I haven't blogged in forever, something I wish I would have done my whole pregnancy, but had a feeling I wouldn't. Anyways, I want to blog the birth story of my little man, something I can print off and treasure forever. It might be boring to you, but it is something that I will always remember.
Tuesday, April 15th, I went in for my normal every week appointment with the Doctor. I was 39 weeks and 6 days, the next day, the 16th, was my due date. Everything had gone perfect the whole pregnancy, no morning sickness, no high blood pressure, very little swelling and overall I had gained 33lbs total. I had no complaints. At my appointment, my blood pressure was 140/94. The nurse rechecked it several times and it just went up. Dr. Harkins made the decision that it was time to induce because she was afraid it would continue to go up. She called the hospital and said my due date, the 16th, was the day I would have my baby!
That night I didn't sleep but maybe 3 hours. Colton was snoring away all night, and so many thoughts were running through my mind. We got to the hospital at 6am and right away started Pitocin to get contractions going. I was barely dilated to 1cm when I got to the hospital. I walked the halls, bounced on the ball, laid on my side and sat in the recliner to ease my back pain for almost 13 hours. I rarely felt stomach contractions, as it was all in my back. Dr. Harkins came into the room to check me after her clinic hours at around 6pm, and I was barely 2cm. I hadn't made any progress in 6 hours, and I was on (almost) the highest amount of pitocin they give patients. Harkins wanted to stop and try again the next day. She said when I got to the hospital, earlier in the morning (jokingly) that she hadn't had a two day induction in years, and she didn't want to start with me...... Well, there was a lot of truth to her joke she had made that morning, unfortunately!
She left the room and the nurse came in to stop my pit and I broke down. I didn't want to go through this AGAIN, for only it to end in no change and possibly a C-section anyways. So, Colton and I discussed our pros and cons and decided we might as well just go ahead with the C-section to avoid putting my body through another full day of contractions and possibly no change again, it was exhausting. So, off to the OR we went..
Colton had to wait outside until I got my epidural, which took FOREVER. The anesthetist couldn't get me numb. The first time nothing happened. Second time, only my left leg went numb. Third time he pretty much gave up and had me lay down. He took a thumbtack looking thing and poked me everywhere, and I could feel everything. He said he was going to give me more of the medication and tried again. Still could feel everything. FINALLY they tilted my bed upwards and everything went numb. By that point, I was terrified. I was so nervous I was going to feel them cutting on me. He reassured me I wouldn't and they clamped my stomach I guess, and I couldn't feel a thing.
Colton walks in the room and sees the terrified look on my face and I could tell he got so nervous, plus I was shaking like crazy. He was so good, holding my hand telling me everything was going to be okay. They had started cutting and I was asking the anesthetist to tell me what they did at each step. He said they were cutting into the uterus, and I knew I would have a baby soon from all the C-sections I've observed. I heard the suction of the amniotic fluid, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I was starting to somewhat hyperventilate because I could not take a breath at all. Then I got nauseous and kept trying to throw up, but I couldn't because I was numb to my neck. All the sudden I feel an oxygen mask on my face and I'm trying not to pass out. They tilt my bed back down and it's pretty much a blur until I hear the Dr say, "I need a step stool now!" The two Doctors were pushing by my sternum and ribs and needed leverage. It was what seemed like forever. My whole body was moving and I knew something was wrong. They couldn't get the baby out. He was stuck up so high they had to use step stools as leverage to push him out of my ribs. I feel like I'm in and out of consciousness, everything seemed like such a blur since I was having trouble breathing and trying to vomit, I had no idea what was really going on. Colton said the baby came out and wasn't breathing, and he heard the Doctor say he needed 30% of oxygen. He was limp, but it didn't take long until I heard his sweet little cry. I remember saying how soft it sounded. Dr. Jantz, the pediatrician, gave me a thumbs up and said he was perfect. He peed all over himself and the nurses, and Dr said he would have weighed 7lbs 11oz if he wouldn't have peed :) He was a perfect 7lbs 10.9oz and 20"long!
I was getting stitched up, and heard Dr Harkins say she needed more pitocin to make my uterus contract. I knew that meant I was bleeding too much. But it seemed to be under control and I was wheeled into recovery, where I got to see my perfect baby boy. Colton came in with him and I got to hold him and do skin to skin for the first time. He was so beautiful! The nurses came in to push on my stomach and realized I was bleeding way too much. They were scrambling around and the Doctors came in and had to give me two shots every 30 mins to try to stop the bleeding. I really wasn't concerned because I had my healthy baby and that is all that mattered. Colton said, we need to pick a name. We had a little yellow list I had carried with me for months of 8 names we had picked out. We looked at it and both decided he looked like a little Cade. So there was my son, perfect little Cade Wayne!
The next day my hemoglobin was checked and it had dropped from 13 to 7. I knew that was really low and a blood transfusion could be in my future. I was so weak and could barely eat from it. But I knew the only way it would go up on it's own was if I helped it along. Finally the day we got discharged it went up to 7.9. Thankfully, I did not have to get a blood transfusion. I was trying to do everything to avoid that and I succeeded!
So, now my little boy is one week old today. He is amazing, cute, and sneezes all the time just like his mommy :) It's amazing how very much you can love something so small. His daddy and I are so blessed by him. It took us three years to get him, and we are more than amazed by him every single day!
