Introducing Ethan Leigh Pierce

I have had quite a few people ask me about Ethan's birth story, so I figured I would put it in a note so everyone who wanted to see it could... Anyways my story started on Thursday night (1/12/12) around 7:30pm. Guy, Ben and I were on our way to eat at the Yard House when I started to feel some painful contractions. They weren't that bad at first, but half way through dinner I started having to really concentrate to get through them. We had planned on walking around the mall after dinner (to help bring labor on), but my contractions were too painful so we just went home. I wasn't convinced I was in labor yet so we decided to watch a movie. After the movie my contractions were still coming about every five minutes so I decided to call the on-call doc. They wanted me to come in to get checked. This was about 12 am on Friday morning, we dropped Ben off at my mother-in-laws and headed to the hospital. When I got there they hooked me up to the monitors my contractions had gotten irregular and were about 7 mins apart and I was only 2cm and 70% effaced. They were going to let me labor for a couple of hours and check me again to see if I was making any progress. She told me that they would put me back on the monitor for 15 mins and after 15 mins would check me. Well in the 1 hour and 30 minutes (not two hours) that they did let me labor, my contractions were regulating and were five minutes apart. When the nurse came in I specifically told her that my contractions had gotten regular at five minutes apart last about 45-60 secs. She NEVER put me back on the monitor like she she said she would, she just said "oh ok well lets just check you and see if you have changed at all". She checked me and I was I was still the same no change at all. She said "well ok I will go get your discharge papers". I was extremely frustrated at this point, because these contractions HURT! She didn't give me the full two hours like she said she was going to, and she also never put me back on the monitors like she said she was going to do. (Let me add that with Ben when I was in the first stages of labor it took me 8 1/2 hours to go from 1/2-1 1/2 cm) The nurse came to give me discharge papers, and this is when I started to doubt myself. The nurse made me feel like a complete idiot. She told me that this was just "Prodromal labor" and that this can go on for days, I just needed to go home and wait it out, and don't come back till you can't breath through the contractions and they are five minutes apart for at least two hours. Great well, I already couldn't breath through them so I must just be an idiot who didn't know the difference between false and real labor. The entire time she was telling me this she had a very sarcastic tone, she actually seemed annoyed with me because I was a second time mom. Didn't I remember any of this? blah... Anyways we got home around 430 am, the contractions were still present, they hadn't gotten any worse though. I tried to sleep but couldn't because these "false" contractions were painful as hell. Guy went off to work, and I was so frustrated because I was exhausted, still having "false" contractions, and now I had to try and take care of Ben all day. Again, the nurse had me convinced that I was just an idiot and that I wasn't in labor so I didn't even think twice about calling anyone to come help me with Ben. Ben finally went down for a nap around two, I was so happy because I was going to try and nap too. Ha ha this is when I should have listened to my body and not some bitchy nurse. My contactions were still about five minutes apart, but now they were starting to last about 1:15-1:30 long. The night before the nurse told me not to come in again till my contractions were 5 mins apart for more then two hours (well they had been 5 mins apart (except for when I first go there) for about six hours when she told me that...) I wanted to go back in to get checked but again, that damn nurse had me convinced that this wasn't real labor. I text Guy at two and tell him that the contractions are starting to hurt more, but that I don't know if I should go in or not yet. For all I knew it was all just in my mind because I had been having them for over 20 hours at that point. Four comes around and now they are about 3-4 mins apart lasting 1:30. I call Guy tell him he needs to come home because I can barely move they hurt so bad. He leaves and when five hits I was completely terrified. I had been crying so hysterically because I was in so much pain, that I woke Ben up. The contractions were coming fast and hard now about two mins apart lasting 1:30, Ben was freaking out because I was crying, I didn't know what to do. I went to the bathroom and there was BRIGHT red blood, I started to panic. I remember when I was in labor with Ben that when the nurse checked me and saw bright red blood that I was 7cm dilated. Guy still wasn't home and I was starting to panic. I was either going to call 911 or my friend Karlee. I made the decision to call Karlee first because she was close and could be here in ten minutes or so, I was hysterical when she answered crying I told her that she needed to come get Ben, she told me that she was on her way and that everything was going to be ok. I was so relieved when Guy got home it was about 6:10ish (I think), but still completely terrified, because I now had TONS of pressure in pelvic region. Karlee showed up five minutes after Guy, got Ben, and we were off. I seriously thought I was going to die, that was the longest car ride of my entire life. We finally get to the hospital, Guy wheels me up. They get me into a room and at this point I am SCREAMING for an epidural! I wanted to go natural so badly, but I was exhausted and the pain was so intense that I completely caved. Guy kept asking me "are you sure? I know you really wanted to go natural" I told him no that I needed it. I am so lucky to have him he was so supportive of my last minute decision. They had to check me first before they could give me the epidural. I was 8cm, 100% effaced and Ethan was at +1 station. The first thing I asked (ok screamed) was "Can I still get the epdiural?!". The nurse said yes you can, but she also said that if they were to break my water labor would move very quickly, he would be out in minutes and the pain would go away. Guy again asked me if I was sure about the epidural and I said yes that I was sure. They started an IV and five minutes later the anesthisologist came in, ten minutes later the epidural was in. Once the epi was in they gave the epi five minutes to start working. I called my sister and got her on Skype. My mom, Gina, and Cayla were all on there way and I was hoping that the time it took to get me the epi was going to be enough time so they could all make it. Then the doc came in and broke my water. The next contraction sent me to 10cm! The doc got dressed, and two pushes later my sweet little Ethan was here at 7:56pm. Weighing 6lbs 11.4oz and 19 inches long!



Gina walked in right as I was starting the second push. Unfortunately Cayla missed it, only by a few minutes too, because she said that when she pulled into the parking lot her clock said 7:56 :(. My mom missed it as well she too was pulling into the parking lot as he was being born. This killed me the most! My mom had missed Ben's labor too because she was at the airport going out of town. It kills me that she missed it when she was in town. All because I let someone get to me so much that I doubted myself. I will forever regret NOT listening to my body, if I had, everyone who I really wanted to be there would have. I am however very thankful that I had such a smooth delivery, and that Ethan had no problems with his blood sugar. I am also thankful that I was able to keep my Gestational Diabetes under such great control that he was not a big baby at all. In fact I carried him a week and four days longer then I did with Ben, and he was smaller then Ben was. My biggest overall lesson that I learned from all of this is to ALWAYS trust your body! You know your body better than anyone else does.

Ethan, Mommy, and Daddy


Daddy, Ethan, and Big Brother Ben


Daddy and Ethan