Sunday night, Phil and I went to the hospital to start the induction process. We checked in and I was given some Cervadil to soften my cervix. I was told it would be in for 2 hours, then they would let me rest until 7:30 a.m. the next morning before starting the Pitocin. My parents came for a little bit and were with Phil and I for part of the night. My IV was one of the worst parts of the whole labor and delivery ordeal. For one, my main vein blew as they put the needle in. Then they put the needle in the crook of my wrist which was uncomfortable and sore for the rest of my stay. Anyways, after 1 hour of the Cervadil being inserted, Jill's heart rate dropped from the 140s to the 60's. We didn't notice because the monitor's alarm was off, but the nurses at the main station came in and quickly cleared the room. They immediately removed the Cervadil and did a few different things to get her heart rate back. After about 20 minutes, they got her heart rate where it needed to be and she was doing just fine. I will admit that I was pretty nervous from then on because I was afraid she would get stressed out again. Plus, to have the room cleared before knowing what's wrong... it's pretty scary. I am very thankful for the nursing staff because they really explained everything well afterwards and kept me in the loop from then on. They were also so kind throughout the whole process that I always felt comfortable. Once the nurse called my doctor, Dr. V, about what happened to Jill, she decided to start the Pitocin at 5:30 a.m. instead of 7:30. It was hard to sleep that night, (mostly because I was afraid Jill's heart rate would drop and I'd have to do an emergency C-section at 2 a.m.), but I managed to get 4 straight hours of sleep.
Monday was pretty much a blur from the time I woke up. We started the Pitocin and I was only dilated to a 1. After a few hours, Dr. V came by to check me out herself. Because the Cervadil really irritated my uterus, the check was incredibly painful. Dr. V immediately ordered an epidural for me before letting us know that I was already dilated to a 3 and about 75% effaced. Even though I wanted to wait a bit, I am so glad I got the epidural when I did. All the checks from then on were much more tolerable! The anesthesiologist was wonderful and kind to me. It did feel like a bee sting and the pressure in the beginning of the process was uncomfortable. However, it was tolerable for me, (and I have a low pain tolerance), and did not last long. Once he was all done, I felt great. I would feel pressure on my belly, similar to my BH where I felt like something heavy was on my belly, but no pain or cramping. The next checks had me at 5 cm and 80% effaced, then 8 1/2 and 90% effaced, then a 9 1/2. When I heard the 9 1/2, I knew this was it. I have a tendency to shake when I'm nervous about something so I started really shaking while everyone started to get ready. Phil was such a big help by holding my hand to let me know it would be all ok :) I also had to have an oxygen mask on for a little while because Jill wasn't getting as much oxygen the further down my pelvis she went. If for some reason you have to have this too? Don't worry. My L&D nurse said it happens to about 50% of her patients and always looks scarier than it really is.
Before I knew it, the room was cleared of everyone but the grandmas and Phil. I could feel pressure on my pelvic floor, but not really any pain. It was more uncomfortable, like when you're about to take a big poop. I started pushing a few times. I tried my best not to, but my face would get really red and I ended up breaking several blood vessels in my face. It didn't hurt, but it looked like I had a million new freckles on my face. Dr. V had me try a few different positions to push in before we settled on the one where I held on to some handle bars at the end of the bed. The only issue with that is, because my arms are so short, I would end up hanging off the edge of the bed by the end of the pushing cycle that I would have to scoot back after I was done! I know that they were having trouble picking up Jill's heartbeat during pushing, but I don't recall Dr. V mentioning that she may need to get the forceps or vacuum to get Jill out. All I remember is being told to let them know when I felt pressure and wanted to push. Since I was feeling constant pressure, I wanted to push. It didn't feel like I was making progress, but Dr. V was very impressed with my pushing apparently. I did need the oxygen mask again for pushing because I was having a hard time getting good breaths in between pushes. That really dried out my mouth, but it also helped tremendously. Now the next thing I know, I see the top of Jill's head on my chest and as I reached for her, I thought she was slipping. I tried to grab her before realizing Dr. V was moving her. I was waiting for Phil to cut the cord, because that was our plan. However, the next thing I hear Dr. V say is "no pulse". I started to really freak out as the grandmas and Phil start to go to the other end of the room. Turns out, Dr. V said "no bulb." What happened is, the syringe bulb to suction Jill fell on the floor so Dr. V had the scrub nurse cut the cord so the nursery nurse could suction for her. So Phil didn't cut the cord, but it was ok. I heard Jillian cry and knew she was ok. Then I hear Dr. V telling the scrub nurse about my injuries. I apparently had several lacerations that usually only occur if the doctor uses forceps for delivery. Long story short, my pelvis is so small that, had Jill been any larger, they would have had to perform a C-section to get her out. I did not get an episiotomy simply because I didn't give Dr. V enough time to do it. I overheard the nursery nurse call out her weight of 6 lbs, 6 oz and just thought that was so super tiny! By the time I was all cleaned up, the grandparents had posted the news to Facebook and mama was ready to see her baby girl.
