Jonah's Birth Story - Part II

For some reason, my contractions were not regular at all.  As it got closer to midnight the contractions were getting really strong.  They were coming in a strange pattern.  I'd have 3 or 4 contractions in a row.  Then I'd have a break, and then 3 or 4 more in a row.

At 12:15, I mentally decided that I wanted an epidural.  I had already decided that if I wanted pain meds that I would have a 30 minutes "wait and see" period.  At 12:45, Kim, my midwife checked and I was 5 cm dilated.  I couldn't mentally wrap my head around the fact that my contractions were going to get worse and I was going to have to do it for about 5 more hours and then still have to push.

So, I told them I wanted the epidural.  I wasn't able to get one until around 1:30 am.  At that point, I was so happy to have the pain gone, I kept repeating, "I'm so glad I did this!"  Ha!

Then, the heart monitor kept messing up and Jonah's heart rate would drop really low when I had a contraction.  So, every time this happened, the nurses would run in, put me on oxygen and freak me out.  Eventually, they talked me into getting an internal monitor on Jonah's head.  I didn't want to do that, but I wanted to make sure my baby was safe.

After that, the low heart rate continued with my contractions.  Kim had to consult with the FamilyCare OB/GYN that was on call, Dr. Kasturi.  She came in and scared me into getting a c-section. Honestly, I don't really remember what she said.  I just remember being scared for Jonah.   I just wanted to make sure that he was okay.

So, the anesthesiologist came back and gave me more drugs to make me completely numb.  They wheeled me into the operating room. I honestly have no idea where the time between 1:30 and 4 went.  I can't remember much of anything except being so scared for Jonah.

Jesse went in to the OR with me, of course.  He sat there and held my hand.  They put up the drape and a few minutes later we heard the sound of our baby's first cries!  Both Jesse and I started crying immediately, even though we couldn't see him yet!

I watched as they weighed him and whatever else they have to do right after birth.  They wrapped him in a swaddling blanket and placed him on my chest.   It was an amazing moment!  He weighed 7 lbs and 6 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.  His APGAR score was 9/9.

~To Be Continued~

Jonah's Birth Story - Part I

On Tuesday, I spent the day cleaning the house.  I did all my normal weekly cleaning and a little extra.  In the evening, I did some laundry and ran the vacuum cleaner.  I wore myself out with all the work.

(TMI alert!)
Then, as I was bending down to get something out of the dryer, my water broke.  Of course, at the time I wasn't sure that it was my water.  It wasn't a huge gush or anything.

I didn't continue, so I went about my business and went to bed.

In the morning, I woke up around 7:30 am and it happened again.  So, I tried to call the birth center.  I got their answering service and as soon as they answered, the call disconnected.  I went back to sleep.  A little while later, I got up and it happened again.  I tried to call the birth center from that time until 9:45...with the same problem.  I would be on hold for around 7 minutes and then, when the woman from the answering service said hello, the call would disconnect.  By 9:45, I was extremely frustrated.  I tried every phone number that I had for  FamilyCare with no luck.   Finally, at 9:45, Jo, the secretary at the birth center, answered the phone!

I had an appointment for later that day at 3:45, but when I told her what had happened, she said I should come in right away.  I made it there around 10:30.

The midwife there was Rebecca White.  She tested me to see if the fluid was amniotic fluid, and it was.

Now, the problem is that if you don't go into active labor without 18 hours of your water breaking, there is a chance of infection in the baby.  I had already had my water broke for close to 15 hours.

So, they tried to get my labor started naturally...but it didn't work.  I wanted it to start naturally because I wanted to have Jonah at the Birth Center.  They won't induce labor there.

They sent me home, told me to eat a good lunch....and if I didn't go into labor on my own, I had to go to the hospital to get induced.  It didn't happen on its own.   At around 2 pm, we left to go to the hospital.

I was taken to a labor room and they said I was about 1 cm dilated.  They first broke my water more, since it was only barely broken.  I walked around the hallway, trying to get things started on their own.  Nothing happened.  So, they hooked me up to monitors and gave me a hep-lock IV in my hand...and started the Pitocin at around 6 pm.

