I'm sitting here in awe at the sweet feelings I have just glancing over at my precious little man and his daddy taking a nap. It's crazy how things change in a split second. And that, friends, is exactly how this little guys birthday went.
Frustrations were definitely at a peak as I had not only passed 37 weeks, which i was SURE was when he was going to come, but also passed 40 weeks. I was tired, huge, had stretch marks gallore {which of course chose to come the last week and a half - GO FIGURE}, and was just ready to meet my little guy. Tears came regularly after every appointment where I was told my cervix was completely unfavorable and absolutely NO progress had been made. I was baffled as to how this could be since I was sure I would be like my mom who had ALL her babies at least 10 days early. Every time we were told the dreaded same news we were also breifed with our options. We could try and induce but it would get us absolutely no where. Having a cervix that was completely closed tight my doctor told me if induced I'd most likely labor for days resulting in a very stressed out baby and tired mommy, which then would lead to an emergency c-section. So basically, it was out of the question. The other option was to just wait and hope things would progress. Our last option was a c-section. Naturally the option we all agreed on, unfortunately, was to just wait some more.
Monday January 24th, three days after my due date, I had another appointment. I went in with a very guarded attitude and told myself to assume the worst. We got to the doctors, i stripped down {very SLOWLY as it's crazy impossible to move fast 40 weeks pregnant and barely over 5 feet tall}, and waited for our doctor to do his thing. I watched his face, as i had all the other times, and I just new. He was totally pained and sad to have to tell me yet again absolutely NO progress. At this point I was almost in full on tears. I did not want to cry in front of the doctor so I took a deep breath and asked what happened next. At this point waiting still was an option, but because I was overdue there were some more things that needed to be done. My doctor explained that sometimes after 40 weeks the placenta stops working because it thinks it's done it's job. If that happens the baby goes in to stress. Another thing is my amniotic fluid could start to be low and that can cause a couple different problems. When there is sufficient fluid the cord floats around just fine. If there isn't the baby can lay on it and cut off his life supply. He also could have his first poop and swallow it. That one in particular is VERY dangerous. My doctor then wrote me a perscription to have a stress test the coming Wednesday, the 26th, to make sure all of these things were still ok. If they were then we were going to plan on another appointment that Friday where I would be checked again and we'd make a plan from there.
Wednesday came around and I didn't sleep A WINK the night before. To say I was nervous would be a lie. I had had the same procedure done for a stress test just a week earlier because we thought my water had broke and everything was perfectly fine. I couldn't see it being any different in that amount of time and so I assumed I would be told I had a happy healthy baby in there and I got to wait some more. I just couldn't sleep was all. Now that I think about it I wonder if maybe my body subconciously knew what was going on and I actually was nervous. Nick got home at 7:30 that morning and we headed down to the hospital. We met my mom there, which I was very grateful she could come {for some reason she had decided not to schedule any of her work that day}, and we headed up to labor and delivery. They hooked me up to the monitor where they would monitor my little mans heart beat for about an hour and see how he was doing. An hour later I was right. Everything was just fine. He had a healthy strong heart beat and was happy as can be staying where he was.
The last part of the test I had to have an ultrasound to measure the fluid. As we headed down to radiology I realized I was STARVING. I hadn't woken up early enough that morning to get some breakfast, which i assumed was fine because I'd just be heading home in a few hours. As we waited our turn my mom ran to the gift shop and bought me a candy bar. I took a few bites before they called my name then we headed in. We then soon found out that my fluid, which to be in the safe range should be above an 8, was at a 3.9. I asked the tech what she thought this meant. She said that she assumed he would either start me tomorrow or the next day.
Our next task was to head back up to labor and delivery and report the results to the nurse who would relay them to my doctor. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. No matter what I would most likely have a baby thursday or friday! The end was in sight! They nurse got on the phone with my doctor and I continued to eat my candy bar. Snickers almond. Totally hit the spot. I didn't listen much but I did hear "Section today then?" and "yes, she's eating a candy bar right now". All at once my body started to shake. I didn't really know exactly what she was saying, but I felt like something was happening. She then asked if he'd like to talk to me. I got on the phone and my doctor told me how he didn't feel comfortable leaving that baby in any longer and we would be doing a c-section today. Because I'd eaten though, YES a measly candy bar, I had to wait 8 hours. He told me to get admitted right there and he'd see me in a few hours. I hung up the phone, looked to Nick then my mom, and started bawling. I was terrified. I could handle tomorrow, or the next day. But now, right now?! So soon? My house wasn't clean how I wanted it, I hadn't brought my bag or the babies bag, I just WASN'T ready!
The next few hours, many would think drug on but not in the least. They went by so fast. Not only was the end in sight, but it had a specific time also. 6 o' clock that night I was going to have a baby. Around two o' clock the nurse came in and said "Your doctor has finished at the other hospital and is ready to do you in about 45 minute". Surprise, AGAIN! Could this day have any more surprises around the corner? I sure hoped not. I immediately began to shake again. Nick was there, but my mom had just ran to get some things for me and Sam, my sister, who i wanted there hadn't even made it yet. Nick and I frantically started calling them as the nurses started prepping things around me.
I was incredibly blessed to have pretty much my own team of people assembled that I wanted. My neighbor and good friend was an anesthesiologist. Another very close long time friend was a CNA on labor and delivery. Both I knew I wanted to be there, as I am a huge chicken and having some comforting faces around would be awesome. I say i'm truly blessed to have them, but for you to get the full effect of that you have to know that niether of them were on their shift, and one was even coming off an all night shift. They both took time out of their day to come be with me. It was very comforting to know I was so loved.
Sam and my mom arrived just in time. Sam started painting my nails and toe nails, ha ha, because she wanted me to be pretty in surgery. They then wheeled me off around 2:30 to have my little one. I was terrified of the spinal, but my anesthesiologist was AMAZING! I seriously only felt a sting, almost less than an IV, when he put the numbing in and that was it. I remember joking with him and my other long time friend that I was so glad to have a c-section with them both being there because now they'd only have to see my belly not my NETHER REGIONS..... Little did I know. The minute the spinal was in they put me on the table and stripped me down to my nakeds! I was sooooo embarrassed and kept telling them to make sure to NOT look! They let Nick and my mom in after my drapings were up and the doctors went at it. This will sound funny, but really, it was the EASIEST thing I have ever done. The ONLY dicomfort I ever remember was when they were ready to get the baby out he was stuck up in my ribs and the one doctor had to pretty much stand on me and shove him out. It was only uncomfortable because I remember thinking "he is going to break my ribs! I don't want broken ribs!"
3:15, or 15:15, my little man came out with the cutest litttle cry i've ever heard. When you first become pregnant you think the heart beat is the best thing you've ever heard. Hearing that cry is by far a million times better. To make a long story short they took him to the nursery and cleaned and stitched me up. It took almost an hour and a half for them to finally bring him to me, which was TORTURE as I'd only breifly seen him in the operating room. Nick kept coming to check on me, but I kept sending him back because I could tell how much he wanted to be with him. When they finally brought him to me and put him in my arms I knew from that moment on life would never be the same. How can you love someone soooo much that you've just met? The feeling is completely indescribable.
Nixon Christopher Judson is finally what we came to agree on. Nixon after his daddy and Christopher after my dad. He came in weighing a whopping 7lbs 5oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Like I said above life hasn't been the same in the past week and we wouldn't have it any other way. We love our little "Mr. Mr." more than we can put into words and can't imagine how we lived without him. Sorry such a long post, i knew someday I would want a complete recount of this. Now go ahead and enjoy some pictures of my handsome little devil. Lady killer, right?! =D
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