This is more for me to remember everything, but I figured I would share.
Short version:
I woke up to my water breaking at 1:45am on the 29th. We were at the hospital by 4am and I got an epidural around 5:45am. By 7am I was at 10cm and ready to push but the nurse had to get everything ready. I did a few practice pushes around 7:45 and at 8 started pushing. About 5 sets of pushes later Jake was born!
Long Version:
I had a dr's appointment on Thursday and when she checked she said I was 75-80% effaced and still about 1 cm dilated. But she also said he was really low and she could feel the top of his head through the amniotic sac. Thursday evening I was having some stomach cramps but by 9pm they had gone away and we went to bed. I woke up at 1:45am feeling like I had peed on myself. I jumped out of bed and there was a lot more fluid that came out. I assumed it was my water but didn't want to wake Josh up until I was sure. So I waited until about 2:15 when I started to have contractions to get him up. We figured we would wait a little bit to call the doctor because I had had so many contractions before. About 15-20 minutes later the contractions were pretty regular and getting more intense so we called the doctor. She told us to come on in so we got up and Josh got dressed quickly and started getting all of the last minute things together while I attempted to get up and get dressed. I called my mom and told her that we were going to be headed to her house with Cosmo. It took my a lot longer to get dressed than I had anticipated, I had to stop what I was doing every time I had a contraction, which at this point was about every 3 minutes. We finally got out the door around 2:50.
The drive to my mom's was hard because my contractions were coming two at a time. I would have one that lasted about a minute, then about 30 seconds of rest, then another one about a minute long, then about a 3 minute break. After we dropped Cosmo off we headed to the hospital with my mom right behind us. I was trying to drink water on the way because I knew I wouldn't get a lot to drink once I got to the hospital. So during that 3 minute break I was getting I was drinking. Every bump we went over made the contractions worse so Josh was trying to avoid them and drive quickly, oh and it was raining. When we got to the hospital we pulled into the parking garage and Josh asked if I could walk in and of course I said yes. About 20 seconds later I threw the car door open (while we were still moving) so I could throw up all the water I just drank and I quickly changed my mind about being able to walk. After Josh parked he ran in to get a wheelchair and the admissions desk people said they would get a nurse. Josh saw a wheelchair in the corner and asked if he could take that one, so he did. We were almost in the hospital when the nurse came out with a wheelchair. Once we got in I had to sign (or scribble randomly) all the consent forms (not sure why they think this is neccessary when you are in labor). My mom got there as I was signing, and was talking very loudly trying to find us.
Apparently they thought I was really in labor because we bypassed l&d triage (normally where they would take you to see if you are dilated and make sure you are really in labor) and headed straight to a room. I asked about getting in the tub (figuring I couldn't because my water broke) and they confirmed that I couldn't. That was my best coping skill for dealing with contractions. I asked if I could shower and they were checking with the on call doctor but I still had to get in a gown and checked, which took about 30 minutes because again I was stopping every time I had a contraction. When I was checked the first time, about 4:30am, I was 2-3cm dilated. By the time we got to the point that I could get into the shower I had already decided I wasn't going to make it without an epidural so they got the fluids started. I had to have an entire bag of fluids before they could do the epidural but the nice nurse (I had fabulous nurses in l&d) turned it all the way up so I could get it more quickly. While we were waiting for the fluids to get in the contractions were horribly painful and seemed to be getting worse. I couldn't get comfortable during one and couldn't move very much during them either.
About 5:20 my new best friend (anesthesiologist) was on his way so Josh and my mom had to leave the room, I was not happy about that because I was using Josh's had to squeeze everytime I had a contraction and I knew that I was going to somehow have to sit very still during the epidural. The nice nurse promised she would help me and told me just to let her know when I was having a contraction. After we got me sitting up and in position the nurse would come over and let me squeeze the crap out of her hands everytime I had a contraction then when it was over she would go work on getting stuff ready then I would tell her when I was having another one and we repeated this until the dr was ready to put the epi in. Then she stood and held my hands while I got the numbing shot (that hurt) and made sure I was staying still during contractions (of course I was having one right when he went to put the epi in.)
