Milo's Birth Story

We have a baby! I'll cut to the chase for those of you who do not want to read the novel.

Milo Thomas Buys was born Thursday June 11, 2015 at 11:42 a.m. via c-section. He was 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 1/4 inches long! He came with a lot of chub and a lot of love. We can't get enough of this little guy and we think he is the sweetest baby. He's healthy and happy and so are we!

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Now if you're ready for some details, here we go.

*WARNING - I'm a hot mess in these photos and there are some gross images*

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My due date was June 23, 2015. Since I had gestational diabetes throughout this pregnancy, they decided to induce me on June 17, 2015. Great, I won't have to go through the real labor pains. I went into labor by myself on June 10, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. while Kent was playing basketball and I was home alone watching Netflix and FaceTiming my friend, Charity. My back started hurting really bad and then the pain would just go away. I had never been in labor before, so I didn't know what was happening, so just tried to deal with it. I was sitting on the bed when I wet myself (I still don't know - but it could have been my water - it definitely wasn't pee). I also saw a little blood in the toilet when I wiped. Things were getting weird and so I called Kent, he didn't answer. I started feeling cramps along with the intense back pain. So naturally I freaked out and thought, "I could be having this baby tonight!" I had all the hospital stuff upstairs, so I brought it downstairs in a pile by the door. I was also planning to get a carseat cover done before baby arrived so I started sewing that (haha). Then Kent walked in the door! I explained everything and we both realized that these short bursts of pain were probably contractions, and we started timing them. They were all 3-5 minutes apart at 10 p.m. We timed them for an hour, same. Kent called the hospital to see if we should go in. Meanwhile I'm texting my friend Lauren (who has had a baby) about what to do! It was comforting because I wasn't planning on this whole "go in to labor" thing. The hospital said we were welcome to come in, but try to do something to ease the pain, like take a bath, because she didn't want to have to send us home. I had read all these labor stories of people being sent home multiple times, and I didn't want that to happen. But these pains were for real getting closer and closer and there were some where I just had to get on the floor and deal with them, so we went. Kent gathered last minute things (like phones, pillows and snacks) and got everything in the car. I told him, let me sit through one more contraction and to see if we really should/shouldn't go. It was the worst one yet. We get into the car and I have another one. We are barely out of the parking lot of our apartment complex when I tell him to stop so I can get out and lean over the car. I get back in the car and it's 12 a.m. by now. We go towards campus and I have another one. I get out and try to deal with it. I get back in. I had another one, but just yelled to keep driving. We get to the drop off place where he drops me off with my purse to go park the car. I waddle to a bench and have another one. They just keep getting worse! I hate labor pains! (But ladies who have never had a baby - it's all worth it and the pain will all end soon enough). We get in the hospital and I'm in a gown around 12:30 a.m. They took my insurance cards, and check me. I'm at a 4! They called the doctor (Dr. Meredith) and he said that I'm having this baby, so I stayed!

They took me into another room where I painfully made it to a 6 before I could get the epidural. I have so much respect for those women that go all natural. It wasn't for me. I was happy to get that medicine :) Once I got it, it was weird (and nice) to feel my cervix dilate without the pain. They let us sleep from around 2 a.m. - 6 a.m. By then I was at a 10. Then they switched nurses and the new nurse came in and said, "Let's start pushing!" So for every contraction I had for 4 hours, I pushed. I was SO tired. I remember just wanting water and sleep. They could see the baby's head, but that was it. I felt like I was pushing for no reason. 

I had high blood pressure so they put these annoying blue shield up on my bed which made me claustrophobic, but they were just incase I had a seizure. 

They also put me on magnesium medication that made me nauseous, dizzy, see double, and hot because of my high blood pressure. I wasn't myself this whole time!

Thank you Claire Brooks for the photos :) - She was there the whole time I pushed. Then had to get to class. 

Dr. Lovell was on call, he walked in and said Dr. Meredith will deliver. Then walks in Dr. Codd who actually delivered the baby! Also - I had the WORST swollen feet.

