Weddingbee boards

When I left the 'Bee a few weeks ago I had been on bedrest since before Thanksgiving because I was showing signs of pre-e: high blood pressure, extreme swelling, low platelets. I had made it to my due date 12/15 and my OB gave me my induction date 12/16 6pm. I spent that day shopping and treating myself to lunch. Since I had been on bedrest for so long I couldn't handle sitting at home worrying about being induced all day. I distracted myself by making some final hospital purchases (new pajamas and socks) and getting a good lunch aka last meal, even though I couldn't eat it because I was so nervous. 

6pm came along and I checked in at Labor and Delivery. I got my room and they inserted Cervidil. It hurt just like all the cervical checks did because I was dilated at 1cm. Only 1cm! ugh... I told DH he could go home because all I was going to do was watch TV in bed and wait for something to happen. We live a mile from the hospital and have pets. No use in him sitting around too when he could take care of things at home and get some rest. 

I tossed and turned all through the night, couldn't get comfortable on that hard bed, still nervous about what was to come. Just before 5am I went to lay on my left side and felt a POP followed by a trickle. Yep, my water broke. I paged the nurse and she came in to confirm with a test strip. I called DH and before he even made it to the hospital I was having crazy contractions - one on top of another. I could hardly speak to my OB without feeling like I was going cross-eyed and stuttering. At 10am they were going to start me on Pitocin to move things along. When that happened they also gave me a narcotic (still not sure what it was, I was in such a state) that put me to sleep. Good thing, too, because it was going to be a LONG day. 

At 1pm I was still in pain so I got the epidural. After that it was pretty smooth sailing. I could rest. But I also could still feel the contractions. At 6pm 12/17 I was good to push. I started pushing with each contraction until they told me they could see his hair/head. At this point I was told he was sunny side up and stuck under my pubic bone. I could see everyone looking at each other and there was talk of a csection. The OB (who at this point was not my OB because it was the next day and shifts had changed) told me to prepare for a csection because with his position it was going to be really hard to push him out. I had developed a fever and they had started me on antibiotics. I knew I could push him out. The OB used the vacuum to get him out. One try it slid off his head because of all his hair! They said this out loud and DH saw the Dr. get out the scissors and made a comment about the baby getting a haircut. Um, nope. That would be the mediolateral episiotomy! Yikes! 

Once DS was out there were about 3 more doctors in the room immediately. They whisked him away so fast - didn't even ask DH to cut the cord - I knew something was going on, so I told DH to go with them if he could. 

He was born at 8:17pm on 12/17, 8lbs 2oz - 21.5"

My doctor spent a good 40 minutes stitching me back up and DH came back in the room with the pediatrician. DS's original Apgar score was 2, he had a subdural hematoma from the vaccum and pneumothorax (doctor speak for collapsed lung - I didn't know that's what that meant until after we left the hospital! I think I would've jumped off the table then and there if I did!). The good news was that they were giving him oxygen and his second Apgar was 8. So he was responding well in the Level 2 nursery. (Our hospital didn't have a NICU and Level 2 nursery was the special care unit). 

The hospital was rough. I was a mess. We were both on antibiotic IV's for 48 hours because of the fever. He was hooked up to all these monitors. Any visitors couldn't see the baby. I was incredibly swollen in the face from the pushing, the fluids and my crazy high blood pressure that still after the birth didn't go down for days. From the subural hematoma (big blood bubble on the back of the head from the vacuum), DS had developed jaundice. I was told when the blood reabsorbs into the body it's hard on his little organs to process, so he'd be jaundice for a while. 

It's been two weeks and he's doing great! Little noggin' has healed, he's eating like a champ (um.. sometimes nursing for over an hour! ouch!), getting bigger by the second it seems. We're still working out the whole sleeping schedule, lol... but he's absolutely perfect. I love him so much. Right now he's staring at my like, "mom get off the computer and feed me again!" 

Here's some photos of the little fella: 

(sorry huge photos!) 

holy wow that's a novel and a half! apologies 

I'm glad to hear that he is here!  I really hope your swelling has went down!

OMG he is so adorable

Awwww.....what a cute little man you have!  congratulations!

He's perfect! I am glad things turned out well for you!

Beautiful!  He looks just so peaceful in your first photo :-)