Ty's Birth: Part 3 - More Labor and Delivery

Okay, last I left off I'd gotten my epidural and was generally feeling okay. Honestly, the next several hours are a blur. The only things I remember from right after the epidural was being able to finally sleep a bit (remember, I'd been trying to get back to sleep all day), visiting with Hubs, Brewski and eventually my MIL, and watching some TV. Brewski brought some awesome snacks (that I didn't get to eat until several days later) and helped keep the mood light. Love him.

Somewhere in here I got put on oxygen. I think it was supposed to help the baby. At least that's what they told me. Let me tell you that oxygen mask sucked so bad. It was uncomfortable and I couldn't talk to people while wearing it. But it was for the baby, right?

Around 7 or 8pm the hospital changed shifts and I got a new Dr, equipped with his own set of residents (yes, a la Grey's Anatomy). I'd never met this Doctor and while he wasnt as nice as my previous Dr (who I knew) he was fine. All this time, the baby is still not really doing well with labor and the new Dr. decides to take me off the pitocin to see if Ty would tolerate that a little better. Even at the risk of it slowing down my labor. I think he said something like "I'll be back in four hours to see how you've progressed." I was also told to keep the mask on (you know I was taking it off when I could get away with it) and to only lay on one side. Of course it was the side that didn't face the TV.

Well, a couple hours later, the baby had stabilized and I got put back on the pitocin. Then I got taken off of it again. And I think I got put on it one more time. I got several checks ot make sure I was dilating and to see what position the baby was in. When I first arrived at the hospital, I was dilating but the baby had not dropped. Eventually, he started to drop and was eventually pushed down to a better position. Mind you, my stomach was not numb. So that part hurt like hell. I was essenially instructed to push (like delivery pushes) while they physically pushed Ty into the birth canal. It was awful, but he moved. After that episode my epidural started to wear off. Nope, not kidding. So I called the nurse, who called the anesthesiologist (Jim) to re-up my epi. The difference between feeling the contractions before and now is that they're coming back to back and they're waay more intense. I was not trying to be feeling those!

Midnight comes and goes (its now August 8th) and I'm still pregnant. Every 30 minutes or so, something pops up on one of my monitors that sends my Drs rushing in. I'm over them. I'm over the oxygen mask. I'm over Hubs telling me to put the oxygen mask back on. I'm over laying on my right side not being able to move. I don't want to hear the song that my MIL wrote for Ty that for some reason couldnt wait until he was born. I'm thirsty (did I mention I couldnt have anything other than ice chips?!). And for the first time in almost 40 weeks, I'm over being pregnant. I lean over to tell Hubs (who like a sweetheart is sitting next to me holding my hand) that I'm not sure I cant do it. That I don't know if I can do it when the time comes.

Literally minutes after that confession to Hubs the Drs race in again due to something on the monitors. they tell Hubs to put on the scrubs they gave him when we arrived in L&D (you know, just in case) and they trn to me to say that they're sorry, but they are just not comfortable with the way my labor has been going, and that they're going to do a Cesarian. An operating room was already prepped (it had been hours ago) and I was being rolled around the corner to it (it was literally like around the corner). It was so quick that I barely had a chance to process that I was about to have the baby cut out of me. I was terrified and relieved. Surgery is scary, but at least I wouldn't have to push.

The operating room looks just like the ones on TV and is freezing cold. They Drs and nurses prep me for surgery and Jim (my same/fave anesthesiologist) pumps me full of more numbing drugs. I start shaking profusely (due to the cold? the drugs? idk), and Jim diligently straps my arms down (I'm guessing thats standard) and finds me some warm blankets.They put the curtain up and Hubs comes in the room. I didnt even realize they'd cut me open when I started feeling the pressure of them pulling the baby out. They must have had him out in about 15-20 minutes.  Seriously. It took them longer to sew me back up than it did for them to get him out. I think Hubs got to see him coming out, and to hang out while they did their after-birth procedures. He then brought him over so I could meet him.

Now it was time to cry again. It was a happy cry. He was here. He was healthy and perfect. And after 19+ hours, labor was finally over.