From a little bit of stardust

New mommy- and her story

Ok, I know Jay did some updating on twitter and the like, but I’m going to give my rendition of the past 5 and 1/2 days.

As all of you knew, I was anxiously awaiting the first signs of labor to start. Tuesday, May 22, I was at work and really hadn’t felt well. I had a check up that Monday, and had told the doctor I was feeling a bit nauseated, but that was all. My blood pressure was still up but not like it got on Tuesday. Headaches and nausea was overcoming me and by lunch I thought I’d feel better if I ate something.  A bite into my hotdog and I was completely overwhelmed by heat, nausea, headache, and dizziness. Sonia, one of our school nurses, came down, and took my bp- 174/ 114, I believe.  Wheelchaired down to the nurses office, totally freaked out that I was going to have another embarssing display in front of the students and teachers looking at me like I was going to pop a baby out in the hallway, I rested and called my ob. They asked me to immediately go home, get some blood work done at York Hospital (it would be faster), and still go to my NST scheduled that afternoon at 5:30. The nurse drove me home. My car stayed at school, and Becky, Jay’s mom, picked me up at home to drive me around. We got the blood work done around 2, I went home and rested, then went to the NST. Blood pressure was still rising.   Baby was fine, but I started having pains in my back. Nurse called the midwife on call and sent me to Labor and Delivery. Jay showed up at the ob and we left as I dragged him out the door.

I wasn’t really sure what going to Labor and Delivery was going to be like. At the time, I had told  Becky I hoped they would just induce and I could have my baby that night (funny now). I did get there and they had me put on hospital stuff as Jay and I sat in the exam room. They came in and took my bp. Then I went to the bathroom, peed, had a bowl movement (which is so awesome that I did that so I didn’t have any of that during labor!), and laid down on a bed in a room shared with another woman. Every noise was painful to my head. I felt tired and weak and sick. Dee, the widwife on call, came in her scrubs and asked for some bloodwork to be done and also had a nurse have me pee in a hat (the first time I heard someone ask for a hat in the bathroom I was very confused- turns out it’s just a pee bucket like some potty training toddler would use). All was tested and Dee came back and I asked if I was going home. I was just laying there trying to rest watching the baby’s heart rate and the few contractions I was having. She checked me (oh gosh that smarted- and I say smarted because I had to rate things on a scale of 1-10 and after that last part of labor this was like maybe a 3) and I was 2 cm dilated- which could have been for a over a week. She shook her head and said -oh now honey, you definitely aren’t going home. We’re going to induce. I was excited at the time. Then she continued to tell me that I had pre eclampsia and she wanted to get things started.

I was taken over to my delivery room. I smiled at Jay, so gald he was there. Since we got the OK for delivery, Jay called had his parents call my mom (had trouble dialing long distance) and she said she was going to get on her way. I was ived and hooked up, but I could still go to the bathroom . I still had to pee in the hat because they were going to put me on  MAG (magnesium sulfate) and pitosin (evil shit). I wasn’t sure at all what to expect, but Dee said there might be a baby my 7 in the AM. I was thrilled- it being around 8 PM at this point. The first time they hooked up the MAG it was awful. They took a small bag that they called a bolus which hit me hard and fast. I felt awful! I was buring all over. Everything I touched was on fire. They told me it was normal as they switched to the drip in a larger bag, but I was totally weakened and miserable as the symptoms didn’t subside. They stopped it and went to do some more blood tests. Turns out the  machine that makes the drip go in was broken and a new one was set up sometime that hour (everything seemed to happen so slow). The burning went away and I felt better.

I tried to rest in between the few contractions. Dee or a nurse checked me only twice and not much was happening. Pitosin was uped. It seems that all the machines that drip into my iv had to be on some number of 150 (I don’t know what the number meant- maybe mg per minute?) so the MAG was at 50 and the iv was at 100 and the pitosin was starting at 26 and moved up to 36, I think. I really didn’t much was changing, but I was hoping that I was dilating more a few hours later. Doctors switched who was on call, and Dr. Figdore came in. She checked and I was hardly more dilated. Frustrated I tried to rest some more. I started bugging nurses about when I should get the epidural. Their rule of thumb is anytime after one iv goes in. Well, my bag was still half full.

Really everything seemed so slow. My mom showed up about 5-6 hours later (fast plane ride!) and she stayed for the labor and delivery. I originally said that I didn’t want anyone but Jay there, but when you have 24 hours of  being at a hospital, it’s nice to have someone relieve you so you can eat, walk, take a break. He had gotten the bags from the car and had eaten dinner, I of course, could have nothing. I kept thinking how hungry I was going to be.

Contractions were getting closer and I was so anxious to hear progress as morning was beginning. I wanted my baby by 7 damn it! Little did I know there was going to be 12 more hours. The time really blurred together, but the Dr. checked me and I was now 4 cm. Finally! Again the pitosin was upped  and I was defniately more uncomfortable as those were getting harder. I asked for the epidural and an asian gentleman that I could hardly understand between contractions and tiredness, got me hooked up. I was scared and frightened as I watched the nurse. Jay was hurt I wasn’t looking at him, but I knew she would know if something was wrong. Her face never changed as my bp dropped to 64/40 and my world went dark and ears rang. I never looked at Jay once as he got an epi pen basically and shot it into my iv and I the first thing I could see again was the nurse holding a basin as I thew up several times into it. Turns out this anesthesiologist did this a few times this morning with pre eclamptic patients.  A urin catheder went in and I was now bed ridden.

