Sweet Child of Mine

The next morning we started out bright and early at 7AM with the Pitocin. Now things are really going to move along! Or so we thought. Midwife Sara Gorham is my primary physician although Dr "S" was the one who made the decision to induce me. Both stopped by on rounds to check up on me. All I can say is OUCH! As stated before, my cervix is really far back so it's hard to get to during the exam. The pain was excruciating. Way worse that any contractions I had been having or would have all day and according to the monitor I was having some big ones.

I'm still on the magnesium so I am feeling pretty good. I had a few more visitors during the day to encourage me along - Alina, Alicia, Christy, John and Jenifer Grant and GrandMother Doris. Even though the contraction monitor showed some high peaks and low valleys...I really couldn't feel anything. Lydia would come back in a regular intervals to check the print outs, take my temp and blood pressure and check for dilation.

Around about 2, Sara and Dr "S" stop back by to check progress. They had been in several times and we were having such problem checking dilation and I was in so much pain during the exam that Sara recommended that I get the epidural so she could examine me properly. I said OK. I still wanted to go as natural as possible but let's face it we don't always get what we want. Besides...it was the magnesium talking at this point and not me. You can ask Jamie...when things got down and dirty I went a little nutzo...I blame the drugs.

The guy comes in to administer the epidural. I am a little freaked out about the big needle going into my spine but I suck it up and solider on. That magnesium is good stuff...it didn't lower my blood pressure but it kept it from getting any higher. The guy is all business he's got ladies all up and down the hall he's got to numb up. Sit here, do this, breathe, don't breathe, tape this here and BAM! you've got a catheter in your spine and up your who-ha faster that you can say "Hey bud whatcha doing down there? Exit only please!" Cause, oh yeah, when you can't fell your lower body you can't work your bladder and when you're hooked up to the meds you can't leave the bed. This is what we call the cascade effect. One minute you are out in the rice patty and out flops your baby and the next minute you are trussed up like some weird science experiment. But it's OK cause that magnesium sure does feel good. AND I haven't even noticed that I haven't eaten all day!

So the Pitocin for all it's wonders only got me to 5cm. After the epidural It was much easier to check my progress but alas after 2 hours at 5cm Dr. "S" called for a C-Section, if we go now they can squeeze us in between scheduled c-sections for the day. How Nice. So here we are a totally non-natural child birth but in retrospect it was all for the best. At 4pm we began prepping for a c-section and everyone but Jamie is asked to wait out in the hall. As noted above I went a little loco and Jamie bless his heart tried his best to placate my demands to contact the prayer circle via email while simultaneously donning his surgery scrubs. I eventually relented once I saw (through my drug induced fog) that he was freaking out a little too and I was really asking too much of him at that moment. Poor guy.

4:15, I am transferred to a gurney to wheel me into surgery. Off down the hall I am whisked...waving to my adoring fans. Jamie is told to wait on a bench and they will call him when it's safe to come in to surgery. People begin to scrub up and I am wheeled into surgery. Drapes come up, instruments are counted and laid out. Step stools are placed into position... yes I said stools...but of the people who performed the operation were pretty short ladies. I am awake of course and the anesthesiologist ups my epidural to numb all feeling in my lower body. Wish that had worked ... while I did not feel any pain I definitely felt them pushing and pulling on my body as they worked to get the baby out. I swear I could feel the scalpel as it sliced my skin but in a sort of third person kind of way.

Jamie comes in and sits next to me. He's got his blue garb on and has the camera ready for the first pictures of our boy. The atmosphere in the room is lively. This is just another day for these people and so they are chatting away with each other. In a way it is comforting but in a way you wish they were a little more awe struck like you are. Dr "S" asks Jamie if he wants to see the baby being born and he stands up to peak over the drape. He said they slice open my uterus at that point and pulled out the baby. Liam was born at 4:29pm. He was huge. Everyone in the room placed bets on how big he was. I don't find out later just what a whopper he is but at 9 lbs 13 oz I am glad I didn't have to push him out of my va-jay-jay.

Jamie takes some pictures as he is transferred over to the bassinet. Liam pees on the nurse as she is receiving him from Dr. "S". They dry him off and he is crying. It's a nice loud cry. His lungs are clear of fluid. He is big and red and long. They wrap him up and put a little hat on his head and bring him over to see me. I give him a little kiss then they take him and Jamie to the recovery room to wait for me.

A Labor of Love

So about 5:30 pm we head out for the hospital...We don't need to be there till 7, but I'm taking no chances that we are going to hit traffic and be late. Mom followed behind us in her truck. We video taped a little and I made some phone calls and sent some text messages. It seemed like it was a long ride but luckily traffic was a breeze and we got there about 6:15. We parked...waited for mom to arrive...piddled about in the parking lot until 6:30 then went on inside.

Due to our hospital tour we knew just where to go and what to do. The hospital had changed slightly because of the renovation but everything was in the same place so we got checked in and shown to our room in record time. Our nurse Lydia, brought me a gown and all my hospital goodies (barf bowl, tissues, socks, etc). My gown was practically brand new, even Lydia commented on it.

I got changed and inspected all my amenities. I had a nice big bathroom and the room was pretty big too. It was a labor room so there was a lot of monitors and hospital equipment type stuff in there, a recliner and a couple of other chairs. Mom and Aunt Pam showed up soon after and nurse Lydia got me hooked up to all the monitors - one for the baby's heart beat and one for my contractions. At 7pm Lydia inserted the Cervodil a medication to thin my cervix and get me ready for induction in the morning. I was prepared for the Cervodil thanks to my cousin, Alina who had it during her last labor...it really does feel like sandpaper YIKES!

We spend the next few hours watching the monitors and gauging my contractions. Most of them I could not feel. Lydia and the night Nurse, Sue checked me periodically for temperature, blood pressure, etc. Jamie's Dad, Step-Mom and Grand Mother showed up and brought us some dinner. SUBWAY! Yippie! I haven't had a sandwich for months.

At some point the doctor comes around to check on me and perscribes some Magnesium to help lower my blood pressure to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia. That is some good stuff let me tell you. It made me really loopy. I wasn't aware how loopy until I came down off the stuff two days later. Night slowly passed into day with several trips to the bathroom, readjustments of the monitor and little cat naps.