Tate Richard Lafrenz

Born March 16th @ 9:59 am 10 days early! Thank God!  I was miserable being pregnant and with the risk of shoulder diplaysia...it was a good thing he came early.
It all went down a little like this:

March 15th I had my 38 week appointment...my bp was high so they sent me to the triage at Mercy to have my bp monitored.  My blood pressure was sporadic (low when laying {127/80} and high when sitting {160/90} )  also I was having contractions about 5-7 minutes apart... So they admitted me into a delivery room.  Ryan was with me while gma deb watch the little monster.  They started me on oxytocin to speed things along.  Then we waited....waited....waited, for the doctor, who was suppose to break my water a couple hour after the oxytocin and for contractions to start.    Finally at 4am they jacked up my oxytocin and here came the painful contractions!  Then at 8 am the doctor ( a new one)  broke my water...Okay now came the painful contractions.  seconds after she broke my water the pain was unbearable...screw the IV pain killers...get me the epidural.  30 minutes had passed by the time the epidural had come...it was exhausting...excrutiating pain.  Ryan was right there telling me to "breath...don't tense up...breath...this is the absolute last contraction you will feel..."  yeah right Ry!  Finally the epidural!  But while sitting being prepped for the prick, my blood pressure drastically dropped.  I felt weak and faint.  Every contractions felt like it was going to literally kill me.  Ryan said my eyes rolled back in my head and I could barely sit on my own.  Finally I got hooked up to the epidural at 8:30 and got a dose of epinephrine and my blood pressure was back to normal.  Funny I got admitted for high blood pressure and then was struggling with low blood pressure.  Anyways, the pain from the contractions subsided, however I could feel my catheter and A LOT OF PRESSURE...I kept telling the nurses that I felt something "down there" but they kind of ignored me, because right after they broke my water I was only at 5 cm.  Slowly I was feeling painful contractions down below, the nurse checked and said " your at 8 cm!"...then the other nurse checked and said "no she's not she's only at 6 cm at best"  Apparently this is going to be a long process...so Ryan went to get some breakfast around 9:30am.  While he was the doctor came in to check me and she said "oh honey your at 9cm...lets see what happens when you push..."  My first reaction was...I don't remember how to do this!  So I pushed and the doc said...yep were having a baby!  My mom was in a panic and said "The dad is NOT HERE!!!!"  but in a flash Ryan came bolting through the door, only missing one push.  I could feel everything the head, then the shoulders and finally the little body.  It was painful but such a great experience, since I was completely numb for Riley.  It was only 4 contractions and several pushes and Baby Tate was on my chest and in our hearts forever!  The first thing I thought was...he looks just like Riley.  in fact we kept calling him Riley accidentally.  He even has the damn left dimple!  9:59 am 7 pounds 4 ounces....19.5 inches long....perfect!