Kent was so supportive and I loved having him there. On these last few pushes, my IV popped out. There was blood everywhere, so more people rushed into the room and told me to hold still while they put another IV in my other arm. While this was happening I had a contraction so they told me to push, then comes in a guy to take my blood. This is all while Dr. Codd is using a vacuum on baby and trying to move his head into a better position. It was the weirdest moment and I just wanted everyone out of my space, to give me water and let me take a nap! 

This is when Dr. Codd decided to do a c-section. He thought his head would come out, but not his shoulders. I was ALL FOR IT. Just get this baby out and let me sleep. I ripped a little so he had to sew me up and then they took me to the surgery room.

I slept on the ride over.

This was right after I threw up in a bowl they held by my face.

I probably slept through most of the surgery.

There were so many people in the room!

Then Kent witnessed baby come!

When he pulled him out, he said, "Those shoulders would have never fit!" Next time let's just skip to the c-section right away, okay? Thanks ;)

The cord was wrapped around his neck and they had to help him breath for 2 minutes. Once he was out they rushed him and I saw him basically thrown through a window where there were other people on the other side trying to help him. I didn't know where he was and wanted to see him so bad!

It's the neatest thing seeing your baby for the first time. You carry him for a year basically and then finally have a face to the baby. It was hard because they had to sew me up and deal with me before I could really be with him. I wasn't able to breastfeed him or do skin to skin until the next day. It really was a bummer but I remember just trying to go with the flow and I think that's the best mind set to have when you have a baby. I didn't plan ANY of this!

Then they set him on my chest expecting me to be able to hold this 9 pounder. Kent had to take him right after this because I was so tired and couldn't hold him. I was also shaking really bad. 

After this photo they took Milo and Kent left to be with him. The guy who took the picture told me, "If you could just scoot over to this cart..." So I moved my arms over and he started laughing because I obviously couldn't move 80% of my body. Really?? You are going to joke with an emotionally unstable mother who is all alone in this room full of doctors, and who's husband just left with her new baby that she can't breastfeed or hold skin to skin??? Then I lost it and just cried. I didn't even care. Usually I try to stop the tears but I just let them go.

They wheeled me into another room where it was just me and one nurse. She was so nice, her name was Jase. I was so happy it was just me and her. Then in walks Kent. He looked so good and different to me. He was excited to see me and tell me what he had been doing with Milo (feeding, changing, looking at him, holding him). He just looked so full of love and strong. I could tell becoming a father had changed him. He just looked like a loving Father and Husband. I just really fell in love with him all over again and wanted to hug him and just be close to him. But I had so many wires and was a mess. I let him tell me all he had done with milo, and then in comes milo! Kent held him and just looked at him and I looked at them and it was the perfect moment. 

I hadn't seen this one until now... sucking on a glove? That doesn't seem like it would taste good.

And this is how I felt after. I remember realizing, "I can have water!" and sipped until my heart was happy. That's basically it for the 14 1/2 hours of labor story. I'm just so glad he's out and was early (because he would have been even bigger) and that he's with us now! The next four days were sort of a blur, but here are some pictures.

We call this the "stink eye". His other cheek is too chubby to open the other eye :)

Some very sweet friends came to visit us and it made my heart so happy :) Those pictures are on my ipad.

Jase our awesome nurse! She is due in October with a boy and it will be the first grandchild on both sides - just like Milo is!

Milo had a little jaundice so had to be on the lights while we were at the hospital and go back for two more tests at the hospital after we took him home. Luckily he got better with time. He's good now!

Kent's family came to visit from Utah a day after he was born.

Going home outfit! Kent went home and picked it out.

I got some cold sores on my lips the day we left. They were more painful than my incision. And they were awful because I couldn't kiss milo or smell his yummy baby smell. But now I can!

Fun fact: I gained 20 lbs. for this pregnancy. I started at 155, went up to 175, then I lost 30 lbs. the week after I had him! In this photo I'm about 160, but today I'm 143. I just can't believe how great it's been with weight. Milo was almost 10 pounds of it! haha

Milo with his Uncle Derrick.

Kent made a hat for him.

My mom came to visit for 2 weeks soon after he was born. I have loved having her here!

Like I said in an Instagram post, these moments with my baby are worth any labor story. It really doesn't matter how they get here, it's just that they are here, happy, healthy and safe. I love my little Milo and it's truly the best thing to be his mother.