Welcome Baby Andrew! (March 19, 2010)

Today marks the end of my pregnancy. Picking up from where I left off in my last blog, Dennis and I stared at each other with absolute shock on our faces. Maybe it wasn't shock on Dennis' face, but I was surely shocked. My mouth may have even been open for all I know. Since the nurse told us that I would be induced, labor was eminently in my near future. This was it!

The nurse told me that my doctor gave her orders to give me Pitocin to get my labor started. My contractions weren't that strong, so the Pitocin would help them progress. The baby's heartbeat wasn't low the entire time, but the occasional drops that the nurse/doctor saw required me to be induced. I was just glad that the baby wasn't in any danger, and I was eager to meet him. I actually didn't get the Pitocin right away, so Dennis and I had some time to talk before the nurse came back with the medicine. Dennis said that he wasn't ready for this, but you could tell that he was also excited. I think that we were both more ready than we were on March 1st, but it was still unexpected. I mean, how ready can a person be when she's about to have her first baby?!? hahah

Sometime around 2:00pm, the nurse came in to enter information about me into the computer and have me fill out paperwork. Dennis only had one paper to sign, so he went to the car to get our things. The nurse had asked for our birth plan, which was in my bag in the car. Luckily, I did some reading in books and on the Internet to know that we needed to make a birth plan stating what we wanted and didn't want to happen at the hospital with me and the baby. She wanted to make sure that things were going as we planned, since this was the beginning of it all. I was glad that we were more prepared this time and that Dennis didn't have to go home to get our things. Who knew how things were going to play out, and I really wanted Dennis by my side as much as possible.

The nurse came back in with the medicine at about 3:30pm. Turns out, Pitocin is administered by an IV. I knew that an IV was inevitable, but I didn't know that I would get one so soon. The IV turned out to be one of the worst parts, believe it or not. The nurse tried my right arm, then my right wrist, and then finally my left arm. She even had someone else come in to try. They both said that I had perfect veins, but it just seemed that things weren't working. I am the type of person who HATES needles. I get panicky and may even get sick or pass out because of the fear. Being poked three times with no luck really made me discouraged, but I suggested to the nurses that the last time I had an IV, it was in my left hand. They said that they try not to put IVs in hands, but they tried it anyway. It worked FINALLY in my left hand. I guess I should have suggested it earlier, but I would have just been upset if I had said something and was poked three times anyway before the nurse found the magic in try number four. Oh, well!

After getting the IV, I was given the Pitocin and some IV fluid. The good thing about the IV was that I instantly felt cooler than before in the room that reached over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For some reason, IV fluid cools a person down. I was glad for that. Because of the bad luck the nurses had getting the IV in my vein, five o'clock came much faster than three thirty had. I was unbelievably patient, though. For a person who was about to be a new mother, I couldn't believe how calm I was. I think that it was mostly because of all those health shows I'd seen during my bed rest. I watched tons of shows about having babies and being in labor, and I knew that many women were in labor for hours, even days. I thought, also, that since I wasn't really in any pain, I had lots of time before things would get crazy.

At this point after the IV, the nurse was coming in quite often. She looked over my birth plan and discussed things with me. She mentioned that the doctor on call was Dr. Mamoud, who was the only one from the GYN practice I went to whom I hadn't met. She also mentioned that he was more on the conservative side and may not allow me to do certain things on my birth plan. This didn't make me feel good. Not only was I already very unhappy with my regular doctor, who happened to be in Romania visiting family, which she neglected to mention to me, but now I get the one doctor in the practice who is from 1950 to deliver my baby. GREAT!! Though I was a bit upset at this point, I told Dennis to get some food in the cafeteria. I wanted him to eat and be back in time to support me with whatever else came my way. Little did I know that this would be a time for lots of things to happen.

