Christopher is one week old today--and it has been a great one. David and I have been all but living on the couch between feedings and naps and snuggle time in general. The nights are still kind of long, but we'll get the hang of it. I was down with a 24-hour bug yesterday and David was a real trooper and took care of Christopher all by himself--I was incredibly impressed and appreciative of his hard work.
Baby Christopher has really been no trouble at all--he only cries when he is hungry and will occasionally complain of a wet diaper, so we're all adjusting very nicely as we get to know each other and learn our new roles. His favorite place to sleep is on his daddy's chest, but I think that he likes Mama's kisses best (mostly because I don't have all that scruffy stuff on my face! haha)...I could just sit and stare at him for hours and be content.
So one week down, lots and lots to go!
2/26/2009
Christopher's Birth Story
Christopher’s Birth Story
We checked into the hospital for our induction at around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, February 18th after getting a call from the doctor to scoot up there early so that we were sure to get a spot—we didn’t want a repeat of the Monday before where we got bounced outta there due to lack of room! This time was totally different from the get-go. We had my IV in place and blood-work taken within the first 10 minutes or so, and here came Dr. Andrews to put in my Cervadil to get things rollin! She wasn’t messing around! The rest of Wednesday was pretty uneventful as we just sat around and waited for the Cervadil to work its magic overnight; David and I played cards and visited with my parents and his mom and Aunt Shirley as they came and went. The most interesting thing that happened that night was that I was given an Ambien to help me sleep, and it actually made me hallucinate! Not 5 minutes after it went down the ceiling started fluctuating…David was standing by my bedside and I looked at him and asked him if he was lifting me—I swear it felt like he was just slowly raising the bed but I couldn’t reach the ceiling. He said “nooooooo?” with this look of concern and mild amusement on his face. Then I said something along the lines of “I wish you were in my head right now….I feel like I’m in Vegas!”…to which he quickly said “I’m going to get the nurse!” haha! She had forgotten to give us her “hallucination schpiel” when I got the drug, and told him just to tell me to “be quiet, close my eyes, and go to sleep” (she was really funny!). She apologized for how that sounded later, but I just found it amusing.
Thursday morning, Dr. Andrews came in bright and early to check on me. Unfortunately the Cervadil didn’t do much of anything—I had only dilated to a “loose 1” ugh, we had a long way to go. So we just went ahead and started Pitocin to get the party started and it definitely got things going! We started the Pit around 5am, and by around 9am they actually pulled me off the Pit and put me on oxygen and increased fluids because Christopher’s heart rate was having decelerations following each contraction—but after they did that, he bounced right back…so Dr. Andrews showed up and talked to us about what was going on with the contractions and his heart rate and what all that meant, and at that point was already throwing the possibility of a c-section on the table. We agreed to restart the Pit and just increase it in smaller increments and keep me on the oxygen to see how he reacted. He responded beautifully for most of the day that way, so I was getting hopeful that we would actually be able to continue with our delivery as planned. I was having contractions and ended up dilating to about 4 cm’s before asking for my epidural. I must admit I was pretty proud of myself for how I handled my contractions—I really was able to breathe through them like a champ. I had asked for an IV medication a couple of hours before the epidural which I really ended up regretting because it just knocked me out completely. I was hardly coherent for anything other than the contractions that I was feeling and I honestly don’t remember much about the whole day. (I’m having David fill in the blanks for me as I write this.)
By 4:00, Dr. Andrews was back—the decels had started again, and then had moved into non-responsiveness in his heart rate following each contraction. As much as she didn’t like to see the decels, she didn’t like seeing nothing even more. So at that point, she said what I was thinking—Christopher was just not tolerating the labor and a c-section was necessary. It was upsetting but we were all in agreement that the end result was definitely what was most important and we did not want to prolong the labor and chance a true emergency by trying to push through and continue with the induction. As soon as we made the call, she headed out to book the OR for us, and things happened really quickly from there. I was still really out of it and all I wanted to do was sleep—we were in the OR by 4:20 or so, and Christopher was born at 4:30—he was 6 lbs 3oz and 18.5 inches long. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open for those 10 minutes, and honestly would have slept through the whole thing if David had not been there to keep me awake and talk to me.
Once Christopher was born, we heard his wonderful little cry, but he was having repertory issues and would cry a little bit and stop, then they would flick his little feet and he’d cry a little and then stop. He was breathing rapidly and they were concerned—so he was taken directly to the nursery for assessment and resuscitation. David went with him, and I was taken to recovery for about an hour. It wound up being about 4 hours after he was born that I finally got to go down and see him in the nursery. He had to have an IV put in and was under the warming tray and it was really hard to see him like that. We did get to hold him that night, but he was not allowed to eat anything and had to stay in the nursery for observation overnight. That was probably the hardest part—that we were kept apart for so long after he was born, but I know it was ultimately for the best. He was well taken care of, and I was still so drugged that I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for him that night. I still don’t remember anything from the rest of that night.
