The deets

I've been obsessively updating my Facebook so I could remember everything from this past week specifically for this blog. My boyfriend and his BFF say I have an addiction to Facebook, but I never did tell them or anyone else why I was updating so much. So here it goes, the first week of motherhood.

As my last post stated, my water broke around 10:30p Friday August 6 2010. At 1:34a on Saturday August 7 21010 I decided it was time to go into the hospital. All I remember my OB telling me was when my contractions were 5 minutes apart (or at least a steady enough number between) to go in. 8 was the magical number it seemed and once I started getting tired it was just time so I could sleep. Apparently, you're suppose to go in as soon as your water breaks. Who'd have guessed? (Oops.)

Tired and starting to become miserable I checked in to the hospital and began the tedious task of signing off on paperwork - all the while just wanting to go to sleep.

I grossed myself out with the constant drip of amniotic fluid running down my legs while signing the papers above. I finally got to get in the bed and although I signed a few more papers while there, at least I was in a bed and comfortably off my feet. (Although, Mom wanted one last prego belly photo before this happened.)

Good lord I was huge!!! I mean, look at me! I didn't think I was at the time, maybe because I was living with the belly everyday, but looking back in the photos ... JEEZ!

Now comes the "fun" part...

Once in the hospital the contraction really started to kick in. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being so painful I could lose consciousness) I was rating myself at a 5. When the nurse asked what number should I say before they give me pain meds, I answered "6." Six showed up really fast after that. They hooked me up and within minutes I was feeling, as I told Josh, "loopy." I was awfully giggly, too.

I think I slept somewhere between that and being checked during contractions which I didn't know they do and it made me shake from an adrenaline rush due to the pain. I wince during regular OB exams, during contractions was excruciating for me. Finally, I reached 4cm and they gave me an epidural. It worked for about a minute and then I began to feel all of my contractions. My stomach was numb, my legs were aso numb (my right one was dead), but between those two areas I was able to feel EVERYTHING! No bueno. The nurse, my favorite of the whole bunch, was awesome the whole time and definitely had my back. An internal monitor was done because James' heartrate was dropping and spiking; signs of stress. That HURT!!! Oh my god! Why do they have to do exams and shove things up you during contractions?!!!

After awhile I was given a second epidural and my legs REALLY went dead then, but I watched the contractions and by the 4th or 5th one I felt nothing. *big sigh of relief* Finally, no more pain. I had been shaking violently and crying uncontrollably for quite awhile (I'm not good on guessing time frames because I had no knowledge of anything other than what I was feeling at this time).

I guess I went to sleep for a couple of hours and when I woke up they were checking me again. I was only at 4.5cm!!!! Practically no progression at all! I wanted to cry again. They had me on Pitosin this whole time, by the way. I went back to sleep and when I woke up an hour later I was at 9cm and my OB was in the room talking to me. I remember my eyes open but I didn't hear anything she said until about halfway through her statement. Something about heartrate dropping, stress, have to get him out now, umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, C-section.

FEAR.

I was suddenly jolted into consciousness; C-section? Umbilical cord around his neck? What?! None of it was going how I'd imagined it, none of this had ever crossed my mind. C-section wasn't even an option in my head. My mom had had two awesome deliveries with my brother and I, and I'd hoped for the same results. This was all the exact opposite. This was all everything I didn't want to happen.

They rushed everyone out of the room, except for Josh. I was crying again; seems like all I did that night was cry for one reason or another. I couldn't even focus enough to hear what anyone was saying; Josh kissed me, said he loved me and then I was being wheeled out of the room while he stayed behind. I began to freak out. I thought I was going in there alone, I thought "Why isn't he following? Does he know he's allowed to be in there with me?" The anestiologist started doing his work, I couldn't feel anything, and I couldn't stop staring out of the door, looking for Josh. Finally, I asked where he was and I was told he'd be in in a minute. A few seconds later he showed up, dressed in all of the stuff they had to dress him in and, go figure, I cried harder from relief. He held my hand and I heard, "You're going to feel some pressure and a little tugging. She's cutting now."

I felt nothing.

"That's a big boy!" one of the nurses said. Josh couldn't see anything at this point either. Then I heard the crying; not my crying, not my sobbing. The loud, piercing cries only one person in the world could be making at that moment. My son.

It seemed like they had me cut open, him out, umbilical cord cut, and him cleaned off in 5 seconds. The next thing I knew they were holding him in front of me to see. Once again, cue the water works. I think at this point Josh was somewhat in shock because I remember looking at him to see what he was doing and he definitely wasn't crying. After hours of my sobbing, this was the moment I thought "I feel stupid for crying." (Ha!)

Just as quickly as they let me take a look at him they took him away and told Josh he could stand up and take photos. I was told it was going to take 25-30 minutes to close me up and that they were taking James to the nursery to evaluate him and clean him up really well. Josh was going to go with them. That's the last thing I remember before waking up for a couple seconds when my mom came into my hospital room to see me post-op. Apparently, they weren't going to let anyone in, but she is a mother and she was not going to be told no. Somehow Lindsay got passed them because I vaguely remember her being in the room and me making her cry because I was crying (yet again! UGH!).