Shortly after Dennis left, the doctor came in to meet me and discuss the birth plan. I was ready for a fight, because I wasn't about to let any strange man tell me what I was going to do with MY body. He stood in front of me reading my birth plan to himself, and when he came across something he was against, he addressed it with me. For instance, he didn't want Dennis to assist in the birth or help him pull the baby out. I also wanted that the Pitocin to stop just after the placenta came out, but he seemed to have a hissy about that as well. I told him that those things were fine if they didn't happen, but only as a way to protect the baby. The doctor seemed more concerned with lawsuits than anything. The nurse had said that he was conservative, but it seemed that things would work out for me in the long run. I didn't feel trapped or threatened, but I had my eye on that doctor. He did check my cervix after talking with me and saw that I was 3 centimeters dilated. This was after 5:00pm, and the Pitocin was working. At my early morning appointment with Dr. Batchawaty, I learned that I was dilated to 1 1/2 centimeters, and now, nearly seven hours later, I was at 3 centimeters. I had heard that getting fully dilated to 10 centimeters could take days. I had no idea what was about to happen. My journey to 10 centimeters was going to be much shorter than I could have only imagined.

After checking my cervix, Dr. Mamoud broke my water. It was so crazy that things were happening so fast with Dennis being in the cafeteria. I really wanted him to walk in the door at any moment. I just needed him to be there, but that was not how things went. Dr. Mamoud used a long, yellow, plastic wand to break my water. I had seen this wand before in my prenatal class, so it was familiar to me. I just felt so much like a little girl without her mommy and daddy, since I was alone through this. I had always thought about what it would feel like to have my water break, and I was actually a bit worried that it would happen at school or when I was alone. Instead, it happened in a hospital bed. I guess everyone has her own story about labor. It felt much different than I thought it would. Having my water break wasn't like the feeling urinating. It was a much stronger feeling of rushing water, as if I was sitting in a raging stream. I seriously felt that I was sitting in a puddle. The nurse was quick to change the extremely large pad underneath me because of all the water. I also think that my socks were getting a bit wet, but to be completely honest, I don't think that I really felt that they were wet. It was a bit scary at this point because things seemed to be moving very fast. I had just met the doctor, and he was breaking my water in the same meeting. There was no turning back at this point...as if there ever were. Since breaking my water, the doctor told me that I was in active labor because delivery was sooner than later. He said that I wasn't able to get up, so he put in a catheter and a monitor, which would attach to the baby's head. Yikes!! This means that he would actually have access to the baby's head!!! Crazy! Since I had never been in the hospital before, this was all new to me. It was a bit weird, but I was taking it in stride and staying calm. Before leaving, the doctor said that I could have pain medication whenever I wanted it. I thought that was a bit weird, since I thought I would be in labor for a while. I thought I would try to hold off until I couldn't stand it anymore.

Next, I was given a shot, which also would have been nice to have Dennis near me for that, but he still wasn't back. It wasn't that he was gone a long time. He actually wasn't, but a lot seemed to happen in that short period of time. My contractions were getting stronger at this point as well. Dennis came back just as all the fun was over to find me with more cords attached to me and surprised to hear that labor was starting to pick up. Dennis watched the computer screen, which showed the results of my monitor. This was the monitor that measured my contractions. It was originally on my stomach, but since the doctor's visit, it had been moved to the baby's head via my birth canal. He would see when the contraction was about to start and help me with my breathing. He really did a good job with that. The pain started to get out of control, and I was glad that he was there to help me stay focused.

By 7:30pm, the pain was almost too much to handle. I felt as if I was being stretched apart on the inside during my contractions, which were closer together each time and seemed much stronger. It was the most uncomfortable feeling I had ever experienced. I knew that there would be pain in the form of extreme cramping, but I had not anticipated the stretching feeling. I was begging the nurse for the epidural at this point, but she told me that I had to wait until my IV bag was empty. I hadn't known at this point that I was making this an impossibility because I was squeezing the side of the bed with the hand that had the IV inside it. This was causing the IV fluid to be blocked from entering my veins due to the pressure I was causing. When the nurse saw that the fluid wasn't moving very fast, she suggested that I calm my left hand to allow the fluid to get into my veins. I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to calm that one hand. Being in so much pain, I was able to use my mind to relax at least one small part of my body. The fluid moved much faster after that. This was also about the time of a shift change with the nurses.

As a new nurse came in, she looked over my IV bag and went to get a new one. She changed it but didn't make any comments about my pain medication. I asked her if she could call the anaesthesiologist as she was changing my IV bag. She said that she would like to see me get through half of the new IV bag. I'm not going to lie. This really got me a bit panicked because I couldn't imagine any more pain than what I was enduring at that moment. I told her that the last nurse said that she would make the call when the present IV bag was emptied. The new nurse, Erin, had a great response, which was saying "okay." After she put on the new bag, she said that she would call the anaesthesiologist. This was a relief to me.

