*So here's the deal: I kept a journal throughout our hospital stay and have cataloged it all here... I kept everything what I consider to be pretty PG but sorry if it makes anyone squemish or anything. Throughout my pregnancy I got frustrated because you so rarely hear the nitty gritty or "real" story... everything seems so deceptively smooth or whatever, so I wanted to try to capture the whole experience in real time so that if anyone out there like me wanted to know about the experience, they'd have one. I think I pretty realistically detailed everything, I didn't try to brighten things or wait too long to write so I forgot details... anyhoo, here is Andrew's birth story from leaving our apartment the day we checked into the hospital through our first full day at home:
Tuesday January 8th 2013
10:15 am
Left our apartment for our very last OB appointment! Mama got very little sleep last night, but hopefully that means passing out at the hospital tonight haha! This morning we grabbed the last of the hospital stuff and bug sprayed the apartment (just in case we need to go in right after the appt for high bp again) since we won't return until Friday or Saturday for good.
12:00pm
Left the OB clinic, no further progress. BP still on the high side so we were sent straight to the hospital for monitoring. We were told that we may be there for several days before baby is born and we have a high chance of a C section but we're staying positive and praying all the medicines work correctly and quickly :) Off to get smoothies before we check in hehe
1:00 pm
Checked in at the hospital, bp was in the norm at the first reading, still doing well. Baby is doing great, getting settled and being monitored. Will start the cervidil this afternoon and then 12 straight hours of bedrest before starting pitocin. Did a urine lab yet again (man I can't wait to be done with those), hooked up to wireless monitors for baby's heartbeat and contractions, bp taken a few times, IV connector set up and 5 vials of blood taken....
6:55 pm
Finally given the cervidil! One of the most uncomfortable procedures so far lol.... had to have an internal exam and then the medication is put it- looks like a long, noodly straw. SO weird. having irregular contractions that I can't feel and now having cramps from the medicine. Also excited over the rumor I may have some solid food coming... the broth/ juice/ jello dinner didn't quite satisfy my burger craving haha ;)
9:53 pm
Apparently still contracting.. still don't feel it. Was given some dinner- best salad, ginger ale, and chex mix EVER. Hubby enjoyed some soup off my tray hehe :) been channel surfing and web surfing, chatting and playing with a chat pack. Getting ready for sleep soon so we're rested for tomorrow! So grateful for the sweet and kind staff here!
Wednesday January 9th 2013
2:45 am
Hospital beds are uncomfortable!!! Got a few hours of sleep but just can't get back to it. The monitors don't help a ton lol. Also either feeling cramping from the medicine or starting to feel contractions. Feeling a lot of tightness and some pretty strong period-like cramps in my low back especially.... fun fun fun haha! Jumping at the bit to start the pitocin and jusr get this show on the road!
8:30am
Well the cramping/ contractions got bad enough that they ended up giving me a drug through my IV- made me super dizzy and tired but helped a lot! Woke up again after seven to have an exam (the cervidil worked! AND I was another almost two cm dialated), and got another dose of drugs for the now intense back pain. During my breakfast of veggie broth and jello, I threw up twice... tried to have a few sips of water every so often to help hydrate. The drugs obviously did not help this time so three hours later I was given another dose .... still no help. So Jesse continually brought me cold cloths to ward off nausea from the pain, and I just laid on my side with my eyes screwed tight clinging to the side rail and breathing lol. Also threw up 3 or 4 more times from pain nausea. Poor nurses having to change the bedding over and over... and thank goodness for hubby helping clean ME off. I love him :)
12:00pm
OB arrived- pitocin worked great- made it to 7 cm! My water had started to leak so she went ahead and broke it and then called for the epidural thank goodness. Apparently I have an awesome poker face cuz eventually I just couldn't move during contractions and they were all "you're having pain right now??" Lol.... epidural went much more smoothly than expected except Jesse had to leave the room, it took awhile and once they touched bone so that felt pretty weird haha! Basically they raised up the bed and had me hunch over a pillow. They then gave me a numbing shot-- it pinched and burned a tiny bit but nothing more than maybe a bee sting. After that they put in the bigger needle and the tube thingy that feeds the medicine-- this part took awhile and was uncomfortable, it felt almost as if I was having traveling back aches, no pain just weird achiness. After all that though they just taped me up and started the medication. It took only about two minutes to start feeling it. I was worried I would get really dizzy but did not feel woozy whatsoever! My legs very quickly went numb and had to have people move them for me as needed haha. Very quickly Jesse came back in and I could finally communicate with jesse other than grunts and head nods haha! Another funny aspect... didn't realize that you shake so bad with the epidural, I felt like a cartoon character shaking with my teeth chattering, but I didn't care cuz I was comfortable finally lol... Thank God for epidurals :)
2:00pm
Fully dialted and ready to get the show on the road! They decided to turn down the epidural but the tech turned it off... started the delivery around 2:30 feeling fine but by the end of it 1 1/2 hours or so later, it got kind of intense. The environment was very calm and quiet and I felt very comfortable (despite the discomfort lol). I actually was giggling in between contractions because I couldn't figure out how to breathe right so I felt like my head was going to explode a few times haha.. Squemish look away! I did have an episiotomy and some tearing and thanks to the epidural being shut off I had to get local drugs after feeling the stitching needle once- I promise it was not painful, just uncomfortable. And squeezing Jesse's hand/ having baby placed on my chest distracted me plenty.
