I had a text book pregnancy. Ran my half marathon at 16 weeks and continued to exercise throughout. I ate right (for the most part) and loved being pregnant. I even savored each second because I knew that I wouldn't be pregnant forever and chances are good that I won't be pregnant again.
I had some symptoms but nothing major. I dry heaved every single morning when I had an empty stomach. I had some heartburn. The usual hormone levels. :) But I really loved being pregnant. My last trimester everyone kept telling me how big I was... when I really just didn't feel that big. I hadn't put on much weight and I really felt like I wasn't that big... until I turned sideways and then... well then I felt big. :-)
My last two weeks though... I was really done. I was ready to meet my daughter. I was tired of being pregnant and really... I kind of hurt all over. My 39 week appt... Dr. Carrington told me that he would strip my membranes (which sounds a whole lot worse than it is) and if it didn't send me into labor then we had my c-section scheduled for Wednesday, May 4th. I went in a day early to have him look at my breathing as a cold had hit me like a mack truck. He went ahead and stripped the membranes which kind of felt like he was checking my tonsils from the lower regions up. He was done and we left. Mom, Jami and I. We went to run errands. We hit all of the stores we wanted to go to and picked up Joe and headed home.
I filled my prescription and Jason picked it up... I took the two pills and about 5:00 my contractions started. Like real... honest to goodness... contractions. I started timing them. We all had dinner together, I took a bath, went for a walk with my dad and came home. I couldn't sleep but Jason did... and he needed it. I stayed up with my mom and watched television and breathed through the contractions.
By 3:00 am I felt like they were pretty painful. So... Jason woke up and we headed to the hospital to be checked. That morning I was at 1 cm... when we got checked in and checked... I was at 2 cm. I got there a bit early... but they hooked me up to the monitors so I could hear her heartbeat. About 7:00 am, my doctor came in and got my IV started so he could break my water. When he did there was meconium in her fluid... so we did an amnio flush and kept going.
I got to about a 5 when I asked for the epi.. because at this point I was wanting to chew the arm rest off my bed. Baby J was hanging out on a nerve on my back which was KILLING me! My anesthesiologist came in and was amazing... he gave me the epi laying down. (apparently one of few that can do this). Jason was a champ and talked me through each of the contractions leading up to it and was just awesome. Baby girl was handling it all very well.
I had to have a couple of boosters to my epi because she was laying on a spot on my back and it was KILLING me. I had been dry heaving all day which was fun... but a continuation of my pregnancy.
:-/ I was starving which was no surprise. But... my doctor was fantastic. The nurses were great... my family was there, my inlaws had arrived. All in all... things were good. :) I made it to a 6 and a 7... the evening got foggy as I was SOOOO tired!
When my doc came in about 7:00 pm and told me I was a 9 but that her head was stuck at the edge of my pelvic bone... that I could continue on because she was handling it ok... but that it would be hard and long... I said.. I'm done. Again, it was about 7:00 pm and I had been laboring since 5:00 pm the night before.
SOOOOOOO... they gave me this horrible drink that I drank and threw up. They explained what all was going to happen and they wheeled me in to the OR. My doc called in his A team since we weren't in an emergent situation. We got the chance to take family pics...
Long story that is already a long story... they got me into the OR, got me hooked up to the drugs and prepped. When they got me open, I noticed an unusual amount of tugging and pulling. I mentioned that I could feel it and the anesthesiologist said she couldn't do anything more until they got her out.
But apparently I had adhesions where with the first c-section... my uterus had stuck to the bladder and perinatal wall in large sections (picture fly paper stuck together) and he had to navigate these adhesions to cut me open to get her out. He said he had to separate the layers as gently as he could but there was SOOO much pressure as he pushed and pulled my uterus ( I think it may have swung over to England for a visit)... and I had the epi but they couldn't give me anything more without giving it to her too... so I just had to deal with the pressure and the pain.
When they finally got her out, it took her a bit to start crying. (scared Jason half to death) but she finally gave a squeak and a squawk. They told Jason to start taking pictures. I got to see her and hear her and see that she weighed 8 lbs and 12 oz.. OMG and was 21 1/4 inches long. Born at 8:09 pm. Although we are wondering if her weight was maybe off because of all of the fluids they had to pump me with all day. But... that is her weight on record. :)
Because of the pain and exhaustion... they gave me something that knocked me out for the hour it took to put everything back in it's proper location and close me back up and like a lightbulb I woke up just in time to go to my room. Amazing these doctors.
They took me back to my labor room, brought her in with me... before ever cleaning her up (so different than with Joe but so important to me) and let me nurse her and hold her. She came out wanting to nurse... I guess that's what happens with a chunky baby. I wish I could remember it all. HA! I finally got a drink!!! :-)
The parents all got to hold her and take pictures then they all left.
They wheeled me to my new room and brought her to me again... Jason stayed for a while... but I was SOOO exhausted that Jason went on home to sleep and be with Joe... and I got that time to rest. They did bring her to me to nurse but I sent her back to sleep some more... plus I was VERY sore. In fact... hindsight... having someone there to help with her that first night would have been nice as it was hard to even sit up let alone move the baby. :-}
The hardest part was the coughing... I still had the horrendous cold. And who wants to cough when you are held together with sutures?
Wednesday Morning Jason brought Joe up to meet his baby sister.
My inlaws came before they headed back to lufkin. And of course my parents were around and Uncle Todd.
They kept me an extra day due to fever and high pulse rate... which was fine. I needed the rest. Joe came to visit each day and I would keep her during the day (sending her back for quiet time) and then at night.
Joe is doing GREAT and is excited to have a sister... and Jason is enamored as am I. Recovery has been a bit slower and she lost quite a bit of weight... but she is now on the upswing and we are home and loving being a family of 4. :-)