The contractions kept coming, and my doctor came in again to check me. I was in the middle of a really strong one when my nurse said to the doctor, "things are starting to go too fast, and I think we need to check her." I was so thankful that my nurse was paying attention to my pain. Who knows when my doctor would have checked me again. At this point, I was in so much pain that I couldn't really tell that he was checking me. It turns out that I was now 9 centimeters dilated. It only took a couple of hours to go from 3 to 9, which was another shock to me. I don't remember any of the women in the shows that I watched to have progressed in their labor so fast. Maybe that was one of the prerequisites to be on one of those baby shows...to have long labors. I guess I would never be on TV. Thank goodness. Those women who endure labor for longer without pain medication are heroes in my eyes. At some point during my pain, my doctor left the room. Where the heck was he going???

It was just after the time that the doctor checked me that I felt a large shift inside. I could feel that the baby had dropped to the birth canal. This severely freaked me out. I yelled, "he's down, he's down." Part of me felt that the baby was so low that he could almost just flip out. Boy, wouldn't that have been much easier!! It was time about time to push, but I still hadn't had any pain medication. ARE THEY SERIOUS??? Was I going to go through all phases of labor without as much as an aspirin?? This was just crazy. Luckily, the anaesthesiologist came in at that point. I remember this part as if it were a dream. I don't know why, but there were quite a few people in the room at this point. Maybe my doctor asked another doctor to sit in while he was out doing whatever it was that he was doing. I had to wait for a break in my contractions to be able to sit up and get the epidural. I really wanted to be sitting during my contractions, but my doctor had put so much inside for monitoring and everything that I wasn't really allowed. Man...I really didn't like this guy. The next baby will have a different doctor delivering him/her. Once I sat up, I felt another contractions coming. It really made a difference to sit up. I wished I would have been in that position to deal with the contractions. It seemed easier, but it was just for the one. I guess it is really hard to say.

While I was pregnant, one of the scary things about delivery had always been the epidural, since I am afraid of needles, but because I was in so much pain, I really didn't feel much when they were giving me the epidural. I was happy for that. I had been told that I would be numb in my entire lower body after the epidural shot, but that never happened. I am under the assumption that I was either given a different type of epidural, like a walking epidural, or that I wasn't given as much as normal. I had feeling all over my body, but the good thing about the epidural was that the pain went from a 10 to a 5. Other mothers had mentioned that all they felt was pressure after the epidural, because the epidurals that they were given were different than mine. I felt pain, not pressure.

I could feel that another contraction was on the way after I got the epidural, so I laid back down. The doctor and nurse were altering the bed at this point to get things ready for delivery, and then the nurse told me to lift my legs into the pushing position. Dennis was standing on my left side, and the nurse, Erin, was on my right side. They each grabbed a leg and bent them towards my body. She said that when I felt a contraction start to bare down and push as hard as I could while they both would count to ten for me. I would then take a quick breath break and start again. This seemed familiar from all the shows I had seen about labor, and believe it or not, pushing was much easier than enduring the contractions and just laying there. I felt pain still, but it was much easier to focus on pushing than focus on dealing with the pain like I tried before. Pushing made the pain manageable.

I ended up pushing for over an hour. It really didn't feel like an hour, which was the good part. My nurse, Erin, was fantastic. She really talked to me the way that I would talk to me in that situation. We really were of the same mindset, which made the whole process easier. I don't even remember my doctor talking. I just remember him being there to "catch" the baby as he came out. It is unbelievable that doctors get paid so much more than the nurses. She did all the work, and he just seemed to show up when the baby was about to come out. He wasn't "there" for me the way that Erin was. I guess it really didn't matter who delivered the baby, but I would love to have Erin by my side if I were to go through labor again.

