Baby Finally!!!

As I got situated in the car, and we pulled onto Schertz Parkway I was feeling a little uneasy-no pain just a lot of anxiety. We were driving on Hwy 35 towards New Braunfels when I felt it-yes it-the urge to PUSH! We had taken all the baby prep classes we could and I remember oh so clearly the instructor describing this very feeling-the urge you just couldn't stop. So, I leaned over to Justin and said, "I need to push." He turned to me and said,  "Well, don't!" At this point he turned the flashers on and we were going about 90 down the highway. I was trying my best to breath (the way we were taught-although during class, I couldn't stop laughing long enough to practice) so I wouldn't push-it was sooooooooooo hard not to. Anyway we made it to the hospital and I began to open the door and realized-If I stood up-something was gonna fall out (not really, but it sure felt that way). I instructed Justin to go find a wheel chair and I would wait for him in the truck. Well, after about 5 minutes, the husband, wheelchair and orderly came to get me. During all of this try to imagine me-huffing and puffing trying to hold it together-she wheels me straight to the registration desk-are you kidding me, was all I could think of at this moment! They must not realize I "needed to push" badly-I didn't have time to fill out any paperwork or sign any documents! I looked up at the nice orderly and said, "I need to push now." I probably repeated that statement 5 or 6 times. At that point the orderly informed the registration desk clerk, "She looks like she really is in labor, I'm going to go ahead and take her upstairs."  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
 I am sure the entire ER waiting room-along with the other women in labor leisurely filing out her paperwork could only laugh at the spectacle. We came off the elevator and she rolled me down the hallway towards the nurses station-they were expecting me! The nurse asked, "Is this your first one?" "Yes" I replied. "Oh, then he isn't coming out for a while!" Okay-that would have made me feel better, if I didn't have this horrible urge coming every 2 minutes or less. As I was pushed into my room, I asked the orderly, "Do I still get my epidural?" With a surprised tone, "You wanted an epidural? Honey, you are too late for that I'm afraid." What??????? Yes I wanted an epidural, I am a chicken, this is gonna be bad was all I could think about as I entered my room. Justin had been following closely with my bag in tow-I'm sure scared out of his mind-who wouldn't be. As we entered my room there were 2 nurses ready for me-no doctor.....with some effort I stood up and this sweet nurse tells me, "Okay, I'm gonna need a urine sample and please undress and put this gown on." I looked at her and with every last inch I had in me to not scream, I said, "I need to push now, I can't undress or give you a urine sample he will fall out." She looked at me bewildered-and a little annoyed. I was not making this urge up-why wouldn't anyone believe me? "Okay honey, get on the bed and let me check you." the annoyance in her voice was unmistakable. So as fast as I could I pulled down my bottoms the gown went over my t-shirt and I laid down on the bed. As she checked me her eyes grew very wide and she stated, "You're complete! She's complete. She's complete!" I had been telling them that the entire time anyway. "Someone call the doctor, and let her know" she said. What? The doctor still wasn't at the hospital? "Where is she?" I asked. No answer. A monitor was strapped to my belly to hear the heartbeat and the other nurse was trying to get my information into the computer.
"Name, date of birth, social?" she asked. What??? More questions, did they not understand what I was saying? I could feel at each contraction him moving further down. Justin did is best to answer those questions, when all of a sudden the nurse entering things in the computer put her face in mine and said, "Roll over on your left side now." In my mind I was thinking, wow how about a please? I rolled over on my left side and she found his heartbeat. My hands were going numb-I was hyperventilating so they put an oxygen mask over my face and told me to take long deep breaths through each contraction, but DO NOT push. What??? I signed the authorization forms with a huge X over the entire paper mid-contraction trying not to push and breathing in and out very deeply. So there I was staring at the beautiful rose wallpaper border telling Justin to squeeze my arm as hard as he could so I could think about not pushing, but he was coming out-no matter what I did or didn't do. I was thinking to myself, "They are gonna be so made at me, he is coming down anyway." The thought of me thinking that now makes me laugh. During the 30 sec. or so break I would ask,  "Where is the doctor? How much longer? Just tell me how many more minutes till she gets here." The nurses were tight lipped about the where abouts of my doctor. They just kept saying, "Don't push, she's almost here." I would then say, "Call her again, see where she is! I need to push please."
Finally, she arrived, at about 12:10. (time estimated here, but what occurred in the next few moments gives me a clearer indication of when she actually arrived) She entered the room, said hello and began looking at the print outs of my progress. I looked at her and said, "Where have you been? I need to push!!!" "Well, go right ahead." she replied. What?? Finally! Relief!!! I was thinking, this is gonna hurt so bad as I rolled over to my back. Justin to my right holding one leg and the nursery nurse to my left holding the other leg-I gave one big glorious push and out popped his head-unbeknownst to me. My doctor was still standing at the computer when the nursery nurse yelled, "His head is out!" My doctor came around and said, "Kimber stop pushing, stop-don't push anymore." she then proceeded to bark orders to the nurses to get the table ready and then of course get her scrubs on. At that instance, I was thinking-I have been holding him in, and no one is going to tell me to stop pushing. And that was that, the next contraction came, I pushed one more time and he came out! I can not put into words the intense sense of relief that flowed over me once he was out-the urge was suddenly gone. So, the bed wasn't ready, the doctor wasn't ready and boy, I don't think I was either, but Cooper was ready and made it in record time. As they laid Cooper down on my chest, I couldn't help but feel confused and surprised. I looked up at Justin thinking I should be crying and overcome with joy-but he and I both were in "shock" Cooper was not at all what I envisioned-he was wrinkled and squished, purple and dirty. But he was ours all 7 pounds 7 ounces! 39 weeks of pregnancy over with in about 88 minutes!