December 21 - Elise's birth story

I'm going to attempt to type out Elise's labor and delivery story, even though some of it was a bit fuzzy at the time... which means it's even more fuzzy now :).  I'll try my best, though.

I started having random contractions on Wednesday night, December 18th.  I was hoping they would pick up speed on Thursday but they pretty much stayed the same.  I went in to work for half a day Thursday but told my boss I would not be back on Friday... I was determined ;).  I went home and tried to get things in order.  I had a feeling we might need to clean things up, so I had Jason help me get the guest bedroom ready, just in case we had to have his mom stay with Logan overnight.  As we were making the bed, I felt a warm gush and just knew my water had broken.  I told Jason as I ran to the bathroom and he said "are you sure you didn't just pee your pants?"  I was sure ;).  I called my doctor's office and they told me it wasn't an emergency but that I should pack my things and come to the hospital.  We contacted Jason's parents and they headed to our house.  We left the house and arrived at the hospital around 10pm and they were expecting us.

They took me to room B2 and checked me to make sure my water had actually broken and it had.  They hooked me up to the fetal and contraction monitors, IV (fluids & penicillin every 4 hours for Group B Strep), drew blood and basically told me to get comfortable because I wasn't leaving until the baby was here.  When they checked my cervix, I was only dilated to about 1cm and I think I was about 70-80% effaced.  I was starting to feel the contractions more but they were still coming at only about every 10-15 minutes.  I think they waited to check me again until the next morning and I had dilated to 3cm.  My doctor (Dr. Lambert) had gotten to work at this point so he told the nurse to start me on pitocin to get my contractions going in a better pattern (more frequent and intense).  I had been dealing with the pain fairly well until then but the pitocin (aka Devil's venom) put me over the edge.  I finally requested the epidural, which the nurse thought would help me relax enough to dilate more.  When the anesthesiologist showed up, I was ready for the drugs.  I seriously almost gave that man a hug.  Anyway, once it kicked in, I was much more comfortable and was able to rest a little bit.  Soon after they gave it to me, they told me I was no longer able to eat or drink and that I was only allowed to have some ice chips.  They kept pumping fluids into my IV, so I guess that was supposed to keep me from getting dehydrated.

I really wish I had snuck a Zantac at some point that morning because my heartburn was really horrible.  When they checked me again in the afternoon, I had dilated to 5cm and was about 90% effaced but baby Elise was still really high up and definitely not in position in my pelvis.  The nurse had me trying all sorts of different positions in the bed to try and get the baby to drop.  Since I had the epidural, I wasn't allowed to get out of the bed to squat or walk or anything like that.  One of the positions she had me try was lying on my side with one leg propped in the air and the other leg straight out.  I had to roll over about every 20 minutes and one such roll made me really nauseous.  The nausea combined with my heartburn made me throw up and when I threw up, I had a heart palpitation.  I've had these since I was really young and they used to be much more frequent but even now when I get them, they only last about 5 minutes and then they go away after I lie down and breathe slowly.  Well... that wasn't the case this time.  The nurse called the doctor and a cardiac team and soon there were about a dozen doctors in my room asking me questions, hooking me up to an EKG, doing an echo on my heart, and monitoring my heart along with the baby's.  The baby was completely content so they didn't freak out as much as they could've but after all the tests came back showing that everything was normal, they decided to try a beta blocker first and when that didn't work they tried another drug that started with a D (don't remember), which finally brought my heart rate back to a normal level.  They said it had been about 20 beats higher than the baby's which was averaging around 130.  The palpitation had lasted about a total of 30 minutes, which I thought "of course this had to happen while I'm in a hospital", oy :).  After all of this, they determined that I have what they called SVT, which is Supraventricular tachycardia and sounds like nothing to be really concerned about but they still kept me hooked up to a monitor for the duration of the delivery.

