Labor Take 2-Part 2

After our last experience in going to the hospital, I'd had a few more times where I was almost ready to go... actually Tuesday (24th) I stayed up until 1:30ish (okay so that was the 25th - technically) and decided that it was actually labor and got pretty much everything ready to go and that's when the contractions started to die down, just a bit. However I decided that if I laid down they'd either go away or get stronger again. 2 hours later I woke up and decided that they were dying down. We had an OB appointment that day and I had actually dilated another centimeter, so perhaps those contractions the night before were the reason. Our doctor said that they'd have kept me if I would have went in the night before... However I'm glad that I got some sleep that night!

Again if you're not into birth stories, seriously skip this post!

We decided to go the induction route because I was done with having contractions every day and thinking multiple times per week that we'd be going into the hospital. We scheduled it for Friday (exactly one week ago and one day before my due date)... normally they schedule inductions at some unearthly hour in the morning (or as one of my college roommates would say - the butt-crack of dawn... and if you're offended by me writing butt-crack then you should probably stop reading this post...) Luckily, we were reprieved as they had a C-Section and an induction planned that morning already so we were told to come in at 9 AM (sounds so much better than 6 - right?! Since we'd have left our house at 5!) I never planned on having an induction done unless I went past my due date... but I was just so done with all the worry and anxiety of having contractions every day that for my sanity I had to...

Thursday we did some cleaning and last minute getting ready stuff, then went to bed (later than I wanted to but still not too bad.) The next morning we got ready and headed to my parents house to drop off our firstborn son (who is going to be called The Buddy from now on) and all his stuff, then we were on to the hospital.

Once there, they hooked me up to the monitors, and to an IV line (turns out I was Group B Strep positive so I had to have IV antibiotics... funny how that wasn't mentioned any of the previous times I'd been to the hospital!) Oh I did forget to mention that I was having contractions about every 10 minutes the whole morning and I joked with Hubby that we may have been in that day even without the induction... 

We wanted to just have my water broken and not be given medication to start me if possible, and I don't know if we communicated that well or if they always give medication unless you're having contractions but the nurse mentioned giving me Pictosin we then had to wait until our OB was out of surgery (yep, he was the one doing the C-Section!) so we could see what he said. When he came out and looked at the monitoring, he said that it looked like I could be in labor and decided to try just breaking my water... so he did (shortly after 10AM). Then they started the first round of penicillin (for the Group B Strep). Hubby and I played a few rounds of a boardgame and the contractions picked up a bit but not very bad at all. After the penicillin was done, we were given an hour to walk around before they had to start the second round. The contractions started picking up while we were walking, but were still very manageable. We probably made about 5 laps around the OB department (it's not very large...) They checked me (time 1:15-ish) and I had dilated to 4 cm... So 3 hours after they broke my water I'd dilated a whole centimeter. I had been hoping for more, but I took at least making progress!

They hooked me up for my second round of penicillin and we finished our game/watched some TV. I had originally went to the cooking channels, but decided that was a bad idea since I was hungry and wasn't able to eat... After the second round was done they came in and said we could go walking again. HOLY COW did those contractions pick up that time. We made it around once and I would have stopped after about halfway if I could have chosen any room to go back to... The contractions became so much more intense and painful. Once we got back to the room we asked to have some pain medication because it seriously felt like my body was being ripped in two.  While waiting I had contractions that were right on top of each other. They finally came in with the medication and hooked me up to the monitor first before giving me the pain killer. Finally I got it (time: 3:10) and it started working - it was enough to make me able to handle them a bit better but the contractions were still really intense. The nurse came in and checked me shortly after the medication was given and (after being warned that I never wanted to hear 5 cm by my husband - mainly because of my first labor experience...) told me that I was at 8 (I was happy to hear these crazy intense contractions had actually been doing something!)

