Baby!!!

We arrived at the hospital around 4:45 (see my previous post for why). I was quickly admitted to a room and had an IV started. I was also hooked up to the fetal monitor and the monitor that measures contractions. The doctor came and inserted the cervical softening tablet at 6. I wasn’t allowed to eat, use the bathroom or even get up for a couple of hours after that. Around 8, we ate some supper, and then at 10, I had another tablet inserted and was given an Ambien to help me sleep (that did not work!). I really don’t know how anyone can ever sleep well in a hospital! There are too many interruptions. At 2, I had my third tablet inserted.

Around 5 am, my nurse said I was soft enough to start Pitocin at 6 and she started it at 6 on the dot. I was glad she did that. I really wanted my doctor to deliver the baby, not one of the other doctors in the practice. And he had a personal commitment that he had to leave for by 1. My nurse (who was so very sweet) knew that, so she got my Pitocin started as soon as possible. The contractions started quickly but I couldn’t feel them – I was only seeing them on the monitor. The doctor came in to break my water at 7:30. I was at 1 ½ cm at 7:45. My contractions started picking up after my water broke and the nurse was steadily easing the Pitocin upward. I started feeling the contractions. I had been wondering what a contraction felt like…I don’t have to wonder anymore! Some of them were pretty intense! And they were coming every 1-2 minutes so there were only very small rests between the pains.

At 8:40 I was only at 3 ½ cm. I was happy when I found out I could have an epidural whenever I wanted it.

At 9:40, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural. It was the same guy who gave me my previous epidurals (and amazingly, he recognized me). As before, he gave me a perfect epidural –just a few minutes later the pain was easing off and within 15 minutes I was pain free. At 10:00 my nurse checked me and I was at 5. By 10:28, I was at 8! But my doctor was in surgery at that point…and so my nurse didn’t check me again for a little while, even though we both thought I was probably at 10.

Around 11:30, my nurse checked me and I was at 10 and at 11:57, she called for the doctor, who was now finished with surgery. He headed up and I started pushing a little bit after 12. I pushed about 4 times. Since the epidural was still on (and working wonderfully), I wasn’t feeling anything. While waiting between contractions for the doctor to tell me when to push again, I coughed. My doctor immediately said “Do that again.” I did, and he said “And again.” I coughed several times and then out popped the baby! Later, Jason told me that while I was making progress pushing, the coughing was much more productive.

Jaxon arrived at 12:22 on February 17th weighing 8 lbs 13 oz (the exact same amount as his big brother!). He was 20 ¾ inches long (my shortest baby!). His head measured 14 ½ in., which caused some damage. I had 3^rd degree tearing. Jaxon came out covered in vernix – he didn’t appear to be ready to come out on his own. But had we left him in there longer, I have no doubt that he would have weighed well over 9 lbs. That would have either resulted in a c-section or significantly more damage to me. I am glad we went ahead with the induction and I’m so glad to have my sweet boy in my arms!

Before his bath - still has some vernix.

He didn't care for the eye goo they gave him.

Already a mama's boy

Brand new and very alert! Already turning his head to mommy and daddy's voices! And check out the size of those hands!

39 Week Update

We went for my 39 week appointment on Wednesday, 2/16. Since we all had concerns about the baby being big, and since my body was doing nothing to prepare for delivery, the doctor decided to do an ultrasound to see how big the baby was. I was very happy and had planned to ask for one. I had been doubting my resolve to go to 40 weeks because the baby has just been feeling so big inside me. The sentimental side of me still wanted to go into labor on my own, but the practical side of me knew the experience would be terrible if the baby was too big. The ultrasound tech estimated the baby at 9 lbs 6 oz. I immediately wanted to get him out! That size scared me!  

After the ultrasound, we went to meet with the doctor again and discuss our options. Since my cervix was not ripe at all, the doctor said there was no way to do an induction the next morning. He gave the following options:

1. Wait through the weekend and see if the cervix condition would change by Monday.
2. Schedule a c-section (for as early as the next morning)
3.  Come in that night for the cervix softening tablet and try for an induction on Thursday morning. 

We immediately ruled out option 1 - we thought waiting would only allow the baby to get larger and could possibly make the c-section my only option. I really did not want a c-section. So we decided on option 3. If the cervix softening tablets didn’t work that night, the doctor said we could still opt for the c-section on Thursday morning or we could go home and come back Thursday night and try the cervix softening tablets again.

So we left the doctor’s office, grabbed some lunch and headed home. Since we didn’t even have our hospital bags fully packed and since I was working that day, the next few hours were a little crazy as we both scrambled to pack bags and handle other last minute items. Jason lined up care for our other three kids (thankfully his mom was available) and charged the video camera. I did some laundry and wrapped up a few work assignments and then let my boss know what was happening so he could divide the rest of my work between my coworkers.

We dropped the kids off at Jason’s mom’s house and headed to the hospital. 

