C.A.R's

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Gary Numan-Cars

or

Caroline Amelia Ritchie

She was born on 11/11/09 at 8:08 pm. She weighed 8 pounds even and was 20 inches long. Those are just the statistics. Her story is much more entertaining.

C.A.R. was due Monday, November 2nd and we had 3 false alarms and trips to the hospital before she arrived. I had made little progress in the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy.

This pregnancy was not normal, because I was attempting a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). These are hard to find doctors to preform, because of malpractice insurance costs. I found one doctor in Tulsa who preforms them, and his office and the hospital are 50 miles from our house.

The last 3 weeks of my pregnancy I made little progress. I was sitting at a 2 and just hanging out there. I was at a 3 at my last appointment Wednesday, November 11 at 4:30 and 9 days past my due date. He wasn't going to let me go much longer (I was to call Thursday afternoon to set something up if she hadn't come). My doctor got me to a 4, stripped my membranes and I left.

I drove home, picked up the baby sitter and took her home. I felt a little cruddy. I drove through the drive through at Goldie's and ordered dinner and went to the QT to get drinks. I went back and picked up the food and told my sister (who I was on the phone with) that I felt bad and shouldn't be driving. This was shortly after 6pm.

I went home and started feeding the kids, I called Jonathan and Nancy (who was going to watch the kids). I ate what I could and got in the car as soon as JR arrived. We began our drive south on Highway 75. We had been taking Bradley Childbirth classes in preparation to have the baby unmedicated. I was breathing through my contractions and trying to relax.

About 20 minutes south I had a normal contraction...the next one I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to push. I screamed at Jonathan to stop in the next town at one of the hospitals, because I needed to push and we were 15 minutes away. I knew I couldn't make it to south Tulsa.

I knew if I tensed it would slow labor. I sat, tensed and screamed with each contraction, "GOD! PLEASE KEEP THIS BABY IN!"

Jonathan jumped on the phone and called a guy from work and asked him to call the hospital and for them to have a gurney ready at the ER. He turned on his hazard lights and drove at about 100 mph until we reached the hospital. Jeff (the guy from work) and his wife jumped in their car and followed our path to make sure we weren't delivering on the side of the road.

We arrived in the ER and they didn't have anyone there to get me. Jonathan caused a huge scene (thankfully). They didn't think I would be that critical...they were wrong. After the scene JR caused an ER doctor took me to the OB department before they could get me (JR later went down and apologized).

I got into the room and JR and a nurse got me into a gown and on the bed. They barely got an IV port in my arm and the doctor came in. She put on her gloves and told me to hang on for just a minute so she could break my water and then she was ready for me to push. Caroline weighed about 1 1/4 pounds more than my biggest baby (Jackson 6 pounds 12 ounces).

I had my unmedicated baby and I honestly wish I'd had the others that way. It was so much better. I was ready to walk less than an hour later. I went to church today. I have moments of feeling a little tired and sore, but nothing compares to the shock of the drugs wearing off and feeling like you've been hit by a train. As soon as she was out, the hit by a train feeling began wearing off.

Caroline is sweet, alert, beautiful and a ravenous eater. It seems appropriate that her initials spell C.A.R. since we were concerned that she was going to be born in the car. Jonathan was ready to deliver if he had to, he never thought he would ever say that.

The kids are all adapting to her well and they seem to love her a lot.

Life is good and God is great...now I think I'll take a nap. Delivery went well, and I feel okay, but I'm still human.