Taking a Moment...

the baby is currently asleep, it won't last for long, as he feel asleep while eating, so he'll wake up to finish probably.

I thought I'd start writing the "birth story". These seem popular to post about.

I was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, Feb 3rd. The doctor and I have been in conflict over many issues during this pregnancy. One being the due date (I maintain I was past 40 weeks, she disagrees), and the other my refusal to undergo testing for down syndrome. Due to my "advanced maternal age" there were several tests that she wanted me to do, but I refused. It didn't matter to me, as I wouldn't have terminated the pregnancy if the tests were positive for down syndrome. I preferred to wait and see, rather than be upset the rest of the pregnancy.

I prayed throughout the pregnancy that the baby would be healthy, and if it was God's decision that we would be able to handle a baby with down syndrome. We've already had one son with a disability, and it would have been hard to have another. So far, he is healthy, and I am glad, and anxious to keep him that way.

Anyway, on Sunday, Feb 1st (my brother's birthday) I woke up feeling strange, I didn't have any contractions, just a feeling that I can't explain. Arriving home from church I laid down, but around 3 p.m. I started having regular contractions about 5 minutes apart. I thought that I should get up and pick up and make sure the dishes were washed just in case I had the baby that night. Around 5 p.m. I told Rodney I was going to take a shower and then I wanted him to take me to the hospital. I was 1/2 certain I would be sent home, because I've always managed to get one false labor run to the hospital with each baby.

Rodney dropped me off at the door to Labor and Delivery, so he could park and bring the girls in. I had already pre-registered with the hospital so it was pretty simple to walk up to the desk. I made the mistake of saying "Wow, it's quiet". The nurses went ballistic on me, telling me that no one is to EVER say that in Labor and Delivery and that I just cursed them for the night. Sure enough, that night four babies were born, BEFORE James was born.

The nurses put me in an LDR room, and checked to see if I was dilated. I was to 3 cm. They checked with the doctor on call (not my doctor - gee thanks) and he said to keep me an hour to see if I progressed any. An hour later I was at 6 cm. The contractions were nothing, hardly felt them at all, and I was shocked to be at 6 cm, and even entertained the thought of doing without the epidural, but common sense prevailed, and I opted to go ahead. I didn't want to wait until it was too late to get one at all. Just to let everyone know, I always need more pain meds than normal (novacaine, etc.). The epidural meds wore off fast and the anesthesiologist was surprised at how quickly he need to give me more meds. I did opt to hold off for a while, because I wasn't really in any pain.

The nurses started rushing around getting ready for what they felt was a very rushed birth. They were certain that the baby would be born in the next hour or so due to how fast I progressed to the 6 cm.

I remember we were watching the Super Bowl on the LDR tv, Rodney was sleeping in the recliner most of the time ;-) Two of my sisters (Ashley and April) showed up. I was surprised as April was hosting the church's Super Bowl party at her home, but she came anyway. I thought that was nice. They stayed for about 4 hours. The nurses kept commenting about my water needing to break, and that it wouldn't be too long. But apparently, it was too long for Hannah. She was hanging backwards out of a chair and said she was so tired and wanted to go to bed, and that if my water didn't break soon, she was going to do it herself. That made us all laugh. Around midnight April and Ashley decided they would go, Hannah went with them, so she could go to bed.

Over the next few hours I SLOWLY progressed to 8 and 9 cm, and began to actively push around 2 a.m. Three hours later there was no progess, the baby was stuck, not being able to fit around my pubic bone. The fetal monitor showed his heartbeat going away during each contraction, and when the cord slipped out first and began to be constricted, the doctor decided that I needed a c-section. I was just devasted. I fell apart and started to cry. I don't cry easy either. Good thing Hannah had gone home with my sister April earlier. I was hoping that Lauren and Rodney could both go into the operating room with me, but due to Lauren's age she wasn't allowed. Rather than let her stay out by herself and worry, I had Rodney stay with her, and I went in by myself. I was very scared, and continued to cry. The anesthesiologist, Dr. Rush (I believe), was a grey haired older man who was very nice, kind and had a gentle voice (Very uncommon in my opinion for a male doctor), he held my hand and talked to me the entire time. The did have to opt out of the epidural, as it wouldn't take. So, I was given morphine (or so I was told) to complete the c-section. It was fast. He was born at 5:33 a.m.

