birth

Asher's Birth Story

On Wednesday... July 22, 2009 i was working the night away on the Infant Unit. everyone kept saying "you look like you've dropped" and "i cant believe how huge you are" (which is always fun to hear). i felt weird. all night. i was having crampy feelings and totally thought they were just braxton hicks. Ange came in at 0100 to charge. i was starting to get worried about how i felt and sat at the desk with her for a while. my pod was really slow. so at about 0400 Ange and my pod partners tried to convince me to leave. so... at after 4 o'clock vitals i decided to head home and see if i felt better. on the way home i started feeling a little worse.

I got home and waited for my mom to wake up for work. i took a hot shower and felt a little better. then i starting to puke... so i knew something was up.. once she was up i told her how i was feeling and she decided to stay home with me so when the dr's office opened i would have someone to go with me. at 8am the dr office opened. i called to see if i could get in to see my dr (even though i already had an apt that day for 4pm). they said it sounded like i actually just needed to go up to Mckay Dee Labor and Delivery. So... off we went!

I went straight up to be evaluated and was put on the monitor. Asher was moving like crazy and i was not in all that much pain. the nurse was SO great. her name was Staci. she evaluated the monitor for about 20 minutes and called the dr. he is also able to evaluate the monitor at his office. my bp was a little high. but it didnt concern the dr.
"am i contracting?" Me
"yes" Staci
"but not like consistent or anything right?" Me
"um.... every 3 minutes... so yes." Staci

i was shocked. but for sure thought it did not mean i was actually in labor. she was then told by my dr to check me. she told me i was dilated to 2cm and 80%. THAT is when i started balling ... she said she thought i was for sure in labor. she assumed they would be admitting me and called my dr. he told her to send me home until my appointment with him at 4pm. Staci said she was sure that after my appointment i would be sent back to the hospital and admitted. i was 35weeks and 6 days. i was SO freaked out! so at about 11am we left the hospital.

my mom and i went FIRST to babies r us to buy a preemie outfit (why this was a priority i have NO clue)... then we went home and packed our bags, washed laundry, and took a nap. i however was so incredibly anxious that i was unable to even sit down for a long time.

at 4pm we went to see Dr Bierer, bags packed and in the car. he checked me and i was still at 2cm. so..... he wrote me a rx for lortab and said to go home on bed rest and see if i could keep the baby in until tuesday (6 days away). i thought NO PROBLEM! i can keep him in even longer! we went home and i laid in bed:)



at about midnight on Friday July 24th, i was feeling weird. my mind was telling me to chill out but my gut was telling me something was up. i was talking to Ange most of the night and she said she wanted to come up and go get evaluated with me. i tried to talk her out of it and said i was fine. but she is a good friend and didnt listen to me. my dad was also insistent upon coming with us. i kept trying to tell him it was no big deal i just was CURIOUS if i had dilated more. so at about 3am we headed to Labor and Deliver. Me, Ange, and my dad. In our jammies.

i was put in a room with Ange while my dad was in the waiting room. i was put on the monitor. it showed i was still contracting about 3 minutes apart. the nurse checked me and i was at 4cm~! so... i started to get freaked out. i called my dad in the waiting room and told him i didnt think they would be sending me home. the dr gave me morphine in my hip, to see if it would slow or stop anything. it did nothing. 1/2 hour later she checked me again and said i was 5cm!
"looks like your getting your c-section THIS MORNING!" Nurse
"are you serious? what.... at like noon?" Me
"no... probably in about 1/2 hour" Nurse

AHHHH... i was so freaked out. called my dad. he then had to take Ange's truck and drive to wake up my mom and sister since no one was answering their phone. he got to the house and had forgotten his key. so started banging on the door.
when my mom answered he said, "get dressed, having a baby". so ... my family ran around frantically, as i kept calling my dad telling him to get there NOW because i was scared they werent going to make it on time.

meanwhile... Ange and i sat in the triage room prepping for my c-section. i was so glad to have her there. the nurse started my iv, prepped my "area", gave me some crap to drink, and started running fluid. i was shaking like a leaf! Finally.. my mom, dad, and lindsay got there. they all were half asleep .... and i was going crazy! shaking and scared out of my mind. someone came in and gave me a bunch of paper work to fill out!..... which i thought was retarded! Including his birth certificate to fill out. (i still had not decided on a middle name. and for some reason Liam came to mind and i wrote it!)..

