Details

Over a month later, I figure it's time for some details. This is as much for my remembering as for your entertainment (I'm sure), so here it is.

Early morning on September 29th, I was up with that "breathing" problem (more to come on the "breathing" thing). That's never any fun, but I finally made it to bed about 3. I woke back up about 6 with annoying cramping that would come and go about every 5 minutes, but there was no way I was getting out of bed. I was extremely determined to not get up until it was time to get ready for work. When it was that time, I got up, took a nice and long shower, got ready for work, ate breakfast and everything. By the time it was time to go, the pain hadn't stopped or become less frequent, so we decided we might as well go get it checked out. When we first got there I wasn't any more dilated than I had been 2 weeks before. I was only at about 1 1/2. We hung out in triage for an hour and a half with little dilation progress but the contractions were slowly getting stronger and were still about 5 min apart. The nice nurse lady asked if I would be okay if I went back home. I said something like "I guess I could manage going to work." I got a funny look and "Work?!" (with a big huge question mark). We proceeded to explain that we lived in Payson and that if I went home and then went into labor I wouldn't really have anyone to drive me up. She very promptly and decidedly said that I was staying. So stay we did.

So, after being admitted, given some pop-cycles and water with lots of the good kind of ice, TWO epidurals (yes 2! The guy messed up the first one. They had to come in and give me another one after the contractions got much worse. I was a little ticked about that, but at least the messed up one didn't do any damage.), getting hooked up to my antibiotics for Group B Strep, and just laying there in my lovely corner room delivery room, the nurse told me I should take a nap 'cause it could be a really long night. Well, I didn't have time for a nap. Shortly after she left my blood pressure decided to shoot through the roof. I'd been boarder line for preeclampsia off and on for a couple of months, but not bad until then. Suddenly I had a lot more attention. They added another line into my IV and gave me Magnesium-Sulfate. (The stuff is horrible. It makes you really hot and your vision do funny things. I guess it was worth it, but you don't want it!!!) At one point I remember there being 5 people in there working on me and a few trying to talk to me at a time.

After a couple hours of being hot and tired and contractions, all the people were back and it was baby time! I pushed for about 30 min and they called the doctor. He was out in the hall on an "on call" phone call. (Some lady that was 20 weeks was worried 'cause there was a lump on her tummy. :) The doctor told her that it was just the baby poking pushing to one side. She was freaking out, so he told her to come in if she was really worried. Not relevant, but I thought it was funny.) Anyways, darned doctor to FOREVER (about 5 min) to get his bumm in. They kept telling me not to push, to wait for him. Umm... EXCUSE ME!!! You tell me to push and to push and to push to get the baby out as far as possible, then you tell me to hold him in?! Right... The doctor finally made it in and our little Henry Nathan Butterfield was born a few min later at 8:43 p.m. He was 8 lbs 1 oz and19 1/2 in long

If you're really interested, Nate took video footage of Henry getting cleaned up and all of that jazz. I will mention that when they were cut the umbilical cord, it flipped up and sprayed the nurse in the face. Really kinda disgusting, but funny.

Here are just a few pictures of his first few weeks. Do not fear. We have a whole lot if you want more.

Teddy checking out the new toy the night we brought him home.

Henry wants to be a frog when he grows up.

Getting ready for his two week checkup.

Thoughtful baby asleep in his laundry basket bassinet.