XP from PGAL: Alexander is Here! (Birth Story, PIP, and introduction)

katigox · November 2012

Hi ladies! I am so excited to share the announcement that my son has arrived! I had hoped to join a parenting site a long time ago, and sadly, thought I had had my chance when I got pregnant the first time . . . I am so grateful for the PGAL thread during this pregnancy, and though it's sad that we have endured our losses, it feels so wonderful to celebrate the ones that are in our lives now! It's only been three days for me, but Alexander makes my life fulfilled, in a way I could only have dreamt (and longed for) about before. I can't wait to get to know you all, and see/catch up with, some of the other PGAL graduates.

Just the Facts:

After eight hours of labor (including the pushing), Alexander was born on the 6th of November (a day after my birthday!), at 7:26 AM, weighing 7lbs. 14oz., 21 inches long, and got an Apgar score of 9. Has some jaundice that the doctors are monitoring (after some treatment for six hours, we all got discharged together, and has had labs drawn today, and then will again tomorrow), but otherwise, gaining weight, and practically perfect in every way (though hey, I'm biased) ;D

Birth Story:

My last post was on my birthday (5th of November) to share that I was going in for my scheduled induction at 41 weeks, and bright and early at 7:30 in the morning. So that day, I went to the city hall, and did my absentee voting (they asked me why I wouldn't be able to vote on Election Day and I just beamed, "Because I'll be in labor" ). Then we dropped off our dog in the kennel, and headed home, so excited to be starting our family, and watching our little internet clock countdown ticker winding on down ~

That night I had some cramping and (beware of TMI) very loose stools. But nothing else, so I didn't think anything of it. But I woke up at 8:30 that night with more cramps, and I thought, "Oh, I guess my system is cleaning itself out because maybe it knows what's happening tomorrow" lol. Off to the bathroom I go, more cramps, more stools, and just general uncomfortableness. I can't lied down on the bed, and get back on my back, and finally, I decide to sit in a chair, with my legs propped up, waiting it out - but the cramps get worse, and finally by 10:30 I'm wondering if this could mean anything. I got my answer within thirty minutes, when I started contractions at three minutes apart. Yes, I started at three minutes apart. I was like, "What happened to ten? What happened to five??!!"

They were so painful, and more in my back, and I tried to walk through them, and drink water, but I couldn't walk once they came, and began timing them in the chair. First one, forty five seconds long, second one, sixty seconds long, third one a minute and a half! Was I going to be one of those random first timers that gives birth in like two hours?! I called L&D (even though it had only been thirty minutes, versus the standard one hour they suggest you have before calling). But they told me to come in, seeing as I couldn't even talk through them by now, and could barely grunt back at the lady when she asked if I was having a contraction over the phone.

Thank God our hospital is only seven minutes away!

They got me back there right away, and hooked me up and yup, contractions thirty minutes apart, at ninety seconds - in my back . . . the nurse suggested he might be pressing against my tailbone, and for my husband to press his fist against it. Plus, I was only 3 1/2 centimeters and until I was four, they couldn't admit me, or give me an epidural . . . so they told me to walk. Blah, here I am, walking the halls, and every three minutes, having to press my arms against the walls, breathe as best as I can, while my husband presses his hand against my spine/tailbone. They told us to walk for forty minutes, but I could only do twenty. I felt like my spine was going to snap in half.

They checked me again, and I was just under four, but close enough for the nurse to do me a favor and tell a doc I was four, and get me admitted. YAY! So, I get a room, and beg for drugs (congratulations to all you women warriors out there who went au natural - I truly commend you, because I am a big wuss), but I don't get any until they can get an IV in me, and my veins aren't cooperating. Finally after three attempts, they have a special nurse come in who just does IV's, and she managed to get in, and only then did they call the anesthesiologist (I had a dreading fear that by the time they'd call him/her, I'd be too far along to get one). They gave me something else to help numb things up until he got there though.

About thirty minutes later, I get my epidural (after four hours of labor), and I tried to sleep, but the cramping/pressure is still there. I get a boost of the epidural once I get to ten cm, which only took about another three hours. Then it's a lot of pressure, the doc comes in, and I'm thinking, "Let's do this!".

Then dear God, my insides felt like they were ripping open! I swear, the pain in my lower stomach was worse than the infamous ring of fire!!! Later my OB explained to me, that I was probably feeling my pelvic bones, and cartilage expanding as he moved his way down the birth canal, and you never now how one individual woman is going to respond to the epidural, and how much pain the drug will cover. I would say that in my case, it didn't cover enough, but then again, it had numbed my contractions enough, that I was able to save my strength for the delivery (well, at least a little).

Because I wasn't expecting the stomach pain at all - I'd describe it as someone reaching their hands into my belly button, and then ripping it open - cringeworthy. Basically I was scared to death that maybe there was something wrong inside so I literally thought if I pushed anymore, that I'd die or worse, that Alexander would. I was just a mess after that - and because I was in so much pain, I couldn't even talk and explain why I was so scared (so that maybe the nurses and doctors could reassure me that everything was fine!). Finally I broke down and said I couldn't do it, while everyone around me was so amazing and supportive and talked me through it. My whole body had been shaking this entire labor, my teeth chattered, and the adrenaline did not help anything! But finally, he came out (after about thirty/forty five minutes of pushing, that I bet, had I not fought against it out of fear, would have been half that!). Thank goodness I was drugged enough not to feel the second degree tear (or the doctor stitching me up afterwards).

They put him right on my chest, but I think I was in shock (or pain, or about ready to faint), and I didn't even realize he was there, until they were asking me if it was okay to clean him! But once they lifted him up and off, I stared at his beautiful, squishy face and never looked away ~ I apologized to everyone in the room for screaming so much and tried explaining what I had felt (and thus feared), but everyone was nice about it, and assured me I did great.

After that - I got skin to skin contact, and felt him against me for the first time, on the outside of me, versus the inside. The feeling was glorious, and all I could say was how grateful I was to God that this time, I had a baby in my arms. He is beautiful, and half me and half my husband, and his features are about evenly split between the two of us. He's got my big apple cheeks, and mouth. But he's got my husbands feet, and ears. He's so calm, and quiet - except for these little musical like cues that he sighs in his sleep.

He's just everything I could have ever hoped for and more.

And now, the pics!

And now, finally, the pics (left, me and Lex taken with my iPhone), center and right, are preview images (2 out of 8), ordered from our hospital photo shoot (soon to be made into baby announcements!)