So..as I'd updated on NYE, my dr decided to start the induction process on Dec 31, because all indications were showing that I was starting to get sick (Pre-eclampsia), and that it was best for baby to make his appearance sooner than later. Once the first prostin was inserted & I got my own room, I was a bit more comfortable... around 11pm the nurse came to start the monitoring process again, and Spark had squirmed away from where he'd been (surprise!), so they brought an ultrasound machine up to my room to get his exact location. Right around midnight we watched the baby on the monitor, and I had my second dose of prostin. Oh what fun.
On Saturday (NYDay), I was checked around noon, by Dr. R (who would end up delivering baby in the end). he decided to switch to cervadil from prostin, because I wasn't progressing any, and while cervadil is inserted in the cervix, there's not as much internal monitoring (yay!) involved. So that was done around lunch I'd say, and then we just hung in the room, chattted with friends that came by, etc. No monitoring other htan vitals (yay!) so we watched hockey, etc. Funny what you remember about people though. When I first met Dr. R, I was flat on my back, looking up. He seemed to be at least 8 feet tall, with hands THIS BIG! I remember telling mom after "they couldn't have found a nice petite female doc to put the gel in, nooooo... has to be the 8 foot tall guy with the huge hands..." :P Anyway. he's NOT 8 feet tall, and I think his hands are just standard size, but in the state I was in, that was my first impression of him :P
Sunday around lunch I was supposed to be checked by the dr, but apparently it was crazy down on hte birthing floor. Dude finally came by at 5pm. At which point, he determined that the cervadil was working, and I was 3-4cm. It's go time! Down to the birthing unit we went... it was kind of a whirlwind, but we got all nice & settled into room 10, where I was hooked up to pitocin (the 'drip') around 8pm .. we called the doula, thinking this would be it. Long story short, I stayed at 3-4cm the entire night. We told the doula to go home around 4am, and that we'd call her when we knew what the new plan was going to be. When the new shift of drs came on around 7, I was checked again, and then the day team decided to give me a break (we hadn't ate or slept, and this baby wasn't goin ANYWHERE)... so they gave us the shift 'off'.
Monday night around 7 the new shift of drs decided to break my waters and do another double dose of pitocin (same as Sunday night)... I was fairly comfortable until about 12:30 or so, when I started feeling contractions. Finally! progress!... eh, kinda sorta, not really. things were just inching along. Actually, inches would have been good. Eventually I was 4 cm... and feeling really uncomfortable. So into the tub I got (with my IV pole and everything outside the tub), and OH MY GOD, how nice was that?? the warm water making me all buoyant, etc - so nice. Jamie would splash water on my tummy as a contraction was coming on... around 5 or so in the morning he texted the doula and asked her to come help out... still not knowing how long things would be. She arrived around 7, and I was still in the tub. She relieved Jamie a bit in the water splashing duty, and then I got out of the tub soon after. I was prune-like, but it had been a nice break.
When the next shift of drs came on, they said I was around 5cm I think? and that it was time to put in my epidural, to give me a break from the pain. So that was put in, and LOVE. ahhh, I could almost relax again. They also took the opportunity to put an internal monitor on Sparkle's head so that it was easier to monitor him... It was at this point, they suggested that if things didn't pick up soon, a C-Section would be a definite possibility, and honestly, I was ok with that. Things had gone on long enough... So for the rest of the day I think I just dozed and ate popsicles... chatted with the nurse & doula, Jamie ran home for a bit to get more clothes, etc.. I had made it to 6-7cm, but it was a long, long road. By this point, I had stopped updating people, because really, what was there to say? Still no baby, dammit. Between 6 & 7 pm, we decided we'd go with teh c-section option... the anaesthesiologist on that night came in to check my epidural, and apparently from me lying on it all day, it was almost out, so he popped it out,a nd I was let to essentially thaw before the surgery (nice). It was decided the surgery would be at 8pm, and so Jamie started running around packing up our stuff, and got completely sidetracked by teh fact that he coudln't find the videocamera (not htat we were taking video of the birth,but whatever). The doula kept me calm though - rubbed my back, talked about how I felt about going to a section, etc. i was kinda livid at jamie at that point, so it was nice to have someone around to calm me down.
We got whisked into the OR just after 8. Actually, it was 8:11pm when I looked at the clock (20:11... neat), and they put the new epidural in, and yup - I felt it! again...), and then got me all hooked up to IVs and such. The drape was up, so I really couldn't see what was going on, but at 8:50 pm they told Jamie "stand up Dad, or you'll miss everything!" and at 8:51pm baby Joel was born. And then promptly peed on the surgeon. (way to go, kidlet!!) I was shown the baby, then he was whisked away for APGARs (9 & 10, tyvm - we've got a smarty pants on our hands!) and such. J was able to cut the cord (kinda), and I know that Dr. R delayed the cord clamping for a minute or so, to give baby as much good stuff from the placenta as possible. Our doula took pictures of everything after he was born, which I'll post later. I have no idea how much longer we were in the OR while I was stitched up and such, but I remember a few pics of J & I and the baby being taken, and I remember talking with dr. R about Winnipeg (he'd lived there too, and agrees that their winters aren't THAT horrid), and asking for more freezing on my right side, because I could feel some stitches(!!).
We were taken into the recovery room after that , and I finally got to hold my son & put him to breast about an hour after he was born. And to everyone's surprise, he stayed there for almost 45 min ♥♥♥ eventually we were taken up to our room around midnight, i think... he was a little mucusy that first night, so he was taken down to NICU for about 10 hours or so.
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| my little hamhead |
Eventually they let us go Sunday morning - a full week and a half after I was admitted. Of course, it was blizzard-like conditions in Halifax, so our first drive with him was rather white-knuckled (more so than it probably would've been, anyway), but we made it home just fine. Like the sleep deprived mommy I am, I forgot to take "coming home from the hospital" pics (!!) but rest assured we got him home. :P
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It's now been 4 weeks since Nommer was born... things are going rather well. We're figuring him out, he's figuring us out, it's coming along. He's growing like a weed - was weighed by the PHN at 7lbs 7.5oz last week, so I'm sure for his one month appt tomorrow (!!!) he'll be over the 7.5lb mark. More pictures to come shortly!
Definitely quite the ordeal, but one that is so worth it in the end. Congratulations again on Joel's arrive!
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