Marco Tomas is finally here
Our beautiful baby boy is finally here. He is now a week and a day old. He finally made his appearance on July 16 via emergency c-section. Regardless of the surgery, he chose that day for his birth b/c I actually went into labor and my water broke. Here's the full story of yet another horrifying birth experience for us, but thankfully, we are both safe, sound, and recovering well.
The morning of July 16, Rich and I went to my midwife appointment. I was 11 days late, and they were giving me until 42 weeks to go into labor on my own. I really wanted a vbac and I had been having contractions, but they usually were in the evening and in the early morning. They would dissipate during the day, but usually came back again at night. So I was really hoping they were doing something! I had a non-stress test that recorded the baby's heartbeat for about 20 minutes. I had to press a button if I had a contraction or if he moved. That went really well. Grace checked me and I was 2 cm dilated and she stretched the cervix. She asked if I had the biophysical profile ultrasound done yet, which I did not. She wanted to make sure my amniotic fluid levels were good because if I was to have a c-section, I wanted to wait until the following Wednesday when the OB that did my first c-section was available. Thankfully, the office has an ultrasound tech there, and the midwife was able to get me in right then.
We went in for the ultrasound and the tech measured his head and belly. Both were off the charts! She looked at a few things and noticed that he was transverse (lying sideways). Not a good thing if we were to try for a vaginal birth. She was able to push him down a little bit, and he was oblique (diagonal). My hopes for a vbac were quickly waning. However, the worst was yet to come. She saw that the umbilical cord was between his head and the birth canal. She went to get the midwife. Rich said, "I saw something and you're not going to like it." I said, "What?" He said that the weight estimate was 12 lbs 10 oz! Yikes! I know these things are usually off, so I figured he was probably in the 10 lb range.
The tech and the midwife came back and we discussed the danger of having a vaginal birth. We knew we had to have a c-section. She said she would make some calls and call me back. We went home and I finished packing. She tried to get us on the schedule that day, but because I had eaten, they felt it was better to wait until first thing the next morning when there was an opening in the schedule. We were told that if I went into labor or my water broke, I was to call immediately as it would be a medical emergency.
That afternoon, I noticed that the contractions were still coming and they were much stronger. I rested in the recliner and started timing them. They were about 5-6 minutes apart. Now I have had contractions that close together before so I had no idea what to think. However, these were more intense, so I was beginning to wonder. It was after 5pm, so I figured it would be the answering service. I called Katherine, the midwife I am friends with but she didn't pick up. I left a message asking her if this could possibly be labor. About 10 minutes later, I heard a pop. I thought, uh oh. I got up and went to my bathroom. I felt a small gush and I was leaking. Oh no! I screamed for Rich, who was working out in the basement. I said, "My water broke!" He ran up and grabbed my bags. He said, let's go! I had talked to Katherine earlier and she said if my water broke, go to the hospital immediately and call on the way. So we jumped in the jeep and I called the service. While I was waiting for Carolyn to call back, Katherine called me. I told her what happened, and she said she would call the hospital and the OB on call to let them know we were on the way. She later told me that she was so scared for us during the ride to the hospital. She didn't want to scare us, but she knew the danger we were in.
We got to the hospital in about 30 minutes. Rich dropped me off and I walked up to L&D. They had me change and they were desperate to get the monitor on me. As they were getting me ready, Dr. Hall said we would work quickly but not too crazy. She checked me and then it was a fast and furious blur. A nurse got on the bed and she had her fingers up there pushing the baby's head. Apparently, Dr. Hall felt the cord coming through and the baby's head right there. The nurse was pushing his head back to keep pressure off the cord. His heart rate had dropped, but picked up when the nurse pushed. There were suddenly a lot of people in the room. They reverse inclined the bed and someone was putting in an IV. Then we were racing down to the OR. Rich was left outside the OR. The anesthesiologist was barking orders and asking me questions. Then he said they were putting me to sleep. I was so scared and in pain. I was crying and knew that I would not see this baby being born just like I didn't with Bella.
