It's Go Time!

So. I left you knowing it was Day 47 and with Dr. Johnny Boy saying that it was finally time to have a baby. 

The plan was set. (and I do love a good plan. I love pretending I will follow a good plan. But we all know I don't always do well following a good plan.) Here's the way it was presented to me: I would be moved down to Labor and Delivery (from here on out, I will shorten this to L&D) in the evening to get settled and in the wee hours of the next morning, my nurse would get me up to shower. Then, they would start my induction. That way, by the time Dr. Johnny Boy got to the hospital, I would likely be ready for him to do his job. All would be great. 

My job was simple. I was to call Lee Cave and my parents. I had told my mother that she could be in the delivery room while I delivered this bouncing baby boy. I needed to call her so that she could get to preparing for the occasion. But who am I kidding? She was already prepared. She just needed to know what time to show up. I am certain that her little bags were packed with whatever she thought not only anyone in our room might need, but also anyone on the L&D floor might need. Heck, even anyone in the cardiac cath unit might need. She was probably overly prepared and had been that way for months. She would get Tatum all taken care of. Now, I just needed to wait. 

I was moved down to L&D after my delicious dinner of rubber chicken and pasty potatoes. I knew God was in the details when my nurse came in, and it was my friend Kim from college! She was a sight for sore (and nervous!) eyes. Campbell coming so early had me nervous, as any mother would be, and knowing that he and I both were in good hands of a good friend eased some of those worries. 

Kim got Lee and I set up in my L&D room, and she introduced us to someone I shall refer to as Nurse Sassy Pants from here on out. She would be my nurse while Kim went to eat. This would be no problem because nothing was scheduled to happen until the wee morning, remember? 

Lee and a friend went to watch a baseball game in the other room while I nervously watched something in my L&D room. Nurse Sassy Pants checked in on me a few times, and all was fine. 

After the game, Lee came down. We decided to get some sleep. Well, that was when my stomach decided it was time to hurt. When I informed Nurse Sassy Pants of this, she asked, "Do you have to poop?" 

To which I responded, "Ummmm...... I don't think so." *questioning myself as to why I wouldn't know if I had to poop or not* 

Which led her to say, "Let me get you some Tylenol." She could've left it at that. But, you guessed it, she didn't. She spoke more. 

THEN SHE SAID, "Well, if this is bothering you tonight, you won't be able to handle tomorrow." 

I have no idea what I said. I have no idea what Lee said. I know what I wanted to say. 

Let's all pause here so we can all think on that for a minute.... 

I took the Tylenol and she left. We weren't mad about that. 

Fifteen minutes later, Lee noticed I was beginning to breathe differently. He got up to open the door, and there was my friend, Kim. No more Nurse Sassy Pants. Kim was here to the rescue. 

Lee looked at her and said, "She may need you." 

In the meantime, I felt like I had gas, and out Campbell came. En caul. In the bed. 

(An en caul birth is when the baby comes out still inside an intact amniotic sac, aka caul.) 

Lee nor Kim knew this had happened because they were still at the door conversing. Finally Kim came to see what was wrong, and I guess she saw my face or I was crying. Whatever she saw made her say, "Don't push!" 

All that was left for me to say was, "Oops!" 

She threw the cover back, said a few less than family friendly words, and began hitting the call button on the bed. Within minutes, my room was filled with people, Campbell was busted out of his warm and cozy little bubble, and all of the people whisked him away. 

I never saw him. Lee saw him in his warm and cozy bubble, then he was gone! The doctor came in and took care of me, and I called my mom saying, "Oops, you missed it." 

That didn't stop her and my dad from rushing to the hospital, and once I was cleaned up, they were prepping me to be taken around to the NICU. Dr. White had already come and talked to us about what to expect with Campbell's health. With such an early and rapid birth, we would have a tough road ahead of us, but right now the main concern was to make it through the night. So I needed to go see my tiny baby boy! 

As I was rolled around to the NICU, we had to cruise right by the L&D Nurses station. I locked eyes with nurse Sassy Pants and took a breath to speak and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It could have been Lee Cave or it could have been God himself telling me to keep my words to myself. But my face didn't understand the assignment. Nurse Sassy Pants knew by my facial expression that I did not, in fact, have to poop but thanks for asking. Also, your little Tylenol didn't help much but thank you. 

Campbell's stay in the NICU could be a book in itself. He stayed about 8 weeks and as many NICU babies do, he took many steps forward and as many or more backwards. The doctors and nurses that cared for him were amazing. You know how his story turned out so we don't have to go over the details.

We give total praise and credit to God for how healthy Campbell Cave is today. He certainly had to work very hard for the first three years of his life. His life is not completely without challenges today, but it also certainly isn't how it was suggested to turn out that night of his birth (a positive outcome was not necessarily suggested). We have been so blessed with Campbell Cave in our lives from the crazy pregnancy to the wild birth to the anything but normal first few years of life. 

So, here Lee Cave and I are. Young(ish) and married with two Cave-lings in tow. Some might think, "Wow, that was a crazy pregnancy and birth. Surely that is the craziest thing to happen!" 

And, well, let me just assure you all that things did not just magically and suddenly become boring. The excitement of the unexpected and, at times, unbelievable twist and turns just kept coming. You know that saying, "Life is a rollercoaster bla bla bla"? Well. I'm here to tell you, in the case of the Caves, it's more like an unending ride on The Terror of Tower. Were we about to go up or down? Would we laugh or cry? Would we have a second to breathe or would we be using the last of our breath screaming for our lives? Your guess was as good as ours! 

And it started a week into Campbell's stay in the NICU. What happened, you ask? Well, you'll just have to come back next week to read all about it. 

As always, please let me know that you visited. After next week, things will get even more crazy! If they can even do that! 

Thanks for following along! 

Baby Campbell in his isolette and the famous nurse/friend Kim!