Sam's very long birth story

I am completely sleep-deprived, but here is a rambling account of Sam's birth.  The high dose of steroids my hematologist put me on had kept me awake for several nights in a row. So, it was no surprise when I was unable to sleep the night before Sam was due to arrive.  I was really worried about my platelet count and having to be put under general anesthesia for the delivery.  Tom and I left for the hospital at 4:45am.  He tried to distract me with small talk, but all I could think about were platelets!  When we arrived, the L&D nurse started talking as if I was having my surgery under general and right away I corrected her and told her that they were supposed to check it again because I was on steroids to bring up my platelets.  And then for the next hour I kept bugging her to see if the count had come back yet.  At one point, she popped her head in the room and told me all excitedly that my count had gone up to 319!  Then she realized she had another patient's paperwork.  After what seemed like forever, I got my results and I was at a 99 (I just needed to be at 90 or higher)!  Finally, I could relax.  Except then it was time for surgery.  Tom got all dressed up in his smurf suit which I promptly posted to Facebook.


The nurse and anesthesiologist wheeled me back to the OR and started preparing me for surgery.  I always hate that Tom can't be with me when they are inserting the spinal block because that is one of the scariest parts for me.  I just tried to visualize Sam's little tiny hand wrapped around my finger.  Finally, I was prepped and ready and Tom was allowed in.  I had asked my OB to try to clean out the scar adhesions from my previous c-section because I could feel sharp pains on my lower left side so he initially worked on that.  Unfortunately, the scar tissue was wrapped around a ligament and embedded into the wall so he wasn't able to remove it, but he promised to put in a shield to prevent more scar tissue.  He then went about actually delivering the baby.  This is where it got interesting.  There is a point during a c-section that they have to push on the top of your stomach with a lot of force to get the baby out of the uterus.  So, I was expecting it. I wasn't expecting Sam to be so big they couldn't get him out!  My OB and the considerably larger male tech were both pushing with all their might trying to push Sam down.  The whole table was shaking and I couldn't breathe.  Weird, strangled noises were coming out of my mouth and my face was turning purple.  Tom was getting really alarmed.  The OB ended up having to add another incision to the uterus (an inverted T instead of just one slit) and using a vacuum (again!) just to get Sam out. Finally, he was out and I waited anxiously to hear his cry.  I waited anxiously until they got him breathing and announced he was 10 pounds, 11.5 ounces and 20 inches long (they measured wrong, he is actually 21 and 1/4 inches)!  No wonder he was stuck in there!  I was able to hold him for a few minutes and snap some pictures before Tom and the baby were whisked away and I was stuck lying there while they finished the job.

  I knew this surgery would take longer because I was having my tubes tied as well.  With all that extra time on my hands, I decided to update my Facebook status.  I posted a pic of Sam along with his stats.

I then texted several of my friends and family.  My doctor and the anesthesiologist thought it was so funny that I was texting and on Facebook.  I said, "Well, there is nothing else for me to do right now!" and my OB was like, "Uh, you could be resting." 

By the time I was moved to recovery, the adrenalin had worn off and I was exhausted.  I was pretty much in a haze of drugs the rest of the day.  We had visitors, but I don't remember much of that first day after the delivery.

My recovery from this C-section was much more difficult than the previous two.  Partly because I also had my tubes tied, but also because on the third day I came down with a really nasty stomach bug that also wiped out most of my extended family.  It was really miserable.  I had a terrible nurse that day who was afraid of getting sick so she was avoiding me. At one point, she finally came into the room and I just started bawling hysterically.  Definitely, the worst day of my stay.  They also tried to keep Jack and I longer because of my high blood pressure and Sam's jaundice.  We were finally discharged Thursday night.  Tom had to go to a track meet, so my mom and the kids came to take me home.  I was just so happy to get out of that hospital!

I am loving my little Sam.  He has his nights and days confused and he lets the whole world know when he is mad, but he is the cutest litle snugglebug.  Ellie and Jack can't get enough of him and are always fighting over who gets to hold him.

I love our little April Fools Day baby and think he is the best surprise I have ever received!

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.