bad just handing off these big things last minute. I'm a 2 on the enneagram which means I'm AWFUL at asking for help. Like THE WORST. So this was a big deal for me to inconvenience basically everyone haha. Of course that's not how any of them saw it. They are angels and all were happy and ready to jump in and help with anything.

Tara told me Brooks was pretty confused when he woke up but was a trooper just going with the flow. The Escobars took B to church and for the rest of the day. Both Tara and the Escobars had early meetings and their own kiddos to juggle and I'm so incredibly thankful they made it work and went with the flow (and were late to some of their meetings, sorry!) They truly were some of my heros that day! Brooks was a little sad at church because I wasn't in Primary like usual but he had a blast playing with Addy all day.

My brand new presidency were my other heros that day. They got the info and ran with it. Julie came to my house, got all the things for well everything ha! and made it work. Her and Dawnielle told me not to worry, they got it and to focus on having a baby. It seriously made a huge difference to for me to relax and not worry about all the balls I was simultaneously dropping. They made it all happen and put on a wonderful event for all the kids getting baptized this year. I am so grateful for them and all they had to do that Sunday.

So once all that was taken care of and delegated we relaxed and just tried to get this baby here. Dan and I talked and bounced baby names back and forth. We had one that we both liked but were just making sure it was right. Good news was that my OB was actually working that day and we both had a good laugh when she remembered and said, "Wait, wasn't today the day he wasn't supposed to come?" Yes. I love my OB and I'm so happy the stars aligned that she was there to deliver! At this point my contractions were getting pretty painful and I was just waiting for a c-section to be finished to get my epidural.

Out of the whole birth process I was most nervous for the epidural this time. Last time it worked great but it was a PROCESS to get it in. The anesthetist was great but had the hardest time getting between my vertebrae. He had to use a lot of pressure and force to get it in and I think pinched a couple of nerves in the process. During recovery my back was so bruised and the pinched nerve in my ribs took away my breath for weeks and caused back pain for about 6 months. So going into it the second time I didn't know if I just had tight vertebrae or if it could go differently this time.

I almost cried tears of joy when everything went so smoothly. He had plenty of space in my back and and I only felt a tiny nerve pinch after the numbing shot. I felt extremely relieved and said many prayers of thanks after such a positive experience. After the epidural was in I think it was around 9 or 10, they checked my cervix and I was still at a 4. So we started some pictocin and the peanut ball which worked really well last time for us.

With the epidural in I was feeling so good. We did an hour on one side with the peanut ball, then flipped to the other side around 11am. Slowly I started feeling the contractions again especially in my lower back and hips. It was so achy and painful but this is exactly what happened when I had Brooks (and I suddenly dilated) so I was praying this was the same thing! All the sudden I felt pressure on my butt. It was different but very prominent so I called the nurse to tell her about my pain. She came in and checked me right before noon and I was at a 10! I was so happy that I could read my body this time and knew what was going on, it was time to have a baby!

With in 15 minutes everyone was in the room prepped and ready. We did a practice push and my OB said, yeah this isn't going to take long. This time the epidural still let me feel the pressure and when the contractions were coming which was an amazing difference from when I delivered Brooks. I knew when to push and was more in tune with my body, it was awesome! My OB said he was coming out face up, but looking up at them. Instead of seeing a crowning top of the head, they see these eyes looking at them haha! She was trying to get him to turn and then seconds before he was born he did a corkscrew, twisted around and came out normally. In about 3 or 4 contractions Carson Lewis Robison was born at 12:14pm! The other nurses in the room were saying how cool to see him turn and that they have never seen that before. Glad I provided an educational experience for them. I only pushed for around 10 or 15 minutes. I felt instant relief from all that pressure the second he was born. My first thought was, 'He's so little!' Brooks was a giant for me (8lbs 13oz).

They laid him right on me and he was quiet as they wiped him down and suctioned his mouth. Then we started crying and boy does this kid have lungs. He cried for a long time and wouldn't settle. I guess he was expressing his dislike for being born but I mean, he started this, not me! They delivered the placenta, then cleaned up. I got fewer stitches this time (only a 2nd degree) woohoo! They gave us over an hour to have skin to skin time and to get him to latch. When he did latch yikes it was strong!

After a quiet hour the nurse came in to measure him and administer vaccines. He was 7lbs 7oz and 20.25 in long. They wrapped him up nice and then it was Dan's turn to hold him. We held him and loved on him until my legs finally woke up from the epidural so I could walk, with some assistance, to the bathroom. We got cleaned up and transferred to the recovery room around 3pm. We ordered our celebration dinner for that night, loved on Carson a little more then Dan left to go get Brooks to meet him. Our photographer Karla Lewis came to do some Fresh 48 photos which are all these amazing photos you see here. She is wonderful and does a variety so check her out!

Karla took photos of just Carson, then me and Carson and she was there when Dan came in with Brooks and the pictures she got are just priceless! Having Brooks meet Carson was what every mom could hope for. Brooks was so excited, wanted to hold him and see every part of him. "Mama, he has a back? He has toes?!" It was genuinely one of my favorite and most special experiences of being a mom. Karla was amazing and I absolutely LOVE the shots she got. I absolutely recommend her to anyone who may be needing a photographer. Here's her website!  https://www.karlalewisphotography.com/  Once Karla left it was just the four of us so we ate dinner and spent some time together then Dan and Brooks went home to sleep. This was so good because those hospital bed/couch things are awful and so short for Dan. I'm so glad he and B were able to go home and sleep in their own beds. I was feeling so good that I could get up on my own, get Carson on my own so I was good! Plus I didn't feel bad for turning on the lights at 3am when I'm trying to nurse the baby.

My first night with Carson went well and just how I expected. We were up every hour or two feeding and changing diapers. I slept ok for it being a hospital, does anyone ever really sleep well there? Carson did have minor issues of breathing really nasally, having a lot of fluid build up and mild retractions sometimes while breathing. When my OB checked on my the next morning she said the fluid build up was to be expected because he was delivered so fast. That night they also took him for his first bath.

While I was eating breakfast the next morning the nurse took Carson to the pediatrician to double check his breathing. They said it was more his nasal passages, not his lungs, and it should resolve on it's own in a couple days. Brooks and Dan came to visit that morning and Brooks just loved seeing Carson again (and watching the hospital movies). We were really hoping to be discharged that day so we made our wish known and crossed our fingers Carson and I could go home.

After Brooks and Dan left everything was pretty quiet. Forms, hearing test for baby, pediatrician check, nurses checking both of us, feeding, diapering, napping. Compared to last time I was feeling so good that I was really itching to go home and sleep in my own bed! Once the 24hr mark hit since Carson was born they could start his testing to see if they could discharge us.

Brooks and Dan came back around 3, we waited for Carson to finish all his tests and he passed! We signed all the papers, submitted his official name and got our discharge papers! I think they were all on board with us leaving because apparently it was a crazy weekend with a lot of women having babies- I'm sure they needed the room. We only stayed at the hospital for about 36 hours and it was amazing. We broke out of there and headed home!

I owe a thousand thank yous to all our friends and church family that helped during this unexpected surprise! We've had so much support of people bringing meals (pure angels!), reaching out to us and helping us. We feel so loved and I can't say thank you enough. We are so happy and so in love with our new addition.