While I pushed, Erin would help to stretch the opening. It was so painful, but I know that she was trying to help. It was what I had asked for her to do in my birth plan, but I had no idea what I was asking until it happened. I remember screaming during that part because it was so painful. She would just say, "push your hardest, so the baby will come out faster. You want this to be over soon, don't you?" Boy, did I!! I followed her instructions to the T and pushed as hard as I possibly could. The pushing was painful as well since I was attempting to get a baby out! CRAZY!! I had asked to have a mirror propped up so that I could watch the birth, but I noticed that the harder I pushed the more my eyes would water. I also had to wear an oxygen mask to help with my breathing. I was so surprised how determined I was. I didn't panic at all, and I felt in control. Weird!! I think that the only time when I was near panicky was when I was in unbelievable pain before I started pushing. I am glad that feeling didn't last until the birth. That would have been awful. Still, pushing the baby out was surreal. Dennis was such a trouper. He really was focused and didn't get sick or pass out. I'm so grateful. He was great!! When the head was near the opening, the nurse said, "Look at all that blond hair!" I was a bit taken-a-back, since I assumed my baby would have dark hair like I did. It was somewhat shocking to hear that he was going to have blond hair. I was excited to see him. I closed my eyes as I pushed since it just seemed to be easier that way, but I tried to look in the mirror when I was done. At times, the doctor would be in the way of the mirror and of course, my eyes were still watering, but I tried to focus. After one really good push and lots and lots of pain, the head came out. I knew that the shoulders were next, which freaked me out a bit since they were much wider than the head. Yikes!! Dennis looked down at the baby and smiled. He leaned close to my face and said, "he's so beautiful." I was so happy to hear that and so proud that Dennis was more excited to be a dad than grossed out by all of the medical stuff. One big push left, and the baby seemed to just slide out after that. CRAZY!! I laid back, exhausted at all the pushing while Dennis cut the umbilical cord. I didn't even know it had happened because it was so fast. I had moved my gown down so that the baby could rest on my chest, skin to skin, and I hadn't even realized what Dennis was doing. The baby was quickly placed on my chest, and I got to hold my son for the first time. I couldn't believe that he was real and that he was mine. I just had a baby. Andrew was born at 9:30pm on Friday, March 19th, 2010.

The nurse took him from me to do all the tests, wipe him off and wrap him up. It felt like forever that he was away from me. It was a very short time before he cried for the first time. At that point, I heard my mom in the hall. "Is that my grandbaby," she asked. I said, "Yeah, but you can't come in yet." The doctor was finally being worthwhile by showing me up. During the time when the head came out, the doctor had to cut me to widen the passage. It hurt like hell. I'm not going to lie. It felt like he was using a pair of scissors, which he could have for all I know since I didn't see what he was using at that time. As he stitched me up, I told the nurse that I didn't need the mirror anymore. I would hate to have to see that. I'm sure I was in bad shape, and I wasn't eager to check it out. Dennis was right over there with the baby, and he had his camera. He started taking pictures. He was all smiles. He just kept saying, "he's so beautiful." That was nice to hear. We both already loved our son. Come to think of it now, everyone knew that we knew that we were having a boy, so the doctor didn't say, "it's a boy." It still would have been fun to hear him say that. Oh well!!

The nurse finally brought the baby back to me, and I immediately put him to breast. I had been to my breastfeeding class, and I was determined to make it work. I knew that getting the baby to breast as soon as possible was very important. I was so happy when he went straight for the nipple and fed for a good 15 minutes. That was a good sign that things would work in the breastfeeding department. It was about this time that I told Dennis that he could go to the waiting room and get my parents. The doctor was done stitching, and the three of us were just there alone. There was no use having my parents wait, since it was nearly 10:00pm already. I had Dennis call them just after I started pushing. I didn't want them there waiting if it could have taken hours. It turns out that my labor only lasted 6 hours in total from the time of induction to the delivery. Weird! It worked out great that we called them at the point of my labor when we did because they showed up just as the baby came out. Perfect timing!! They only had to wait for the doctor to stitch me up and for me to feed my son! From what I heard from my mom, it was a crazy conversation with Dennis. Since my contractions were so close together, he really didn't have too much time to talk to her before I screamed for him to come back. I needed him to hold my leg when I pushed, and I just didn't want him to be away from me for a second. As Dennis tells it, as soon as my mom picked up the phone, he said to her, "you promised to help me! You're getting a new grandson at Swedish American." Then he hung up, since this was the time when I screamed for him to come back to me. haha My mom didn't know what hit her. She was so confused. Luckily, they figured it out, and she and my dad were there just in time.

