After weeks of increasing pain and misery caused by SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction – my pubic bone was separating), my doctors decided to induce me on my due date, December 30th. My blood pressure was creeping up because of the pain and they also didn’t want me to go much farther since I had gestational diabetes. She also was not moving much, sometimes going all day before I could feel a movement, so an induction was really the best way to go at this point.
We got to the hospital at 7:00 to begin the induction. They took me back right away and got me into a gown. Almost immediately after I put on the gown and got into bed, I motioned to Adam that I was going to get sick. It took him a while to figure out what I was trying to say (he was sitting on the other side of the room while the nurse was putting my info into the computer), but he finally figured it out and the nurse grabbed a puke bin, but it was a little too late. I had thrown up all over my gown and the sheets of the bed – all of my lovely fettuccine alfredo with mushrooms from the night before. Don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat that again! My nurse, Pam, got me into another gown and changed the sheets on the bed while I settled down my nerves.
Around 7:30, Dr. Leonard came in to check me. I was three centimeters dilated and 80% effaced, so he broke my water. That hurt because he was pushing down on my pubic bone area where all my pain was – ouch! The fluid was clear, so no worries there.
The pitocin started close to 8:00. They had to get a full bag of fluids in my IV before they started the pitocin. My contractions had started pretty immediately after my water was broken and then got very strong shortly after the pitocin started.
By about 9:30, they were getting pretty darn intense and painful. I really had to focus on breathing through them and the epidural was definitely on order for me at this point. They were about 2 minutes apart and lasting at least 30 seconds or more, so there wasn’t a whole lot of downtime in between. It was interesting watching the patterns they made on the monitor, especially for Adam. I could tell by the look on his face how strong some of them were showing up on the monitor.
My epidural came around 10:45. I don’t even remember the name of the anesthesiologist, I was in too much pain and focusing on getting through the contractions at this point, but she was super nice. My spine didn’t cooperate very well and she had a hard time getting it in. She only had to stick me once, but all the maneuvering she had to do was kind of excruciating. I felt the catheter hit every little nerve in my back as she was sliding it in, yikes! Finally it was in and starting to work. Pam let me get settled back into bed and said she’d be back in a little bit to check my cervix and also to insert a catheter into my bladder. I was feeling some pressure at this point, so I thought maybe it would be pretty soon.
Pam came back a little after 11:00 to check me. I was fully dilated and ready to push! She didn’t even have to cath me because Eva’s head was right there and they knew it would be quick once I started pushing. I felt like she was just going to slip out at this point and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to wait for the doctor to get back.
I’m not sure what time Dr. Leonard got there…maybe around 11:15 or so. He got everything set up and I started pushing. My epidural was great because I could actually feel the contractions and feel the pushing, but it wasn’t painful. The last push, I had to stop in the middle of so Dr. Leonard could unwrap the cord – it was around her neck three times! I only had to do five pushes and she was out!
She was born at 11:27 am, screaming away. They put her right on my chest after Adam cut the cord, which was something I didn’t get to experience with Jackson, so it was a very special moment. They took her over to assess her and clean her off a bit while I delivered the placenta and got stitched up. I barely tore and only required one stitch, which was awesome. Her apgars were 8 and 9, so she was doing really well. Adam snapped pictures the whole time. We couldn’t get over how tiny she was at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, she was nearly half a pound smaller than Jackson was.
After everyone was done, they brought her over to me. We couldn’t really decide who she looked like, but she did look very similar to her big brother. She was so alert and bright-eyed. She nursed within the first hour and that went really well.
After my epidural wore off, Pam helped me to the bathroom to pee and of course do all the other fun stuff like the peri-bottle and pat dry. I was not in much pain at this point, which was quite a relief. I was definitely in less pain than I came in with anyway!
We got wheeled to our mother/baby room a little after 1:00. They kept me on a pitocin drip throughout the rest of the day because I wasn’t bleeding as much as “normal” and they wanted to make sure my uterus was contracting back down and all the clots were out.
Because of my gestational diabetes, they had to keep checking Eva’s glucose levels before each feeding for the first several nursing sessions. It was slightly annoying to have to buzz the nurse and wait before I could start feeding her, but thankfully it was a short-lived interruption.
We got a slew of visitors that evening, starting with big brother Jackson. He was a little unsure of what to think, but he knew that was his sister. He kept asking to see my belly and wanted to see Eva’s bottom for some reason, which she obliged him with when she pooped and needed a diaper change.
The night was a bit rough with so many nurses in and out to check vitals on both me and Eva, always as soon as we’d get to sleep. Luckily, since she was my second and there were no complications, they discharged us the very next day after lunchtime.
Eva is a week old now and is pretty much a textbook-perfect baby. She is an incredible sleeper and is getting the hang of nursing. I did have to pump a little in our first few days at home because we were both still learning and she wasn’t getting enough to eat (especially because she is such a good sleeper and it’s hard to get her alert enough to nurse). She was getting a bit dehydrated because she wasn’t peeing much and when she did, it was very dark and rusty colored. Once I started pumping and getting more into her, she was absolutely fine. She is nursing like a champ at this point and peeing and pooping plenty. She poops pretty much each time she nurses, which has gotten to be quite humorous. We know to have the diaper and wipes ready to go! She only cries when she’s cold. We really lucked out!
She is such a sweet little girl – very mellow and observant. When she’s awake, she just stares away into your eyes. She’s so strong already too. Her head and neck control is amazing. And of course, I can’t leave out her beauty. She is just a gorgeous, gorgeous baby. We are so in love!
I am doing really well. I had very little pain afterwards and it’s all but gone now. I had a sore back from the epidural for a few days and slight tenderness from the one stitch, but really nothing to complain about, especially compared to my pain level before delivery. I have a little pain leftover from the SPD, but it’s getting better by the day.
It was pretty much a perfect delivery and we got the perfect baby out of it!
Posted by Devon
Filed under: Evaline, Pregnancy | No Comments »
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