How Gentry Got Here

This is Gentry's LONG birth story!  It's proof that even when you have plans God's plans are bigger!  I couldn't have imagined this would be how my daughter would come into the world but I wouldn't change a second of it!  God is Good.  Here is our story:




Saturday night Carl and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in the metropolis of Lufkin, Texas!  We went to see MIB 3 and then went to dinner at Del Rio!  Exciting I know!  Just as the movie was starting our friends Dan and Bevin Jackson called.  They were in a panic because they were staying in a Nacogdoches hotel that night and they found out Ruby, their dog, couldn't be in the hotel room with them.  Ruby is a cool dog so we let her stay with us that night.  Bevin, Dan and their 10 week old Olivia came over for a visit after we got back from dinner.  Dan schooled Carl on what to do in the delivery room and I got to hold sweet, beautiful Olivia!  After they left we got ready for bed and I put Ruby in her kennel!


Sunday morning at 7:30, after battling wicked pregnancy heartburn all night, I got up to let Ruby outside.  I bent over to let her out of her kennel and my water broke.  I knew immediately that my water broke but I didn't want to be the girl that thought her water broke and it was really just pee  pants.  I went to the bathroom and when I stood up another gush.  WEIRDEST.  FEELING.  EVER.  I stood at the door of our bedroom and told Carl.  He jumped out of bed.  I called my mom and told her that I was pretty sure my water broke and that I would call her from the hospital to let her know we were for sure having a baby today.  Today.  HAH!  I took a little time to have one more pregnancy vomit for good measure. Carl took a shower.  I took a shower.  Carl washed dishes and took out the trash while I finished getting things together.  No contractions.


We walked into the ER by 8:30.  They brought us up to Labor and Delivery.  We were the only ones!  They had me change into a gown and checked to see that indeed my water broke not that you couldn't just look at my pants.  Nothing can hold all that!  Once we were checked in we called our parents, my brother, and various others to let them know that today was baby day!  TODAY!  HAH!


And then we waited.  And waited.


No contractions.  They gave me something to thin my cervix and that is when things got started.  By 10AM I started having regular contractions.  By lunchtime my family arrived.  All at the same time even though they left hours apart!  Pastor Josh, Cullen, Bevin and Dan all came by to say hi.  We waited.  I was at a 5 for SEVERAL HOURS!


Pitocen was started.  That is when the contractions reached misery.  Carl was wonderful.  I birthed on a birthing ball and Carl was a great coach.  Listening to what I needed and was just there.  I told myself if I was still at a 5 for the 4th time I was going to break down and get the epidural.  So I got an epidural at 5:00.  That was amazing.  I didn't realize how much I hurt until I got the epidural! Kelly came directly from Houston.  After that most people left to eat dinner and I dozed.  While dozing I noticed my contractions were not as strong.  Sure enough....I was still a 5.  At this point in the evening 3 other girls had come in and 2 of them had their babies already.  Dr. Kyle McMorries (I had his son at school this year) came in to check on me after delivering the other baby.  He said my contractions were not helping me progress and I showed him how Gentry was not dropping.  In fact she was going more into my ribs with every contraction!  He said because my water broke so long ago and now I was getting a fever which is a sign of infection, we would have to move quickly if I didn't want a C-Section.  Finally at 1 AM I was at a 7!  Evan and Dad went back to the house at midnight.  Lisa and Rachel went to the hotel at 1.  Mom and Kelly tried to stay awake and Carl dozed on the couch in the room.  Well, he more than dozed.  He was sawing logs.  At 2AM I was at an 8!  At some point a nurse came in and told me that Dr. McMorries wanted to go ahead and try pushing.  I was starting to get super nauseated.  At 4AM I puked my guts out (Not that I had eaten anything but a Popsicle in over 24 hrs!)  and in walked Dr. McMorries ready for me to push.  It was 4:15 when I started to push at 8 CM dilated.  Dr. McMorries was fabulous and he made sure I got to a 10!  Then out came the forceps and he pulled Gentry from my ribs to her exit hatch!  A couple of rounds of pushing and out popped Gentry at 4:41 AM!  

She didn't cry.  She was suctioned out by Dr. McMorries and he put her on my stomach all blue and whimpering.  We rubbed on her to get her going.  Finally the nurse took her to get her to breath.  She was pretty cute even in a blue state!  I told Carl to go with the baby and he gladly obliged!  I started to lose too much blood and I felt like it!  I had a special shot to stop the bleeding and Dr. McMorries continued his work.  All the while I am shaking and watching my baby be passed from Carl, to my Mom and Kelly.  They all looked up in time to see my face go white.  The shot worked!  I didn't even pass out but they still let us recover for a little longer since I had lost so much blood.  The saddest part was I couldn't hold my baby because I couldn't even lift my arms!  I finally held her for a bit and they came to take her to the nursery and me to my room!  We were in our room just before the 24 hr mark of my water breaking.  Delivery was a wild ride!  

Dr. McMorries did an AMAZING JOB!  I am so glad I didn't have a C Section and I know that would have been the easy way for him to do things.  He let me keep my wishes!  Gentry is so perfect for our family and I wouldn't have her enter the world any other way....even if it wasn't my original birth plan!