After the surgery, I woke up with the most horrifying pain. I thought I was going to die. They were trying to get it under control but I was vomiting and coughing, which made it that much worse. They brought me back to the room. Rich was there holding my hand, crying. He tried to comfort me. I was in such a daze and in so much pain. I didn't know how the baby was either. I was so scared that he wasn't ok. Rich assured me that he was perfect and that he was 11 lbs 8 oz!!! I couldn't even comprehend that. I kept begging him to make the pain go away. My midwives Katherine (who wasn't on call) and Grace were there, trying to comfort me as well. I don't know how long it took before the pain started to get under control. I finally fell asleep. I woke up at 1am and then until 5 am, I was sleeping on and off.
At 7am, I finally got to see my beautiful baby boy. He was born the night before at 7:01 pm. He was 11 lbs 8 oz, 23 inches, and 40 cm head. I now look at him and wonder how in the world he fit in my belly! Plus, I had excess amniotic fluid. No wonder my belly was so huge!
It is disappointing thinking that it was 12 hours before I saw him and my dreams of bonding with my baby in that first "golden" hour was once again unfulfilled. However, I look at the pics that Rich took of when I first met him and I couldn't be happier. The way he looked at me from the bassinet was priceless. He latched on for nursing right away, and we've been doing well with it ever since.
I was up and moving before noon. I even put my own clothes on and just felt more normal. Dr. Hall came in to check on me. We recapped what happened the night before, and I couldn't thank her enough for saving my son's life. She said from the time I walked on to the floor until the surgery was only 15 minutes. That hospital is not a high risk tertiary care hospital, but she was so impressed with how quickly the staff moved that night. I am just so grateful to all of them. I get choked up every time I think of what could have happened that night. So many events that happened just right. He was meant to be here with us.
We stayed in the hospital until Monday. He is a good boy and such a snuggler. He loves to sleep on our chests and be held. Bella adores her baby brother. The first morning we were home, she came in and said, "I missed my baby brother. I love you so much baby brother." And she hugged him and wanted to hold him. We have been home for almost a week, and she just wants to touch him and be around him. We don't force her to do anything. She just comes and goes when she feels the need to touch him and be with him. She doesn't get upset that I am spending all my time with him. Thankfully Rich is home this week and tends to her needs. I do try to switch off and have some alone time with her each night before bed.
We are still getting used to the newborn nights. We were so spoiled with Bella that it's hard to adjust back to this. He is sleeping about 3-4 hours at a time at night, so it's not too bad.
Here are some pics from the last week...
Two days old - I took these while we were at the hospital:
Four days old - the night we came home...
The morning of July 16, Rich and I went to my midwife appointment. I was 11 days late, and they were giving me until 42 weeks to go into labor on my own. I really wanted a vbac and I had been having contractions, but they usually were in the evening and in the early morning. They would dissipate during the day, but usually came back again at night. So I was really hoping they were doing something! I had a non-stress test that recorded the baby's heartbeat for about 20 minutes. I had to press a button if I had a contraction or if he moved. That went really well. Grace checked me and I was 2 cm dilated and she stretched the cervix. She asked if I had the biophysical profile ultrasound done yet, which I did not. She wanted to make sure my amniotic fluid levels were good because if I was to have a c-section, I wanted to wait until the following Wednesday when the OB that did my first c-section was available. Thankfully, the office has an ultrasound tech there, and the midwife was able to get me in right then.
We went in for the ultrasound and the tech measured his head and belly. Both were off the charts! She looked at a few things and noticed that he was transverse (lying sideways). Not a good thing if we were to try for a vaginal birth. She was able to push him down a little bit, and he was oblique (diagonal). My hopes for a vbac were quickly waning. However, the worst was yet to come. She saw that the umbilical cord was between his head and the birth canal. She went to get the midwife. Rich said, "I saw something and you're not going to like it." I said, "What?" He said that the weight estimate was 12 lbs 10 oz! Yikes! I know these things are usually off, so I figured he was probably in the 10 lb range.
The tech and the midwife came back and we discussed the danger of having a vaginal birth. We knew we had to have a c-section. She said she would make some calls and call me back. We went home and I finished packing. She tried to get us on the schedule that day, but because I had eaten, they felt it was better to wait until first thing the next morning when there was an opening in the schedule. We were told that if I went into labor or my water broke, I was to call immediately as it would be a medical emergency.