The epidural started out great. I slept and got some rest as my mom curiously watched my contractions with me just making a few faces as my tummy got hard. Maybe after an hour I started to realize that I could feel the contractions at the top of my belly. I told the nurse, but no one really did anything. Then I was feeling the cramping low with the contractions. Ok, not cool. By the time I got the nurse again, I had told her I could feel the contractions and another anesthesiologist came in and shot something into the epidural. Nothing really. He shurgged and left. Still no relief and frightened he came in with a cart…again. I thought NO! I felt so awful and I was so scared the last time the epidural went in. I cried, but they told me it was the only way to get some rest. I sucked it up and I held Jays hands tight as he sat in front of me bending over a table. I waited for the bp to drop, but it seemed good. I relaxed and tried to rest again. maybe 30 minutes later it started losing it’s potency quickly. My legs and feet were completely  numb, but those contractions were getting worse.

Now at 7 cm a new anethesiologist came in with a shot of something but was kind and patient and did careful measurements of my weight and height and waited to see if the pain would subside. The most pain at this point was the burning pressure I was feeling on my cervix that never stopped. The contractions would come and go but this pain wouldn’t go away! The contractions were helped a little with the drug, but the burning was worse. He said there was nothing he could do for that. So for the next 6 hours I was going to have to suffer through transition of 7 cm- 10 cm in total pain.

I know you are supposed to forget after you see the baby, but I was exhausted and I was begging and pleeding with every contraction as they came closer and harder on the now upped pitosin - it was terrible. The pain was unimaginable as Jay stood beside me and held damp rags and let me have the quite I wanted. My mom wanted to say encouraging things to me but I really was thinking OH GOD SHUT UP! I stared at a corner in the room trying to just get through each contraction. As I was 8 cm and fighting to stay going shaking the railing on the bed (they had me lay on my right side to try and get the cervix to move back more on that side) or biting the rag or pulling at Jay’s shirt I basically passed out after each contraction.  Each one would come and it would be ok, I could breath through it but then it got stronger and stronger and I was in terrible agony. I didn’t want this. I was tired and wanted to rest and just wanted anything to be done to make it end. I kept telling myself that it would end. That there would be a baby and it would stop. I cry now just thinking about the pain.  I asked Jay to read me the names to calm me down. I wanted to hear our choices again, Mom stayed anyway.

Finally as my bp was rising out the roof and I kept feeling a funny feeling in my anus I wanted to push. Still 9 cm and not quite ready they had we wait another hour of fighting the toppling contractions. The doctor came in- I could push. Stirrups went up, my numb legs were put inside and I was told to get ready. I was like- what do I do?! They said lean forward with your chin down, grab on the railings and push with the contractions. With each contractions they had me do this 3 times. The third time was always hard.  After one set of pushes the dr. had left and the nurse had me push with her and Jay and my mom. It seemed so quick after two sets that they were telling me there was a head. Well! Get him out! Pull him out! I’m tired I’m in pain, I’m done! Dr finally came back in as the head was close. I was hardly aware of what was going on, but I knew at that moment that I wasn’t going to stop pushing even after a contraction. I was getting him OUT. The burning on my vaginal was hard but it just made me not want to take a break, just keep pushing. Half hour of pushing, and out came Corwin Isaac at 6:04.

They put him on my belly and I couldn’t even lift my arms to touch his face. Jay wanted me to feed, but I wasn’t even aware of half the things going on- not even when the placenta  came out and blood gushed- as Jay said, like a slasher movie. He followed the baby over to the incubator and I was stitched up. Needed some pain relief there as the dr. was reminded the epidural didn’t work.

Oh all I could think was rest, rest, rest.  It wasn’t until later that morning I actually got to hold him and try and feed him. It was disappointing to me, but I was glad for the rest. Turns out Jay stayed the night and Cory’s sugars were low. His first two feedings were formula bottles. Don’t think he’s suffering much from it now! His jaundice started out kind of high, but I was read that morning to leave and go and rest at Maternity. I know my dad was there and Jay’s parents came, but I don’t know when. I wasn’t quite aware. I think my dad was there right after Cory was born. I think he showed up a few hours before I started pushing. Since I was on the MAG I still couldn’t eat or leave Labor and Delivery, but finally after some fluids and jello, it was taken off and bp went down some and we got to our new room.

It really took me a day to really get used to the idea of having my baby. It really didn’t hit me. I was tired and still in a lot of pain. People visited. I felt dirty and smelly by the second day, but the time I stripped to take a shower I shouted OH MY GOD, why didn’t anyone tell my I smelled so bad! Jay made comments like- just like lambing season. Grr. No one said anything, but I was embarrassed. However, my modesty was completely gone as I just fed Cory whenever I needed to.

So the pediatricians looked at him, and with the low sugars (they were pricking his poor heal every feeding!) and jaundice (it had peaked 20 on the light meter- meaning it had to go for blood work) I was to supplement feedings with 1/2 oz of formula. I was to also pump to get my milk in better, as suggested by the lactation consultants. His sugars were fine until the last test and it went down! Damn. Cory had to stay an extra day at the hospital and I got to stay as a room in, but  not on insurance. Stupid insurances. We didn’t’ get kicked out- which was a possibility, and a car seat check and a nurse check later that morning 2 hours after his cirucumcision, we went home.

I was kind of sick in the car ride, but we got home. How good it felt. How hot the house was!

Really not much has been going on the past few days since Saturday, when we came home. Just feeding and changing diapers, sleeping when I could. Monday we met with the lacation consultant- back to the hospital. It turned out well. No more formula. Pump only a few times to supplement as needed, but he went from his hospital leave weight of 7-1 to 7-4. We were so happy. It was good to just breastfeed at night and not clean bottles and pump.

So now we have our first ped. appt. tomorrow at 2. I’ll try and keep up on updates as we work through sleepless nights as new parents.

Filed by meg at May 29th, 2007 under Daily Entries