Saturday, August 19, 2006

SEVEN MONTHS AGO TODAY...(100th post)

It actually began 7 months ago yesterday at the doctor's office. He decided that it was time for Max to enter our world. Be at the hospital at 8:00 pm. On the way home, I called Hubster so he could be ready. I called work to let them know I wouldn't be in. I called my mom, my sisters, my friends.


I get home and Hubster tells me he needs his hair cut (perfect timing...NOT!). He takes Big Brother and goes to get it done. Meanwhile, I check my bags to make sure I've not forgotten anything. Hubster gets home having not gotten Big Brother's hair cut. He looks all shaggy still. I'm sitting on the couch and it all hit me. I was SCARED! I'm bawling like a baby and Hubster is trying to calm me down. You've done this before. It will all be fine. I know but....sob sob sob


We get to the hospital and are getting checked in. Big Brother asked what room they were putting me in and if possible, could they put me in room 711 where he was born. She called upstairs and yes, I could have room 711 WOOOHOOO!


OK now all settled in my room and here comes Mom, both sisters, and my nieces. They give me my IV (not an easy thing to do. They had to use a little machine to map my veins). By now, it's 10:00pm. Next step is to put in the Cervadil. This consists of a small disc attached to a shoestring that she will insert into my va-jay-jay. It takes 8 hours to work. WHAT?!?! The nurse sends everyone home but Hubster. He gets a nice cot to sleep on and I get a shoe string hanging out of my wahoo. And it burned! It burned all night long. Not a wink of sleep. It burned!!!


Fast forward to 8:00 am. Time for pitocin. Now, let me tell you, I'd been having small contractions for weeks. I was dialated to a 2 weeks before. The pitocin did nothing but make the contractions hurt worse. Around 10 am, I begged for the epidural. Nope. Not far enough dialated. Well crap! So she gave me a shot in the butt that was supposed to let me rest. I tried.


It wouldn't happen because I had little miss OCD for a nurse. Every time I'd get comfortable, she'd come in and move everything around. She told her student nurse that she liked to have things positioned HER way for HER convenience. What about my freakin' convenience?!?! I tried to rest some more. I'd catch little winks between pains. Hubster came in to sit with me but all he did was stare at me during contractions. I found that incredibly irritating. I was so exhausted and in pain, I didn't want anyone around me. Later I found out that no one wanted to come check up on me because I was so mean!


At 2:30, my doctor comes to check on me and break my water. The nurse asked him what speed he wanted the pitocin adjusted to. Full Labor, he says. WHAT??? Did he think I'd been having a tea party all day? Now the pains get even worse. At this point, I was dialated to 3.5. I begged again for the epidural. Not until you're a full 4, says OCD nurse. I told her to call them anyway because I would be a full 4 by the time he got there to do it. I promised. At 3:00 I got my epidural. I was finally able to rest and be comfortable. It was heaven. Like when I delivered Big Brother, the rest would be easy.


Boy was I wrong. The machine that gave me my epidural medicine began to beep. When it began to beep, I began to feel the pain again. OCD Nurse didn't believe me. She came in a adjusted the machine. Relief once again set in. Just as I'm getting relaxed and getting to rest, the stupid little machine beeped again. I felt pain again. Can you change out the machine? Yes. Well will you? No, there's nothing wrong with it. Yes there was. She still didn't believe me.


At 7 pm, it was shift change. I got the same nurse I'd had the night before. She was ok. Would she change out the machine? No, there's nothing wrong with it. At this point, I'm thinking I'm nuts. But I'm still in pain. I'd come to realize I was going to deliver this baby feeling every bit of the pain. I dealt with it.


Around 9:30, I was dialated to a 9.5 and ready to get this baby out of me. Nope, you're not fully dialated. Bitch! My sisters came in to be there with me, along with Hubster. I'm laying on my side, clutching the bed rail, trying with every ounce of my being to NOT push. Impossible! With each urge to push, I was trying not to push causing every muscle in my body to twitch and move. This is so cruel! Everyone else thought that was funny. Now, my nurse is in and out of the room getting things ready for delivery. I told her when she breezed in for the zillionth time that I was going to push with or without her. No, you can't do that, you're not fully dialated. Another nurse came in with the stuff for the baby. I told her I was going to push. Don't do that, there's no one there with a glove. I didn't care and began pushing anyway. FINALLY, my nurse came in so I could push. I had one sister holding one leg, Hubster holding the other, and my other sister wiping my face with a damp cloth. I remember pushing. I remember Hubster announcing that he had to use the bathroom (good timing dear). I don't remember the doctor arriving (yet at some point I looked down and he was there).


Then, out came my son with the cord around his neck. My beautiful slime covered grey little boy. The doctor put him on my stomach and I cried. He was just whimpering. Cry for me baby! He's just whimpering. Why isn't he crying? They doctor handing him over to the nursery staff. They cleaned him up, gave him oxygen and decided to rush him to the NICU. Hubster went with him. The doctor sewed me up (not believing that I could feel each stitch, which I did).


Big Brother came in to see me. He said he could hear me grunting from outside the room. He's excited but worried. We were all worried. No news yet. Hubster came in at some point to tell me our pediatrician was with Little Brother. That made me feel better.

It was getting late and they told us that no one would be able to see the baby for a while so everyone but Bams and Pops went home. Finally at 1:30 am, they took me to see my baby. He was under an oxygen hood and had what looked like a hundred lines attached to his no-so-little body. He was 9 lbs 4 oz, 22.25 inches long. A big boy.


Our ped came over to tell us that they couldn't get a normal IV on him so they had to do one in his umbilical cord. He was in severe shock. They didn't know why but a specialist would see him in the morning. In the meantime, they would pump him with fluids and antibiotics to fight whatever it was. Get some rest. Yeah, right.


I did manage to get some rest though. At 5 am, I was back in the NICU with my baby. He was looking a little better but I still couldn't hold him. At 8 am the specialist came by to talk to us. No clue what's wrong with your baby. All we can do is wait and see what the fluids and antibiotics will do for him. PRAY! That's all I could think to do.


Finally, at 10 am, they allowed me to hold and feel my baby. He took to the breast quite easily. This was a beautiful experience for me. It would be the only time he ever did. He wouldn't take it after that so we decided for his well-being, to give him formula. We were scared and wanted to know exactly what he was getting. It was a good decision.


Saturday night they sent me home. I cried all the way. I was so glad to have my mom at my house to help out. I needed her at that moment.


The next day, Sunday, he came down with jaundice and had to go under the bilirubin lights. Not a big deal, according to the doctors. It happens to a lot of babies. This still didn't make me feel better. They couldn't tell me what was wrong with my baby. He was doing better. He looked better. At least he wasn't grey anymore.


Monday, we got to bring him home. My beautiful little boy was at home, in my arms. They still don't know what caused him to go into shock. All that matters is he's happy and healthy now.


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This was taken right after he was born.


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This was the first time I got to hold him. He was swollen from all the fluids they had given him.


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And here he is under the bili lights. Notice the cool shades!

1 comment:

Tamra said...

Happy Birthday Max!