My December Team Green baby turned out to be...

heyitsme · December 2010

a NOVEMBER TEAM BLUE baby!

Last time I posted I was "Live from L&D" on the 28th. I had gotten up just after midnight on the 28th and after going pee thought I lost my mucus plug (I didn't have my glasses on, I'm blind as a bat without them, but saw something in the bottom of the toilet which I figured could be my MP). Went back to bed, and at 8am or so when I got up, I went to the bathroom and there was blood on the TP when I wiped. Not just a spot, but as if I had a full-blown period. I called the OB on call who told me to wait until my contractions were 5 minutes apart from start to start, or if the bleeding got heavier, or if my water broke. So we waited.

We waited until my contractions were 7 minutes apart but then we decided to head in to L&D because they had increased in intensity. We dropped DD off at our friends' house and went to the hospital. When we got there the nurse asked where I was at during my last appointment, and I told her a fingertip dilated. She checked me and said I was still there. They hooked me up to monitors and said we would wait for the doctor to come. The doctor came in about

1.5 hours after I got there--saw my contractions were irregular and varied in intensity but decided to check me. I was 3cm. That made her doubt whether or not the nurse had checked me right (because my cervix was very far back/posterior) and so she left it up to me--stay for another hour or so and get checked again to see if things changed, or go home and wait it out and return. I didn't want to go home, so we decided to stay. I walked a bit, but had trouble breathing through contractions when walking, so we decided to go back to the room/bed.
1.5 hours later, I was checked again and was at "almost 4" so it was determined that my contractions WERE doing something, albeit slowly. So we were not going home without a baby! Contractions picked up a bit, I got my epidural, and things were moving along? Unfortunately, my contractions continued to be irregular and varied in intensity, so at 9cm they gave me some pitocin to try to get them closer together and stronger to aid in delivery. I was on pitocin for maybe an hour, and they had to turn it up a bit, but it wound up doing its job. Then they broke my water, and things happened REALLY fast after that!

DS was sideways (ROP position) and despite the epidural, that combined with the pitocin made for some INTENSE pain. Like, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy! The back of DS's head was pushing agains my inner pelvic bones?. ouch! But I didn't have to feel it for long (I didn't feel the pain until the pitocin + water being broken) , as I started pushing almost immediately after my water was broken.

Poor DH, he got woozy (he did as well with DD, but not until after she was born). I told him it was OK to step outside, figuring that it would take a while to push the baby out (with DD it took me 30 minutes with an epidural, which I was later told was amazingly fast). They called someone from respiratory to come and it made me laugh when the guy showed up and they were like, "Mom and Baby are OK, it's Dad out in the hall that needs help." Then I started pushing. 3 sets of 3 pushes and he was out--in less than 5 minutes! (I was DETERMINED--that pain was terrible!)

The doctor was like, "You have a son!" and I just couldn't believe it. My instincts are obviously faulty-wired, as I was 1000% DD was a boy and she was not, and I was 1000% convinced this baby was a girl, and he obviously isn't! The respiratory guy told DH we had a son, and DH couldn't believe how fast it all happened. I do feel a little bad that DH missed DS being born, but at the same time, I know it was better for him to be where he was. He came in and joined us maybe 5 minutes after DS was born.

So that's how Luca Rafael was born at 3:57am on November 29th. He weighed in at 8 pounds even (although when born they said, "He looks like a 9 pounder!) and measured 22" long. He nursed for AN HOUR AND A HALF after delivery until I just could not take it anymore.

Settling in at home has gone well--DD is absolutely in love with her little brother, although a bit overbearing at times. We've struggled a bit with breastfeeding (He loves to nurse, but is a very strong sucker, and thrusts his tongue a lot), but I think we've turned a corner with that. I just need my poor nipples to heal now! He sleeps wonderfully (something DD has never done, even at 6), and it's just so completely different than our experiences with her as a newborn. It's quite amazing, actually.

So there's my birth story--quite the adventure, for sure!