Pre-Dylan

Saturday, January 17..Big Day..Alyssa's mom, Dee is arriving at 12:30 and we need to grocery shop and a few other task while in Montrose. We also have an appointment with Janet(mid-wife) at 3pm. Leave for Montrose at 9:30 am(alyssa has been having contractions since 4 am. Thank you cheeseburger from Fat Alley restaurant) they have been irregular and some strong some weak). Arrive montrose and grocery shop before pickign up Dee. Gramma Dee "Nana" arrives and pick her up..back to telluride for mid-wfie appointment. Meet with Janet and alyssa is 2 cnetimeters dialated and tells us to be ready for anything. Dinner at our favorite mexican joint in town, Emilios for Margarita's and enchiladas(tamales for me). Alyssa is continuing to have contractions during dinner, witnessed by her bending over and making faces...Margarita's-1 Alyssa - 0...after dinner go home to relax and see how alyssa is doing...put in the movie Mama Mia and don't even make it through the movie as contractions strengthen and become more regular, although not enough to warrant going to hospital in grand junction(which by the way is 2 1/2 hours away)...alyssa is still not ready to go to hospital and tells me to try and get some sleep as I am the one driving if we go in the middle of the night...in bed at 10:20 and asleep at 10:20:20sec...alyssa wakes me up at 11pm with contractions now 6 minutes apart...car is loaded and we are on the road at 11:30 pm headed for grand junction...roads are clear and it is late at night and virtually no traffic on the road, although there are quite a few elk and deer between telluride and montrose...i fiigure we can play the labor card if pulled over so i drive like i stole the car and we make to grand junction st. mary's hopital in record time...2 hours flat...(Alyssa, due to her contractions strengthening mentioned pulling over in montrose and going to their hospital...thank you eric i said no we are going to grand junction)....again we arrive in record time to hospital...there is much rejoicing and cheer for my driving abilities...arrive at emergency #4 at hospital, as we were instructed and even previously toured exactly where to go..except this time nohting looks the same at 2:30 AM...go through the doors we turn left...turn right..take elevator to wrong floor...take elevator back down..."i know it's around here somewhere"... after several nervous minutes we finally found Labor and Delivery...check in(fortunatley no one else is there) we are lucky enough to get room #7...for those not in the know, room #7 at St. Mary's labor and delivery has taken on mythic proportions...anyone who is anyone should have room #7...vitrually the same as all the others, except there is a hot tub in the bathroom(we will soon discover how important that little hot tub will become)...Alyssa at 3am is now at 5 centimeters and progressing quickly...we are a little concerned because the mid-wife on call is annie, not janet, whom we have been working with for the entire pregnancy...turns out to be a blessing in disguise as annie is exactly what alyssa needed...our birth plan(make that alyssa's birthplan) is to have litte to no intervention and have a natural birth...annie used to work at a birthing center in vermont and has delivered over 1,000 babie with little to no intervention...be careful what you wish/ask for because annie was prepared to do it....annie is called in and arrives at approximatley 5am...alyssa is at 7 centimetes now and back and forth into the hot tub and contractions are stonger and stronger and closer and closer....annie counsels us on breaking her water and "speeding" things up..with alyssa this far along there really is no down side, so, the water is "broken" and we wait....and wait....and wait....at 8am alyssa is 10 centimeters and it is "go time"...with dee and myself as her labor partners we begin the "pushing" phase... 2 1/2 hours later and can see the top of his head, but he won't get past the pelvic bone...alyssa is spent and can't push anymore...it is now 11 am and none of us have slept or ate....annie recommends as some rest...alyssa received pitosin and an epidural in hopes of passive descent...1 am annie comes back in to check on alyssa and baby has not dropped anymore...decide to push some more and see how that goes...alyssa pushes for another 1 1/2 hours and still the baby won't pass the pelvic bone...annie recommends a consult from dr. noriega regarding a c-section...the fear is that we will finally get the head past the pelvic bone and shoulders won't pass...very dangerous and babies shoulders would have to be broken to get it pass through....obviously not an option...alyssa doesn't bat an eyelash and we move forward with c-section....dee and i were, it seemed more affected than alyssa...30 minutes later Dylan was delivered from mommies stomach and I was allowed to announce the sex to alyssa....a very humbling and surreal moment....i went with dylan to have him cleaned up, weighed and wrapped up....