After my SVT episode,  they started the pitocin drip again and Dr. Lambert continued to check on me to make sure I was feeling ok.  I was making progress yet it was very slow.  I was sure Dr. Lambert was going to get tired of waiting and just tell me it was time to have another C-section but as long as I made some kind of progress, he gave me "2 more hours" each time, which kept me going.  Late Friday night, my epidural stopped working.  The anesthesiologist came back to my room and tried giving me another dose of pain killers, but they didn't work.  The nurse called him back and he redid the epidural completely.  It worked pretty well but I still felt pain in my lower abdomen.  Even so, there wasn't much that he or anyone else could do about it so I just dealt with it.  At 2am on Saturday I was dilated to 9.5 and was 90% effaced.  Baby Elise was still really high, though.  My nurse continued to do whatever she could to try and get the baby to drop.  Elise was also in a bad position in my belly... she liked to curl up to the side.  One thing the nurse did was tie a sheet around my belly to keep the baby in the center of my belly.  It was kinda comical, really.  At some point early Saturday morning, the 2nd epidural stopped working.  A 3rd anesthesiologist came to the room and ended up redoing the epidural for a 3rd time.  Again, it worked ok but I still felt pain.  As a side note, anytime a new doctor or nurse came to my room, they commented on the excitement I caused earlier... apparently "that girl in B2" had quite a reputation :).

At 4am I was 10cm dilated and 100% effaced.  The baby was still really high up, though, so the nurse was getting a bit discouraged and wasn't sure if I would be able to avoid a C-section or not.  At 5:30am we decided that I should start pushing along with my contractions to see if I could move the baby into a better position.  After about 30-45 minutes of pushing, the nurse started getting really excited, saying "you're doing it!".  My doctor came in around 6:30 (I think) and was pleasantly surprised.  He said he had come in to talk to me about moving forward with a C-section but he could see that I was making progress and that I was doing a great job.  I could definitely feel pressure from the baby moving into position so I set a goal for myself of 7:30am.  It seemed reasonable at the time but time really went by fast while I was pushing.  I think it was around 7:30 when the nurse called for the doctor and a team to come prep for delivery.  I was pretty delirious at this point.  Even though contractions were coming every few minutes, I kept falling asleep in-between them.  My eyes were so swollen that I finally told Jason to tell me when another contraction was starting (yes, I felt them but they were hard to recognize between the pain and pressure of the baby's position).

Everyone who was in the room was encouraging me and telling me to push harder.  I was getting a bit frustrated at that point because it was a little after 8:00 and she still hadn't come out.  My nurse from overnight (Mary) even stayed past the time she was supposed to leave because she wanted to see Elise born :).  I kept pushing and just about the time when I was going to request an episiotomy (or anything to get her out), the doctor gave me one.  With my next push at 8:17am, she came out and they put her on my chest while they massaged her to get her breathing.  It was a really crazy moment... I was exhausted beyond words but so happy at the same time.  This experience was so different than Logan's birth (c-section).  I got to have skin-to-skin contact with Elise right away, they honored my request of delayed cord clamping, and I was able to start nursing her within 30 minutes of her birth.  Before the nurses did anything with/to Elise, they asked me if it was ok. 

Baby Elise is absolutely perfect.  She has my chin, Jason's toes, and she has such a sweet temperament.  She rarely cries, she loves to snuggle, and she eats and burps like a champ :).  She was 7 lbs 15oz and 20.5" long and is a beautiful little girl :).  Even though my labor and delivery didn't go exactly as planned, I was able to successfully achieve a VBAC after 36 hours of labor.  Elise (or "baby Halise", as Logan lovingly calls her) is here, healthy, and I will always be grateful to the doctors and nurses who helped her to get here safely :).

33 Weeks

This week's post is almost a week late (sorry!) but here it is....

I'm 33 weeks (+5 days) and what a week it has been.  Last week Logan was sick (with a fever and a cough) Monday through Wednesday and he was still in a bit of a funk on Thursday.  He felt better Friday but then he kept throwing up on Saturday afternoon (in his carseat, on me, on the couch, etc.).  Thankfully he was back to his normal self on Sunday.  However, when he was sick, all he wanted was to be held by his mommy.  At one point, I carried him over to our coat closet to find a blanket that didn't have puke on it.  I didn't notice one of his toys on the floor and slipped on it with my right foot.  I didn't fall but I did a bit of pregnant "splits" (which wasn't really close to the splits at all) and I felt a strain in the lower part of my belly/pelvis.  I was still holding Logan and was in a LOT of pain.  Ever since then, when I try to get up and walk after sitting for a while, I have to move very slowly and deliberately because of the pain it causes.  When I got to work this morning, I called my doctor to see if he wanted me to come in earlier than Friday (my currently scheduled appointment) and they told me to go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital to get checked out "just in case".  I showed up around noon, dressed down in the hospital gown and they fitted my belly with the fetal heart monitor and some other monitor (I think for contractions?).  After monitoring me for about 30 minutes, the doctor told them to keep me there for observation for 2 hours and if everything was ok to send me home.  Everything turned out to be ok but I quickly learned that those beds are extremely uncomfortable!  I'm glad I get to move around while I'm in active labor, which reminds me that I need to work on my birth plan before my Friday appointment...

