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.

Ty's Birth: Part 2 - Triage to Epidural

We got to the hospital around noon and Hubs dropped me off in the emergency entrance so that I could start checking in. We never did a hospital tour, but I was hoping that because I was an Emory patient (as in their OB practice) that I could just give them my name and they’d let me in. That’s pretty much how it worked. The lady took my name and insurance card, commented on how I didn’t appear to be in labor (eye roll) and asked me if I needed a wheel chair (I didn’t). Then Jase and I were escorted to what is now known to be a triage room. Here they assessed my contractions (strength, duration), the baby’s heartbeat, and my vitals. Since I was convinced they’d be sending me home, I pulled out Brew’s iPad to continue playing Tiny Tower (I looove Tiny Tower. Totally my kind of game – lol).  At this point it was a waiting game. Waiting for the doctor to check to see if I’m dilated, waiting to see the report on the baby’s heart rate, waiting to see when they’re sending me home.

The doctor came in and determined I was 3cm dilated. More than I'd thought. Right behind him comes the nurse...holding an IV kit. It was at this point that they told me they'd be keeping me. Not necessarily because of how far I'd dilated, but because the baby wasn't tolerating labor well. Specifically, his heart rate had been a little all over the place, and that it especially fell when I contracted. Not good. SO they were going to not only keep me, but induce me.  I hadn't wanted an induction, but I was willing to do whatever was necessary for Ty. It took a few nurses to find a good candidate vein for my IV but it was in my 1pm. Let me just tell you - the IV freaked me out. I'd never had one before, but I'd imagined it would be awful and it it was. I couldn't look at it for hours. After I got the IV timestamped (evidently you're not supposed to keep them in but for so long), I was rolled into a labor and delivery (L&D) room.

Once I got to L&D, I met my nurse I got hooked up to my IV cocktail (some fluids, some pitocin to jump start my labor), and tried to settle in to labor. Well, like I mentioned before I'd already spent half the day in labor so there was little relaxing. And the pitocin made it so much worse. I'd been there an hour or so before I told the nurse I needed some pain killers, and then lasted maybe another hour or so before I requested my epidural. I'd like to think that I might have made it further if I weren't induced, but I cant really be sure. Thankfully the nurse had given me a bag of fluid from the start because I needed to drain the bag (and my bladder several times) before I could get my epidural. 

Somewhere in here they decided to break my water. I was about 4cm at this point, and was on the pitocin. When they broke my water they discovered the baby had pooped in utero and proceeded to freak out. Its not a good thing when a baby poops in the womb because the fecal matter can get in their lungs and make them super sick. They couldn't really do anything about it at this point, but they had a heads up about it, and would need to take immediate action (mostly suctioning the poop out of his lungs/air cavity if its gotten there) as soon as Ty left my womb. For a reason I'm not really sure of, they decided to pump liquid back into my womb so that the baby could still have some water to float around in. Like I said, I dont really know why they did that, but it didn't hurt and I kinda forgot all about it...until the anesthesiologist arrived to give me my epidural.

In typical Patti fashion, at that moment I realized I needed to pee. But it was too late. In addition to the epi, I was getting a catheter (since I wouldn't be able to walk myself to the bathroom anymore) and they were going to insert the baby's monitor and the one that measures my contractions inside my uterus. Anyway, back to the epi. Once they explained the procedure, I was told to sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed. That's when I remembered/felt the water they'd pumped back into my uterus...as it was falling out of me! It basically felt like the bottom had fallen out of my bladder! I was so embarrassed. But I didn't have time to dwell on that because I was trying to concentrate on slouching and breathing and not moving so that I the gigantor needle they were inserting into my spine (that I was also trying NOT to concentrate on) wouldn't paralyze me. I am pleased to say it took longer for me to get into position than it did for them to actually do the procedure. Then I was told to lay down and the drugs were injected. I could feel the coolness from the injection moving through the tube (I was laying on it)... and the beginnings of another contraction... and then nothing. I couldn't feel my contractions anymore! I could finally relax. It was about 3 or 4pm.

