From the start

I've got some catching up to do with Kalen but I better start from the beginning: before baby arrived.

We got to the hospital at 7 AM. I slept really well the night before but Wayne had a harder time...he was up all night 4-wheeling! Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that either HA HA but we arrived on time and headed up to labor and delivery. They started me on the pitocyn and the waiting game began. After about 4 hours my water broke on it's own. That's when I called for the epidural! 30 minutes of labor pain was plenty for me.

We waited all day, Grandpa watching the monitors keeping track of the contractions and the baby's heartbeat. Throughout the day the little line on the baby's monitor would drop below the straight line and the nurses would come in and turn me over on my side which would fix his heartbeat. We ran through the same routine all day, with me dilating steadily but the baby still staying high. Around 5:30 that night Doctor Ofori came in to give us the news. The baby wasn't descending and with his heart rate dipping erratically it would just be better if we went ahead and performed a C-section. So Daddy got suited up while Mommy got drugged up.

They were pumping me full of all sorts of stuff so this part is kind of a blur. I remember being fine when the doctor told me about the C-section but after a while I ended up crying. I just wanted to get it over with! I hated waiting! So after what seemed like forever the doctor was back, full of popeye's chicken, and it was time. With everyone upset except the doctor they wheeled me out.

The C-section itself wasn't bad at all (the waiting part was worse!) After they prepped me, Wayne was allowed to come in the operating room. I was shaking so bad from the meds but I didn't care I just wanted to get the baby here safe and sound. I'm not sure how long the whole thing took but before I knew it there he was! I heard his little cry and knew he was OK but I couldn't see him because of the sheet. Then they brought him around to get him cleaned up and all I could see was a full head of dark hair! After they weighed him and made sure he was good to go, they brought him over for me to see. I couldn't hold him because my arms were still strapped down but I didn't care, I already loved him so much. Then it was time for Daddy to wheel him out to the nursery for everyone to see.

I think we ended up with a million pictures of him in his little cart but this is probably his first picture ever taken...except for the ultrasounds of course.

Kalen Wayne Jensen

8lbs 11 oz. 21 in.

After they stapled me up I finally got to come out of the operating room, still completely out of it. They took me into a recovery room where I got to hold my little booger for the first time.

After going through pregnancy and having a baby I would say "Never again," and I even had an easy time, but then I look at Kalen and I think to myself "a million times over!"