This is Why C-Sections are Better...

This is Kayla and Mandy has not approved this message...

We got a text from Mandy at 7am Tuesday May 11th saying her water broke. A few hours later she told Brittany she should be having him that afternoon since she was dialated to a 2 and starting pitocin. (Not sure why she thought that but preggo people...just plan for 18 hours!! That way you are prepared! Even if you are progressing fast at the beginning and even if the doctors say it should be quick. They are trying to be encouraging and don't realize they are getting your hopes up and will soon be resented and maybe even hated a few hours later. So yes. Plan for 18 hours.) So here she was looking happy when we got there around 2:30pm...Zac was all excited in this picture!

The doctor came when Mandy was dialated to a 4 saying he was called into an emergency c-section. He cut her pitocin off a ton so she wouldn't have it when he was away...then there was another c-secion as well...

This is all we did until around 7pm....stare at her contractions on this computer screen... Hers and the other girls next to her. When one would turn off we'd talk about how she probably went to the bathroom. When it totally went away, we would walk by her room to see if she had the baby. One time we saw one being wheeled away to the c-section. I wonder if she knew she was causing us to wait even longer. I guess there is only 1 doctor per six rooms.

Oh and we ate coffee cake my mom made. Brittany is off sweets this month and so was I...but she's much stronger than me...

The kids were going to start throwing up if they ate anymore cake, starbursts or M&M's, so we busted out pbskids.org... In my excitment, I forgot leapsters, coloring books, healthy snacks, etc.

I just drove off to Arkansas! Crazy me.

Finally around 7pm someone checked her again and there was no more progress. When they dropped the pitocin way down progression ceased. (The doctor did not realize we were on a time crunch.) The nurse said her blood pressure was up a little and Zac started panic mode. Wait, that mode started as soon as Avery and Zane walked in the door (Just so I can make fun of him later. If one of the kids got too close to the bed, he would tell them to move. I guess he thought Mandy was a frail old lady standing on a balance beam that would fall to her death if bumped)...It was just much more intensified...so we left and went to eat at Olive Garden while they upped her pitocin again. At around 9pm, she was at a 7 so we killed more time and went to their house to rest for a little while. At 10 she was at an 8 and at 11 she hadn't been checked yet but we thought we should get back up there again. Avery had fallen asleep at Mandy's and stayed asleep in the waiting room...Zane was bouncing off the walls at Mandy's but was starting to tucker out in the waiting room...Mandy was checked and she was ready!! I think it was around 11:30!! I got to rub her legs and hold them back while she pushed...wow my back was killing me after 30 mins...So Brittany and I switched places...

She finally had the baby at 1:18am May 12!! We used all of her camera's to take pics and video...so I have no pictures of baby yet. I must say, when he came out he was very purple blue and looked a little scary. I was a little worried and didn't know if that was normal. It didn't help when he said he would be putting baby on mommy but then quickly said he was going to the nurse first...after a few seconds with the nurse, we heard a cry! Yay!!! His color changed immediately and he looked like a precious little baby!! He was having trouble getting oxygen so they put a tube down his throat and sucked out a lot of greenish brown fluids (he had taken care of buisness inside of Mandy). We were able to get a picture of Zac holding the baby real fast and then he was taken to nursery. I didn't get to hold my little nephew, so I held my own...

but he was getting very heavy, so I put him down. Avery was awake and saw Mason in the nursery but then she fell back asleep as well... By 2:30am, we needed to get back home and so we made the 3 hour long drive back home. Man, it was a long 3 hours. Mason had to stay in the nursery until 4:30am when he was able to nurse. Around 7am they had to take him back after turning blue again. Mandy then passed out while trying to take a shower. They were going on not much food and no sleep. She was fine, and at 1pm Mason was still having trouble figuring out how to breathe on his own and Mandy and Zac were very anxious to hold their baby. It had been 31 hours of no sleep, and a hard and exhausting labor. Mandy got some rest and they were able to nurse again that evening. I'm anxiously awaiting to see how everything is going now and if Mason is strong enough to go home yet.

Update- I was called right after I posted this and was told Mandy was able to leave today, but she is going to stay one more night since Mason has to be on IV antibiotics for one more day. He is off of his oxygen monitor and is doing well. They will go home tomorrow sometime!!

He was 8 pounds 1 oz with a big head and 21 inches long! The normal size head for a newborn is about 31 cm. Mason's head is 35cm! (When you picture an episiotomy, do you think of a little scalpul and a small cut? Oh NO, it's big scissors he just chopped down. I may threw up a tiny coffee cake.) Can't wait to hold him!!