After the epi was in they said it would be about 5-10 minutes for it to fully kick in, but about 3 minutes after it was in Jake's heart rate started to drop, so the nurse had me flip to my side and his heart rate went back to normal for a little while, then dropped again, so we flipped to the other side. By this time the epi has kicked in so the nurse is having to help me turn over. After we did this for about 5 minutes she called in another nurse to help and see if they could figure out why his heart rate kept dropping. They were also having a hard time getting him to stay on the monitor, which after the fact they figured out he was so low and that was part of the problem. They put an internal monitor on him and checked me at about 6am and I was 5-6cm. Once the internal monitor was on his heart rate was better so they let Josh and my mom come back in.
I was feeling much better at this point and we were guessing what time he was going to be born. A little while later I realized that I was feeling the contractions a little bit in one spot on the left side, but it wasn't anything bad so the nurse had me (well told me to, she, Josh and my mom had to move me) lay on my left side to see if that would spread the epi medicine out. It worked for a little while then I could feel it again. This was right before 7am and there was a shift change so my new nurse came in. I let her know that I was still feeling some pain and she said that it could be because he was so low but she gave my epi a boost and said to give it a few minutes and she would check me. About 7:15 she checked me and said I was at a 10 and would be pushing soon. So she started getting everything ready in the room and I took the time to put some make up on. (I knew there were going to be pictures afterwards!)
Around 7:45 the nurse had me push with a few contractions. The monitor wasn't picking up the contractions up well so she was relying on me to tell her when I was having them, but I wanted to wait to start really pushing so I would tell her for every other one. I figured if I couldn't feel the contractions I might as well let them do as much of the work as possible instead of me doing all the work! A little after 8am I started really pushing. 3 pushes for each contraction then I would rest. The nurse pulled out the mirror so I could watch (it helped since I couldn't feel the left side of my body, that epi boost did its job a little too well!). Around 8:15 the doctor came in. I pushed through about 5 contractions with him. Once Jake's head was out he had me stop pushing, he sucked out his mouth and nose then told me to give him one small push and the rest of him was out.
The doctor and nurse put him right up on my chest where Josh cut his cord, they cleaned him off and tucked him into my gown. I got to hold him for about an hour before giving him to Josh to hold. Then they took him and weighed him and checked him over.
In the end it was definitely not what I expected, I was planning on being in labor much longer than that and it being more difficult than it was. But I am glad it went quickly and smoothly. I am hoping that my next labor and delivery are just as quick and easy and maybe I will be able to make it without an epidural next time.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
One Month Old (sort of)
Jake is one month old today, sort of. Technically it would be on the 29th, but this year there is no February 29th, so we will celebrate the occasion today! I can't believe my baby is already a month old! It doesn't seem possible that he has been here that long, but at the same time it feels like he has been here forever. He is such a great and happy baby. And strong! He already holds his head up and will push up on his arms when we lay him down on his tummy. I am pretty sure we will have our hands full when he starts moving.
Jake is growing fabulously still. We weighed him at home a few days ago and he was about 10lbs 8oz but he has been cluster feeding in the afternoon/evening the past few days so I'm sure he is growing more. He eats great and sleeps great (most of the time). I usually get to bed between 11 and 11:30 and he usually doesn't wake up to eat again until 4ish. (Sleeping through the night is technically defined as a 6 hour stretch) He usually goes right back to sleep after that feeding and sleeps until 7-7:30 then is up for a little while, we usually cuddle in our bed and fall back alseep for an hour or so. We got really lucky with his sleeping habits!
Josh gives him a bath every few days and is now comfortable doing it by himself. And he is great with changing diapers and getting him to sleep when we go to bed. I hear a lot of people say that their husbands don't know what to do to help or don't offer but Josh has taken to daddyhood quickly and seems to love it. (He and Jake just took a 2 hour nap together in the chair.)
