HE's HERE!!!

My new little bundle of boy arrived Dec 4th at 8:25 pm!

QUICK STATS:
Weight: 6 lbs, 6 oz.
Length: 19.5 inches
Delivered by: Dr. Partridge

I know, I know, you want all the details (or not), but you get them anyway because this is a journal of MY life . . . and I want to document my less than wonderful experience so I remember the details. I went to my Dr.'s appt. on December 3rd, and my blood pressure had increased dramatically, I had been having some signs and symptoms of pregnancy induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia), so I was instructed to go to the hospital. I went in, (called Mon the way and he met me to take the kids) and I was thinking it would just be some monitoring and then I would be able to go home, but my blood pressure was so high, I was taken back quickly, into a gown before I knew it and had to call M to tell him that he needed to take our kids home to a friends house because we most likely were not going home without a baby.

By the time M got back to me, they had me in a labor and delivery suite, with an IV in my arm, and were working on giving me some medicines to get the blood pressure down. They put me on magnesium sulfate (brutal evil medicine) and that made me sick and throwing up. Awful. Anyway, M and I watched our Wednesday night shows (Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money) and then went to sleep. At some point early in the morning, my water broke on its own, so they decided to induce me. Because of this, and the fact that I did not sleep comfortably -- I decided to get an epidural so I would not have to feel pain. After all the throwing up and such, I needed a break. I was nervous about it because of the last experience I had, but we had the most AMAZING anesthesiologist who took things slow. My epidural took really well, but he made it so I could still feel and move my legs. This was NEW for me because the last two times, they were like dead logs and it was bad. At about 6:30 or 7:00 pm, I started to be able to feel the contractions (in spite of the epidural) and after getting the nurses to believe I was in pain, they got the anesthesiologist to come back and he gave me his "special concoction" and it made all the pain go away! Seriously, that guy was AMAZING!!!!

At about 8:00 pm, I felt like I could push, but the Dr. was still finishing up a c-section, so the nurse suggested that we "labor down" and just wait and that it would go smoother. So we waited and when the Dr. arrived, everyone got set up really fast and I literally pushed the sweet little guy out in one push! It went so smoothly and easily. He arrived at 8:25 pm. He weighed 6 lbs 6 oz. He had lots of fuzzy dark brown hair and really dark eyes. He was 19.5 inches long.

After the baby had arrived, we were informed that since the hospital was in the middle of renovations, they had a room for me, but I could only get there in a wheel chair because the path to it was skinny, and since they had had me on magnesium sulfate, I could not get out of bed and step to a wheel chair, so they said I would have to sleep in the labor and delivery suite. Let me tell you, those beds are not meant to be in for long periods of time. I was not a happy camper at all. I was throwing up still, and the bed felt like I was laying on a plank of wood. My back ached. The only reason I got any sleep that night was because my nurse gave me some anti-nausea medicine that made me fall asleep. When I woke up in the morning, they were planning to move me soon, so somehow, the forgot the fact I was in there and I got no breakfast. They ended up moving me around 1pm or so. I think I ate finally for the first time in like 48 hours that afternoon. Everyone said I was looking really good for someone coming off magnesium sulfate. Perhaps the starvation helped?

My family came to visit me. The kids were really wound up and excited to see me. It was challenging for them being away from mommy for a couple days, since they are used to being with me all the time. They were really excited to meet their baby brother too!! I love E's face in the picture where she held him for the first time, a combination of amazement and fear. She almost *never* looks that serious!

I rested lots and then the real fun began. Because my blood pressure was not going down as fast as it needed to be, the Dr. and nurses were worried about me, so they made me rest and do nothing (I was SO bored and alone) and they kept telling me every day that I needed to stay another day. It was awful. I knew my family needed me but at the same time, I knew I needed to get better. The Dr. told me if I did not start to get better, they would have to start magnesium sulfate again and that made me stressed out so bad. Fortunately that did not happen. Sunday night I really wanted to go home, but the nurse told me she did not think that would happen, so I called M and told him to see if he could leave the kids with a friend and just come hang out with me all alone. I spent the afternoon crying and praying that my blood pressure would regulate so I could go be with my family again. Right before M arrived, my Dr. came in and told me that things were looking better and that I still needed to rest a lot and take medicine, but that she was going to let me go home. When M arrived I told him the news, I was still in shock and so thankful that I could go home. Then my nurse came in and said that the baby's bilirubin levels had been checked and he was borderline needing to go under the lights, so they had put a call in the pediatrician, but we may have to stay for him to go under the lights. I was so sad! But then the pediatrician said to just take him in to our pediatrician the following day and it would all be okay. We managed to escape the hospital at like 9:30 pm or so. I cannot express how much it felt like I was escaping from jail. I have never liked hospitals, but after this experience, I think if we have another child we will be birthing them in a gentle birth clinic or somewhere else. It was for sure not the birthing experience that I wanted to have at all, and it felt completely like everything was out of control, I had no say, and I was stuck in prison without my family, never to see my family again unless I could get my blood pressure calm. A total nightmare. But the sweet little guy we got out of the deal was worth it all. He is such a blessing and such a good baby. He sleeps really well, eats really well -- I am the luckiest mommy in the world! I promise more pictures soon as soon as I get a second to take some!