He had a problem breathing, so they rushed him to the NICU to check him out. He didn't stay in there long though and was soon brought to my room. A couple of issues with him were that he developed an eye infection in his left eye, had really bad jaundiced, and was under the photo therapy lights for four days. He also was diagnosed with something called CRP, and had to stay on IV antibiotics for a couple of days.

We were discharged on Thursday afternoon, and left the hospital around 5 p.m. Around 7 p.m. I began feeling strange, and started having the shakes really bad. I took my temperature and it was 99.3. I waited 30 minutes and took it again, it was 101. I had been told at the hospital to come back immediately if my temp was over 100.4. We headed for the hospital around 7:30 p.m. It was a nightmare. Once again my doctor was not on call (it figures) and I had to deal with the most moronic doctor I have ever dealt with (I am officially filing a complaint because of his stupidity). The doctor refused to admit me, and made me sit in the ER waiting room for 6 hours, severely sick, for an ER doctor to check me out. Rodney was sent home as the ER didn't allow newborns due to the fear of disease. Good idea, but scary because now Rodney had to take care of the baby by himself. On top of being sick, I was worried about the baby. I was breastfeeding, he had just had his circumcision done, and Rodney had never cared for any of our kids by himself, especially one so new. I don't even remember anything after that...I woke up in a dark room, not knowing where I was at. I was very scared. I remember being aware that I was holding Rodney's cell phone in my hand (I had left mine at home by accident). It was 5 a.m. I called him crying telling him I was lost and didn't know where I was at. He told me that I was fine, talked to me for a while, and then I must have hung up because the next time I woke up he was bending over me. He started teasing me about the good drugs they were giving me if I thought I was lost. I guess I grew worse in the ER, and they admitted me to the hospital, but I am distinctly uncomfortable that I don't remember, and that since I was so sick, that the on call doctor should have admitted me right away, instead of having me sit in the ER waiting room so long. Later, Rodney told me how he stopped at the grocery store at 1 a.m. to buy formula, diapers and bottles. He picked the Avent bottles, which are expensive, but ones I would have picked. He scrutinized all the formulas and picked the one that James had been drinking in the hospital, and even bought tiny little Winnie the Pooh new born diapers. I love Winnie the Pooh. I am using cloth diapers, but I knew it would be easier for him with the disposables. He did a good job taking care of the baby and the girls.

To make a long story short, I had/have a uterine infection. I stayed in the hospital until Saturday morning on IV antibiotics. The nurses were great, I really liked them. They brought me a breast pump and I pumped and dumped the milk down the sink. The baby couldn't have the milk due to the strong medications for infection and pain that I was on. I was so relieved to be able to go home Saturday morning. I've been resting a lot. I didn't fill my prescriptions because they cost $40.00 each, and I had 5 of them. I am not taking anything now but my prenatal vitamins. At first for pain I took 600 mg of Ibuprofen that I had on hand, I am anemic, but am taking care to eat right and am taking a Beef Tonic from Watkins for low iron. I go to the doctor on Monday, so we will see if I am still anemic. I hope not, because I don't want to explain to the doctor why I didn't take the iron pills she prescribed me.

All in all, this pregnancy was the healthiest, but the most painful and traumatic (due to the c-section) and I am greatly relieved it is over. I believe in large families, but I don't think I will be having any more babies, at least that is the plan. I will be 40 in April, and after the results of this pregnancy I don't think it is in my best interest to have any more. So, I am off to the feed store to get those bands and "fix" Rodney myself LOL!

*I am taking Cephaclor (sp?) for the uterine infection, and I went and purchased iron tablets (over the counter for $7.00).