Last Friday at work, my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower.  I was SO surprised and had absolutely no idea that they had been planning it for weeks, right under my nose.  I'm even more impressed that my boss was able to do it without me finding out.  I've been worried about buying all the stuff we'll need for the little gal, especially with our medical bills piling up, so this was a huge blessing.  One of the women from work found my registry and printed it out for all the men to do their shopping.  As a result, I got probably 90% of the items I really wanted/needed, which is a huge burden off of my shoulders :).  I still can't believe they pulled it off.  My coworkers are great :).

After the baby shower, I got all of her clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. together and washed everything.  They're now all neatly organized in piles on our couch and I neglected to think of where we're going to put it all.  We haven't yet gotten a dresser for her room so I guess they will stay on the couch until I find a place for them.... oops :).  I do feel a little better now that everything is washed and ready to go, though.  And now I know what to shop for when I get my 10% off coupon from Target.

And now on to the weekly updates:
Contractions: Still having Braxton Hicks contractions that are more "spotty".  They aren't full-on contractions, so I'm not concerned.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 20 lbs... I'll find out on Friday what the new number is :P
Swelling:  The swelling has settled down a little bit this week, which is think is mainly due to the weather being cooler.
Things to do: Still need to buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, write out my birth plan, pack the hospital bag, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: I've continued using oil twice a day on my belly but the stretching is getting worse.  My stretch marks are stretching more and yesterday I noticed that I have a heat rash (or what looks like one) on my belly, which makes the itching even worse.  Gah... getting closer to being done!

I do need to note that everyone at work has been very supportive and has been looking out for my best interests.  I've started parking in the visitor's section right in front of the building and today my boss asked if I'd like my computer to be moved to an office downstairs so that I don't have to walk up as many stairs.  Sometimes I feel like they're a bit too concerned but I guess it's better this way than for them to completely disregard my safety :).

Anyway, I think this is long enough.  Don't forget to enter the ExpectNet contest with your guesses.  There are only 6-ish weeks left until my due date!

Labor & Delivery

Here it is... the long awaited story of my labor and Logan's delivery :).  It was quite eventful and definitely didn't go as I had planned, but he arrived safe and healthy, which is what matters more than anything else.

It all started when I went to my scheduled doctor appointment on Wednesday, May 11th at 11:30am.  They took my vital signs and I had to leave a urine sample, as usual.  Then, since I was past my due date, they said I had to be hooked up to their monitors so they could watch my contractions and Logan's heartbeat.  They said I would be monitored for 20 minutes and then the doctor would examine me and then I would be done.  They hooked me up and I sat calmly listening to Logan's heartbeat.  A nurse came in and told me to lie on my side and that's when things changed.  Logan's heartbeat dropped from the 130's down into the 70's and 80's.  The nurse ran back into the room and had me turn from side to side to get it to go back up.  It happened again, so she pulled the cord for the doctor to come in while inserting an IV into my hand and putting an oxygen mask on me.  The doctors ran in and asked "what's your husband's phone number?  You're going to the hospital NOW".  They called Jason and told him to meet me there, but didn't really tell him what was going on.  I told him to call his mom and have her pick up my parents.

They loaded me into an ambulance (craziness) and we headed down to Northside Hospital in Atlanta.  On the way, I called Jason and my parents to offer a small explanation of what was going on.  Apparently the umbilical cord was wrapped around Logan somewhere and was getting pinched when I moved into certain positions.  It also got pinched during some contractions.  The doctor said that once I got to the hospital, they would monitor me again and if Logan's heart was ok they would plan on an induction Thursday morning.  If not, I would have an immediate C-Section.  I joked with the EMT that I had been concerned about getting stuck in traffic when I went into labor, but now I didn't have to worry about that at all :).  We arrived at the hospital and after monitoring Logan for about an hour, they decided he sounded great and that they would go forward with the induction the next morning.

