Wow. What an amazing last 8 days. Yesterday marked Gavin's 1 week birthday. He's such a peanut. I cannot imagine life without him. We've had our struggles and learning curves, but nothing compares to when he smiles or when he sleeps so soundly on my chest.
Born September 14th, 2010 @1:35 pm 6 lbs 4.8 oz 20 inches long
Monday Sept 13th (my due date) Brandon and I did chores around the house. we bathed the dog, cleaned out the garage, organized the office closet, burned all our brush, etc. Around 3 in the afternoon we decided to go to Ridgedale mall to get his watch fixed. We got to the mall, parked, and as soon as I stepped out of the car i felt a gush of hot fluid - like I was peeing my pants. Brandon came around the car and asked if I was okay. I said I think my water broke or I'm peeing. We grabbed some old clothes from the trunk to put beneath me and we got back in and headed back west - straight to Buffalo hospital. along the way my contractions began. I was surprisingly calm. Brandon was a bit frustrated because unfortunately it was now approx 4:30 and rush hour. to top that off, we got stuck behind a tractor on the back roads. but we made it safely and in plenty of time. I'll never forget the feeling of being wheeled into the ER lobby with my pants soaked down to my ankles and people looking at me and smiling, with looks of "oohaaah" on their faces. And I was mortified to have wet drawers.
We got up to our labor room and they got me situated. The checking of the cervix is something that was excrutiatingly painful and I wish to forget. And I was lucky enough to get mine checked multiple times and by multiple nurses with boney fingers and knuckles because apparently I was not dilated at all when we arrived. In fact, I wasn't dilating much at all during my labor.
The details of the labor are fuzzy. Brandon was an excellent partner. He was there thru the whole deal, holding my hand, reminding me to breathe, standing with me and rocking me back and forth. It was my intent to not take any pain meds. However, sometime during the morning of the 14th my blood pressure was too high and I was told I needed to take something. They gave me the option of a pain killer that I could only have once every 4 hours and they couldn't garrauntee me it'd last for all of that - plus, the baby would get some of it. or the epidural. I decided to take the epidural. the process of getting the shot wasn't great but not feeling pain anymore was great. And I think it gave Brandon quite a bit of relief as well.
Also, at some point, they gave me a gel that was supposed to ripen the cervix. at which point I was told I couldn't move for an hour and Brandon took the opportunity to go to our recovery room for a short nap.
When he came back to find that the situation had barely changed, I think he was at his wits end. He'd done really well keeping our family posted as well.
At 10 am on the dot, it was time to push. I remember telling Brandon at 10 to 10 that if there's anything he needed to do, now was the time because at 10 it's time to go. I'm not sure what he did, but he left and came back at 10 along with nurses. Because my legs were numb, nurses and Brandon had to hold my legs while I pushed. Luckily, my doctor was on duty and she was able to deliver our baby. for whatever reason when it came time to push, my contractions slowed down. I was in the most compromising position ever, with my legs in the air and a baby stuck in the canal and the contractions slowed. they had given me some potoson to increase the contractions. The baby's head was right there, but just wouldn't come out so they used a suction device. they tried two different types and lost suction 4 times. it did help some, but didn't get him out. the next option, before a c section was the forecepts - or as we like to refer to them as the gigantic salad tongs. After taking a look at them and the doctor saying I'd probably tear with them, I said we'll keep pushing. I beleive it was 3 or 4 more pushes and we succeded.
after three and a half hours of pushing, our little Gavin was born. a total of 22 hours in labor. wow.
everything was going really well. the baby was healthy, my diabeties was gone, I was healthy, Gavin didn't have any side effects from the diabeties, etc. So we thought we'd be able to be discharged the following night, Wednesday. at about 6 Wednesday evening Gavins biliruben results came back and they were too high. they said we could still be discharged and they were going to give us this light bed to take home and treat him there. It gave Brandon and I both anxiety and we decided to stay another night. That night Gavin spent the night in the nursery under lights to break down the biliruben. In the middle of the night I couldn't sleep and went down to the nursery to see our baby. The emotions hit me then and I started to cry. on my way back to the room, the crying turned into sobbing. I woke Brandon up and told him I needed him. He held me while I cried my eyes out. Poor guy, when I woke him up he thought something was wrong with Gavin. I felt much better after my cry.
Thursday we got to go home.
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