I am finally back to share the greatest day of my life!
I always wondered why bloggers disappeared after having a baby and now I totally get it!! There is not much time for blogging. Too busy feeding, pumping, changing diapers, starring at the cutest thing ever, etc etc.
Okay, lets get to it.
My due date was December 14th and as of December 16th I was not dilated and no progression was happening. I was disappointed but I really should not have been surprised. My cervix was so tight she could not strip my membranes either. I have a lot of personal family issues going on and didn't want my dad to miss Jack's arrival and he was headed north Christmas day. After speaking with my doctor, I was scheduled to be induced the 18th. I didn't necessarily want an induction but was willing to do it for the sake of having my dad in town. Thankfully the following evening, the 17th, contractions started on their own. I downloaded an app on my phone to track them but they were only about 8-9 minutes apart. Not much sleep happened but I knew things were pointing in the right direction. The following day they slowed down to even 10-13 minutes apart but were still starting to get painful. Bouncing on an exercise ball did help though and around 6pm we started to pack the car and got ready to head out.
We dropped off Frappy at my dads, I was a hot mess and cried and cried. Then we headed to Panera for a light dinner (soup and bread), then to Barnes & Noble for magazines. (Never read one). I was still having contractions every 8 minutes and stayed in the car otherwise people would have been very confused with my condition :)
We were scheduled to check in at 8:30 pm for the induction but since I was already in labor on my own we didn't necessarily need to be induced. The nurse walked us to my "bed" and that's when the real fun started. The labor floor was so full that we were put in a make shift room that was like half supplies with 2 beds and a curtain in between. I was like noooo, this isn't happening...
They hooked me up to monitor my contractions and even mentioned having to send me home because of the busy evening and safety issues of too many patients versus staff. I was checked and still not dilated. At this point we started hearing a woman screaming bloody murder and yelling "just get it out of meeeee!!!!!" I looked at my husband and thought, I am going to die in labor. The nurse came running to close the doors but the damage had been done. I was super lucky to have an awesome resident doctor on duty who saw how much pain I was in and she said she would find a way to keep me. Around midnight I was admitted and given an IV. The tiny room we were in was constantly opened with nurses coming and going, and the lights could not be turned off. I really thought it couldn't get worse. Of course getting the IV hurt and then two seconds later they wanted blood. The contractions were coming so strong that my body was shaking like a leaf. There is no way to explain it, but I was miserable. I told my husband multiple times that Jack was never getting a sibling. I was given a shot at some point that literally took the pain away for one hour and that was amazing until the hour was up.
At 3am we were finally given our own room. Hallelujah. My husband finally had his own pull out chair bed thing and he attempted to get some rest. At 4 am I was in so much pain again that I requested another shot of that medicine which again took the pain away for one hour. At 5 am I was shaking like a leaf and didn't know how I could make it thru the day. My doctor showed up at 5:30am and checked me and physically opened me to a 2 and ordered the epidural. I had no idea how I would sit thru getting it because of the hell contractions but I somehow did. They kicked my husband out and the nurse sat in front of me to hold me still. It felt like a quick bee sting in my spine with 2 other little stabs and it was over. Very quickly my legs became dead weight and the pain ceased.
Shift change was every 12 hours so we met our labor nurse at 7am. She was SO awesome. I was given a catheter (didn't feel it at all) and soon I was dilated to a 4. Around 11am they started pitocin and the machine kept beeping with an error message that there was air in the line. My nurse came in 4 or 5 times to shake the line and when it sounded again, I paged her thinking ahhhh. Two seconds later, five nurses and doctors came running in our room. I had NO idea what was happening. I looked at my husband as my nurse put an oxygen mask on me and told me to take deep breaths. She lifted my blanket and said my water had broken and I had 4 strong contractions that was just too much on the baby and his heart rate dropped to the low 70's. After a few deep breaths his heart rate went back to the 150's.
Around 1pm there still wasn't much progression so the resident doctor placed a tracker thing on Jack's head to better see my contractions. Turns out they looked good on the monitor but were really not strong enough to progress labor. Jack did not like being touched and again his heart rate dropped.
My nurse decided to change out the catheter line and that seemed to be the issue because shortly after I was a 10 and ready to go.
My doctor came at 3:30 and said it was time to have a baby. I honestly thought this process was going to take much longer and couldn't believe it was go time. With her and my husband in the room, I started pushing at 3 sets of 10's thru the contractions. After 20 minutes of that they said it was time to move into the delivery room across the hall. At this point the epidural was fading and I could feel a good amount of pressure down south. His heart rate was still an issue so after 8-10 minutes of pushing they decided he needed to come out quickly. It got scary for a minute as they were calling for the NICU team and seemed to have a lot of bodies moving around. I couldn't seem to open my eyes, I was exhausted and scared and almost felt like I was in shock. They used the vacuum to pull him out and at 4:03 on December 19th our son was born. They immediately put him on my chest and not until I heard him cry was I able to open my eyes. It was LOVE at first site. He stayed on my chest for the next hour while they stitched me up, I had a lovely 3rd degree tear. They then weighed him and did his prints, 7.4 lbs at 21.2 inches.
We were taken over to our recovery room where we spent the evening with my dad and my husbands mother. My dad even brought McDonald's because that's what sounded good. Strange I know.
Seeing my husband and my dad hold Jack is honestly the most amazing thing. I can't wait to see their bonds grow and for the amazing memories that lie ahead.
I hope to not go MIA for another month but motherhood is busy and I am going to love on my son as much as possible.