That afternoon, I noticed that the contractions were still coming and they were much stronger. I rested in the recliner and started timing them. They were about 5-6 minutes apart. Now I have had contractions that close together before so I had no idea what to think. However, these were more intense, so I was beginning to wonder. It was after 5pm, so I figured it would be the answering service. I called Katherine, the midwife I am friends with but she didn't pick up. I left a message asking her if this could possibly be labor. About 10 minutes later, I heard a pop. I thought, uh oh. I got up and went to my bathroom. I felt a small gush and I was leaking. Oh no! I screamed for Rich, who was working out in the basement. I said, "My water broke!" He ran up and grabbed my bags. He said, let's go! I had talked to Katherine earlier and she said if my water broke, go to the hospital immediately and call on the way. So we jumped in the jeep and I called the service. While I was waiting for Carolyn to call back, Katherine called me. I told her what happened, and she said she would call the hospital and the OB on call to let them know we were on the way. She later told me that she was so scared for us during the ride to the hospital. She didn't want to scare us, but she knew the danger we were in.
We got to the hospital in about 30 minutes. Rich dropped me off and I walked up to L&D. They had me change and they were desperate to get the monitor on me. As they were getting me ready, Dr. Hall said we would work quickly but not too crazy. She checked me and then it was a fast and furious blur. A nurse got on the bed and she had her fingers up there pushing the baby's head. Apparently, Dr. Hall felt the cord coming through and the baby's head right there. The nurse was pushing his head back to keep pressure off the cord. His heart rate had dropped, but picked up when the nurse pushed. There were suddenly a lot of people in the room. They reverse inclined the bed and someone was putting in an IV. Then we were racing down to the OR. Rich was left outside the OR. The anesthesiologist was barking orders and asking me questions. Then he said they were putting me to sleep. I was so scared and in pain. I was crying and knew that I would not see this baby being born just like I didn't with Bella.
After the surgery, I woke up with the most horrifying pain. I thought I was going to die. They were trying to get it under control but I was vomiting and coughing, which made it that much worse. They brought me back to the room. Rich was there holding my hand, crying. He tried to comfort me. I was in such a daze and in so much pain. I didn't know how the baby was either. I was so scared that he wasn't ok. Rich assured me that he was perfect and that he was 11 lbs 8 oz!!! I couldn't even comprehend that. I kept begging him to make the pain go away. My midwives Katherine (who wasn't on call) and Grace were there, trying to comfort me as well. I don't know how long it took before the pain started to get under control. I finally fell asleep. I woke up at 1am and then until 5 am, I was sleeping on and off.
At 7am, I finally got to see my beautiful baby boy. He was born the night before at 7:01 pm. He was 11 lbs 8 oz, 23 inches, and 40 cm head. I now look at him and wonder how in the world he fit in my belly! Plus, I had excess amniotic fluid. No wonder my belly was so huge!
It is disappointing thinking that it was 12 hours before I saw him and my dreams of bonding with my baby in that first "golden" hour was once again unfulfilled. However, I look at the pics that Rich took of when I first met him and I couldn't be happier. The way he looked at me from the bassinet was priceless. He latched on for nursing right away, and we've been doing well with it ever since.
I was up and moving before noon. I even put my own clothes on and just felt more normal. Dr. Hall came in to check on me. We recapped what happened the night before, and I couldn't thank her enough for saving my son's life. She said from the time I walked on to the floor until the surgery was only 15 minutes. That hospital is not a high risk tertiary care hospital, but she was so impressed with how quickly the staff moved that night. I am just so grateful to all of them. I get choked up every time I think of what could have happened that night. So many events that happened just right. He was meant to be here with us.
We stayed in the hospital until Monday. He is a good boy and such a snuggler. He loves to sleep on our chests and be held. Bella adores her baby brother. The first morning we were home, she came in and said, "I missed my baby brother. I love you so much baby brother." And she hugged him and wanted to hold him. We have been home for almost a week, and she just wants to touch him and be around him. We don't force her to do anything. She just comes and goes when she feels the need to touch him and be with him. She doesn't get upset that I am spending all my time with him. Thankfully Rich is home this week and tends to her needs. I do try to switch off and have some alone time with her each night before bed.
We are still getting used to the newborn nights. We were so spoiled with Bella that it's hard to adjust back to this. He is sleeping about 3-4 hours at a time at night, so it's not too bad.
Here are some pics from the last week...
Two days old - I took these while we were at the hospital:
Four days old - the night we came home...
posted by Janice at
11:08 AM
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