Max Dee Lowder

For two months now we have enjoyed every minute of having our lovable little max in our lives and in our home. He came on Friday the 21st of October at 2:05 A. M.  Thursday made for quite the adventurous night. But maybe I should go back a bit since I have been terrible about recording anything about this pregnancy at all. This one has been very different than my fist pregnancy, not so mention a little bit harder on me. I was more sick for longer at the beginning. Instead of the morning sickness going away seemingly the day my second trimester started, this time it lasted a few weeks into the second trimester. And soon after that began the Braxton hicks contractions and pelvic pain that I never experienced with my first. With Adilyn I only started to dilate after my water broke but this time I had been dilated for at least a week before little man came. Which brings me to the night of Thursday the 20th at 6 P. M. We had dinner in the oven and 4 loads of laundry that needed to be folded including our bedding. It had been a busy and normal day here with chores and extra kiddos running around the house. I sat down because I was having a contraction and Adilyn decided that was the perfect time to climb on me. As her knee poked my belly I felt what seemed like a ballon popping inside of me and immediately felt fluid start to gush then drip out of me. I stood up quickly and told Caleb I thought my water just broke. I waddled to the bathroom to clean myself up and there was already blood coming out with the fluids. (Sorry for the overshare and the visual). When it continued to leak out of me I knew for sure that it was time. After the last experience of waiting for Adilyn in the hospital for like nine hours I wanted to wait a little before we went to the hospital and try to labor at home. So I calmly took a shower and put on my makeup on and pack the few things I hadn't yet. Caleb in the other hand was running around the house franticly grabbing things and packing the car and getting things ready. My contractions had kicked in but I still felt like we could take our time. I started to feel like I couldn't walk very easily, like there was something between my legs and that's when I started to agree with Caleb that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get in the road, considering we still needed to drop Adilyn off at his parents house which added some time to our already considerably long drive to the hospital. The drive to the hospital to deliver Adilyn was not fun at all feeling those painful contractions but this one was more mild. In fact my contractions seemed to slow down from about 4 minutes apart to more like 6 or 7. When we arrived at about 9:00, I was still loosing a considerable amount of fluid and was so grateful to be there. However when we arrived we were taken to our room and were told our nurse would be in shortly. She popped her head in long enough to say she had to leave to deliver a baby and we were left alone again. Before she left she asked me when I wanted my epidural and I assured her I could wait a bit and tough it out. When the nurse finally came back it had been about an hour after we arrived and by then my contractions we already considerably more painful and close together then when we arrived. I told her as soon as she could get me that epidural it would be appreciated. The anesthesiologist shortly arrived and we got started. At this point my contractions were about 2 minutes or less apart and more painful than I had experienced ever before adding to that the severe anxiety I have when getting an epidural I tried my best not to have a panic attack and hold still even through the pain. After what seemed like way too long he was finally done and preforming tests so make sure it was in the correct spot. It wasn't. He informed me that he was taking that one out and starting all over! I was less than amused. Sidebar: I have failed to mention that the BYU vs Boise State game was on and my husband was lucky enough to have something to distract him from the painful hand squeezing and everything that was going on. Although it was, from what I hear, a pretty good game, he still was right next to me helping me through the worst of it the whole time. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to help me so he might as well be watching the game. I think the some of the nurses and the anesthesiologist were grateful we had it on in our room. In fact after installment epidural number two the anesthesiologist sat down and watched it while waiting for this one to kick in. It didn't. We waited and waited. He kept asking "how about now?" He injected me with two syringes full of pain meds into the port in my shoulder that ran down my back and into the catheter in my back. Nothing. He pushed the booster button on the drip. Still nothing. Not sure where all do that medicine they pumped into me went. And, you guessed it, the contractions were getting even more painful and even closer together. Before attempt number three the nurses checked me to make sure I wasn't too far along to attempt number three. I was about a 4 so I had time. So yet another go at getting the epidural in finally did the trick. For half of my body. My left half was completely numb leaving my right side to still feel everything! The nurses rolled me onto my right side in hopes that would coax the medication to flow to my right side. This was when the anesthesiologists shift ended. Eventually a new guy came in and yet another syringe full of pain meds went into the port and down my back. Which is cold, by the way. And a few minutes later I finally was numb on both sides. Hooray! So thinking we had plenty of time to settle in for the night, it was after midnight at this time three hours after we arrived, we turned the light off, the game was over and we thought we would try to sleep. I think we both dosed off a few times. While laying there I was listening on the monitor to my little ones heart beat and I noticed that every time I had a contraction his heartbeat got slower. Soon the nurse came in and said she noticed the same thing on the monitor at the nurses desk and thought she'd come to check on me before she took her lunch break. And to our suprise I was dilated to 10! And ready to go. We called the doc and he was there within 10 minutes and I was pushing. I pushed through 6 or 7 contractions and he was here! 6 lbs 3 oz 20 inches long and so adorable. It's hard to put into words the feelings over overwhelming joy that sweeps over you when you see your baby for the first time. Only another parent would understand the joy. Of course all the pain was worth it. I basically felt all of labor and got the medication to work within an hour of delivering. And I have to say that although I admire any woman who can make it through the whole thing pain med free, it's not for me. I was so grateful to have the medication for the worst part of it. However if our children keep coming faster and faster I might not have time for medication in the future. From the time my water broke to when Adilyn was born was 16 hours. Max was 8. If we keep this trend our next one (assuming there will be a next one) will be only 4! Wow. 

Having max in our home has been an adjustment but so much fun. He is already two months old! He is starting to smile and hold his head up very well. He was such a skinny scrawny little guy when he was born but is now outing some fat on his limbs. He's got these cute little chubby legs. His big sister loves him, a little too hard sometimes, she ingnores him most of the time but is right next to him whenever he cries. He looks like his daddy with a little of my moms dad and my brother mixed in. He is so handsome and I just love him so much. I'm so glad to be his mom and can't wait for the rest of his life so I can enjoy every minute.