We arrived at the hospital around 7:45pm on Monday night. I got all hooked up to the machines and was already having contractions and didn't even know it! The nurse kept asking me, "did you feel that?" I was all, "feel what?" Too bad that didn't last long, haha!
Around 9pm they inserted the cervadil in order to try and ripen my cervix a bit more to make the pitocin more effective. After the cervadil was in, the contractions definitely got a little more intense, nothing major yet, but definitly there! I was able to sleep between them, but they were strong enough that each one woke me up and they were about 5min apart, so not much sleep :) Out came the Cervadil at 4am, then at 5am tried to start pitocin. At this point, I was dilated to 1cm. They started the pitocin drip and I immediatley had a ridiculously strong contraction and they lost Vic's hearbeat on the monitor. They stopped the pitocin and had me keep rolling back and forth making sure they could get his hearbeat. They finally restarted the pitocin at 6am with no further incidents.
They contractions kept getting stronger until I really had to keep breathing through them and couldn't focus on anything else. Around 8:30am the doc came in, checked me, I was only at 1 and 1/2 cm, and he broke my water. He also said that since I really wasn't progressing much, basically if there was no progress the next time he checked me we'd be having a c-section.
He had broken my water and they had upped the pitocin at the same time and I thought I was going to die. The contractions were about a minute apart and lasting at least 45 seconds a piece, there was almost no break between them. Doc said that even though I wasn't very far along yet, since he had broken my water we were in for the long haul regardless so I was offered the epidural. For a second I wasn't sure if I wanted to wait or not, then I had another contraction and said yes!
So at 9:45am I recieved my epidural. Thank God for modern medicine! I have no idea how people give birth naturally. Granted, my labor was being induced and if it had been naturally occurring it probably would have been a bit easier to deal with. Anyways... so I got to sleep for a couple of hours. I could still kind of feel the contractions in my bottom area, but def not painful like they had been. Around 1:30, 2pm he came in to check me again and I was at 3cm, yay! I was progressing and didn't have to immediately have a c-section. I was allowed to continue laboring and hoping things continued to progress.
Of course, we didn't have to wait long. About this time I started being able to feel the contractions more through the epidural. Not like before, but definitely strong and I was having to breathe through them. So they showed me how to give myself a little extra boost with the little push button. Except it wasn't doing anything. They quickly got bad enough that I couldn't even focus on breathing through them. They were 2 minutes apart and lasting about a minute apiece. Matt was unbelievable and was right there holding my hand, reminding me to breathe, and getting me ice chips or anything I needed. They even had the anethiseologist come back in to give me a second dose. About 2:30 the nurse decided to check me again (about a half hour after I had been checked and been at 3cm) and I was about 6cm. She said that she figured that's why the epidural wasn't working, I was prgoressing very quickly all of a sudden and it just couldn't keep up! At 3pm she checked me again and I was 9cm and I could feel her moving his head around. I dilated from 3cm to 9cm in an hour! I can't imagine what it would have felt like without the epidural!
Finally my body slowed down a bit and the pain meds were able to kick back in a bit. My legs were completely numb by this point. I could still feel the contractions in my butt, but I could sleep through some of them and they let me nap for about a half hour. About 4 or 4:30 I was at 10cm and we did a couple of practice pushes, and then decided to let me sit up in bed for a bit and let the baby come down a bit more.
About 5:15 we started pushing again. At 5:47pm little Victor was born!! I can not explain the feeling seeing him when the doctor held him up and put him on my stomach. I'm crying now again just thinking about it. It was just such an incredible feeling... First thought "holy crap, we really had a baby! He was really in there!"
They took him to the warmer to clean him up and everything and I was crying and Matt was kissing me.... hearing Victor cry was amazing, I hated hearing him cry but I was so glad that he was!
Then the told us they were calling in the NICU crew. Scared everything out of me.... The nurse said his color was very pale and his chest was retracting when he was breathing. Then a minute or two later when the NICU doc came in they said he was fine!! Apparently he just needed a minute or two to adjust to life outside the womb :) But geez, they scared the crap out of us!