I am more and more in love with our little boy everyday. And so far being a mommy is a lot easier than I was planning on (althoug I'm sure all the experience with Gabrielle helped). He is a pretty easy baby though and if my next pregnancy, labor, and baby are just as easy it might be hard to stop at two!
Jake is growing fabulously still. We weighed him at home a few days ago and he was about 10lbs 8oz but he has been cluster feeding in the afternoon/evening the past few days so I'm sure he is growing more. He eats great and sleeps great (most of the time). I usually get to bed between 11 and 11:30 and he usually doesn't wake up to eat again until 4ish. (Sleeping through the night is technically defined as a 6 hour stretch) He usually goes right back to sleep after that feeding and sleeps until 7-7:30 then is up for a little while, we usually cuddle in our bed and fall back alseep for an hour or so. We got really lucky with his sleeping habits!
Josh gives him a bath every few days and is now comfortable doing it by himself. And he is great with changing diapers and getting him to sleep when we go to bed. I hear a lot of people say that their husbands don't know what to do to help or don't offer but Josh has taken to daddyhood quickly and seems to love it. (He and Jake just took a 2 hour nap together in the chair.)
I am more and more in love with our little boy everyday. And so far being a mommy is a lot easier than I was planning on (althoug I'm sure all the experience with Gabrielle helped). He is a pretty easy baby though and if my next pregnancy, labor, and baby are just as easy it might be hard to stop at two!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Attempt at tummy time
We have been trying to have some tummy time every day, usually it is either on Josh or my chest. On Monday I got out the play gym, to give Jake something else to look at and a new place to try some tummy time. This is what happened:
Friday, February 12, 2010
Snow Day!
We got snow yesterday. All day yesterday. I believe the final total for our place was 7 inches! This means Josh got to stay home all day today! Which was nice because he was going to be off for a half day anyways so he could go to Jake's doctors' appointment this morning. The doctor confirmed what we already knew, he is perfect! So at 2 weeks he is now up to 9lbs and 21 1/4 inches long. That means he is getting enough to eat, which makes me happy. It is really hard to know that he is getting enough when I can't measure it!
Jake had his first pictures done yesterday. He was not a fan of that. More so because he was naked for the pictures. We are hoping we got some good ones in between the fussiness though. Hopefully we will be getting those fairly quickly so we can get his birth announcements done and sent!
Not much else is going on here. Just hanging out at home mostly. So here are a few pictures from the last few days.
First snow!
Napping in his crib, he looks so little in there
Making funny faces while he was sleeping on daddy
His shirt says "Totally Handsome"
Just hanging out
Monster baby!
Jake had his first pictures done yesterday. He was not a fan of that. More so because he was naked for the pictures. We are hoping we got some good ones in between the fussiness though. Hopefully we will be getting those fairly quickly so we can get his birth announcements done and sent!
Not much else is going on here. Just hanging out at home mostly. So here are a few pictures from the last few days.
First snow!
Napping in his crib, he looks so little in there
Making funny faces while he was sleeping on daddy
His shirt says "Totally Handsome"
Just hanging out
Monster baby!
Monday, February 8, 2010
One Week Down
Well one week plus some now. It has taken me three days to actually be able to sit down and write this. It is much harder to find time when you have the world's cutest baby to cuddle with!
So with the exception of the whole appendicitis thing, our first week home has gone really smoothly. No major meltdowns, no injuries, and a decent amount of sleep for everyone. Sounds like a great first week home to me! Jake got his first (and at this point 2nd) bath. Josh got pooped on once (through a towel thankfully!). And we have learned a bunch about out little monkey boy.
Things We Learned During the First Week:
-Jake likes to poop in a clean diaper
-Jake is a good sleeper and is almost impossible to wake before he is ready
-He won't eat if he needs to poop
-Daddy's goatee is fun to grab and pull
-He is not a fan of the sponge bath (hopefully this doesn't mean he won't like water!)
