Update - Jonathan Alexander's birth story - looooong

SvedkaStoli · October 2013

Well, I guess it is time to share my birth story. J is going to turn 1 week old at 22:03pm today and what a week it has been. I apologize for the length and slightly gross details in advance.

October 15 was an early day for me, work started at 2am. At about 11am I was tired and done; that is when my contractions started. J was 28w4d. They were spaced weird so I chalked it up to Braxton-Hicks. I went to meet with a diabetic educator at 3pm and by 4 pm they were coming every 4-5 minutes at about 30-45 seconds each. I went home and laid down. At 5pm, they were 3 minutes apart so I took a bath hoping that I would relax and they are going to go away. Not so much! After 30 minutes, I got out of the shower and called the doctor on call at my delivery hospital. Same doctor I got every time I had any trouble, I am pretty sure that I made it onto her "troublemaker" list, the "she is a nutjob" list. She calls back 20 minutes later, I tell her that this really doesn't feel good and that the contraction are coming very regularly, she tells me that they are Braxton-Hicks and she really can't do anything for me (note that I don't' blame her since I am sure that she gets a fair share of "omg, I am in labor" calls). And then I feel a pop! Mr. Svedkastoli alleges he heard that pop since he was a foot away from me. I tell the nice doctor that I think that my water broke and I get "Are you you sure?"; after going to the bathroom, it becomes very clear that I didn't just wet my pants.

After having a small "oh G-d, he is coming, my baby is going to be a preemie, what do we do?" freakout, I put a garbage bag on the seat in my car and drove down to a sister hospital downtown that handles preemies 24 weeks and up since mine only handled 32 weeks and up. At that point I was in a remarkable amount of pain. We got to OB triage; they showed that contractions were very weak but the pain level was increasing. After an hour, I was admitted to the hospital. The hospital I went to handles a lot of high risk babies since they handle older women and also work with underserved groups including teen mothers. It was the best place for us to go to. This also happens to be the hospital where Mr. Svedkastoli's cousin is an OBGYN which made for very interesting interactions with staff.

At 8pm I was in so much pain they were sure I was going into deliver that night. I got steroid shots, magnesium, fluids, antibiotics, and constant fetal monitoring, and we were told to brace ourselves. When I got Stadol at 8:30, I was this close to clawing people's eyes out and it was a heaven sent. The next day Mr. Svedkastoli told me that he was not sure how things would have gone if I actually got the natural birth that I wanted to have. I was also told that I was on strict best rest since my service was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. The doctors suspected an uterine infection. Nonetheless, I made it through the night, and another, and another. I was getting antibiotics, fluids, and using bed pan. This was probably the worst part of the whole experience. I hate having to ask anybody for anything; having to ask for a bedpan every hour was just evil.

I had constant stream of visitors to entertain me. A friend even brought me a coloring book and Crayola crayons. I was passing time and waiting. The When I was allowed a shower on Friday, I cried as it was the most magical shower I have taken in my life (this was also the day when I had to use the bed pan for all of my bodily functions and I was left for about an hour so humiliating did not describe that day).

A week later, on October 22, the doctor walked in at 8am and said that my white blood cell count was still high and it didn't look good. Since I just had breakfast, we had to wait for 8 hours so we could do anesthesia. Hours crawled, everybody was restless, we were scheduled for 6pm. But as my luck would have it the doctors were busy till 9:30pm. All of a sudden there was a flurry of activity, I was scrubbed and wheeled into OR. The spinal took about 5 minutes to put in and while it was uncomfortable, it was not unbearable. When they put the medication in, my legs felt hot and tingly. The sensation is similar to what you would get when you have your tooth frozen at the dentist. The operation took about an hour altogether, the doctor had to take J feet first and make a bigger cut than expected so the next kid will have to be a C-section.

