Recap of Birth as Written by Heather

I went in to the hospital for my scheduled induction on Friday, September 5, at 5:30am. The day before, I was 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced; baby was at -2 station. So a little progress, but a long way to go. We were extremely nervous and excited. It was so weird waking up that morning, getting in the car, feeling otherwise normal - except we were going to HAVE A BABY. I wasn't really expecting to be induced, so I missed out on the whole, "Is it time?" sensation - I had been anxiously awaiting my water to break every time I went out somewhere or something like that, but it never happened. Now I am sorta glad it happened the way it did. No questioning, no wondering if it was time to go to the hospital or if we'd be turned away once we got there or anything like that.

After a short wait in the lobby (much shorter than when we had our little scare!) we were off to our room. We were pleasantly surprised at how big it was. We had taken the hospital tour but our room seemed bigger than that one. The bathroom was also nice and large. We met our nurse, Dee, who was fabulous. About 7:30am, they started me on the Pitocin. I was administered my first IV which I took like a champ. Dee asked me if there was anything she needed to know about me and needles or IVs, and I told her I'd never had an IV before. She seemed nervous about giving me my first one. It was really not bad at all. An hour later, the doctor came and broke my water. I wish I could say the same thing about that! It was by far the most painful part of the entire experience. I don't think it is for everyone, but for some reason mine HURT. She had to try three times before she finally broke it. It feels much like someone popping a giant water balloon inside your body. It was just a little pop, and then fluid gushed out. It continued to gush out every time I changed positions, sat up, etc, for quite a while after that. Pretty grody.

Once my water was broken and the medicine kicked in, I started slowly getting contractions. It was fun watching them on the monitor because I wasn't really feeling them too bad at first. About an hour or two in, I started feeling the pain a good bit. It was still tolerable, though. I really surprised myself at how I managed labor - I expected to be screaming, crying, cursing, etc. However I ended up being the silent type. I would be talking and laughing, then when a contraction came on I would just get very quiet, shut my eyes, grip the bed and try to breathe through each contraction. Around 10:30 or so, Dee checked me and I was dilated to a 3. She asked me at that time if I wanted to get the epidural. I was hesitant because I had so far to go - I thought if I got it right away there would be a chance it would run out or something. Why do we believe that? Where along the lines are we taught that? Epidural doesn't work that way unless it is a "bad" one. Once they explained to me that it is continuously administered and you can have it as long as it takes I opted for it. I am so glad I didn't wait a minute longer! There is simply no reason to be in pain any longer than you have to. All of those women out there who opt for a natural birth to get their "I had a drug-free birth" badge of honor, props to you, but I think you're crazy that's not for me. I was a smiling, happy lady all through my 16-hour labor and I owe it all to the epi. So the epidural man came in around 11 - I only know that because The Price is Right was on. I was TERRIFIED to get the epidural. Again with what you've always been taught! But it was not at all what I was expecting. Actually, nothing really was - I was expecting everything to be much, much worse and more painful - and it just wasn't. I guess I have a high tolerance for pain or something. I don't know. I always fancied myself a wimp. But everyone kept saying how well I was handling everything. The doctor even said she had never seen anyone so calm during a labor before. So the epidural man came in with his little cart of goodies and he mumbled something about how he would be doing my epidural. He talked SO QUIETLY, had a very deep voice AND had on the mask. My nurse called him "Mr. Personality." He was impossible to hear. So they raised my bed all the way up to his arm level and I sat on the edge of the bed indian style, back curved into a C. Jared held my shoulders and gently rubbed them and told me I was doing a great job, and then it was over. The shot itself was a pinch and little more. They got me all fixed up and I was back in the bed. I immediately felt my legs start to tingle, and shortly after that they felt like big, floppy logs attached to my body. I could still feel them - sort of - but it was a very strange sensation. At one point I put my hand on something weird and fleshy and jerked my hand back and said, "WHAT IS THAT?" and it was my thigh. Haha.

Then came the waiting. And the waiting. Jared, my mom, and Sariah (Jared's sister) were there all day with me. Early on Sariah acted as sort of my labor coach - she coached me through all my contractions, reminding me to breathe. Then we were just hanging out, talking, watching tv, calling people, texting, getting on the internet, anything to pass the time. They graciously ate my food for me, which is one of the cruelest parts of labor. They still bring your tray of food to your room even though you're not allowed to eat! How rude. My friends were texting me to check in, hoping that SOMEONE (assumingly not me) would see it and respond. They were shocked when I was responding. "YOU'RE TEXTING ME WHILE YOU'RE IN LABOR?!?" I felt like I was cheating them out of an unwarranted response because it's not like I was actually laboring! Just hanging out.