-0-3 month clothes are big even on a "big" baby
-Jake likes the car...as long as we are moving
-Socks do not stay on baby feet
-We go through a ton of diapers! (Can't wait to start using the cloth diapers!)
-Jake will let you know when he is hungry...by screaming very loudly
-We have great family and friends (We knew this before but can never be said enough)
And some pictures from this week.
First Bath
Getting dry
First doctor's appointment
Nakey baby sleeping
Cosmo checking out Jake
Hanging out with Grams while mommy was in the hospital
Mommy and Jake sleeping
So with the exception of the whole appendicitis thing, our first week home has gone really smoothly. No major meltdowns, no injuries, and a decent amount of sleep for everyone. Sounds like a great first week home to me! Jake got his first (and at this point 2nd) bath. Josh got pooped on once (through a towel thankfully!). And we have learned a bunch about out little monkey boy.
Things We Learned During the First Week:
-Jake likes to poop in a clean diaper
-Jake is a good sleeper and is almost impossible to wake before he is ready
-He won't eat if he needs to poop
-Daddy's goatee is fun to grab and pull
-He is not a fan of the sponge bath (hopefully this doesn't mean he won't like water!)
-0-3 month clothes are big even on a "big" baby
-Jake likes the car...as long as we are moving
-Socks do not stay on baby feet
-We go through a ton of diapers! (Can't wait to start using the cloth diapers!)
-Jake will let you know when he is hungry...by screaming very loudly
-We have great family and friends (We knew this before but can never be said enough)
And some pictures from this week.
First Bath
Not liking being naked and wet
Getting dry
First doctor's appointment
Nakey baby sleeping
Mommy's Little Monster
Cosmo checking out Jake
Hanging out with Grams while mommy was in the hospital
Mommy and Jake sleeping
Thursday, February 4, 2010
And Home Again.
Well, we have had quite an eventful and emotional last 24 hours.
About 2:30 yesterday afternoon I started having severe stomach pains, bad enough that Josh and I decided we needed to call the doctor to see what they thought we needed to do. Josh was told to call an ambulance if I couldn't move or get me to the ER. I definitely didn't want to have to call an ambulance so Josh got all three of us dressed and in the car and we headed to the closest ER. The pain wasn't any better when we got there and I could barely walk. Once we got checked in and the doctor checked me out she wanted to do a CT Scan to see if it was my appendix, but ideally they needed to use an injectible dye contrast to get the best results, but I wouldn't be able to breastfeed and would have to pump and dump the milk for 24 hours, which I really wanted to avoid. She figured out something else for me to do, drink the dye, which would be fine for my milk, but would take a lot longer to get into my system and get the scan. Josh and I decided this would be a better option to try first even though it could have resulted in having to do the other one anyways.
In the mean time, we had called my mom to come get Jake and take him back to our house. She came and asked Josh if he wanted to stay with me or take Jake home himself. Josh (and I) had a tough time with this decision. Neither of us wanted to leave him and at this point we were assuming I was staying overnight and we definitely were not prepared to leave him overnight. Somehow it was decided that Josh would stay with me and Jake would go home with my mom and she would stay for the night if she needed to.
It took FOREVER for the CT Scan results to come back and longer for the doctor to come in and tell me what was going on (although Josh was told when he went out to ask if I could have some water). I got a pump from the hospital so I could pump so Jake would have some food and I pumped while we waited for the results to come back. When the doctor finally came in and told me (although by this point Josh had already told me what was going on) that I had appendicitis and was going to have surgery in the morning. At this point (for the third time since we had been there) I started bawling again. Not as much because I was having to have surgery, but because I just wanted to come home and be with Jake and I was upset that I would have to be dumping breastmilk for at least 36 hours which meant that Jake would be getting formula all day today and tonight. I didn't have enough stored up to feed him for that long.