Soon enough, the contractions started coming.  They were really easy at first because I wanted to start the Pitocin off really slowly.

Honestly, I don't remember much from between 6 pm and 12:15 am.  One thing I do remember is that I'm super-glad that my doula, Carrie-Meghan was there with me.  She met me at the hospital and was with me all night.  During my contractions, she would do just about anything and everything to make me more comfortable.

~To Be Continued~  

38 week checkup

Yesterday I went to my 38 week checkup at the birth center.  My blood pressure was good, urine was clean, and weight was right on target.  I'll just go ahead and share that I began my pregnancy (at my 8 week appointment) at 121 pounds (my scale at home said 114 lbs on the same day, but that's another thing) Yesterday, I weighed 146 pounds.  So, as of now, I have gained 25 lbs.  They say for a healthy baby, you should aim to gain 25 to 35 pounds, so I guess I've done pretty well.

My belly is still measuring right on target for my due date and Jonah's heart-rate sounded healthy and happy!  I was wondering if they would check my cervix to see if it was dilated yet, and they told me that they don't do routine checks of the cervix.  She said that she would if I wanted her to, but that checking for dilation is a waste of time.  This is because someone can walk around at 3 or 4 cm dilated for a month or more....and someone else could be at 0 centimeters and give birth the next day.  It doesn't matter at all.  

They also don't try to make predictions about how much a baby weighs.  They say they are never right (unless you get a late 3rd trimester ultrasound) and that doctors just use their predictions to try to scare women into getting a planned c-section (which is more convenient for the doctor).

So, no, I don't know if I'm dilated....and, no, I don't know how big he is either.  Sorry.  For some reason, these are the questions that people ask.

Getting Close!

Wowsers! I can't believe that Jonah's due date is only 12 days away!  Where did the time go?

I'm still feeling really good.  I've been going out and walking almost every day.  It seems to help my swollen feet! Spring Break was great and I got a lot of stuff done.   Jonah's room is ready for him now!  I hope we have everything that we need!  I'll tell you what I don't need: ONESIES!  I have a TON of newborn sized onesies...so many that I'm sure he will have plenty that he'll never be able to wear.  I'm going to be sure to put him in my favorites and the cutest ones as much as possible.  He'll only be newborn sized for a short period of time!

I'm getting excited to meet him, but I'm still really anxious about all the changes in my life.  Jesse and I sat down and watched War Horse last night, which is a 2 and a half hour movie.  I'm pretty sure that isn't going to happen for awhile.....and if it does I'm pretty sure that we'll be sleeping through most of it!

I have an appointment at the Birth Center today after school.  I'm hoping to find out some information about how much longer I'll have to wait to meet my lil guy!  If I had to guess, I'd say he's coming in April.... not in May.  I think he'll come sooner rather than later.  However, I could be very wrong! It seems that first time mom's tend to go closer to 41 weeks.

Things I Want To Remember...

1. The feel-good endorphins while pregnant!
2. The lovey-dovey feeling for my husband, especially when he is doing a project for the baby! 
3. Being concerned about your belly ALL of the time
4. Hating the word, PREGO.  ugh! 
5. The peaceful, sweet feeling of just sitting in his room.
6. Loving the great accomplishment of scratching something off the baby to-do list
7. The stressed out feeling of all the things to do.
8. The first parental worries.. like the thought, "I haven't felt him move for awhile"
9. Drinking something cold or eating something sweet....just to feel him move!
10. The double-takes people give you when you are in public
11. People getting mad at you for climbing on a chair.  
12. People taking care of you....and getting you lots of pillows.
13. Comments from people that make you feel huge.  HA!
14. Every time you call someone they ask if everything is alright. 
15. Feeling the need to organize....everything.
16. Feeling so nervous about how life will change!!!
17. Crying every time I see a baby product commercial (especially those, "having a baby changes everything" commercials!)
18. Reading, reading, reading....books on nursing, feeding, sleeping,...blogs on scheduling, diapering, labor, etc. etc. etc. 
19. Spending lots of money!
20. The generosity of people who get to give you cute baby stuff
21. Having about 50 size newborn onesies
22. The feeling of finding a baby sock in my laundry for the first time!