To be continued…

35 Weeks Pregnant!

Today I went to the doctor. I had my Group B strep test done. The doctor also checked me. I wasn’t prepared for that! I thought he’d wait til 36 weeks to start the exams. I’m not doing anything- my cervix is still hard and closed.

After he checked me we had a long talk about options for labor. I had an induction with my first when she was 5 days late. I also ended up with 4^th degree tearing after her 9 lb 3 oz self tore me apart. So with my second, we induced a couple of days early. He was 8 lbs 13 oz and I walked away with 3^rd degree tearing. I had hopes for this pregnancy. Because it was my third, I thought that I might go into labor on my own.  I also thought that there might be a chance that if I went into labor on my own (versus having an induction) that I might be able to deliver the baby without tearing. I read some birth stories online about women who gave birth to babies bigger than mine and they didn’t tear at all. All of those labors seemed to have one thing in common: the women went into labor on their own. That being said…I’m a little too scared to wait til anytime after the 40 week mark for me to go into labor on my own. I’m scared that if I waited until after 40 weeks, I might end up with a c-section. Nothing about labor terrifies me as much as a c-section. For me, labor is so much about the baby at the end of it that being separated from the baby right after he is born is very upsetting for me to even think about.  

Ok, so back to our talk. My doctor mentioned I might like to go into labor on my own. I would like that. But he warned me that should that happen, I might miss my chance at an epidural because I might have progressed too far to get one by the time I get to the hospital. I am okay with that. I had epidurals with the first two because I have been told Pitocin is extremely painful and an epidural is a must when you have an induction. But if I was in labor on my own, I think I would be okay without pain meds. However, my doctor’s concern about me not getting an epidural is that I could have the 3^rd or 4^th degree tearing again and he said the local anesthetic will not take away the pain of him stitching me back up the way the epidural would. He said we would have the option to go to surgery and get a spinal block, but the baby wouldn’t be coming with us. I didn’t like that option. He doesn’t think I’ll walk away from the labor with anything less than 2^nd degree tearing…and I kind of got the feeling he was being generous by allowing me to think I had a chance at that. It made me really sad. I guess I was living in a fantasy world, but I really thought I had a chance at delivering a baby and walking out of the hospital two days later without any stitches of any kind.

My doctor said the earliest he is willing to induce without cause is 39 weeks. So I can be induced a week early, get an epidural, have a baby who (hopefully) falls around 8 lbs 7 oz and walk away with only second degree tearing.

Or, I can wait and try to go into labor on my own. If that happens at or after 40 weeks, we’re pretty much looking at 3^rd-4^th degree tearing.  But I take a chance at missing my window for an epidural that way, which could be painful during the stitching.

Clearly, the best case scenario is to go into labor on my own before 40 weeks…but I don’t know how to do that. Anyone have any “How to go into labor” tips that actually work?

Feeling Sentimental

I’m starting to feel very sentimental about this pregnancy. I’ve been attached to the baby for a while, obviously. With my other pregnancies, I didn’t really enjoy the act of being pregnant. I was happy to be pregnant because it meant I was going to have a baby. I enjoyed aspects of being pregnant: feeling the baby move and seeing ultrasound pictures and getting to bond with the baby that way. I enjoyed being able to eat whatever I wanted. I know pregnancy is not really an excuse to eat whatever you want, but I don’t think it’s a time to diet or count calories either.  So I eat what I want, which is mostly healthy, but may include Little Debbie cakes from time to time. Anyway, I’m off track. So I have had what I consider easy labors. They were short and fairly pain free. I didn’t hate labor…in fact, giving birth was exciting for me (again, it’s the baby I looked forward to, and the baby was finally coming out – what’s not to be happy about?). I remember telling someone after my first baby was born that I didn’t particularly enjoy being pregnant and didn’t understand why some people loved it so much.  

But with this baby, I have enjoyed the baby and I have enjoyed being pregnant. Even though I’m achy. Even though I’m way more tired than I have been during other pregnancies.  Even though it has been hard. It’s definitely been harder than the other pregnancies. It might be that I just know it’s the last pregnancy and I’m being sentimental. I like having the baby with me all the time, safe inside me. He moves more than both my other babies did combined and so he’s always letting me know he’s right there, and I like that. I’m still anxious to meet him, but I’m not anxious to stop being pregnant. And I kind of like having him to myself J

I was so ready to get my first baby out and had an induction when she was 5 days late. She was 9lbs 3 oz, and I had a fourth degree episiotomy that came with lots of stitches. So with my second, both my doctor and I wanted to avoid that so we induced a couple of days early. I still had an episiotomy but it wasn’t as bad. This time, while I’m scared of the baby getting too big and would still probably induce if it looked like he was getting too big, I’d really like to go into labor by myself. Not sure if that will happen or not. Based on my previous pregnancies, the chances are probably slim. So I guess maybe I’m also a little sad that I might not get to ever experience what it feels like to go into labor.  Is it silly to want to experience labor?