Welcome TUCKER!!!

As we pulled into the parking deck at 5:00pm at the Women and Infants Hospital I had many different emotions rushing through me. Feelings of excitement, nervousness, anxiousness and joy all at the same time. All my pregnancies and deliveries have been very easy, but each time, I am always a little nervous, especially when I’m scheduled to come in. With Cori I was 5 days late and just tired of waiting so I went in and they kept me at 4cm. But, with both Finley and Tucker, we scheduled an induction since I had been hanging out at 4 cm for a week or two. It’s just a different feeling walking in with no pain deciding that today is the day we will have a baby. And, walking into the hospital with Tucker, I was extremely tired!!! I had tried to squeeze in every last little thing I could before having him and was up late every night getting things done and ready. But as we got settled into triage so they could check me and see where I was at, I felt extremely at peace, ready to have baby #3.

In triage I was still 4cm dilated and having contractions infrequently. It would be 9 minutes, then 15, then 9, then 20, then 8. Finally they checked me into a room and started Pitocin. About 30 minutes later I got my epidural and everything was going smoothly until I started feeling a bit faint. The anesthesiologist was still standing behind me finishing up the epidural when all the sudden I said, “I think I’m going to pass out.” Dave said I was looking extremely pale and they had me lay down on my side and put me on oxygen. My heart rate had dropped a little and so did Tuckers. The anesthesiologist finished up the epidural with me laying down and the nurse then decided to monitor me for another hour, while on oxygen, to make sure everything was okay with baby. They also stopped the pit drip so labor would slow down a bit. Each time I had a contraction Tuckers heart rate would drop a little and they wanted to make sure he wasn’t in a whole lot of stress before delivery. It was a quiet hour of watching the monitor. Even Dave was watching it a little more intently than normal, which made me slightly uneasy, but I figured if it was really serious they would be doing more than just watching. Finally, our heart rates evened out, we started the pit drip again and the doctor broke my water around 8:30pm. Whew!

After they broke my water, the nurse, Dave, and I all made some bets on when Tucker would arrive. I was 6cm at that point. I normally dilate from 7-10 rather quickly so Dave said he thought Tucker would arrive at 9:05, I said 9:45, and our nurse said 10:30. We waited and waited. I talked to a few dear friends of mine on the phone and eventually the 9:45 marker past. I was actually disappointed. I asked her to check me again and when she said only 7cm I was shocked and a little mad. I know that sounds so lame, but I just expected it to go faster than that! Wow, am I impatient! Around 10:15 I was talking on the phone to my sweet friend Lacy. We were talking about Rally that day and how labor was going, etc. I was in no pain at all. Granted I had an epidural, but still! At 10:30 the doctor came in and I told Lacy I’d call her back. We made small talk with our doctor as she sat at the foot of my bed. I was telling her that I didn’t expect it to take this long, etc. Then all of the sudden I started getting VERY uncomfortable. I upped my epidural and told my doctor that I thought she should check me. She checked and sure enough I was 10cm and the baby was on his way!! She very quickly got herself ready and got my body in position. The contraction came, I pushed 3 times and out popped sweet Tucker. It was very different than it was with the girls. I very distinctly remember the “crown of fire” as they like to call it with Cori and Finley when their heads were crowning. When Tucker came out it was so smooth and easy. There was no crown of fire! He was a few ounces smaller than the girls, but it really felt so much better!! As soon as he was born the doctor gave him to me to hold. My heart literally melted. He was just the sweetest thing in the world. It’s amazing how with each baby born, I love them more than life itself. Child birth is just incredible like that!

Tucker David Smith ~ born at 10:42pm on January 12, 2013. 7 lbs 2 ounces. 19 1/4 in.

I got to hold him for such a long time before they took him to weigh him, measure him, and give him a bath. They were such sweet moments. There is something so incredible about having a son and the strong connection/bond I felt with him right away. I definitely feel connected to my girls too, but it’s a little different with a boy. I had heard people say that before, but never really understood until I felt it too.

The next day, Dave went home to pick up the girls so they could come meet their brother. They were SO excited about Tucker’s arrival, especially Cori. She was the proudest big sister when she came into the room to meet him and all she wanted to do was hold him! Finley brought her own little baby to hold too. They were just the sweetest!!

The whole experience of having a third baby was wonderful! I honestly LOVE having three kiddos and feel so incredibly blessed. God has given us more than we could ever ask or imagine!!!