The doctor examined my cervix and said that it was soft, but closed.  Apparently I was no longer 1cm dilated like they had told me a couple weeks before.  They decided to insert something called Cervadil that evening, which would help to soften my cervix and would also help with my contractions.  At this point, I was having contractions every 5-6 minutes, but they weren't too painful yet.  They soon started to get more intense, though, and closer together.  By about midnight, my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and hurt like h-e-double hockeysticks.  The nurses were great about following my birth plan and did everything they could to accommodate me.  However, during contractions, Logan's cord kept getting pinched and the staff became very concerned about his heart.  They decided to remove the Cervadil and give me some muscle relaxers to slow down the contractions, relax my uterus, and "relieve some of the pain" (HA!).  It worked to space them out a tiny bit, but did nothing for the pain.  It just made me groggy so that when I was about to fall asleep, I would have another contraction and would wake up in pain.  This went on throughout the night so I barely got any sleep.

Thursday morning, my doctor came in and said he had reviewed Logan's heart readings from the last 12+ hours and he was very concerned.  His heart rate continued to drop during contractions, so he didn't think Logan would do well with a vaginal delivery.  He said that depending on where the cord was pinched, when he came through the birth canal, it could be extremely dangerous because his heart rate would drop dramatically and the oxygen would also be cut off, which would most likely result in an emergency c-section and they would only have about 10 minutes to get Logan out safely.  He said that they could proceed with induction but he really felt that a c-section would be the safest route for his delivery.  Jason and I agreed and were told that they would start with my epidural within a couple of hours.

I took a shower and we contacted our families so that they would be there.  Around 12:00 the anesthesia team came to my room and gave me the epidural... which, for the record, I am NOT a fan of.  The shot they put into my spine hurt like crazy and they inserted it during a contraction, which didn't help.  Once they got the epidural in, my body started shaking uncontrollably and I immediately felt nauseous.  I hadn't eaten anything since midnight and stopped drinking anything around 10am, but my stomach was churning.  Also, they inserted the catheter before I was completely numb and that was quite painful :P.  Once I was completely numb from the ribs down (they kept poking me to make sure), they wheeled me into the OR.  I kept telling a nurse that I was nauseous and they had to give me a couple doses of something to help.  I think I was pretty nervous, which added to the nausea.

Jason came into the OR and they started surgery right away.  I think they began around 12:40 and it went really fast.  The whole time, I was praying that Logan would be healthy and that his heart would be strong.  I also prayed that he would breathe well.  My thoughts were a constant stream of prayer.  I didn't care what was happening to me, as long as Logan was fine.  I felt a lot of pressure and pushing and as soon as they started to take Logan out, they told Jason and he stood up and looked over the sheet (?!?!?!?!) which shocked me :).  He even took pictures!  Once they had his head out, the doctor made them stop and said "the umbilical is around his neck..... twice!" as he unwound it... then he pulled him out more and the umbilical cord was also wrapped around his shoulders.  The doctor said it looked like he had spun himself around in my womb.  As soon as Logan was out, the doctor shouted "12:49!" and then I heard the most beautiful sound I can remember hearing in my whole life... Logan's crying :).  As soon as I heard his cry, I started bawling my eyes out and all I could think or say was "thank you, Lord!" 

They immediately took him to a station where they took his vital signs and cleaned him up.  They said his APGAR scores were great (I didn't get the specific numbers).  Then they swaddled him and put him on my chest (see my Logan's First Pictures album on facebook) so that I could see him.  Finally seeing him was surreal... my heart was overflowing with love :).  After about only a minute or two, they took him up to the NICU to be checked and Jason went with him.  The doctors started to sew me up and I asked if they could get rid of my stretch marks while they were at it... they laughed and said "if we knew how to do that, we'd be rich!"  The doctor said he gave me a nice "bikini" incision to which I replied "it's been a looooong time since I last wore a bikini, but thanks" :).

The entire surgery took maybe 30 minutes from start to finish and I was wheeled into Recovery.  They had me wiggle my toes and lift my knees a few times to prove that the epidural was wearing off.  A nurse came in and said "don't move too much... the placenta is in between your feet", ha!  It was in a tub but I still thought it was odd/funny.  After maybe 15 minutes or so, Jason came in with some pictures and videos of Logan.  I am so thankful to have such an awesome husband.  He was going back and forth to check on me and Logan the entire time and he made sure I saw plenty of Logan and knew exactly what was going on while I was unable to see him.


Continued soon in my "Post Delivery" post... :)