When people tell you it's worth it, they absolutely mean it. I still have incredibly swollen legs, I'm horribly sleep deprived, and it hurts to sit/stand/laugh/pee. Every time I look in Jillian's eyes and see her start to smirk? Melts my heart instantly. It may be cliche, but I have so much more love in my heart that I feel like it could burst at any second! And seeing Phil with her? I am blessed beyond belief :)
And now for what I'm sure you really wanted... pictures!
Just minutes old!
Getting some much needed skin-to-skin bonding time with mama :)
Papa Jim - Phil's dad holding his granddaughter
My brother meeting his niece
Safe in daddy's arms
First family photo! <3
Dressed up and ready to head home/back to reality
A few items have really been helping me get through the past 36 hours of being home. Aside from having an amazing husband, a wonderful parents who are staying with us a few days to help out, I couldn't have gotten by without*...
This pump. Not knowing how my breast reduction surgery in 2007 would affect my ability to breastfeed, I have to pump a few times a day in hopes to establish a milk supply. Since we didn't want to invest heavily into a pump before knowing if I could supply any milk period, Phil and I settled on this pump and I'm very happy with it so far! It's easy to use and not as painful as I was afraid of.
I received this as a gift from another new mom and I am so very thankful for it! My nipples are really starting to hurt/bleed a little because I'm trying so hard to establish my supply. I only started to use it this afternoon, but it has really soothed my aches and pains.
Not every child will love this, (and it doesn't come with a surly cat as seen here HAHA), but Jill takes after her mama in regards to an infant swing. If she's drowsy, all we have to do is swaddle her and put her in and she's out like a light! We don't even have to turn on the swinging motion for her to sleep comfortably :)
As an early Christmas gift from my parents, we received the item I registered for that was just for mama :D So far? It's so great to make a single cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate quickly. They also got us the cup you can use your own coffee beans with which works out great since we stocked up on coffee last month.
Mommy's cocktail... an antibiotic, some generic pain medication, ibuprofin, stool softeners, calcium supplement, and prenatal vitamins. Lots of different things to take for different reasons, but they are all helping me feel pretty good considering what my body has been through this week.
And of course, the sweetest face on the planet :)
For a little fun, here's an OOTD - Jillian edition:
The appointment with her doctor, Dr. V, (different Dr. V from my OB/GYN btw), went fairly well. She did lose 10% of her weight so she is 5 lbs and 12 oz. Dr. V isn't too concerned because he said my milk supply won't be coming in for another 2 days. We are going back on Saturday to weigh her again to see if she's still losing. If so, that means I'm not producing and we'll need to go over formula feeding with him. Other than that, she's incredibly healthy.
Jill did have an extra rough first night home. It was almost like having a different baby! She wouldn't sleep longer than 10 minutes at a time and could not seem to stop crying for more than 20 minutes. I barely got any sleep and worried the whole time that something was really wrong. I understand it's different, but she was sleeping so much better when we were still in the hospital. I know this because she stayed in our room all night long. Well, Dr. V gave her a little ready to drink formula like this and she immediately became calm again. He reiterated that it is because I'm not producing milk yet so not to worry. He suggested 1/2 oz of formula mixed with whatever comes out of my pump for the next few days. It's nice to have a doctor for your child that not only explains things, but also doesn't let you worry about things unless it's a real problem. Jill will be going for her 2 week appointment on the 29th and will be going for a state required hearing screening sometime next week. Lots to do, but I'm happy to do it for sure!
Love to all from Jill and myself :)
*I want to be clear that I was not asked to review any of these things by anyone. I just wanted to talk about what's helping me personally in case any other pregnant women/new mothers are curious.
Swooning over here... Seriously, she's incredibly beautiful. Congrats, mama :) love you! xo
ReplyDeleteEek! So giddy for you! Cherish those first weeks home! :) And yes...the Medela stuff is awesome - it was my favorite. :)
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