Baby J was born October 22 at at 29w4d at 10:03pm, 15 inches, 3 lbs 4 oz, with 6/8 Apgar (points docked for breathing, color, and movement). He was whisked away to the nICU right away. He was intubated due to breathing problem.

The recovery has been relatively easy, Percocet helped a bit but it made me really sleepy. I have been up to see him everyday, walking to nICU on my own. J has been doing so well. In the first two days he went from being tubed to a nasal cannula, his umbilical IVs have taken out on the third and fifth day respectively (central line and fat emulsion respectively). He is a strong and stubborn little boy. Today he has lifted his bottom and shoulders and threw himself two inches in his isolette. We have been doing kangaroo care (me getting semi naked and him laying on my chest) and I have been feeding him, changing him, and endlessly pumping (today was a 200ml day). J will be in nICU till December so we are in it for the long haul. Mr. Svedkastoli has been nothing other than a stellar husband and a dad. He has been comforting me, changing bed pans, giving me sponge baths, washing pumping supplies, changing diapers, getting my meds. I am falling in love with him all over again.

So that concludes my report and a wall of text. Please feel free to ask any questions.

ETA for pictures.

Here is my roller coaster boy for you:

OH and Snapfish, here is our stink eye for you. It shouldn't have taken me two days to figure out how to use you:

MamaP19 · October 2013

So sorry you had to go through all of that but I'm happy that it ended in everyone being healthy and well! Congrats on your little one & appreciate your H - he sounds amazing!

Cara1024 · October 2013

Thanks for sharing! You have a little fighter! And it sounds like you have a really great husband. Don't forget to take care of yourself and I hope baby J continues to improve so quickly.

cowscrub · October 2013

So sorry you had to go through all that.. But you have an amazingly strong little boy to show for it and what sounds like a great DH taking care of you too! Congrats again on your little man so glad to hear he continues to do well!

Jackapatamus · October 2013

Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad you are feeling better, and moving around. Sending you thoughts and prayers! Sounds like your DH has been amazing at all the right times! Kisses to BAby J!

Deblondie1 · October 2013

Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad to hear he is doing well. If you have any questions or want to vent to someone who has been there, I'll listen. Continued positive, healthy thoughts for both of you.

kw42775 · October 2013

Happy one week, baby Jonathan!

ach298 · October 2013

Thanks for sharing. J sounds like such a strong little guy and it sounds like your DH is taking good care of you!

LabPupLuv · October 2013

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm glad little J is getting stronger. Your DH is simply amazing! Please keep us updated along the way.

dland0201 · October 2013

Thank you for sharing! So happy you are both doing well.

daltosostarby · October 2013

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad baby J is a fighter, and doing well. I hope you and he continue down that path. I'm so happy that your husband has been so amazing during all of it too. I'll continue to keep you, baby J, and your husband in my prayers.

Arrgcr · October 2013

I have been waiting so long for this update girl. [-O< My prayers have come true lol. I'm glad very one is continuing to do good! I'm so glad your husband is so supportive and has stepped up the way he did. Congratulations on your new family.

Winnieella · October 2013

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you have one wonderful husband.

goldenB · October 2013

Thank you for sharing your story - and no need to apologize for 'gross details'. As a FTM, I loved how authentic your story was, and how much detail you wrote about. I am glad to hear that Jonathan is doing well. It warms my heart to hear how supportive your H is and it looks like you have a good support system around you.

Please keep us posted with pictures and developments.

xo

cnctf · October 2013

Wonderful story all around! Keep us posted.

[Deleted User] · October 2013

So interesting about you taking a bath before your water broke!!! I didn't know that. Here is the thing, during my entire pregnancy, I didn't take baths until that fateful Sunday. About 6 hours after my bath, my water broke in the middle of the night. I've often gone back to that fateful day to try to figure out what brought on the premature labor and taking a bath was on top of my list! In my research, I haven't found any correlation but can't help but wonder!

Edit: I really am happy your little guy is doing so well! Amazing that he's so active!