The rest of our stay at the hospital was really great—we didn’t get to go home until Sunday, but the doctors and nurses were absolutely fantastic. They were attentive to our needs, answered all of our questions and gave great advice and we could not have asked for better care. I am really grateful to all of them for the service they provided. Christopher roomed-in with us from Friday morning until we left so we got some supervised practice at our parenting skills, which was nice. So far Christopher has been very patient with us as we are getting to know each other and our new roles. And that’s the story of how Christopher came into the world…
We checked into the hospital for our induction at around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, February 18th after getting a call from the doctor to scoot up there early so that we were sure to get a spot—we didn’t want a repeat of the Monday before where we got bounced outta there due to lack of room! This time was totally different from the get-go. We had my IV in place and blood-work taken within the first 10 minutes or so, and here came Dr. Andrews to put in my Cervadil to get things rollin! She wasn’t messing around! The rest of Wednesday was pretty uneventful as we just sat around and waited for the Cervadil to work its magic overnight; David and I played cards and visited with my parents and his mom and Aunt Shirley as they came and went. The most interesting thing that happened that night was that I was given an Ambien to help me sleep, and it actually made me hallucinate! Not 5 minutes after it went down the ceiling started fluctuating…David was standing by my bedside and I looked at him and asked him if he was lifting me—I swear it felt like he was just slowly raising the bed but I couldn’t reach the ceiling. He said “nooooooo?” with this look of concern and mild amusement on his face. Then I said something along the lines of “I wish you were in my head right now….I feel like I’m in Vegas!”…to which he quickly said “I’m going to get the nurse!” haha! She had forgotten to give us her “hallucination schpiel” when I got the drug, and told him just to tell me to “be quiet, close my eyes, and go to sleep” (she was really funny!). She apologized for how that sounded later, but I just found it amusing.
Thursday morning, Dr. Andrews came in bright and early to check on me. Unfortunately the Cervadil didn’t do much of anything—I had only dilated to a “loose 1” ugh, we had a long way to go. So we just went ahead and started Pitocin to get the party started and it definitely got things going! We started the Pit around 5am, and by around 9am they actually pulled me off the Pit and put me on oxygen and increased fluids because Christopher’s heart rate was having decelerations following each contraction—but after they did that, he bounced right back…so Dr. Andrews showed up and talked to us about what was going on with the contractions and his heart rate and what all that meant, and at that point was already throwing the possibility of a c-section on the table. We agreed to restart the Pit and just increase it in smaller increments and keep me on the oxygen to see how he reacted. He responded beautifully for most of the day that way, so I was getting hopeful that we would actually be able to continue with our delivery as planned. I was having contractions and ended up dilating to about 4 cm’s before asking for my epidural. I must admit I was pretty proud of myself for how I handled my contractions—I really was able to breathe through them like a champ. I had asked for an IV medication a couple of hours before the epidural which I really ended up regretting because it just knocked me out completely. I was hardly coherent for anything other than the contractions that I was feeling and I honestly don’t remember much about the whole day. (I’m having David fill in the blanks for me as I write this.)
By 4:00, Dr. Andrews was back—the decels had started again, and then had moved into non-responsiveness in his heart rate following each contraction. As much as she didn’t like to see the decels, she didn’t like seeing nothing even more. So at that point, she said what I was thinking—Christopher was just not tolerating the labor and a c-section was necessary. It was upsetting but we were all in agreement that the end result was definitely what was most important and we did not want to prolong the labor and chance a true emergency by trying to push through and continue with the induction. As soon as we made the call, she headed out to book the OR for us, and things happened really quickly from there. I was still really out of it and all I wanted to do was sleep—we were in the OR by 4:20 or so, and Christopher was born at 4:30—he was 6 lbs 3oz and 18.5 inches long. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open for those 10 minutes, and honestly would have slept through the whole thing if David had not been there to keep me awake and talk to me.
Once Christopher was born, we heard his wonderful little cry, but he was having repertory issues and would cry a little bit and stop, then they would flick his little feet and he’d cry a little and then stop. He was breathing rapidly and they were concerned—so he was taken directly to the nursery for assessment and resuscitation. David went with him, and I was taken to recovery for about an hour. It wound up being about 4 hours after he was born that I finally got to go down and see him in the nursery. He had to have an IV put in and was under the warming tray and it was really hard to see him like that. We did get to hold him that night, but he was not allowed to eat anything and had to stay in the nursery for observation overnight. That was probably the hardest part—that we were kept apart for so long after he was born, but I know it was ultimately for the best. He was well taken care of, and I was still so drugged that I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for him that night. I still don’t remember anything from the rest of that night.
The rest of our stay at the hospital was really great—we didn’t get to go home until Sunday, but the doctors and nurses were absolutely fantastic. They were attentive to our needs, answered all of our questions and gave great advice and we could not have asked for better care. I am really grateful to all of them for the service they provided. Christopher roomed-in with us from Friday morning until we left so we got some supervised practice at our parenting skills, which was nice. So far Christopher has been very patient with us as we are getting to know each other and our new roles. And that’s the story of how Christopher came into the world…
2/11/2009
Good not Great
Well the appointment today didn't *exactly* go as I had wanted it to. Christopher has definitely come down, he's at a "something-2" station (I don't remember if it was plus or minus...just whatever is still up there) but there aren't any other changes. My blood pressure was a bit up there--started out at 124/98 and by the end of the appointment was 118/90...not stellar, but no bed-rest or anything of that nature.