About an hour or so after the epidural kicked in

[to be continued...]

♥

Ty's Birth: Part 1 - Before the Hospital

I'm going to say I officially went into labor on Sunday, August 7th, 3 days before my due date. I woke up around 615am to what felt like a crazy menstrual cramp. Pretty sure that’s what woke me up. Didn’t think anything of it and wanted to go back to sleep. Hubs was up getting ready for work and I let him. Fast forward 2-3 hours later and I’m still having cramps. I lost a couple pieces of my mucus plug, and kept going to the bathroom to poop.

The doctor said that I’d need to go to the hospital if the contractions came every 5 minutes, were at least 1 minute in duration, and this went on for at least an hour. I’d started timing the cramps around 7 or so, and they were coming semi-regularly – every 5 to 7 minutes. I never got the duration timing together, and I’d definitely been cramping over an hour, but I didn’t think I was totally in labor. Maybe pre-labor. I did call my mom to tell her and she told me to be sure to get a garbage bag to protect our mattress in case my water broke. Gotta love her practicality.

I spent the next 2-3 hours trying to go back to sleep.  And being on the verge of tears/crying. And coming to terms with the fact that I might be in labor. During an especially bad contraction, I called Jase and asked him to come home. I didn’t want to go to the hospital, but I wanted him to be there with me while I labored. Actually, no, that sounds too logical. I called Jase because I realized that I felt completely unprepared for labor and delivery, and I was afraid. I needed to be comforted, supported and reassured. I needed my husband. Once he got home and witnessed  a contraction, he started his Go To the Hospital campaign. I didn’t want to be one of those lame 1^st time moms that thought they were in labor, but weren’t. It took him an entire hour to convince me to go, and another 30 minutes or so for us to leave the house since I was determined to shower before I left. Since I hadn’t eaten that day, on the way we stopped at McDonalds to pick up a snack (in case they decided to keep me). A hamburger and a small Dr. Pepper.  I wasn’t hungry and had to force it down. It was 11:30am. I’d been in labor for at least 5 and a half hours.

[to be continued...]

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A Few Things

 - Today I got my hair done. Okay, that's not really the news, cause this time of year I'm in the salon every two weeks. The difference is that when I go back to work (2 weeks from now), I'm going to have to be more strategic about when I go. The salon offers a discount for standing appointments, and I think I'm going to set up for one on one of the days that Hubs is off from work - either Mondays or Tuesdays. Should be fun.

 - Speaking of fun, in addition to a salon trip, I got to go to my favorite HomeGoods (didn't buy anything), Michaels (to pick up ink pads and various other questionably-needed craft supplies), and...Crate&Barrel! OMG I love Crate&Barrel. I had been eying several things on their site so it was nice to see them in person before I coughed up the cash for shipping. I ended up buying this, this, this and this.

 - Did I mention I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year? My Crate&Barrel list might have tipped you off. I've been campaigning to host Thanksgiving dinner for about 6 months and am super excited about it. As in already-started-menu-planning excited. I wanna blog about the menu and my prep plan once its finalized.

 - The baby slept 6+ hours last night. If I'm not mistaken thats considered sleeping through the night - even though he went to bed at 3am. I woke up feeling like a new woman. In fact, I woke him up because he needed to eat before my appointment. Who knows how much longer he might have slept if I'd left him alone. Oh, and none of those hours were in our bed! Double achievement.

 - Speaking of Ty, I actually finished typing up his birth story. Can you believe it? Like before his first birthday (lol). I split it up over 3 posts that will all publish tomorrow. That way it wont drag it out terribly longer than needed.

 - Pumpkin Spice Lattes speak to my soul. Seriously. I mourn them every year when they go. Yeah, I'm one of those people.

Strong Tower

Plucked from my latest Pinterest finds. Love the words and the image. Found here.

♥

Traveling with Baby

Earlier today we got back from a "weekend" (think: Sun-Tues rather than Fri-Sun) trip to my in-laws. Although it probably was not the best weekend to visit (due to some family situations not involving us), we had a good time. Those of you who know me OTB (off the blog), know that my inlaws come visit regularly, but the last time we were there, I was pregnant - but didn't know it yet - so a visit from us was long overdue.