MissRdotS · October 2013

Thank you so much for sharing J's birth story! I got teary reading about Mr S at the end, what a good man, I am so glad he is there for you to help you out with everything! Sending you my thoughts for a speedy recovery for you and baby J!

SandFHasse · October 2013

Thank you for sharing. Glad baby J is strong. Got teary reading your story.

Coco1236 · October 2013

Thank you for sharing your birth story! I'm so glad that you and baby j are doing well and that you have an awesome hubby taking care of you. Best wishes to you and your beautiful family! xx

nolagal79 · October 2013

What a scary story, but what an amazing outcome! Thanks for sharing and congrats on a strong willed little boy. Baby J sounds like he's making great gains and is very active!! Kudos to your husband for being awesome! Continued good thoughts for yours and baby J's recovery!

Siblynika · October 2013

Oh my gosh that was terrifying. So glad he is doing well, he sounds like a tough little guy. Happy vibes going your way for his continuing improvement.

fredtheredhead2 · October 2013

Oh, svedka, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. But yay for Baby J doing well. I'm sending hugs and happy thoughts to you guys! And your husband sounds amazing!

KristaBelieve · October 2013

Wow, thank you so much for sharing. What a fighter he is and your family sounds amazing.

AnnikaD20 · October 2013

Thanks so much for sharing your story. It sounds like baby J is getting stronger already, and your description of your DH made me misty eyed. I hope you continue to have an easy recovery, and that J's NICU time is uneventful and he's home soon.

notthecheat · October 2013

What a rough journey! Thank you for sharing. Continued thoughts and prayers to you and family as you all recover. Can't wait for the pics and for when J can finally come home with you!

ccip82 · October 2013

Thank you so much for sharing your birth story. I am so glad to hear that J is doing very well. What a great DH you have

Continued thoughts and prayers for you and J!

suupercute · October 2013

Glad that baby J is doing well and that your recovery has been easy. Hearing how Mr. Svedkastoli has been so sweet and thinking about your little family just makes my heart melt.

kiki1978 · October 2013

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope J continues to get stronger every day and that time will fly by for you. Take care of yourself mama.

tootsscott · October 2013

Wow!! What a birth experience! Glad everybody is doing well! Xx

mrskratt · October 2013

I'm so happy your precious little baby is doing well! Thanks for sharing your story!

BuckeyeMommy4 · October 2013

Thank you for sharing. So glad your both doing well! High five to your DH!

SvedkaStoli · October 2013

@Kvochka you know, that is what I was told to do before before for Braxton-Hicks. "Go home, take a warm bath, relax" so that is what I did. I have a suspicion that the bath raised the pressure to a critical point and broke the water. It would have broken anyway but the bath sped things up.

jmjj1310 · October 2013

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so glad to hear that little Jonathan is doing well and that healing is going well for you! Still sending my thoughts and prayers your way! Keep us updated.

brideandbreve · October 2013

So glad all is well for you and baby, and I absolutely love his name! I married a Jonathan, and our son is an Alexander.

Can't wait to see a picture of your little sweetheart!

adunkin · October 2013

Aw - I'm so happy all is turning out well. The last bit about how great DH has been totally made me cry. Please do keep us updated!

LadyJ2949 · October 2013

What a wonderful story. I'm so glad to hear that you and J are recovering well and that DH is such a gem. Congratulations again and thank you for sharing!!

MindyBadger1 · October 2013

Congrats!!

Thanks for the update. And yes, please share pics.

bensmommy518 · October 2013

Thanks for sharing your story. So glad to hear your recovery is going well and J is such a fighter. Keep up the good work mama!

juliasmama2010 · October 2013

What a great out come to such a scary situation. I'm glad to hear that J is doing well, and steadily improving. I'm so proud of your husband for stepping up and being an amazing man/husband/father. Take care of yourself and that sweet baby boy. I'll be sending prayers your way!