Because I was feeding the baby, Dennis didn't get to hold him yet. When my parents came in, I wasn't about to have anyone else hold him except for Dennis. We as parents needed to get out time first, so I passed the baby over to Dennis, who was more than eager to hold his son. I was so happy!! My parents, both, got to hold their new grandson and take pictures. Then, they said their good-byes and left us to get moved to our new room. The nurse, Erin, was back to help me out of bed and to the bathroom. She said that I had to urinate before I went to the next room. She arranged for us to stay in a labor room so that Dennis and I could be alone. If I were to go to a recovery room, I would have to share with another new mom and baby, and Dennis might not be able to stay over with us. I really wanted him there. She said that since I was an excellent pusher and was a perfect patient that she would try her best to get us the labor room. I don't know how much of that is true with me being a good patient, but Erin was truly the best nurse. She sat with me in the bathroom until I could finally pee and then helped me clean myself and wash my hands. I was in pain from the stitches, and she explained everything about how to wash off and use the pads and ice packs. In the meantime, another nurse took the baby to the nursery to give him a bath and things. Dennis took our bags down the hall to our new room, and Erin helped me into the nightgown that I brought with me.

Another Unexpected Trip to the Hospital! (March 19, 2010)

Today was my last appointment with the doctor as a pregnant woman, though I didn't know it at the time. Since I had a mandatory faculty meeting on Thursday afternoon, I had to reschedule my appointment with Dr. Bachwaty for 8:45am on Friday, the next day. My consistent contractions from yesterday left me feeling very curious about this visit. I was wondering what would be discovered at this appointment, so I was eager to go at 8:45am.

Things started out as normal. I went in first for my ultrasound, which seemed to show a normal, healthy baby, and then I sat in the small room with a monitor on my belly. I have to admit that I was a bit anxious about seeing some huge mountains on the print-out, which would tell me that I was definitely having contractions and that labor would be soon. From what I could see, there were some small contractions, but it didn't seem like there was anything out-of-the-ordinary to be concerned or excited about. However, when Dr. Bachwaty came into the room to check the print-out, he didn't think that it was normal. First of all, I was surprised when he came in so soon. I would normally sit at the monitor for 40 minutes before anyone even came in to say "hey," but this time was different. He was in to check on me after about 20 minutes, and he saw something that gave him some concern. Apparently, the baby's heartbeat dropped, which worried the doctor. He said, "you're going to hate me." I gave out a small laugh, because it was weird how well he knew how I'd respond, since he wasn't my "main" doctor. I liked him much better than my main doctor, anyway. He said that he was going to send me to the hospital for further testing. I thought that is was a bit unnecessary, but I went along with it since he was the doctor and knew more about this sort of thing than I did.

Upon leaving the doctor's office, I called Dennis to tell him to come home. It was around 10:30am at this point, and he was really shocked to have me calling him. I have to admit that I had no intention of calling him or going to the hospital that day. I even had to call school to tell the secretary to get me a substitute for the rest of the day, which was not a problem.

I got home, and since I wasn't completely convinced that this trip to the hospital would result in an infant, I was slow in getting ready. I watered a few of my plants before going in to pack the rest of my suitcase, just in case. Since we were going to the hospital, we might as well be as prepared as possible. I had a check list of items that I wanted packed in my suitcase, and I went through this list adding what I needed to make sure I had it all. Dennis has already packed his bag earlier, so he was quick to get his bag, the diaper bag and the pillows in the car. He then came back in for my bag and two bottles of frozen water, which were for my back. We both seemed to be moving on auto-pilot as we readied the car and ourselves for the hospital. I really didn't feel that it was all that serious, nor did I feel the need to rush. I did; however, feel a bit worried about the baby. I just wanted to make sure he was okay, and if going to the hospital for a few hours sitting on a monitor would be all I had to do, I was ready to make sure my little guy was okay.

On the way the hospital, I asked Dennis to stop by McDonalds. It was truly one of the only fast food places on the way, and I really thought I should eat something before we got to the hospital. The last time we were at the hospital was March 1st, when we had to sit there for 6 hours on a monitor. I wasn't allowed to eat anything and I was starving. Since it was about 11am, I thought if I didn't eat now, I might not get to for a very long time. I just got a fish sandwich to hold me over, since I really wasn't hungry. I just wanted something in my stomach.

