I wanted to write down Lucas' birth story before I forgot the little details.
My pregnancy was amazing. I loved everything about being pregnant. Especially the ability to feel my little bundle moving. I really didn't have anything to complain about. I had a few days of being sick, but for the most part I was able to eat and keep everything down.
The whole month of August, I knew my baby boy could come early. The women in my family have a long history of having their babies 1 to 5 weeks early. It was the longest month for Chris. He couldn't wait for this baby to make his much anticipated arrival. I on the other hand still had so much to do. I had to train my replacement at work and every minute I had to train the less stress I would be while I was away. My plan was to work up to the very last moment of being pregnant, I didn't want to spend my maternity leave without a baby, but my boss had other plans. He didn't want me to work beyond August 24th, which was the end of my 38 weeks. I think he was worried that I would go into labor and he would have to take me to the hospital. He also thought that my replacement was ready.
At my doctor appointment at week 38, I had asked to get induced on Monday or Tuesday the following week, but he said he wouldn't due to the higher risk of having to have a C-section since this was my first baby. The reason we wanted to have him was because my mom already had that week off could be up with me for that week, Chris' mom grandma Betty was already in town because of Tracie having Preston only a few days earlier and finally we were officially taking over the business on Sept. 1st. That would give us time to adjust a little bit. But alas, he said if I hadn't had him by my due date of Sept 3 he would induce me the following day.
Well after what the dr said and what my boss said, I was expecting to spend my first maternity leave day without a baby and just waiting around, but baby Lucas had other plans. Monday morning, I woke up at 4 am, not feeling well. I thought I was having contractions but they were not very regular, so I didn't pay too much attention to them. By mid-morning Chris and I were running around town getting things ready for the business. We were out shopping for desks for the house and while we were doing this I was still having contractions. Still not any pattern to the contractions, but I still notified mom of what was going on. She just kept telling me to walk and take hot baths, I guess this is a sure way of throwing your body into labor. I already had taken hot baths and now I was walking all over town looking for desks, so I thought this baby was coming soon.
We finally went down to Pocatello to see if Costco would have a desk since we were not sure we wanted to go with the top contender in Idaho Falls. We didn't have anything better to do, so we decided to go down there and look. We took Betty with us and headed down. When we finally got to Pocatello, my contractions were about 30 minutes apart, this was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I called mom and she said to walk briskly while I was in Costco, so I did, and this caused my contractions to be about 15 minutes apart. We left Costco and went to Ashley Furniture and of course my contractions were regular but it didn't stop us from shopping. I would rather be doing something like this than sitting at home. Following our shopping, which we ended up with nothing, we decided to go get dinner and head back to Idaho Falls. I think the Mexican food we ate is what threw me into my 5 to 8 minute contractions.
When we got home, I decided to vacuum and make sure we had everything ready for the hospital. I tried to do my dishes since I didn't do them for a couple of days and there was quite a pile, but I could not stand in one place for too long. About this time my contractions were between 3 to 5 minutes and getting stronger. Chris wanted to go to the hospital but I was going by what the doctor told me, he didn't want to see me until I was having contractions every 2 minutes for 2 hours straight. About 11:30 pm my contractions were every 2 minutes and it was consistent for the past hour and a half, but I couldn't take it any longer. The contractions were coming fast and hard. So I told Chris it was time to go to the hospital.
Hospital here we come!
We arrived at the hospital at midnight. We had to go through the emergency entrance since the main doors were closed. It was the longest walk of my life. You would think it would be a short walk, but no, it was down several long hallways I had to walk. I refused to get into a wheelchair. Along the way to the maternity ward, I had several really strong contractions, but still refused the wheelchair.When they checked me after my arrival, I was dilated to 8 cm. Holy cow! At my appointment the week before I was only at 1 1/2, so the nurse told us that we would probably have the baby within the next couple of hours. I called mom and told her and she decided to stay in St. George until the morning since she wouldn't make the birth anyway. This bummed me out since I had always planned to have her with me in delivery. So it was just Chris, Betty, Grandma Bird and I.
Since I was already at an 8, I wasn't sure I wanted a epidural since I was already so close to delivery, well I thought I was close. The hospital was full with other women in labor and they figured I would be the first to delivery.
I spent the next several hours hoping to progress but nothing was happening. They put me on pit and still nothing. I would push, while the nurses checked me but his head would become visible and then as soon as I released it would go back up the birthing canal. He was stuck.
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| 4am and still no action. |
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| Boy, I look tired. |
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| Don't look quite as tired, but still tired. Being up for 24hrs straight was starting to show signs. |
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| Our faithful great-grandma, sticking with us all through the night. |
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| Just waiting on a baby to fill this bed. |
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| Watching for a contraction to start. |
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| Bracing myself. |
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| Big contraction with the doctor monitoring my progress. |
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| Another contraction, but still no baby. |
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| Waiting patiently.
It was well into the next morning. We kept thinking he was going to eventually come, but he stayed put in his nice warm home for the past 9 months. All of the mothers that had been in labor when I came in, who the nurses thought I would have my baby long before them, had their babies already. Lucas was not wanting to come. By this time my epidural (remember the one that I wasn't sure if I needed) had worn off and I was showing signs of intolerance to it. I could feel everything and my legs were breaking out in hives and very itchy. I was miserable. Pregnancy had been so easy for me and I has hoping to have an easy delivery since I walked into the hospital so close, but this wasn't going to be the case.