4:19pm
Welcomed Andrew Kenneth to the world! 22" and 8 lbs 15oz! He is so calm and laid back and silly and perfect :) Baby was cleaned up and we were given dinner and a few hours to ourselves before the night nurses came in to do check ups on me and baby. This part is definitely the oddest. I feel like my guts are all gonna fall out lol no pain just straaaange feeling!bI always has heard that you forget the pain as soon as you see baby and here is my experience: I did not haha, but I mean the second you stop feeling pain, it isn't as bad. So immediately after birth I was fine, just uncomfortable as I was being stitched up-- I was joking a bit even with Jesse and the nurses. Especially once they are done and leave you alone for a bit, you really start forgetting/ getting over it. The worst part for me was contractions-- not gonna lie all I wanted to do was cry but I didn't think that would help. Breathing did though. The classic "in through the nose, out through the mouth" bit.
11:35pm
Everything is going well, baby and I are doin great and we are loving the insane feeling of becoming parents! I remember thinking when they laid baby on my chest "whoa there really WAS a baby in there!" Lol my brain is odd.... jesse is also enjoying poking my jello tummy haha it IS pretty entertaining I must say ;) baby has been sleeping since about 9 or 930 and currently napping on daddy :) gonna try to get some shut eye now before he gets hungry again :)
Thursday January 10th 2013
1:03pm
It's crazy how calm baby is! So far he can easily be consoled by being held, fed, changed or burped and he is sleeping a TON. I am doing well, walking around is getting much better and other than some cramping and aching, I'm not in any pain. We're gonna miss the hospital with its nurses and food delivery (haha) but we're soooooo excited to bring him home!!! Today is all check ups, shots for me and baby, paperwork and phone calls and it sounds like we will be discharged tomorrow afternoon!
Saturday January 12th 2013
4:19pm
The rest of Thursday went well, all our check ups went fine and we did some phone call-making and TV watching. Friday was a loooooot of paperwork! Right after breakfast we had to fill out some forms for registration, we got advance directive forms, made Andrew's first pediatrician appointment, etc. Later on we also filled out paperwork for the birth certificate and social security card. In the afternoon we were told we each needed a check up and then we would be clear to go but then another woman went into delivery so the OB got called away. We found out at about 6pm that she would instead just be doing a follow-up call with me since the nurses were reporting that I was healing well. Baby was taken to the nursery around 5 for his final check-ups and he got his hepatitis shot while I got my shot. The hospital's pediatrician told us we needed to wait another two hours for test results because Andrew was borderline Jaundice so if it came back positive we needed to stay one more night for light treatments. Thankfully, they were negative and at about 9pm discharge began. I signed lots of paperwork and we received lots of papers/ info and prescriptions for pain medications. Just after 9:30 a wheelchair was brought up, our bags were packed and we started the trek home. Once home we changed and fed baby, put him in PJs and put him to bed, all of us asleep by around 11pm. Baby woke me up first at 5am-- he gave us almost SIX WHOLE HOURS of uninterrupted sleep!!! I fed and changed him and went back to bed for a few more hours and then let Jesse take the next turn.
Today we've mainly been resting. Baby has been a bit more fussy today but I think it's just because he's beginning to poo a lot more haha, poor thing just doesn't get what's goin on. We've been in bed (Jesse is out on an errand at the moment) most of the day, having the pack and play beside me helps so much with getting him and putting him down!
What I have learned so far:
-MAKE PADSICLES. Seriously, they are amazing. I was given witchhazel pads which were very nice but having my own pads is super nice and the coolness is great as well :)
-Crock pot meals are awesome, we have one cooking right now. Also stocking up on granola bars, easy meals,etc is fantastic! It's already making life so much simpler!
-Have a garbage ready to go by the changing station. Why we never thought of this....I will never know but goodness it makes life easier! Jesse also found a diaper genie for $20 so that's pretty awesome!
-Pee pee tee pees are really not that helpful. Get some cheap washcloths and drape them over the baby, it works so much better!
-When in doubt over crying, change the diaper-- even if it is dry and clean, it will irritate the baby enough that they will want to be fed right after for comfort and that generally always puts Andrew into a coma for a few hours. Also putting baby face down onto your chest and letting them lay there puts them to sleep in a second!
-Relax. I think we both have had a few moments of thinking we're doing something wrong or that baby is made of glass but we got over it fast. We don't have the answers, we're gonna do things wrong, baby will pee on your bed (yes that happened today lol), but all baby needs is care and love and we're doing good in those terms :)
Also I'd like to take a moment to thank my amazing hubby:
He was so calming for me when going into the hospital, and helpful with distracting me from the situation on Tuesday, and since up until the epidural I was in pain, the poor guy... he kept asking what he could do and trying to comfort me but it was hard for me to talk period and him touching me took away my concentration so I swatted him away several times and had him bringing me cool cloths again and again but wouldn't even let him put them on me... he kept pacing and looking at me with a worried expression... and then finally after the epidural you could see the relief on his face when I grabbed his hand, smiled and began talking again lol!
During our stay at the hospital he was very attentive and helpful and caring and now that we're home that hasn't changed. He has been absolutely wonderful throughout this process and I cannot appreciate him enough <3 <3 <3
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| Sleeping on mama at home |
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| First family photo |
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| About to leave the hospital |
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| One of my favorite photos |
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| My handsome hubby with our beautiful son <3 |
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| One of the very first photos of baby, about a minute or two old |
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| First night at home |
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| Baby with a toy we've had since finding out about the pregnancy and put on my tummy throughout the whole pregnancy :) |
To wrap things up, Jesse is awesome, baby is adjusting to home life very well and behaving wonderfully, and other than some minor cramping and aching I am doing great as well. It is finally beginning to hit me a bit as reality sets in and I think I've cried with happiness about 4 times so far this afternoon haha! I cannot express how full and happy my heart is! I've known for a long long time that I've wanted children but now having our perfect son and my wonderful husband together is so overwhelmingly wonderful and amazing... words cannot express how blessed I feel for this beautiful life <3
TTFN :)
