Since, C is asleep I thought I would write his story so that I don't forget.
January 26, 2011
I was a nervous wreck all day. P and I had dinner at Outback and talked about how things were going to change from this moment on. We talked about how this would be our last "date" for a long time. We were ok with that. We were so ready to meet our baby. I ate way too much knowing I wouldn't be allowed to eat while I was in labor.
We arrived at the hospital at 8:15 for my induction. I was told that I was almost called and told to stay home due to the fact that there were so many women in labor. I was chosen over another woman because I was past my due date. They said that the other lady was very upset. I was glad I was chosen. The nurses, Melinda and Edna put me in a hospital gown, started my IV, drew blood, asked me questions and went over how things would go, and hooked me up to fetal monitoring. They were both very nice. I especially loved Melinda because she treated me like a nurse and didn't act like she was better than me. She checked on me the next night. They had a hard time getting C's heartbeat cause he kept moving around. About 10pm I was given a medicene called Cytotec intra vaginally. I had never heard of this medicene before and was kinda nervous about it. The bad thing about it was I had to stay in bed for 2 hours so that the medicene wouldn't come out. They had me hooked up to IV fluids so I literally had to pee every 10-20 minutes, on a bed pan, and it wasn't fun for me or P. He was so awesome though. He hardly complained and even wiped me. The bed was very uncomfortable and it was hard to get into a good postion. Everytime I turned we would loose his heartbeat and I would do my best to find it again.
January 27, 2011
At around 1am the contractions started. They were light, like mild menstrual cramps. I was trying to sleep but I was listening to his heartbeat on the monitor the whole time. Once I heard it slow down and speed back up but I thought it was from him moving away from the monitor. Then he did it again. Three nurses rushed into my room, put oxygen on me and had me turn onmy right side. One nurse checked my cervix and I was dilated to a 2. They told me that I had to stay in bed longer until his heartbeat stabilized. She called and told Dr. D. She thought I might be having contractions one right after another. Then I had to poop, on the bed pain. NOT FUN. P almost puked. I finally got tired of so much peeing and asked for a catheter. I got one and as soon as the nurse walked out I felt the sudden urge to pee. Being a nurse and knowing that the catheter makes you feel like you need to pee, I pushed and thought I had peed on myself. I asked P to wipe me and it was bloody. We called the nurse and she said my water broke. Melinda said that the possibly taking the pressure off my bladder allowed him to move down and my water broke. I was so happy but listening to the monitor at his heartbeat the whole time and I was worried. I knew something wasn't right. She called Dr. D and told her. I was still only dilated to a 2. I was having more intense contractions now and didn't want IV pain medicene but Melinda said that it could possbilbly slow down my contractions and make it easier on the baby. i took it, felt drunk but felt a lot better. Around 2am the contractions were getting worse but I could handle them. Melinda said I could have my epidural whenever I wanted it so I asked for it. Around 2:30 the CRNA came in, asked me questions and I sat up to get my edpidural. I could feel my back "crunching" as he got into the space. I was shaking uncontrollably due to adrenaline hormones that were going through my body. He kept telling me, "chin down, back out more". It seemed like forever for him to get it in. Then suddenly when he was done I got the most painful intense migraine ever, started sweating and nauseated. I tried to lay down at their request but each time I tried the head ache flared like crazy. It was very scary. I finally layed down and felt better. My legs were going numb and felt very warm. It was a relaxing feeling and I felt better. I was going to try to sleep now. We waited and his heartbeat dropped two more times. Melinda called Dr D. Around 3 am Melinda placed a heartbeat monitoring device and on C's head to monitor him and gave me a shot in my arm to try to slow down my contractions. About 3:45 Dr. D came in and put a monitor inside me to measure my contractions. She told me she saw meconium (baby poop). Being a nurse I knew this wasn't good and meant that C was in distress. She said she was going out to check my strips from the monitoring devices and come back. I knew I was going to have a c-section when she told me she saw meconium. She came back in and said "I think we should do a c-section". Without hesitation I said, "let's do it". Immediatley, without hesitation Dr. D unplugged my monitors and the bed and pushed me with Melinda's help right into the OR. Within minutes they were cutting me open. They didn't even count insturments due to the emergent need to get C out. I was very nervous for my baby. The CRNA gave me huge doses of the epidural to get me numb. I couldn't feel anything. Eventually I was numb allover, even my mouth. I could feel pressure and pulling when Dr. D was getting him out. P finally mad it in and sat next to me. Then Dr. D said, "double nuchal, no TRIPLE nuchal cord. That is why he was having decels". She told me his cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times. Each time I had a contraction my uterus would push him and sqeeze his cord tighter aroudn his neck, this is why his heart rate would fall. Then suddenlty she told me, he is out and they are having to bag him a little bit". (they were having to breathe for him since he wasn't breathing on this own when he came out). Then I freaked out. I said, "they are bagging him?" and then I heard him cry. It was a little relieft. He didn't cry long.
P took some pictures and the NICU nurses rolled C by so me and P could see him. He looked so big in his incubator. Then they rushed P out to meet me in recovery. They sewed me up and I got numb everywhere. I suddenly got nauseated and puked and then I couldn't breathe. I was panicking and crying at the same time. I was so scared. Dr. D said they were going to keep C in NICU for a couple of hours to monitor his breathing. I went to recovery and tried to sleep but was shaking so bad it was impossible. By then it was around 5. Eventually they brought C to me and I held him and breast fed him. He had the most amazing blonde hair and he was so beautiful. I was so glad that his breathing was better and he wasn't intubated. P came to recovery and held C also. He didn't stay long and they took him back to NICU. I was so relieved. Then his blood sugars began to fall due to the stress of labor and they were having to bottle feed him and monitor his sugars every 3 hours to make sure they weren't low. They told me that if his blood sugars didn't return to normal that he would have to go to NICU. The NICU at the hospital was full so that meant he would have to be transported to another hospital. I was so upset and prayed so hard that his sugars would return to normal. Within 24 hours they had. They were on the low side of normal and I had to wake him up every 2 hours and force him to eat so he didn't have to go to NICU.
C was born at 4:21 am on January 27th. He weighed 6pds 14 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. It took them 5 minutes from the time they cut me to get him out.
I am thankful to my nurse Melinda who was watching my monitors and keeping Dr. D informed. I am thankful to Dr. D for coming in on a night she wasn't on call to deliver C and making the decision to have a c-section right away without delay. I am thankful to my amazing husband who had so much patience with me through out my labor. Thanks be to God who gave me a beautiful, healthy son despite the way he started his life.
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