Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated this! Needless to say, we’ve been adjusting over the last week since we came home from the hospital. I finally had a chance yesterday to clarify the details of Fletcher’s Birth Day with Jesse, so this is more accurate than the e-mail that I sent to some friends a few days ago.
Thursday, the 15th we checked into the hospital at 7:30pm. We settled in and they induced me with Cervidil. By the next morning around 6am, I was dilated 2cm, so it had started things along. I showered and they started Pitocin. I went to 6cm. in the next 3 hours. I was on pain meds from 7:00-10am and totally in and out while Jesse went to eat breakfast and the nurse was in and out (of the room). I even spoke to some guy that came in about the epidural and just remembered what he looked like and that he worked with another guy named Ken. I think he was just verifying that I wanted the epidural and had watched the video upon check-in.
The contractions were getting harder to get through and longer. I remember just telling myself to breathe and was gripping the side rail of the bed and wishing the pain meds weren't wearing off as the Pitocin was getting stronger. Jesse came back around 8:15am. Then I remember Jesse sitting there in front of me just helping me breathe through them. He kept telling me that an epidural was coming...
I know when I was at 6cm they stopped the Pitocin to see how I'd progress on my own. I got the epidural around 9:30am. I do remember that just after 10am, the doctor came in and told me to rest up for pushing later and she said that she would come back around noon to break my water. Just after she left, my water broke on its own at 10:45am. Fletcher had pooped, so the meconium was in the amniotic fluid, which made everyone very nervous.
Now, like I said, very quickly I was at 10cm at 12 noon, my water was broken, and then the next thing happened. He was in the wrong position, facing up. So they wanted to see if he would right his position on his own without me pushing. They told me to rest for the pushing, but all the monitors on me kept making the alarms go off and they kept coming in and repositioning me. This was the nurse and Jesse flipping me from side to side over and over again. I still don't know if he ever got in the right position. They sent Jesse to get lunch at 12:30 so he’d be back for the pushing.
Next thing I know, the doctor is there (around 2:30pm) and she's telling me that she doesn’t like what she is seeing with the heart monitor. She tells us to prepare to go in for an emergency C-section, but she will let me try pushing once or twice. I started pushing around 2:45pm. In these two series of pushes, she liked how I was pushing, so I think that's why she let me continue. She got a vacuum to help suck him out, but it wasn’t making a large impact. The problem was every time I'd come close to getting him out, he'd fall back in and the monitors would go nuts.
While this was going on, more and more people entered the room. It seemed like most of the nurses were talking rather than helping. My nurse was trying to monitor the monitors, hold one of my legs and feel for contractions, while five or six other nurses were talking. In addition, the doctor told me that NICU was in the room to take him immediately and that she didn't want him to cry right away because of the meconium. She also had an OR prepped in case of the C-section.
I just kept praying that he'd come out on his own and not have to go to the OR. I kept thinking, "Come on, Baby...do this one thing for me!" So, anyway, I ended up with an episiotomy. Jesse said after the second cut, Fletcher came out like a torpedo at 3:31pm. Jesse was a little disappointed that he couldn't cut the umbilical cord, but the doctor had to hand him over to NICU right away. The cord was wrapped over his shoulder, around his torso and then around a leg. They think this was why he pooped. Apparently I pushed for 45 minutes (which isn't long at all), but it felt like 20 at the most to me.
In the end, we had a healthy baby boy that was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 22in. long. He had a head circumference of 14 inches. He was born at 3:31pm on April 16, 2010. I got stitched up and cleaned up. We had great nurses the entire time we were at the hospital (3 nights), and I love my doctor's office (A Woman's Place)! The nurse that helped deliver Fletcher was Nurse Min and the doctor that delivered him was Dr. McLaughlin.
On the final day of our stay (4/18), they tested him for Jaundice. A level of 12 is what they looked for. (It’s on a scale depending on the number of days old the child is.) Fletcher had 11.5, so they ordered blood work, this came back as an 8. Before that came back, the doctors came in to tell me that they were possibly going to keep him for another day. I thought that meant both of us. Nope...I'd be discharged and he'd be the patient. I wasn't happy about this.
In addition, I had my first crying breakdown when the doctor told me that I had to supplement with formula. We had intended on breastmilk only and no bottles or pacifiers until that was figured out. I told the doctor I just didn't want to do it and that's why I was crying. Of course I'd do what's best for my child regardless of what I think. I explained my fear of nipple confusion and she told me that it wouldn't happen, etc. Later the nurse told me there's no way of knowing until the child is confused, which of course we didn't want to risk. So, she gave us syringes to use.
We were finally able to leave the hospital between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. (The doctors wanted us to wait until he went potty, but that could take forever and he didn’t go until 9:15pm!) Monday we had to go get blood drawn, Tuesday to the doctor for new results (9.7). Wednesday, back to the lab. Thursday back to the doctor (9.9, but the scale is higher at this point…) Monday, back to the lab and Tuesday we go back to the doctor again! After the lab on Monday, we also have to go to his follow-up appointment for his circumcision. Poor kid’s had only 3 days without doctors!
Sorry for such a long post, but it’s such an important event to document. I’m hoping to post a slide show today too, so you’ll see another post as well!
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