So they came in and checked me periodically and we would get excited with progression but perhaps a little disappointed with not as much progression as we'd like. They upped my Pitocin until it was maxed out apparently and my epidural was upped twice I think. Overall it was a virtually pain-free experience. From very early on, they were saying that the baby was low. That would become important later on. At 2 I was a 5. I was very excited when the doctor told me she had hair. I was calling everyone saying, "She has hair!" At 5:30 I was 7cm and the head was "very low." We thought it must not be too much longer........

At some point, they decided that the external contraction monitor was not so accurate. Each time I had contracted from very early on it looked like they were off the charts, but they wanted a more accurate reading of them, so they inserted an internal monitor. What they don't tell you is that it is a probe attached directly to your baby's head! She hated that. She was wiggling all around and the monitor (which was like a little stick coming out of me) was swirling all over the place. It was pretty obvious that she was really hating it. And for good reason - poor thing had three little scabs on her head! Not even born yet and she already had boo boos. They are all gone now, though. At 9:15, I was 9 1/2 to 10 and 100%. Dr. B said she'd come in 30 minutes. They say you know it's time to push when you feel the urge to poop. I knew I was getting closer because I had all these little toots that were coming out on their own. It was pretty comical to me. When the doctor came, I had "a little lip" of cervix left. She tried to push it back behind baby's head and then decided to wait 30 more minutes. Anticipation was growing... finally at 10:15 I was ready to push.

I pushed for almost exactly an hour. They wheeled in the mirror (per my request) so I could watch. I went back and forth from watching to having my eyes shut tight because I was pushing so hard. I would crack them slightly and peek out. I also enjoyed watching Jared. He was holding his breath and pushing each time I did but he didn't realize it. It was really cute. So I pushed and pushed, and Ava was born at 11:16pm. (Side note - I was extremely excited to find out she was born then - my birthday is 11/16, so it's just super cool to me!) When she came out, the first thing I said was, "Is she still a girl?" That was truly my biggest fear - that the ultrasounds were wrong. They showed me that she was, in fact, a girl and I was so relieved. I had a 2nd degree tear - which is information that everyone seems to really care about but I don't know why. It's pretty inconsequential to me. It's not like I feel the tear, or even know it's there. But everyone seems to ask! It's funny to me how personal people feel they can be when you have a baby. Apparently the doctor had to maneuver Ava out pretty hardcore - she was jerking and pulling her. And she pooped on me when she came out. She was born with the cord around her neck, but it wasn't anymore serious than making her pretty pale when she came out. She also had some fluid in her little lungs, but by the time she had her 1 minute APGAR she got an 8, 5 minute a 9. So they worked it out pretty well. When they laid her on me right after she was born I was shocked at how HUGE she was. She was 8lbs, 14 oz (almost 9 pounds!) and 22 inches. Because she was so low in the birth canal for the whole day, she had a pretty massive cone head. Jared was EXTREMELY concerned about this. He asked pretty much every nurse he saw if and when that would go away. It went away almost completely by the next day. He also asked pretty much every nurse if she looked normal and didn't look like she had Down Syndrome. My bloodwork had a slightly raised risk for this (though still less than 1% chance) so it was something he'd worried about throughout the pregnancy. He was just so cute asking all the nurses about his concerns. She is PERFECT though! My birth went extremely well and I was very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a nightmare but it really was not bad. I would do it again in a heartbeat - but not anytime soon!

So we came home that Sunday, September 7. I really wanted another day in the hospital because I didn't feel ready to leave. I think I was more just scared of having to REALLY do it on my own without the constant aid of a nurse at my beckon call. Plus I was in a lot of pain, plus I felt like I'd gotten cheated out of one of my "nights" because I didn't get in my room til 1am. But insurance doesn't always cover an extra night, and they don't care if you didn't technically get into your room until the next day - they go by birth time. But all was well. When we left that evening she was starting to look a little yellow and the nurse told us to keep an eye on it. The next day I called the pediatrician to schedule a weight check appointment. She said they were pretty booked up for the next day, so how about Wednesday? I said that was fine but that I thought I should mention that she was looking a little yellow. The whites of her eyes had some yellow in them. That I didn't really think it was severe but I didn't really know. So she said she'd talk to the doctor and see if he wanted to see her the next day or wait until Wed. So then she called back and the appointment was for Wed., so I guess he didn't think it was that bad. The next day the Smart Start nurse came for an in-home visit (thank goodness for that program! I heart my smart start nurse.) and she was concerned by her yellow-ness. She had us go to the hospital for a blood check just in case. Sure enough her bilirubin levels were significantly high and we were readmitted to the hospital. :( We have since switched peds.

