Just Taking Notes

Dec. 11, 2006 - Simon's birth story

I finally got around to typing up Simon's birth story. It is a bit long, but I like to type up only 1 story. No pictures on the computer yet, but I will say that he is the prettiest baby boy ever, well now that he is almost 2 weeks old. My newborns have never been pretty. Simon Isaiah Nov 29, 2006 11:42pm 9lbs 4oz (made my top 4) 20" long Around mid November several family members started to fall ill with cold like symptoms- coughing, runny nose, general discomfort. I was one of those family members. However, by Thanksgiving Day, I was in absolute misery, vacillating between cold chills in an 80 degree room and fever of 103F. That evening I decided that I should call my doctor to see what he thought of my situation. After telling him all of the details and answering some questions, he concluded that I probably had developed pneumonia and asked me to come by the office the following morning so I could be treated before the baby decided to be born. Sure enough, I did have pneumonia and he wanted me to be admitted to the hospital for 48 hours so I could be treated with IV antibiotics. Not my favorite plan, but what else could I do? The hospital stay was terribly uncomfortable but it was nice to have some peace and quiet so I could get the rest I so desperately needed. Unlike all of my other pregnancies, I noticed that I was starting to have some swelling in my legs and feet which I attributed to the IV fluid and water I had been taking in while in the hospital. Sunday afternoon I was discharged to go home. Over the next few days I continued to swell more and more so that by Wed the 29th I was hardly able to bend my ankles. Others suggested that I call my doctor again, so I did. The office wanted me to come in right away, but I had to wait for my husband to get home so he could drive me through the ice storm that was covering the streets. It took us an hour to make the 25 mile journey. The PA who examined me was unimpressed that I had gained 4lbs in 5 days or that my ankles and feet were 3 times their normal size and sore up tp the knee or that my BP was the highest it has ever been (though not all that high in general), 132/85 instead if the usual 115/75 or that I was already 8 days past my due date. He was content to send me home and make me wait it out, but my husband and I decided we would rather make the 5 mile trip to the hospital than the 25 mile trip back home over the ice only to have to make the trip soon again anyway, maybe even that very night. So the PA called the back up OB to check with her since my regular doctor left town that morning on a planned trip (without telling me just 3 days prior when I saw him in the hospital). In the words of my PA "He's a woose." The lady who was going to deliver is an OB not a family doctor like mine, and she was planning to be at the hospital all night due to the ice storm anyway, so she was OK with me coming in. I was impressed with how much time she spent in the room with me since my doctor never shows up until it is time to catch the baby, but then again, she had nothing else to do but wait on me I guess. We arrived and checked in around 5:30. After I made it up to Labor and Delivery I changed and went over records with my new doctor She did an internal to check the condition of my cervix and found my to be 4cm dilated and 70% effaced already. I guess those early labor cxs were doing something after all. We decided that breaking the water would be a good start for inducing labor since I was so well prepared already. When she broke the water around 6pm, though, she and the nurse announced "meconium". Great, haven't had that since baby #1 who came about 12 days past due. Oh well. The nurse hooked me up with an IV since I figured un-natural labor means un-natural pain, as I experienced once before, so I wanted to be ready for an epidural though I hated the idea of one. I walked around for the next couple of hours with nothing really happening, but I was content to wait it out knowing that my babies who started out with the membranes breaking took about 12-15 hours to arrive. I had progressed to 5cm and 80% effaced which seemed great to me. The OB thought we needed to hurry up and get baby out though so I gave in to her and my husband who neither wanted to wait. Around 8pm or so we started the IV flowing so the anesthesiologist could insert the epidural catheter. By 8:30 or so I was ready for him and he started his procedure. I have had an epi only once before and I do not remember the procedure being nearly as unpleasant as this one was. The reason we get so much IV fluid is because BP can drop so much, right? Mine went up- like as high as 175/115 at one reading, but it settled in the 140's/80's for the rest of my labor. Last time I got an epi my BP dropped enough that I almost passed out. I am done with induction/meds forever! Right, I said that last time and I have been humbled. Now was time to start the pitocin that the OB wanted so badly to give me, around 9pm or so. She gave just the tiniest amout to "nudge things along". I think the 1 liter bag was 20 units flowing at 3ml/hour. Seems tiny to me, but it sure did bring on the strong cxs. One procedure that I refused adamantly which usually comes standard with the epi was having a urinary catheter placed. The doctor agreed so long as I could use the bed pan. Nobody likes to discuss bed pan use, but I will say that I did not get a catheter which impressed the nurse and OB. To my disappointment, the epi did not take as well on the right side nor was the dosage enough to relieve the pain much so the OB had the anesthesiologist come in and up the dosage for me which helped relieve the pain enough. I could still feel the cxs pretty strongly on the right side but I just kept reminding myself that they couldn't be that bad if I could talk through them so easily. I did not have very many cxs total and was very uncomfortable by 11:30. Ready to push baby out. The head was already visible before I ever started actively pushing. It did not take much to get baby out and why should it after so much practice? Actually, the OB told me to wait before delivering the shoulders so she could suction any meconium out well, but they came out on their own anyway. Oops, sorry. No tearing, no abrasions ! Baby starting crying immediately, and also, like my first, had a short cord so doctor could not hand him over to me until the cord was clamped and cut, which was sooner than I would have liked, but again, oh well. Poor baby Simon had no vernix left and as a result his skin was very dry and scaly, but some coconut oil lotion helped to relieve his flaky skin. The first week of recovery was rougher than I remember others being which was good for keeping me off my feet and resting with Simon. We are now coming up on 2 weeks and I am feeling great. Simon has been eating and sleeping well. So well that he had a feeding at 9:30 last night and did not wake to eat again until 5:30. That may be partly because he slept in his Moses basket for the first time last night giving me a peaceful night's rest (no worries about smothering him). As all babies are, he is a wonderful cherished gift that I treasure more each day. It is a blessing to be given the privilege of raising this son for God's glory.

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