Baby is Here! ("Short" Version)

**Updated - Added water breaking and birth stats. On Monday, December 27^th, Dave and I were running some errands and he joked that the baby’s lease was up and he needed to be evicted, but I had to go into labor before 1pm so that it’d be before he heads to work.

12:30pm:

Our last stop was Smith’s to get a few groceries. As soon as we got into Smith’s my contractions actually started hurting…a lot. It felt like cramps and painful gas both at the same time. We finished our shopping and decided that I must be in labor, so we went home to pack the car for the hospital.

1:30pm:

We got to the hospital and were admitted and everything. I let them know first off that I was a big fan of getting an epidural as soon as possible. They checked my dilation (I was at a 2 and 90%) and realized that there was definitely a foot or a hand down instead of his head. So the rolled in the ultrasound machine and found his head lodged firmly in my ribs.

The doctor said that it’d have to be C-section. I asked him for some time for the baby to turn, since he had somehow turned just fine in the last week. He gave baby until 5pm to turn.

3:00pm:

It’s finally my turn for an epidural. The anesthesiologist showed up, gave me some local anesthetic, and then put in the epidural with the numbing medicine. It was like warm fuzzies! Literally my feet and legs got really warm and tingly (not like when they fall asleep), and the pain melted away. I could still feel when the contractions happened, but, like I said, no pain.

While we waited, Dave and I tried to play skip-bo, but we kept getting interrupted. Then I had Dave read me information about C-sections online to help me to not freak out as much about it.

5:00pm:

The team came in to prep me for a C-section because he hadn’t turned and the people who usually do the turning of babies weren’t in that day. The Anesthesiologist gave the epidural more juice so I was completely numb, they gave me some meds to empty my stomach, they gave me a super strong antibiotic to help fend off infections, and gave Dave an awesome outfit to wear. This is about when I started shaking a lot. Oh, and at about 5:30 my water broke. I mean, baby boy kicked and it broke, "splash!" It was a strange feeling.

6:00pm:

They wheeled me out to the O.R. and got everything set up in there. It was freezing in that room, and very bright lights were everywhere. It’s not dark with a few spot lights like they show it in the movies. The Anesthesiologist gave me some anti-nausea meds and put a plastic tube thing with warm air flowing through it over me to help control the shakes.

6:14pm:

After some strange conversations between the doctors as they cut me open (including “hmm, not much body fat here”…thanks!), they pulled baby boy out of me kicking and screaming and pooping. He was holding on for dear life and didn’t want to come out, and then he pooped all over the doctor. He was 22 inches long and 7 lbs 12 oz.

6:30pm:

Baby and Dave go to the NICU team to get baby’s esophagus checked out, among other things. The doctors start cleaning and stitching me up. Now their conversation is more centered on what they’re doing (“hold here, and I’ll stitch there”…“Hmmm, two cavities. Did you see that there are two cavities?”). The Anesthesiologist (who was awesome, by the way) then tells me that I have a heart shaped uterus, which is probably why baby was able to turn so easily and often.

7:00pm:

This is about where times get a bit hazy. I go to the delivery room I was originally in to “recover” for an hour. My parents keep me company for this because Dave was at the NICU with baby. Then I get to go by the NICU to meet baby (other than a 1 second peek over the curtain during surgery… “Here he is!”). Then they wheel me off to my Mother/Baby room and I wait, shaking, some more.

Meanwhile at the NICU, baby’s esophagus is fine, but his lungs aren’t staying inflated right, so they put him on a breathing machine thing for a little while and then take him off and observe him. Then, once he’s doing fine on his own for a while, they take him down to the nursery to do their thing and bathe him.

8:00pm: (ish)

Finally Dave and Baby show up, and I get to meet him for real. Dave’s parents show up a little while later to say hi.

We stayed at the hospital until Friday, mid-day. I had some good nurses (Ann, Misty) and some bad nurses. When I first saw my incision all stapled up, I almost hyperventilated. There’s something about seeing a 6 inch cut on your abdomen held together by staples that is very unsettling. I think I did quite well at recovering (didn’t get dizzy while I walked the first time, was able to pee normally, etc.), but I got a sore throat on that same Monday, and it made everything a lot harder. (It’s still making everything a lot harder.) I've been ordered by my doctor to stay home for two weeks if at all possible (except for doctors appointments) so that I don't slip and fall or get in a fender bender and pop open my incision. I'm already getting cabin fever.

Ready to head home.