After several hours of no progress with multiple tries of hard, hard pushing, the doctor was beginning to think Lucas was stuck in my pelvis or that his umbilical cord was too short to allow him to be born. The doctor was looking in to other alternatives, like emergency C-section. Thankfully, being in a LDS community, I asked that he (knowing that he was LDS) and Chris would give me a blessing to know what was needed to bring Lukie here safely. When the prayer was finished, he decided to do the C-section. But he was very worried that because I was still feeling my lower section, even with the 2nd epidural, I would have to be completely knocked out. This was the worst news for me. I wanted to be awake and aware of this whole delivery. I waited way to long to miss it. So I asked as they were wheeling me out to the operating room to have a family prayer so I would be able to stay awake and that I wouldn't be able to feel anything when they started the C-section. We didn't want any complications.
About 1:00 pm on Tuesday they wheeled me back to the operating room. This is where they prepped me on the gurney. I was awake but feeling completely not like myself. I felt like I was drunk and oh so tired, I didn't think I would stay awake.
Chris waiting patiently as they prepped for our emergency C-section.
(Doesn't he look good in scrubs. He would have made a great dr.)  Our support team. They were up with as all through the night 
Grandma Bird, Chris and Tracie
(I don't know how she was there with a brand new baby, she was probably exhausted)
He's Here!
Finally around 1:40, they had everything in place and begun the procedure. Chris was in the room with me, taking video. I was awake on the table feeling every bump and pull, but nothing hurt, just a lot of pressure. Finally after 30 plus hours of having contractions and 14 hours of hard labor, at 1:48pm Lucas Clark Orval Avery was born. He was here!
I was awake to hear his first cries, Chris was able to see him emerge from me. We finally had the answer to way I wasn't able to have him naturally. He was huge...... 10lbs 2oz and 22 1/2 inches long. We didn't get a new born, we got a toddler, a linebacker.
While Chris was in with Lucas being washed up, they stitched me up and put me in recovery. I was so looped out from all of the drugs that I just remember them bringing him to me. I do remember slurring my words and it freaked me out to not have any control of my body, especially now when I so wanted to hold him and stare into his beautiful eyes.
Daddy got to spend a good amount of time with him while Mommy was still in surgery.
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We finally meet and snuggle!
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| Finally here. Momma gets to snuggle in with you. I waited oh so long for this moment. |
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Look at those cheeks and that hair. Totally was not expecting him to have so much hair and especially not that dark..JPG) First Bath given by Grandma Doll
Mom arrived at the hospital about an hour after the birth of Lucas. She thought that she didn't have a chance to be there when she heard I was at an 8 when I walked through the hospital doors. She felt so bad that she missed it, but I was glad she didn't leave in the middle of the night. I would much rather have had her be safe then risk anything.
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Just some of the many visitors
I don't know why I don't have pictures of all of your visitors. I feel like I failed in this aspect. But here is a list of who came to see you. Grandma Cornwell, Aunt Maggie and Hayden, Uncle John and Aunt Tracie along with Bruklin, Johnnie, Taryn. Grandma Betty and Grandpa Darwin, Grandpa Avery and Grandma Cheryl, Uncle Chuck and almost Aunt Meagan, Uncle Alex, Grandma Bird, cousins Brandon and Ben Bird and Aunt Valerie Andrus...
Aunt Val was just as anxious as I was to meet this little guy.
Grandpa Darwin
Uncle Alex loved him from first sight.
Going Home!
We brought a little velour outfit with a puppy on it to bring you home in, but since he was so big and it was a newborn size, we had to send Daddy home for something a little bigger. Lucas blew right past the newborn sizes and went into 0-3month. Good thing I just had bought a few newborn gowns, not a whole lot of newborn clothes knowing he would be in sleeper gowns most of the time.
Grandma showing of Lucas in his too small newborn outfit.
Chris picked out the cutest little outfit. It was a little red onsie that said "so cute" with little levi's (I love seeing babies in jeans, I think it is the cutest look),with a pair of socks that had red and blue stripes. Lucas looked adorable, but I think he will look adorable in even a gunny sack.
As Chris drove us home, we went past the area that we were in our horrible accident 9 months earlier and I got a very emotional and a distinct feeling, I knew that Lucas was with us at the time of the accident, he was protecting us from what could have been a much worse accident. He was our guardian angel that day. I am so grateful for this knowledge and so grateful that our Heavenly Father trusted Chris and I with this special spirit and person. We have a true knowledge of knowing that our Father does hear and answers our prayers. It might not be on our timeline but he does.
When we were struggling with infertility, I was at one time really down and wanted to be comforted and gain knowledge that what we were going through was going to help us become better people, that it was not all in vain and we would someday be blessed with a child. I opened up my scriptures to a random place and started to read. It was Alma 38: 5. It reads:
I would that ye should remember,
that as much as ye shall put your
trust in God even so much ye shall
be delivered out of your trials, and
your troubles, and your afflictions,
and ye shall be lifted up.
I know with a 100% surety, that this scripture was placed in front of me at the time to give me comfort that our Savior knew what Chris and I were going through and He promised that we would be relieved of them. It might not have been in this lifetime but it would happen, and it did. I was given a beautiful family with Chris and now baby Lucas. We witnessed many miracles this day. Multiple Prayers were answered....
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