They let me pump one more time before giving me an antibiotic that wasn't safe for breastfeeding. We waited for a while for a room, but neither Josh nor I had eaten in a long time so he was going to go home and get us food, take the breastmilk home for Jake, and get us some clothes. We finally got settled in a room about 10:30pm. At that point Josh and I were both upset again that we had to leave Jake for the night (I tried to talk him into staying at home with him, but he wanted to be at the hospital too). We found out I would be going in for surgery at about 10am the next morning. So we got some sleep, but I was up pumping every 3 hours and sadly watching it all go down the sink each time. And I was still in pain so everytime I pumped I took more morphine, which never helped for more than 2 or so hours.
This morning the surgeon came in and told us how he would be doing the surgery (laprascopiclly) and he said I should be able to go home this afternoon. This made both Josh and I feel a great deal better because we had been told the night before that there was a possibility that they would keep me another night. So a little after 10 this morning they took me in for surgery. It took less than 30 minutes (according to Josh) and everything went great. I woke up crying in recovery and the nurses thought I was in a lot of pain until I told them I just wanted to go home and see my baby boy. Then they understood why I was crying so much, especially after I explained that he was only 6 days old.
I finally got back to my room and asked what I needed to do to get home. They said I had to be able to walk on my own, keep solid food down, and pee. So I asked for food and water and started drinking and eating. Then got up and walked to the bathroom by myself (well Josh supervised) and peed. After I let the nurse know she started getting stuff ready for us to leave. We left there about 3pm, a LONG 23 hours after we got there.
I don't think I have ever been so happy to be home. And to hold my baby for the first time in over 24 hours. We took a nap together for a little while and my mom got dinner ready for me and Josh. I don't know what we would have done without her here to help us. Jake was well taken care of while we had to be gone. But I think he will be completely spoiled for a few days as Josh and I take every chance we get to hold and cuddle him (my mom had to pry him out of my arms earlier).
So, again, we are home. And even more thrilled than before to cuddle with our little monkey boy.
About 2:30 yesterday afternoon I started having severe stomach pains, bad enough that Josh and I decided we needed to call the doctor to see what they thought we needed to do. Josh was told to call an ambulance if I couldn't move or get me to the ER. I definitely didn't want to have to call an ambulance so Josh got all three of us dressed and in the car and we headed to the closest ER. The pain wasn't any better when we got there and I could barely walk. Once we got checked in and the doctor checked me out she wanted to do a CT Scan to see if it was my appendix, but ideally they needed to use an injectible dye contrast to get the best results, but I wouldn't be able to breastfeed and would have to pump and dump the milk for 24 hours, which I really wanted to avoid. She figured out something else for me to do, drink the dye, which would be fine for my milk, but would take a lot longer to get into my system and get the scan. Josh and I decided this would be a better option to try first even though it could have resulted in having to do the other one anyways.
In the mean time, we had called my mom to come get Jake and take him back to our house. She came and asked Josh if he wanted to stay with me or take Jake home himself. Josh (and I) had a tough time with this decision. Neither of us wanted to leave him and at this point we were assuming I was staying overnight and we definitely were not prepared to leave him overnight. Somehow it was decided that Josh would stay with me and Jake would go home with my mom and she would stay for the night if she needed to.
It took FOREVER for the CT Scan results to come back and longer for the doctor to come in and tell me what was going on (although Josh was told when he went out to ask if I could have some water). I got a pump from the hospital so I could pump so Jake would have some food and I pumped while we waited for the results to come back. When the doctor finally came in and told me (although by this point Josh had already told me what was going on) that I had appendicitis and was going to have surgery in the morning. At this point (for the third time since we had been there) I started bawling again. Not as much because I was having to have surgery, but because I just wanted to come home and be with Jake and I was upset that I would have to be dumping breastmilk for at least 36 hours which meant that Jake would be getting formula all day today and tonight. I didn't have enough stored up to feed him for that long.