Anyway, as I was putting Ty to bed, I was thinking about all of the stuff we learned this trip:

1. Ty needs a bag. Not a diaper bag, but a weekend type of bag. I carry a Vera Bradley Weekender, and Hubs carries a leather duffel, but I didn't have anything for Ty's clothes. So his weekend gear ended up in one of my VB totes. Going to have to give some thought to what I want to use for his "luggage." Any suggestions?

2. I got a chance to use my nursing cover for the first time. The baby didnt hate it, which makes it a big win.

3. We'd gotten away from putting Ty in his bassinet, but decided to try it again while in SC. Glad we did because now he will mysteriously sleep in it (for 4-5 hours in a row!!). We're slowing moving towards baby sleeping his own bed (in his room down the hall).

4. I had a good time playing with my brother in law's iPad. I essentially hogged it all weekend (and he was sweet enough to allow it) and am totally in love. Hubs has been hinting at getting me one for Christmas. Normally I'd discourage him from spending that much on a gift for me, but I'm starting to want one and I secretly hope he gets it. 

5. I had no idea how many diapers to pack (I dont keep very good track of his diaper changes/feedings anymore), or how many outfits, so I packed several sleepers, enough onesies for 2-3 changes (although at home I typically change his clothes once a day) daily, and several socks and blankets. Wouldnt you know this would be the trip that he peed through 2 outfits, had a couple of almost-blowout poops, and projectile spit up the better part of a formula bottle?! I'm so glad I packed all those extra clothes and will be doing it again in prep for our anniversary trip to Chattanooga.

6. When I'm out on quick trips with the baby, I dont like his diaper bag. Its a backpack that Hubs picked out, but the more I use it, the more I dont like it. The organization inside is counter-intuitive, the straps are awkward, and things kinda get lost in the bottom. I havent picked out whats to me "my" diaper bag, partly because I dont want to maintain two bags. Not sure about the long-term solution just yet - lol.

7. I rode in the backseat almost the whole way to and from SC. I'm guessing its going to be like that for road trips until the baby is able to kinda entertain himself. Not as bad as it sounds, but definitely an adjustment.

As you can see, lots of baby breakthroughs, which I'm glad for. Last week I considered cancelling Chattanooga because I got wrapped up in the uncertainty of traveling with a newborn. Now I'm feeling much better about it and am starting to get excited again.

♥

Smithville Tour: The Nursery

The nursery is probably one of my most favorite rooms in the house - and not because I spend alot of time in there - lol. Its just a fun space, and was one of the first in the house to really be "completed."

Stamp!

Everyone has a list of things they've always wanted, right?

Well, mine has alot of random things - like twistable crayons and color pencils, doughnut pans, and expensive strollers - on it. A long standing item on that list has been a return address stamp or embosser. And I promised myself that as soon as we got a house that we'd get one. Fast forward almost 6 months (eek, can you believe we moved in almost 6 months ago?!) and I still hadn't gotten one.

Today I decided to remedy that.

For the longest, I thought I wanted something fancy and scripty. Like caligraphy or some other hand lettering. I even considered asking J to hand letter me a stamp and I have it produced somewhere. But then I realized that a fancy scripty return address stamp might look wierd next to my own (decidedly more unpredictable and less fancy) handwriting. So I figured something typeset and fonteriffic (yup, totally mad that up) might be a better fit.

And with that in mind, to Etsy I went.

Tyler at One Month

One Month Stats: 8 pounds, 1.5 oz, 21.75 inches long
Size: Mostly newborn and some 0-3 months (newborn diapers).
Nicknames: Baby Kakes, Babby Bubba, Ty Ty, Little Man, Grunty
Must haves: Mommy's boob, pacifier
Milestones this month (in no particular order): Pushing up with arms and legs, rolling over, turning head from side to side, first cloth diapers, first bath, wet mommy and daddy's bed, first stroller outing, first photo shoot (newborn, 7 days old), smacking your lips, scooting around your crib/packnplay, first Skype.