they took me and my mom back to the OR. my nurse Sandra was really nice, and i think somewhat understood how freaked out i was. i was sat on the table and the emotionless, personality-less anesthesiologist began my epidural. i was terrified. like crying and holding on to my mom as if i was a five year old. the epidural hurt SO bad. he hit a nerve and i actually screamed when it went in. but... once that started to kick in.. o my gosh it was amazing. it calmed me right down. i was the most comfortable, calm, relaxed, as i had been in 8 months!

my dr was out of town... so the on call dr.. who was a dr i knew and worked at the same practice as my OB delivered me. he had delivered lots of my friends so i was not as scared.
started cutting...... i could feel the sensation.. but no pain. it was amazing!... the next few minutes are a blur... my mom was taking pics of everything.. and then my mom started crying and screamed at 7:07 am...
"he is here!!!"

the dr brought him over for me to see. all i could see was his butt! i asked the dr what his face looked like and he moved him down. he had come out in the WEIRDEST position. his toes were touching his forehead! his butt was dilating me and his head was stuck under my ribs. so the first view i got of my son was his butt as the dr held him up. the dr said there was NO WAY i would have ever delivered him. he was taken to get cleaned. then my mom held him by me for a while. apgars were 9/9.. he was so sweet! and screaming.. which he has not done SINCE.

weight:6lb 5oz height:18inches
he had chubby cheeks. big eyes. and red hair.

ps... Shania Twain was blasting in the OR? so... i birthed my first born to good old Shania.

my mom left and gave him his bath. i was sewn up and in recovery by 7:30.
in recovery Ange, my dad, and Lindsay came to see me. and they brought Asher in for me to try to nurse him .. and from what i remember.. it was not fun. he wouldnt nurse and i was so completely out of it. anyway.... so they brought me to my post partum room at about 8:40.

about an hour or so after getting to my room they took Ash's temp which was 36.1. then took his glucose which was 17. she took it again and it was 19. before i knew it he was rushed to the NICU where his glucose was 30 (after a bottle).

he was put in an isolet, and given an iv. he had D10 running as well as Amp and Gent. he was fed every 3 hours and according to his feed they would lower the D10. i was able to go see him about 2 hours after they took him. he spent less than 48 hours in the NICU. less than 12 hours in the isolet. less than 24 hours on the D10.

i had my foley, pca epidural pain pump, and iv fluid running. every three hours i would wheel over to try and nurse him and feed him a bottle. it was wonderful! he was so tiny and so sweet! i didnt notice how "not good" he looked in the recovery room and stuff before they took him.. and now seeing him i could tell he was feeling MUCH better. so... every 3hours my mom and i would go over to feed him and i would pump.

the pain was not that bad. i was up and walking with in 4 hours of surgery. however... i DID go a little too fast. the next few days i was in a TON of pain. my pain pump was removed 24 hours after his birth (which hurt just as bad as the placement). and i took percocet and motrin every 4 hours. which would help.. but my pain was still always about a 7/10.

on day 4 they told us we could go home. they called the pediatrician to do his circumcision. that took about an hour. then he had to have a "Car seat trial" for 90 minutes. so..... all said and done it was about 11 pm before they were ready to start discharge teaching. but little Asher had STILL not pee'd after his circ. which was the main criteria for us to be able to leave. so.. they brought him to me ... and we assumed we would be staying another night. as soon as i opened his diaper to see his circ, he pee'd ALL OVER mommy.. with a matter of minutes to spare! so we were able to go home that night! we got home about 1am.

it was a great experience. my c-section was SO COOL. my nurses were amazing. the facility was amazing. Ash had the same 2 NICU nurses his whole stay.. who were great! the food was actually decent (rooms service).. and it was so fun to have our visitors (Kess, Ariel, Ryan, Heather, Keri, Laura, and Ange)..

we had birthday cake in the room, all the visitors signed his book. got lots of pictures. got to hang out and be taken care of for 3 days.! and got to bring my 36week 1 day preemie home with me! amazing!!!!

minutes old

hanging with grandpa

first time meeting aunt chelsea

grandma feeding in the NICU

first time mommy got to hold him! in recovery! (looking quite haggard!)
first time getting to see him in the NICU

One of his NICU rn's
his other NICU rn

in the NICU

the trio. wow. i look really great... like im so doped up im about to fall out of my wheel chair!~

finally in a real bassinett in the NICU

getting ready to go

heading home!

wow. if you made it through this whole post.. you are a true friend. i dont expect anyone to actually read the whole thing:) more for my own documentation!