They let me pump one more time before giving me an antibiotic that wasn't safe for breastfeeding. We waited for a while for a room, but neither Josh nor I had eaten in a long time so he was going to go home and get us food, take the breastmilk home for Jake, and get us some clothes. We finally got settled in a room about 10:30pm. At that point Josh and I were both upset again that we had to leave Jake for the night (I tried to talk him into staying at home with him, but he wanted to be at the hospital too). We found out I would be going in for surgery at about 10am the next morning. So we got some sleep, but I was up pumping every 3 hours and sadly watching it all go down the sink each time. And I was still in pain so everytime I pumped I took more morphine, which never helped for more than 2 or so hours.
This morning the surgeon came in and told us how he would be doing the surgery (laprascopiclly) and he said I should be able to go home this afternoon. This made both Josh and I feel a great deal better because we had been told the night before that there was a possibility that they would keep me another night. So a little after 10 this morning they took me in for surgery. It took less than 30 minutes (according to Josh) and everything went great. I woke up crying in recovery and the nurses thought I was in a lot of pain until I told them I just wanted to go home and see my baby boy. Then they understood why I was crying so much, especially after I explained that he was only 6 days old.
I finally got back to my room and asked what I needed to do to get home. They said I had to be able to walk on my own, keep solid food down, and pee. So I asked for food and water and started drinking and eating. Then got up and walked to the bathroom by myself (well Josh supervised) and peed. After I let the nurse know she started getting stuff ready for us to leave. We left there about 3pm, a LONG 23 hours after we got there.
I don't think I have ever been so happy to be home. And to hold my baby for the first time in over 24 hours. We took a nap together for a little while and my mom got dinner ready for me and Josh. I don't know what we would have done without her here to help us. Jake was well taken care of while we had to be gone. But I think he will be completely spoiled for a few days as Josh and I take every chance we get to hold and cuddle him (my mom had to pry him out of my arms earlier).
So, again, we are home. And even more thrilled than before to cuddle with our little monkey boy.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Home!
We got to come home yesterday afternoon. And I think we are all glad to be out of the hospital. At least now Josh and I only have to wake up (or stay up!) for Jake, not for all the nurses in and out all night too! So far everything is going well. And we actually got more sleep last night than we have since he was born so that was nice. Today we are on our own all day and are just taking it easy. Right now he is sleeping but he had a rough morning. He wouldn't eat from 4am until about 11am. We think he was really gassy and had a tummy ache. But now he is all satisfied and seems to be feeling much better.
Cosmo seems to be adjusting well to having Jake home. We put Jake on the floor in the carseat when we got home and she sniffed him for a few minutes, and once he was out she was sniffing him every few minutes trying to figure him out. I think Jake crying in the middle of the night scared her at first, she jumped up and did her little growl and backed up the first time Jake woke her up. The rest of the night she just looked at him then laid back down. She was cuddling a little with him this morning, which was beyond cute! We have been making sure was a giving her all her normal attention too (which is easy during the day because she sleeps all day!)
\
Cosmo seems to be adjusting well to having Jake home. We put Jake on the floor in the carseat when we got home and she sniffed him for a few minutes, and once he was out she was sniffing him every few minutes trying to figure him out. I think Jake crying in the middle of the night scared her at first, she jumped up and did her little growl and backed up the first time Jake woke her up. The rest of the night she just looked at him then laid back down. She was cuddling a little with him this morning, which was beyond cute! We have been making sure was a giving her all her normal attention too (which is easy during the day because she sleeps all day!)
Jake has his first appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow morning so we will see how we do with getting out of the house! Hopefully it is good and not too stressful for us or Jake!
Josh sleeping with Jake before we left the hospital
All dressed to go home!
Getting ready to leave
In the car, the hat was a little big!
\Cosmo hanging out with Grams and Jake
Trying out the swing
Cosmo cuddling with Jake
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)