I Have a Baby!

Wow!  Where has the time gone?  The last 8 weeks have been the fastest and slowest of my life.  It’s been a total whirlwind haze of sleep deprivation and total, complete love.

My little man arrived on August 25, 2017 at 8:13pm.  I was admitted to the hospital on August 24th due to high blood pressure.  They were going to induce me but when I woke up on August 25th I was already 4 cm dilated and was in labor.   Things progressed quickly and at 11:00am I was 7cm dilated and wanted my epidural stat!  Unfortunately they couldn’t get it for me for another hour.

The epidural was interesting as my legs started jerking on their own.  Once it was placed I felt so much better.  Unfortunately around 3pm it wore off and even after 2 booster shots I was in so much pain from my back labor I couldn’t stand it.  They quickly sent someone up to replace the epidural and I felt better again.  At this point my mom and dad came in because I was really having a hard time.

Around 4 my dad and husband went for a walk.  The midwife came in to check me and announced I was 10cm and it was time to push.  I called my husband who rushed back into the room and suddenly the room was packed with people.

The next 4 hours were hard.  The epidural wore off again, I pushed for FOUR FREAKING HOURS.  The midwife kept telling me I was almost there.  After hour 3 I told them I was done and couldn’t do it.  She encouraged me to keep trying.  Everytime I said I couldn’t I still pushed.  It hurt, I was exhausted, I really thought I couldn’t do it anymore.  I begged my husband for help.  He and a nurse held my legs while I pushed.  There were 2 residents in the room.  It was crazy.

At 7pm it was shift change and suddenly 15 people were in my room talking and laughing.  I’m not afraid to tell you I lost it and screamed at all of them.  I told them to get it.  I told my midwife she was a liar and I wasn’t close.  It wasn’t my finest moment.   Around 8 my husband said he could see the baby’s head and I really was almost there.

At 8:13pm Baby J was born.  He was 7 pounds 5 oz and 20 inches long.   They put him on my chest and it was love at first sight.  He was absolutely perfect.  I cried and kissed him and loved him.  When I handed him to my husband I saw tears in his eyes.  He looked at me and said, “I want to hold him forever and never let him go….ever.”  I fell in love with my husband all over again at that point.

There’s so much more to tell but I can hear the little man stirring so I’ll have to post again later.  I’m just so excited that he’s finally here!

My D&C

My D&C happened on Sept. 18, 2014.   It’s a day I won’t forget.  It was 2 days before my brothers wedding.  My husband and I went to the hospital and up to the OB unit.  That’s where my RE performed surgeries.

I was put in a room and asked to put on a gown.  The nurse that came in to work with me was a blessing in disguise.  She was so kind and understanding and was with us for the 6 hours we were in the hospital.

She first came and got my history and put it in the computer.  Then she took my blood pressure.   She asked us some questions and answered our questions.   She prepared me for the surgery.

The anesthesiologist came in then.  He was not kind.   He was kind of a jerk and both my husband and I were not pleased with him.   In fact, the nurse could tell and sent him out of the room.  She ended up putting my IV in herself.  She tried it in my hand but my vein there always blows so she got it in my elbow.

My doctor finally came in and explained everything to me.  He told me they would put me out and then he would go in, remove the fetal pole, the sac, and any other material that needed to come out.  He then told me I’d be sore for a few days and probably would bleed for a few days as well.

When it was time to go I gave my husband a hug and they wheeled me into the OR.  Once there my doctor and another OB picked me up and put me on the table.   The anesthesiologist gave me a dose of meds but it didn’t put me out.  I must have looked terrified because my doctor patted my leg and told me it would be ok.  He looked at the anesthesiologist and that’s the last I remember.

I woke up with a pain in my lower abdomen.  My husband was there holding my hand as I started to cry.  My baby was gone…it was really gone now.  We sat together in silence until the nurse walked in.  She made sure I was comfortable and gave me some extra strength Tylenol.  She then told me I had to eat something and use the bathroom before I could leave.

She brought me crackers and Gingerale.  I slowly drank the Gingerale.   I ate a few crackers then I had to use the bathroom.  The kind nurse put a pair of disposable underwear on me and helped me to the bathroom.  In the bathroom I cried when I saw all the blood.  I took a deep breath, stood up, and walked back to my room.

The nurse took my vitals again and gave me my discharge paper.  She then tolld me t wait a minute that she had something for me.   She brought in a postcard with a picture of a leaf with a single dew drop.  On the back was a poem about loss and hope.   She had tears in her eyes as she read it to me and I could hardly stop the tears from running down my face.  Even writing about it has me tearing up.

She handed me the post card and told me it was mine.  She told me she had hope that things would get better then she gave me a hug.  I truly believe she cared about me and my situation and it was nice to know someone did.

As she left my husband helped get me dressed.  I put on a pad to catch the blood from my D&C.   I hadn’t eaten all day and it was 7pm by this time.  We ran to a Chinese buffet and ate dinner.  Then we made the hour drive home.  Unfortunately I had a cake to make…my brother’s grooms cake for the wedding.

The only hope I had for the weekend was that I’d be too busy to worry about myself and the baby.  I had medicine I needed to take and I had my husband by my side.   I knew that though it would be tough, the two of us would get through it.

Bloodwork and SA

My first blood work was the Day 21 blood work.  It was no big deal as I went to my local hospital, went to registration, and 10 minutes later I had my blood draw and I was gone.   My second blood work, Day 3, was the same.

Now for my husband’s seman analysis (SA).   We were going to have it done on Christmas Eve so that I could take the sample down to the hospital since he was embarrassed to do so.   (However, after all we’ve been through now, there is no longer any embarrassment in that area).

I took the sample down to the nearly empty hospital waiting room and waited for my turn to go to the registration desk.  When I handed the woman my form she looked up and told me it was Christmas Eve.  I responded that I knew that and she then said that she didn’t think any of the pathologists were in that day and that I would probably have to throw away the sample and get a new one to bring back later.

I couldn’t believe it.   She told me that she would call upstairs and see but that it probably wouldn’t happen today.   She was on the phone for over 15 minutes while I sat and waited.   I could only think that my husband would not want to repeat the SA the next week and that this totally sucked.

As it turned out one lonely woman was working up there and only until noon.  She came down and retrieved the sample and I was on my way.  I was so happy that it ended up working out and that we wouldn’t have to do it again.

I was anxious to get the results of all of our testing, but I knew it would be weeks before I went back to the OB/GYN.  I still had to get through the HSG.