I write this because many people have asked me about how labor and delivery was... so here you go!!
Xander was due to come into the world on January 7th.. so on that day, my Dr. wanted me to get some tests done to see how he was doing. Having the ultrasound was s0o0o painful! Having someone push so hard on your already hard belly.. was not fun. They hooked me up to some monitors, said I was having a few contractions.. which I could barely feel.. so they sent me on my way and if he hadn't arrived by the 10th, they were going to induce me (which was not what I wanted to do). So, the rest of the day, Dexter and I took off work and went walking at the Mall but nothing happened.
The next day, on the 8th, I felt a little crampy, tired, but then later that evening I felt perfectly normal. I baked cookies and was preparing my lesson for church, and decided to have someone else teach just in case. Good thing I did! The next morning, on the 9th, I woke up about 6 am to finish getting my lesson together, did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, just trying to make myself tired to go back to sleep. As soon as I laid down on my bed at exactly 9 am.. I heard a "pop, pop,pop" from my stomach.. and that was my water breaking! It was super strange.. not what I imagined. Dexter and I had taken a Lamaze class.. learned lots of ways to cope with labor, I even bought an exercise ball to help move labor along.. well, none of my items where used! As soon as my water broke, I had the urge to push BAD. I woke up Dexter and said, "I think my water broke, I am going to take a shower." Boy did he jump out of bed! Taking a shower was horrible. And took forever. Whoever has had a break between contractions, good for you, but I had none! It was constant. I remember thinking.. "Aren't I suppose to have like a 3 or 5 minute break?" That never happened. Dexter had to help me get dressed, as moving made it worse, not better. I had a hard time walking.. I thought that walking helped? Not for me!
When we got to the hospital I was only dilated to 4. 4? Really? I still had the constant strong urge to push. It wouldn't let up. I didn't want an epidural (they scare me), so I finally asked for some meds, they put through my IV. I could still feel everything, it just made my head loopy. The nurse checked me about 30 mins later and I was at a 6.. whoo hoo! Then again another 30 mins later and I was at a 9! She then preceeded to tell me that I was made to have babies.. NOT something I wanted to hear right at that moment! So, labor went FAST! (I was only at the hospital less than 2 hours before he was born) My Dr. wasn't at the birth, but a midwife was there who I had seen before, she was super nice. I pushed for about 20 minutes total. I had an episiotomy,.. OUCH! I could feel every cut, and she cut 4 times.
My beautiful baby, Xander Elias was born on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 12:20 p.m. He was so adorable! He really didn't cry. There was a NICU team in the room waiting for him because there was meconium when my water broke. Everything happened so fast I could hardly think. Next thing I know, Dexter is holding Xander and it was just a precious moment! As the Dr. and nurses were cleaning up and assesing the "damages" the Dr. says "you tore all the way" I really didn't care at that moment, because Xander was here, a happy and healthy 8 pound 13 ounce bundle of love. :) So, when my Dr. was assessing everything, she kept telling me to "relax". Ummm?? Relax is not something you do when 2 Doctor's are "examining" you inside and out..yuck. They had started to give me a few shots to numb the area before they started stitching, but then realized that I tore so far up my colon that I needed surgery. Diagnosis: 4th degree laceration. So, I signed some forms, said bye to Dex and Xander and they wheeled me down for surgery. I just remember being cold, and I do not like the "feeling" when I am going under, I feel like I am dieing. I have been "put under" about 4 times before (teeth, gallbladder removal) so I knew what to expect. The worst part is having a horrible sore throat for days. I will honestly say that recovery was HORRIBLE. I thought it was a good thing I didn't have a c-section, but then a nurse said, "Oh hunny, your recovery is going to be much worse than a c-section". Yay. Even though I have not had a c-section, I can see how it was an awful recovery. I am so thankful for Vicodin. I cried a lot, even with Vicodin, and I have a high pain tolerance. WARNING TMI: Having to have a BM (bowel movement) was AWFUL. I would cry, cringe knowing I had to go. It was a whole, long process.. awful! At my 6 weeks check-up, I had to get a rectal exam. HORRIBLE! My Dr. cleared me for everything, but I was still in SO much pain. I have to say, that writing this almost 8 months later I still have issues. My "area" hurts often, it hurts to sit on anything hard, but I just try to tough it out the best I can! I am pretty sure I will have to have surgery once again in the near future (as rectal incontinence is a common problem) but, that is ok. I have my beautiful baby and I wouldn't change a thing! (ok, maybe not having all the colon issues, but, I can deal with that) I tell this story openly because first of all, it is a part of what happened to me, and secondly, if anyone has/had something like that happen, I want them to know that they can talk to me and not feel weird. With future children, my Dr. encouraged me to have a planned c-section, because if I tear again as badly as I did before, the chances of me having complete rectal incontinence are high. (like, having to wear a bag that collects waste for the rest of my life).
Ok, enough about all that pain stuff. When Xander was 5 days old, he had to go back to the hospital for a few days because he lost too much weight (born at 8lbs, 13 oz. then went to 7lbs. 6 oz.) I felt like a horrible mother for him losing so much weight. I had been breastfeeding him, he just wasn't eating often (probably b/c of the Vicodin!) so, I started pumping and feeding him. He had to get an IV in his head, and had a special light on.. can't remember what it is called, to help with his Jaundice. When he was in the hospital, I was an emotional wreck. I thought it was all my fault and I just wanted to take him home and make him better. But, it was a good thing that he went, gained some weight, and has been well ever since. I still pump and feed him, I don't know why I didn't try to go back to nursing, just wanted to make sure that he was getting enough! So, my pump has been by my side for about 8 months.. sometimes I don't like it, especially when I could be cleaning or playing with him, but I love that I am giving my baby the best milk and that is all that matters. :) Now he is close to 20, or over 20 pounds, just as happy as can be!
After the all day long sickness, the labor, the delivery, the still continuing recovery, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. He is my true love and I could not imagine my life without him! He is such a curious little guy, always has to see what is going on and be involved, loves the outdoors, and loves to explore! I love watching him learn new things everyday and I am so blessed to be a part of his life!
Here are some pictures of him...enjoy!
My precious boy! :)
cute pictures Kristin, and interesting story. I just did my clinicals in labor and delivery, so none of this was gross, just interesting :) They put him under bili lights. To help break down bilirubin. AAAAannnyway you're very brave, and now you have a cute baby :)-- Trina
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that all three of my deliveries were c-sections. The first unplanned after 20 hours of labor (so that recovery was really hard), but my last two were scheduled c-sections and they went much smoother. So, if you end up having section with a future baby, it won't be the nightmare some people try to paint it to be. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story!