Let the Adventure Begin....

I'm a MOM! Wow, I can hardly believe it. My little baby boy has arrived and we have started on our adventure as a family. It actually started off a little rough.....

I mentioned in my last blog about the possibility of having a C-Section because my pelvic bone is a little narrow. At my last doctor visit, they weighed Andrew at 7lbs 9oz. Since he was getting close to 8lbs (Doc did not think I would be able to birth a baby bigger than that), we all decided it was best to induce. I was supposed to be admitted on Monday night, December 27th to have meds to soften my cervix so I could be induced the next day. Unfortunately, there were many others wanting the same thing. The hospital had no room (nice little Christmas story off to a good start---no room in the Inn). So I was admitted on Tuesday night, December 28th, and was given the Cervidil. It was VERY painful going in (maybe I'm a wuss), but did not cause much trouble after that. I was told to "rest" (yeah, right--about to give birth tomorrow) through the night and I would be induced the next morning.

The Doc started the Pitocin the next morning around 9am. It took a while for me to start feeling much, but small contractions did begin. I was told I could have an epidural whenever I wanted (thank you amazing Docs), so I requested that a couple of hours later (before it got too bad). The first epi did not take--got a bad spot with not enough room, so he did another one. He said that one looked good and I started to get numb (hooray)! After about an hour or so the pain was getting worse. At first, I thought it was just because the contractions were worsening and I was feeling more. But I was told I would only feel 'pressure' and not to expect all the pain to be gone. So I was being a trouper and breathing through them. I started to notice that I could feel my legs again (no longer that heavy feeling). They called the Doc back in to check and sure enough, my epi was wearing off. He injected some pain meds into my IV (didn't seem to help much) and tried the epi again. When he took off the bandage, he saw the problem: my veins were very swollen and had caused the catheter to inject meds into my blood stream. Very bad! He took it out and tried another spot (epi #3), but the same thing happened. I was just too swollen to have and epidural---SO scary to hear! By this time I was about 5cm and the pain was getting bad. I also started having a reaction to the meds being in my veins (increased heart rate, very pale, feeling faint). The Doc game me meds to help with that and that passed very quickly. He said he could not try another epi for a couple of hours. They decided to stop the Pitocin in hopes it would decrease the pain.

I labored a little longer and was most comfortable (if I can use that word) standing up. After being up for a while, the baby's heart rate started to drop. They told me to get back in bed, lay on my side, and close my legs. VERY uncomfortable position when in labor. I was too out of it with pain to even worry about what was going on with the baby, but I could sense the tension and concern in the room. My Doc was doing surgery all morning (other C-Sections) and was not really around. She finally came in the room a little before 5pm. I had been 7cm for over an hour, could not have any more pain meds, and the baby's heart rate was dropping. The Doc made the decision to do a C-Section (which I was more than fine with at that point). I was quickly prepped and wheeled to the OR. I was given a Spinal for numbing (felt so good I could have kissed that man)! Andrew was taken out within a few short minutes (5:20pm) and weighed 7lbs. 11oz. He had pooped in the womb and had taken that into his respiratory system. He had to be immediately taken to NICU (very scary) for a few hours and I went to recovery for an hour. We were finally able to see him around 9pm that night.

Everything about him was perfect! His eyes, nose, mouth, skin.... what a rush of happiness and excitement to be able to hold your baby for the first time. I do believe it was diminished a bit because I was on pain meds (Demerol), but it was still such an amazing feeling. It was also so sweet to see my husband and family hold him and love on him for the first time.

Our first night was fairly easy; he slept a lot. The second night was a whole different story. They call it "Second Night Delight" (which is a twisted joke, I guess). He was circumcised that day and was in quite a bit a pain. That added to adjusting to being on the 'outside'. He pretty much cried all night and I was still struggling with breastfeeding. We had to ask the nurse to come in a few times to help us out. We were taught a few strategies, like the Colic Hold, which were helpful a bit, but the biggest help was when she took all of his clothes and blankets off and just put him up against me skin to skin. He finally slept for an hour or so that way. It was such a sweet experience and I was relieved for him to be calm for a while. He just needed to touch and feel his mommy!

Since we have been home he has been such a good baby. The only struggle we are having is with his tummy. He seems to have lots of trouble passing gas and having bowel movements. The doctor believes he may be lactose intolerant, so I have severely altered my diet to see if that's it. We have gone 48 hours now with me on a new diet and have seen some changes at certain times, but still some fussiness at other times. It's so hard to see him suffer; I just want to take it away. It breaks my heart! But once we get this taken care of I think he is going to be such a happy, sweet baby boy!

He is such a strong little boy. He had been holding his head up since about Day 3 of life. He doesn't really know how to lower it back down or what to do with it, but he can lift it. He also has very strong arms and legs. He HATES having his diaper changed and getting dressed. He screams bloody murder. He loves his hands and is experimenting with what to do with them. I think he may be a thumb-sucker before too long. He smiles often, especially after eating. He also raises his eyebrows and crinkles his forehead while eating, which is just adorable. He responds to my voice and I think he is starting to respond to Jeremy's as well (looking around when he hears him). I feel like he has already grown and changed a bit in his 11 days of life.

This will be my first week alone with him (all the family has gone and Jeremy is at work). On one hand I'm excited to figure out a schedule and just have alone time at home, but I hope his tummy can get settled quickly, or that will be difficult to deal with alone. Thanks for all of your prayers and words of encouragement and I will attempt to keep you posted on The Hood Happenings as little Andrew grows and changes.