Make room for baby

Owen Gregory Eberhard joined our family February 25th, 2011 at 11:05am.  What we thought would be a normal birth turned out to be anything but.  So here is his birth story:
Thursday morning, 2 days postdue, I noticed my Braxton-Hicks were very frequent and getting stronger.  By mid- morning they were starting to hurt.  I had already made an appt. with an acupuncturist to start labor so I decided to go anyway.  I headed home after the appt. and waited to see what would happen. The contractions started getting closer together around 6pm so I started timing them.  They were anywhere from 2-5 minutes apart.  But since they were never consistent I just waited longer.  Around 10:30pm I called my midwife and she wanted me at the hospital right away.  We left Erin with the girls and headed out into the freezing night with lots of ice covered streets.  When we got to the hospital I was met by the midwife who had already set up my room and ordered the epidural (my dream come true!).  Around 6 that morning the baby's heartrate suddenly dropped and within seconds the room was filled with nurses trying to get it back up.  Luckily it did.  The contractions were coming along stronger and closer. Around 10:55 the nurse moved me into a side position and his heart rate dropped again, this time it wasn't coming back up.  The room was filled with nurses, assistants, and now a Dr.  He said the safest option at this point is a C-section. I was crying with fear, trying to wipe the tears through my fogged up oxygen mask.  I was on my hands and knees just completely blown away with what was about to happen.  They rushed me into the operating room still in that position.  Jarom wasn't able to come with me.  I was terrified.  The anesthesiologist was yelling orders to everyone and trying to inject some fast heavy drugs to get me completely numbed up.  I could still feel the surgeons pinch test when next thing I knew he was cutting.  I could feel every tug, push, pull, major pressure, every movement they made.  I thought for sure what was behind that curtain in front of me was not a pretty picture.  I continued crying thoughout without anyone there to hold my hand.  Then I heard someone yell out "It's still a boy!" and that's when Jarom showed up behind me.  I couldn't see him when they pulled him out and couldn't see him when they were taking care of him. I had no idea if everything was ok.  Jarom reassured me and said he was.  It seemed like forever as they stitched me back up, Owen was born within just 3 minutes!  Going back to our room I was just in shock and got the body shakes all over.  I was finally able to hold him and that's all the mattered.
So he's here, he's perfect, and I love having him in our lives.

7 lbs., 13 oz/ 20.5 inches