The details...
It's been over a week. So hard to believe! John has gone back to work. Nana (my mom) is here helping me out this week. Grandma (John's mom) comes next week. She said she couldn't wait until her originally scheduled trip with Grandpa (John's dad) after Easter. So she's making two trips. She's not letting her dislike of flying keep her away from her grandson!
The details... We had gone to the OB on Friday Feb 15. I was only 1 cm dilated. Doc said "See you next week!" We went to eat breakfast after the appt and when we came home we did some things around the house. We were expecting guests since a shower was scheduled for Saturday. I got tired and winded and John told me to take a break. I usually don't listen to him, but even he was surprised when I sat on the couch and didn't moved the rest of the afternoon. I busied myself with the announcements I made and rested. I got up off the couch at 6pm to get ready for dinner. We had made plans to get pizza at Double Dave's with SNBNA. I felt a pull in my abdomen and thought maybe I'd sit on the birthing ball to ease the pain a bit. I know was wasn't there more than 5 minutes when I felt a pop, a gush, and I ran to the bathroom. John rushed in after me and asked what was wrong. I told him, "I think my water just broke." "Are you sure you didn't just pee in your pants?" he said. Uh, no...a woman just knows these things.
And although we had finished our birthing classes and I had plans to pack a bag just in case, we were NOT packed or prepared to go the the hospital. We called the doc and they said to go on in. I kept leaking fluid bit by bit and we finally left the house about 630p. The contractions started on the way to the hospital. They weren't too unlike the Brackston-Hicks(sp?) that I had had off and on for a while now. We got checked in and settled into the l&d room and the docs decided to see how I progressed on my own. I was still 1 cm dilated and remained so until 1am when they decided to start the pitocin. They don't like to let the baby hang out in the womb for more than 24 hours after your water breaks. And I had lost a lot a fluid because Peanut was not well situated in the birth canal. The pitocin kept increasing the contraction intensity and at 4am or so I couldn't take it. I asked for the epidural. I was only 3 cm, but by the time they finished getting it installed, I was 7cm. I had to have oxygen and Peanut needed a intrauterine monitor (or 2 actually). They did put some fluid back into the uterus because they felt like he might be pushing on the cord. His heart rate would drop a bit and then pick up. In a very short while, I was a 8 cm and they turned the pitocin off to wait for the doctor. And then my labor stalled. And then they gave me more pitocin. Meanwhile the epidural did not seem like enough. They upped the dosage and it became more bearable, but when it came time to push, WOW! I have a new found respect for women who go natural without any drugs. I was wearing out pretty fast.
We started to push around 730a (I think) and took a short break to see if the baby would turn on his own. He was not in the preferred face-down position (easiest way out). He did eventually turn and after another hour of pushing, our lovely son came into the world with a little help from a vacuum extractor for him and an episiotomy for Mom.
John Harrison didn't wait until the cord was cut to let us know how he was feeling. His lungs were ready to let the world know he was here. John hadn't planned on cutting the cord, but Dr. Klein told him is was his once in a lifetime chance (plus he'd charge extra if he had to put it himself!) And so John did. He was surprised at the rubber hose like consistency of the umbilical cord. The Apgar scores were 9 at both 1 min and 5 min. John Harrison has such a sweet little face. John and I were both amazed at how beautiful he is. And we aren't biased. I KNOW that not all babies are pretty when they are born, but mine was if you overlooked the requisite conehead!
We had a good stay at the hospital. Lots of good l&d, post-partum, and nursery nurses! Discharge day, Monday was a little like a roller coaster. We discovered that John H. has a heart murmur caused by the three holes he has in his heart. One is the "normal" one that is often found in the atrial septum. The other two are in the ventricular septum. It was fortuitous that when our pediatrician when to the nursery to look for John's chart, he also found on location that day a pediatric cardiologist who was able to examine John then and there. His belief and that of our pediatrician is that the holes will close up on their own over time. The condition is not life threatening and can be repaired with surgery if necessary. So we will monitor the situation and look for warning signs. John was a little jaundiced, but the blood tests came out OK and then he finally got circumcised. Whew! By the time we went home around 4pm, we were whupped. Dinner didn't get eaten until 8pm or later and the night didn't get any shorter learning how to comfort our newborn.
Our week did get easier, although is seemed really short. I remember commenting to John that I couldn't believe it was Thursday already! The time really flew. It was just the three of us for the first week. While it had it's challenges, I wouldn't have traded the alone time with my husband and son for the world. I feel really blessed that the Lord has finally brought me to this point in my life. It's so very sweet! I look to Him every day for the strength I'll need to complete this task of motherhood and being the best wife to my loving husband.
I haven't said much about John, but it's hard to put into words how supportive and such a trooper he was during the whole event. He commented that the birth of our son was a beautiful moment, but there wasn't anything pretty about it. For the guy who once joked that he'd be in the waiting room working on his Soduko puzzles, he stood by me every step of the pregnancy and throughout the birth and was truly the rock I needed when I needed him. I know that I would've wilted had he not been there to nourish me through that delivery. Can I get some ice chips, please?
John Harrison made his first trip to the pediatrician yesterday. The doc said he was looking good. He's only lost 2 oz from his discharge from the hospital (his current weight is 5 lbs 12 oz). We'll go back next week for another check-up. Since his birth, he's learned to chirp like a baby bird and stretch his neck like one, too. He wrinkles his forehead up and knits the space where his eyebrows will soon grow hair. He nurses really well and is learning to sleep in longer stretches by himself. And his alert time is getting longer by the day, too. We've developed quite an arsenal of comforting techniques, although Dad and Mom often take different approaches. John H occasionally finds his own thumb and can soothe himself for short periods. He seems to have a good disposition and hope that continues.
I'm recovering pretty quickly. Surprisingly, I've lost all the weight I gained (less than 20 lbs) and a few pounds extra. Yesterday, I actually fit into a regular pair of jeans. Now, I KNOW that this is not normal, and before I hear from all the Moms out there, please don't hate me. I believe it's probably because I was on the metformin and the effect it had on my metabolism. I'll just be thankful and not question it.
I'll add some more pictures to the WebAlbums today. I've also added a convenient link to the WebAlbums to the left hand side of the blog.
-EBP-
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