At home, prior to going to the hospital. You can see that she's pretty "tan" aka jaundiced.

Ava had to be under the jaundice lights overnight. She hated every minute of it, and it was very hard to be there. She had to be naked (well, with a diaper only) under the lights and wear these little goggles and she. hated. it. She was also hooked up to all this crap (IV, vital monitors, etc.) and that only made it worse. It also made it impossible to breastfeed (which wasn't going swimmingly to begin with). So that stay wasn't fun, but luckily it was just overnight. When I said I wanted an extra night in the hospital, that isn't really what I had in mind. She had to do some outpatient care for two more nights - she had to lay on a "bili blanket" which was a little mini-version of the lights. It looked like a narrow heating pad that glowed bright blue (or was it green?) and we could stuff it in her onesie and just have her lay on it all the time. It was still a pain because the cord was so short and she couldn't go anywhere but it was over by Friday afternoon. She is doing much better now.

I have had my concerns - breastfeeding is so hard! But it is getting better. She is a VERY spitty baby which worried me at first but she and her tummy are just getting acquainted. Overall she is a very good baby. She really only cries when she's hungry and because she is already up past her birth weight I am allowed to do "on demand" feeding as opposed to scheduled feedings every 2 to 3 hours regardless of whether she cries or not. She is still feeding about every 2 to 3 hours during the day but at night she sleeps for a good 4 to 5 hours at a time. The only time we have had a "serious" crying spell is when she is gassy. Last night she had some pretty awful gas. I had mexican food for lunch and I really think that's what did it! Mylicon is our friend. As are binkies! (GASP WE GAVE OUR NEWBORN A BINKIE WE ARE SO AWFUL!!1!)

So now she's been in our lives for 2 wonderful weeks and we are so blessed. I look forward to getting to know her even better and watching her grow. She is a joy and motherhood is truly a blessing. It's not the easiest thing I've ever done, but it is fun and SO worth it.

Update:  August 17th

Baby Showers, Birthing Classes, and Excitement

    Wow!  Things are getting exciting.  Here we are less than 3 weeks to the due date, and at the same time it doesn't seem real.  Over the past month we have had many doctor appointments, all of which have gone well for Heather.  She has adjusted nicely to her Gestational Diabetes, but can't wait to have some carbs once Ava is born.  The major changes have been the baby slowly dropping and Heather's feet swelling.  Her co-workers call her the Nutty Professor.

    Well the Nutty Professor and I have had some awesome baby showers as of late.  We have been so blessed by all THREE of our showers.  About a month ago we had baby shower number 1 and that was with members of our church and family and it was awesome.  Baby shower number 2 was put on by her co-workers at Market America.  I expected to walk in and have about 4 people (fellow editors/copywriters) there, but was suprised to see over 25 of her co-workers.  They bought a beautifully decorated cake, they had special games we played, and gave us very generous gifts!  To say we are grateful would be an understatement.  Thank you Market America.  Our final baby shower was this past weekend with Heather's friends.  I was fortunate enough to have a few male friends there to give moral support ie Biggie, my Dad, and my brother Abraham.  We had such a great time socializing, playing games, and opening presents.  Everyone was so generous.  I think between Michelle (Jack's wife) and Heather's Mom we had enough clothes to fill half of Baby's R US.   Every gift we received was something we needed, even the black and white framed photo of Biggie, and Madden 09 given to me by Abe.  Heather's friends Shannon, Laken, and Linnea organized the whole thing and could  not have done a better job!  Thank you.

    This Tuesday will mark the 4th out of 5 birthing classes.  If you are pregnant and you aren't sure if you should take them or not, TAKE THEM!  We have learned so much it is amazing.  The Women's Hospital here in Greensboro do such an amazing job making sure all our questions are answered.  I love how much detail they go into about all phases of pregnancy and birth, minus the explicit birthing videos.  We also participated in an Infant CPR class and are so happy we did.  During our breaks Heather and I sneak up to the next floor to look at newborn babies.  We look forward to the day that we look through that window and see baby Ava! 

JARED'S BABY BLOG 

Update: July 14th,

Baby Shower, Gestational Diabetes, and Anxiety