Jack's (very wordy) Birth Story

I finally have a little bit of time to sit down and type. Tom has taken Ellie to the park, my mom is cooking dinner, and Jack is strapped to a bilirubin blanket that he has to stay on for up to 18 hours a day for jaundice. He is such a sweet little guy and doesn’t complain.
This is my birth story for Jack, like Ellie’s birth story it is going to be long, but I like to document it all for journaling purposes. Feel free to just skip over all those words and check out the pictures instead!
Last weekend, I wasn’t feeling well. I had this constant headache and just an overall sense of exhaustion so I spent a lot of time in bed and no time getting my house in order or preparing for a baby. I had a doctor’s appointment Monday morning because when I had gone in the week before I complained about not seeing my actual doctor in 2 ½ months! I was really worried about having someone slice me open who hadn’t even seen me in forever. So they fit me in Monday morning. I dropped Ellie off at Tom’s cross country practice and made plans to meet up with them for lunch. Being the vain person that I am, I barely ate anything for breakfast so that my weight would appear lower. My appointment was fine. My blood pressure was high, but not scary high, and my urine was clear. However, I casually mentioned that I had this nagging headache and next thing I knew the doctor was sending me to the hospital to get my blood pressure monitored. I was more annoyed than concerned because I had so much to do that day but I headed over to the hospital to get strapped up to the machines. I had my G1 phone with me so I entertained myself on Facebook, typing stuff like “At hospital hooked up to monitors. Bored and hungry.” The baby was looking great on the monitors and my blood pressure was still high, but still not too high. I was having fairly regular contractions, but I had been having those for weeks. Still, my doctor ordered some blood work to be done so my hour on the machines turned to two. I cancelled lunch plans with Tom and Ellie and instead started contemplating all the things I needed to do before my c-section on Thursday. Suddenly, the curtain is pulled aside and there is my doctor telling me we are going to do my c-section today, right now, and to get changed! I went into panic mode. I wasn’t prepared; I didn’t even have a bag packed. I lived almost an hour from the hospital and Tom still had to drop Ellie off with Rosie! I called Tom up and told him to throw some things in a bag, call Rosie, and hurry to the hospital. Suddenly, Tom was acting crazy. He forgot everything, like where we store suitcases, how to dress Ellie, how to speak in complete sentences. For a one night stay, he ended up packing Ellie a bag that contained three pairs of pajamas and three pairs of panties. Nothing else. And he didn’t get anything I asked him to bring for me. While all this was going on, I was frantically texting people telling them the change in plans. I was also terrified. Throughout this pregnancy, I have had this fear that I was going to die during the surgery. So dramatic, I know, which is why I only shared that fear with Tom. Well, now I was being thrown into it without being able to mentally prepare myself. I wanted to tell everyone that I had changed my mind, that I no longer wanted to have a baby, and that I was just going to go home.

When Tom finally made it to the hospital, they rushed me back to surgery. It took them awhile to do the spinal and get me situated before they could let Tom in. I was so scared that whole time, even though I had gone through it all before. Once Tom came in, though, and they escorted him to a seat by my head, I felt much calmer. The surgery went fine, except that baby Jack could not fit through the incision and they ended up using the vacuum to get him out. One of the benefits of a c-section, I think, is the fact that you get babies with perfectly shaped heads. Another benefit is being able to schedule it at your convenience. Both benefits were ruined for me! However, once I heard Jack crying, I felt that same rush of happiness I felt with Ellie…just indescribable. I was able to hold him very briefly for a few pictures and then Tom and Jack went off to the nursery and I was taken to recovery.

Because I had been diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH, thus the reason for the fast track delivery) I had to be put on magnesium sulfate. That stuff makes you miserable and a little crazy. So crazy, in fact, that they won’t let you be alone with you child. Still, while in recovery, I found the time to update Facebook with “In recovery. Baby so cute! 9lb 5 oz, 21 in.” Because of the magnesium, they kept me in Labor and Delivery for 24 hours before moving me to Postpartum. I was a little out of it, but I received wonderful care from my very attentive nurses.

Tom was also with me for the entire hospital stay and he truly is the best. He comforted me during my late night panic attacks, changed all diapers, and was basically at my beck and call for four days straight. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.So, my birth story did not go exactly as planned, but I am so thankful that it went as smoothly as it did and that Jack is healthy (for the most part). He is so sweet and my fears of not being able to love him as much as Ellie have been proven to be unfounded. As for Ellie, she loves her baby brother and can’t get enough of him. I just couldn’t be happier with my little family.