Of course, during all this the nurses kept saying, "oh what big feet he has!" "what a big baby!" Finally they told us he was 8lbs and 15oz. I was amazed. When I had the ultrasound to check his weight about 4 weeks before they had said 7lbs 8oz and we knew it was possible he was going to be big, but we also knew there was some room for error. Apparently they were right on and he is just a little chunker!! The doctor said that if he'd know how big Vic was going to be he never thought I would have done it. He'd thought I was going to end up with a c-section from the get go, and then I delivered a 9lb baby, HA! Showed you doc!
I did end up with a few stitches, but nothing major and they really haven't bothered me that much, a little sore of course, but not like I had imagined. The first couple of days my back actually hurt more than anything. I could barely stand up without feeling like my back was going to snap in half, apparently a combination of the epidural and rolling up in the pushing position..you know, and just having a baby, lol.
I have to take a minute and tell everyone how I have the best husband in the entire world. He stayed with me in the hospital the entire time, even at the beginning when nothing was really going on. He asked repeatedly what I needed and immeditely got anything and everything, many times he got things he thought I needed but I just didn't want to ask for. He held the little tray for me when I threw up, and stayed by my side during everything. I love him soo much.... I can't believe how lucky I am to get to spend the rest of my life with him as my husband and the father of my beautiful little boy.
Victor being cute :) He sleeps in the bouncy chair alot, but don't turn on the vibrator! He doesn't like that part of it yet.
Victor cuddling on mommy. I love his little cheeks and his lips..... I know I'm biased, but he's just so stinking cute!
15 comments:
YA!! I'm so glad everything went well for you!! lucky for you the stitches haven't bothered you...mine were awful! I couldn't walk normally for almost a month, and stairs, forget about it! :) Victor is such a handsome little guy!! Congrats to you and daddy! Hope you're getting as much sleep as possible! :)
Congrats Heidi! What a good lookin' baby!
Congrats. I am so happy everything went great. I know exactly what you are saying about when the first lay them on you. Even though it shouldn’t be, it is kind of a shock that you really had your baby in there. He is a handsome little man. Congratulations again.
He is SOOOOO beautiful Heidi! And I have two pretty darn cute kids (if I do say so myself) and I don't think you're being biased! How adorable. I'm glad you are doing alright and I agree totally about the first thoughts when you see your baby. Weston had the same thing happen to him with the breathing and everything too and it was super scary! Let me know how nursing is going and everything else. I think about you daily! Love ya!
Hi Heidi,
This is Alana, Kimber's mom. Congratulations on your new baby. He is so adorable and so big. I'm so happy everything went well and you are both healthy and happy.
Boy oh boy I have been waiting for this post!!! I am so glad everything went well and that he didn't have to go to NICU. I didn't get to see Jaelynn for six hours after she was born. He is simply beautiful. I think all mothers should think their children are the cutest! I miss you and am so glad you are doing so well! I hope your recovery continues to go well!!L ove you!!!!!!
Congratulations! He is such a handsome little boy. I'm glad to hear that all went well with your labor and delivery!
He is so CUTE!!! it looks like he has really good skin! Congratulations mommy!
What a beautiful baby boy!! I am glad that everything went so well!!! How precious!! Keep the posts coming and hope you are feeling well!!!! Congrats!
He is so cute! I love his chubby cheeks:) I am glad that everything went well and that you guys are doing good.
AWW!! What a beautiful experience, I love how you remembered so much--and wrote it down!! That's great!! I can't remember hardly anything, haha!! He is very cute, and I too love his little cheeks!! Congrats!
Congratulations! He is so cute! Glad everything went well! :)
Congrats! He is a beautiful baby. He is just so precious and perfect Heidi. I am so happy for you. I am glad that everything went well for you. And I am impressed that you gave birth to a 9 lb baby, WOW you are a trooper. I agree to about the Pitocin oh man does the contractions come on strong. I am so grateful for the epidural. Anyways, congrats he is adorable and I know that you are wonderful mom. Hope you are feeeling well and can get some rest here and there.
Yay!!! he is finally here. Wow I am not excited to go through labor. You are amazing for doing it. Anyway, he sure is cute and I am so glad everything went okay.
I'm so excited you finally had your baby! But when you were talking about your contractions....really good birth control for me. It sounded so painful! He's such a cute little guy though. Definitely worth the pain.
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