We've moved the induction from 5a to 4p on Monday--so rather than sitting around with the Cervadil all day Monday and then possibly laboring Monday evening into the night, we're going to hopefully labor Tuesday morning-daytime. Hopefully that works in one shot and we won't be doing round 2 of Cervadil Tuesday night after being on Pitocin all day. That does not sound like good times!!!
So that's what I know...at this point we're just waiting for Monday to roll around. I think that we're going to sleep in and have a lazy-day around the house if at all possible...in a way I'm glad that we were able to move the induction to the afternoon because I can guarantee neither one of us is going to sleep very well Sunday night, so maybe we'll be able to nap or something on Monday before we go in instead. Meh-no tellin.
I got a haircut yesterday so I was feeling all frisky and decided to go ahead and do a belly-pic last night, as I'm really starting to feel like I've "popped" a bit! It's not the greatest; I'll employ David this evening to take a better one for us, but I figured I'd share anyhow. So this is me!! I guess we'll see you on the other side...
We've moved the induction from 5a to 4p on Monday--so rather than sitting around with the Cervadil all day Monday and then possibly laboring Monday evening into the night, we're going to hopefully labor Tuesday morning-daytime. Hopefully that works in one shot and we won't be doing round 2 of Cervadil Tuesday night after being on Pitocin all day. That does not sound like good times!!!
So that's what I know...at this point we're just waiting for Monday to roll around. I think that we're going to sleep in and have a lazy-day around the house if at all possible...in a way I'm glad that we were able to move the induction to the afternoon because I can guarantee neither one of us is going to sleep very well Sunday night, so maybe we'll be able to nap or something on Monday before we go in instead. Meh-no tellin.
I got a haircut yesterday so I was feeling all frisky and decided to go ahead and do a belly-pic last night, as I'm really starting to feel like I've "popped" a bit! It's not the greatest; I'll employ David this evening to take a better one for us, but I figured I'd share anyhow. So this is me!! I guess we'll see you on the other side...
2/09/2009
Things are progressing...
OK so as of today I will declare it official: Christopher is dropping! There was some definite lower-abdominal discomfort over the weekend, but today is a whole different story. I went to blow-dry my hair this morning and the little turd had me doubled over on account of what can only be described as his CANTALOUPE of a head trying wriggle down my drawers! Yowza! So he's been bouncing up and down all day today; I'm very curious to see how well he behaves and if he stays put for the doctor on Wednesday (he is kind of famous for making a liar out of me)! Hopefully he'll keep making his way down and be in prime position for the induction on Monday so that we will just have a one-day labor! David doesn't think that I will make it until Monday, but I'm still feeling pretty confident that I'll be checking in right on time. It's a fun little wager to have going...
Also, it seems as though I'm trying to get a smidgen of a headcold--have been falling under the weather since Saturday afternoon. I called to make sure that it wouldn't interfere with the induction and was assured that it would not, so that is good news...now I just hope that I'm not feeling like cacalaca and all snotty and coughy and stuff when Christopher and I finally meet...you know what they say about first impressions, after all. ;-)
"Welcome to the world little buddy....a-choooooooo!...fancy a cold?"
Also, it seems as though I'm trying to get a smidgen of a headcold--have been falling under the weather since Saturday afternoon. I called to make sure that it wouldn't interfere with the induction and was assured that it would not, so that is good news...now I just hope that I'm not feeling like cacalaca and all snotty and coughy and stuff when Christopher and I finally meet...you know what they say about first impressions, after all. ;-)
"Welcome to the world little buddy....a-choooooooo!...fancy a cold?"
2/04/2009
Induction Date Set!
Alrighty! It is official--assuming that I don't go into labor on my own beforehand (hiiiiiighly unlikely if you ask me), we have an appointment to check into the hospital at 5:00am on Monday, February 16! Doc Andrews says that we'll check me in, and do whatever we have to do until we get ourselves a baby--she's decided that we don't want to try this thing over a week or two, we want to just get in and get it d-u-n!!
Everything is still looking good right now--I'm still closed up, but am thinning out some, so that's a move in the right direction at least. My guess is that Christopher will make his appearance sometime late Monday night, or possibly Tuesday. I don't expect that it would go on into Wednesday before we were at least seriously talking about a c-section, but who knows?
Doc is estimating him at around 6 1/2 to 7 lbs at this point, so she said he's not a huge baby, which is good, and hopefully will work to my advantage when it's time for the big song and dance!
So that's what we know for now! Stay tuned...
Everything is still looking good right now--I'm still closed up, but am thinning out some, so that's a move in the right direction at least. My guess is that Christopher will make his appearance sometime late Monday night, or possibly Tuesday. I don't expect that it would go on into Wednesday before we were at least seriously talking about a c-section, but who knows?
Doc is estimating him at around 6 1/2 to 7 lbs at this point, so she said he's not a huge baby, which is good, and hopefully will work to my advantage when it's time for the big song and dance!
So that's what we know for now! Stay tuned...
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