Dennis dropped me off at the door, and I went in to wait for him. Normally, I would use a wheelchair, since I had been on best rest, but I felt like walking up to the labor floor. Dennis had the pillows with him, but we decided to leave the suitcase and bag in the car until they were needed. Afterall, we had no idea if this trip would lead to anything, so why take up all that stuff just to bring it back down a few hours later. We walked back to the elevators and went up to the fifth floor. I have to admit that one of the best things we learned in our prenatal classes was where to find the labor and delivery floor. It was nice to have had a tour of this area during one of our classes before we needed to go their on our own. This was the same place we came to on March 1st, so we really knew where to go. Since my doctor had called ahead of time to tell them that I would be on my way, they were ready for me, and luckily, they weren't busy, which allowed us to get into the labor room right away. I was glad to see that it wasn't the triage room from March 1st but an actual labor room. These rooms were much bigger, and I didn't have to share it with a stranger.

Immediately, I was asked to undress and put on the tacky hospital gown. I then got into the bed, where the nurse attached the monitor to my belly. She gave us the impression that I would be monitored for a half an hour, and then she would call my doctor to tell him what she saw. This was okay with me, and I was certain that after that time, I would be going home. Dennis and I were prepared this time, because we both had brought novels to read. Sitting on the monitor is very boring, since nothing happens. I had just started reading Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series, which was well over 600 pages. That would keep me busy for a while. Dennis also had a rather large book that he was reading, so we both sat and waited to hear what would happen next.

After about an hour and a half, I was sweating pretty badly. It was a nice day outside with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s-60s, but inside was at least 80 degrees. Apparently, the air conditioning wasn't working. Agghhh!!! The nurse who came in to check my monitor said that she could get me a fan, but I would be on a waiting list. Was she serious??? I really didn't think that I would be in there for much longer, so I thought I could endure the heat. I was really hot, though. She checked the computer to which my monitor was attached and said that she would call my doctor and tell him about the reading. She mentioned that there had been one small deceleration in the baby's heartbeat, which I thought wasn't too bad. I guess if it were happening more often, then I would be worried. When she was gone, Dennis and I started talking about what we were going to do that night. It was a Friday, and we thought of going out to dinner. We soon found out that one deceleration was bad enough, because the nurse came in and said that my doctor wanted me induced. My response was a shocked, "INDUCED?" I just couldn't believe it. Dennis and I just looked at each other with big eyes. WHAT!!!!????

The Starting of Week 37 and much more (March 18, 2010)

Today marked the day of week 37 of my pregnancy, and the baby could have come at any point from here on out. The doctors stressed that I needed to get to week 37 to deliver so that the baby would be healthy. I had heard this since my first scare with preterm labor in the end of January, and it was weird to know that week 37 was finally here. The day was pretty normal. I had been back on full-time days at school for three days, and though I was supposed to go the doctor on this specific Thursday for a normal check-up, I had to reschedule due to a mandatory faculty meeting. After school on this Thursday, I went to the meeting and then decided to skip book club and go to Jil's house. I was having contractions and thought it would be best to take things easy. Book club would have been a 4pm to 6pm thing, which I would have happily have gone to, but I really was feeling these contractions and wanted to visit with Jil, a friend who recently had a baby. I wasn't at Jil's long, just to visit with her and her new daughter Anne Marie. I was timing my contractions, which were now 5 minutes apart for over an hour. She asked if I was going to head to the hospital, but I told her that I would wait. I was convinced that if it was really labor, I would have worse pain with the contractions and/or my water would break. So far, things weren't that much different than other times, and I thought that it could also be the Braxton Hicks contractions that I had had from time to time. I couldn't help but think what the doctor would have said at my appointment today. I guess I would have to wait until the morning, which was when I rescheduled my appointment for 8:45am. I planned on having subs for the first three classes of the day, and then I would return just before lunch for the rest of the day. It didn't really matter, since I had a student teacher teaching all of my classes, but I still had to have a certified teacher in the room with her. Everything was set, and all I had to do was keep track of my contractions and pain until then. No problem!