An hour later I felt a VERY mild sensation like I wanted to push (or I thought I did, but I'm not completely sure... I'm guessing it wasn't but it got the nurse in there pretty quick.) The nurse came in to check me and I was only at a 9 (and the pain killer had worn off but they couldn't give me anything because I was so close to delivery - time around 4:15.)... then about 2-3 contractions later I really felt the urge to push and so she checked me again and waited until I was having a contraction (which I can say was awkward AND painful.) I pretty much only had an anterior lip (so was pretty much dilated). So she went to make sure the OB was really on his way (the OB clinic is in the same hospital, just down the hallway.) She came back in and I said that I really needed to push... I really think the pushing urge is one of the strongest urges that a body can have and is one that does NOT want to be repressed! They got the bed ready and such so I could push and the nurse told me that I wouldn't be pushing for 2 hours like with The Buddy, but for just a few pushes. I'd have to say I was a bit skeptical, but... I was hoping! The OB came and got suited up and everything was ready... A few contractions and about 5-6 pushes later, there was a baby!

I got to hold him for a minute or two and then they took him because they were worried about his color and put oxygen on him (he stayed in the room but was mostly out of my eyesight as I wasn't really up to peering around the side of my bed at this point!) I got stitched up (because I tore - not too bad but I did get 6 stitches the last of which wasn't completely numbed - OUCH!)  Then I got the shakes really bad. My whole body was seriously shaking (and for the first time in MONTHS, I was freezing - even my feet! This was noteworthy because the nurse by then knew not to put the blanket on my feet, so I had to tell her to cover my feet!) They got a warm blanket and put on me and that helped, but I was still shaky. The OB went back to clinic and said he'd stop by after his last patient. They felt our little boy was breathing well again and would have let me hold him again, but I declined as I didn't feel I had the muscle control to safely handle a baby. So Hubby got to hold him for a bit. Then they took him to the nursery because he sounded like he had some fluid in his lungs (oh and also to weigh him and get all that stuff done).

 

While they were gone I got to eat (finally!) Hospital food is not one of my favorites, but it's amazing how good anything tastes after not eating all day (even breaded fish that was a bit soggy)! It was about 5:30, so it had only been 10 hours since I'd eaten (not almost 24 like with The Buddy)... Eventually they brought The Kiddo back in and I got to feed him, then they took him back to give him a bath. We decided what to name him for sure, but here I'll just be calling him The Kiddo (except when his brother says his name and then it will be Baby as The Buddy always puts Baby in front of his brother's name.)

The Buddy came to visit that night and was a little shy around The Kiddo... but was happy to see us all. Grandma took him back to her house that night.  The next day Hubby went to get The Buddy to bring him to the hospital and when Hubby put The Buddy in his carseat, The Buddy looked over at the other carseat and said, "That's for Baby." When they got to the hospital, The Buddy wanted to hold the baby and giggled when he first held him. He also smothered him with kisses, it was super cute!

Getting pegged in the nose..

Hubby took The Buddy to get some dinner (the hospital cafeteria is only opened for lunches on Saturdays so Hubby needed to get something to eat as well) and after they ate, they decided to get ice-cream. The Buddy wanted to take it back to the hospital. Hubby asked if they were going to share with Mama. The Buddy added, "And Baby." Hubby had to remind him about what babies eat (we'd had that discussion before they went to get dinner). ;).

When they got back with their ice-cream, I'd just finished feeding The Kiddo and the nurse was coming in to take him and give him a bath. Shortly after the nurse took him, The Buddy asked, "Where did Baby go?" at least 3 times... He was very upset that The Kiddo wasn't there anymore! Hubby actually took The Buddy to the Nursery so he could see where The Kiddo was... Grandma came and took The Buddy back home with her. The Buddy loved spending time at Grandma's house.

We're pretty excited about how loving and accepting of a big brother The Buddy has turned out to be. He still has his moments when he wants all the attention, but overall is doing very well I'd say! We left the hospital Sunday afternoon, stopped by my parent's to pick up The Buddy (who was happy to see us...) Then were on our way home...