I fell back asleep for a good long while I'm assuming and then Josh was there asking if I wanted to see him. "Duh!" I said. So he went to tell the nurse and a few minutes later the nurse, Josh and our son were in the room and I was finally holding him. 3 hours after surgery. He was hungry and a tad bit pissed off so I obliged and he did beautifully at latching on. (Read on, it was all down hill from there where latching on is concerned.)

Josh told me there was a whole "gang of people" waiting outside to see me and he wasn't lying. I think there were around 10 people there when I came to. They piled into the room and I don't really remember what was said or done.

I remember Josh saying, "He was born at 11:56am. He was 6lbs, 15oz. 19.5 inches long. And he had monkey toes."

Poor kid, he's got my feet. HAHA!

I have to admit I absolutely LOVED my stay in the hospital. I felt like I was at a hotel on a mini vacation where we kept ourselves locked away from the worls (despite all of the visitors we had).

I loved that James knew my voice instantly that first second we met face to face. He was fussy until he heard me and then he jsut stopped and looked at me. We probably both had the same expression on our faces, "Oh, so that's what you look like!"

8.8.10 @ 4:53am - I have my world's most perfect person asleep in my arms right now. I'm so in love!

8.8.10 @ 8:08pm - I've never been around someone so cuddly before. I love my James!

On Sunday August 8 2010 my friend, Charles, came by to get the newborn shots of James. They are just beautiful!! Also on that day Ashley, Matt, baby Stella, Celia, Eric, Yvonne, Jamie, and baby Austin came to visit (at the same time). The room for a little while was full of babies. Stella, 7 months and 15 pounds; Austing, 3 months and 16 pounds (you read that correctly); and James, 1 day and weight unknown since newborns lose weight at first. Yep, Austin is the same weight, length, height, etc as a 7 month old. He's a big, beautiful, bouncy baby boy!!!

8.9.10 @ 9:29am - James appears to be headed towards Dreamtown so I'm going to attempt to lay him in the crib and take a nap myself.

Already I knew he wasn't going to like his crib; he prefers being held over sleeping on a mattress. Mattresses don't cuddle back. I apparently wasn't getting much sleep, judging by my updates.

8.9.10 @ 10:18am - Between James' needs, Josh's naps, and the nurses' constant checks I'm never going to get any sleep.

8.9.10 @ 6:03 pm - Slight case of jaundice. Nothing major.

Yep, my baby was yellow. It's not uncommon and didn't alarm me. Regular feedings would be good enough I was told. No need for a bili blanket or light therapy.

This was also the day (Monday August 9 2010) that James got his circumcision done. I chose to go with Plastibel. A plastic ring that requires no post-op care; it simply falls of when it's healed. As much as I was loving being in the hospital, I was equally as excited to get home. I couldn't wait to see James in his nursery.

I was/still am thankful for all the sleeping and lack of fussing James did in the hospital. It made it so easy to rest up before going home.

Once we were home all James ever did was sleep. However, the week went a little something like this:

Tuesday afternoon - got home; slept; had visitors; got a call that one date had been typed up wrong (2101 intead of 2010) on the parental affidavit and could we come in the next day to resign the papers so she could retype everything? Called WIC, MDWise, and my caseworker to let them know I'd had the baby. Caseworker didn't answer (surprise, surprise...), MDWise entered him in as born but said I'd have to get ahole of my caseworker to ensure he got put into the system, and WIC told me I should have called them the day after he was born (who has time for that while in the hospital?!) and scheduled my appointment to go in to re-register for checks. Josh ran to Walmart to get my pain meds.

Wednesday - drove to the hospital with James to resign the papers (got a $10 Target gift card for our troubles), then drove across the city to the eastside so Josh could sign the baby leave papers for his time off. My paind meds ran out.

Thursday - 11am was James' first pediatrician visit and he'd already gained his birth weight back. Then we went home for a minute, then drove to the WIC building and got James registered and me re-registered for checks.  Forgot my WIC folder (it would have been nice if they'd reminded me) so Josh said he'd go back Friday with the folder so we could get our checks.

Friday - I called my OB in the morning due to my incision being inflamed, red, and painful. I feared infection and was able to get in at 11am. We ran back to Mooresville where after sitting in the waiting room for 50 minutes we then sat in the exam room for another hour (or more) -- long enough that I fell asleep on the table. When my OB was finally able to look at it she took out half of the staples, said there wasn't any infection, prescribed me stronger pain meds and an antibiotic to prevent infection and encourage drainage. Josh dropped me and baby off at home then left to go pick up his check and the WIC checks. His mom came over to, as he said, "babysit me" -- I got to nap while she got to spend time with James. While I was asleep Josh returned home, his mom left as my mom showed up to get my new 'scripts so she could get them filled for me. When I finally woke up, although in serious pain from 2 days without pain meds, Josh was sitting on the sofa and James was asleep as usual. His dad came over with pizza and my mom showed up shortly after with my 'scripts, preemie diapers, and lemon snack cakes. :) Also, James pee'd on his own face.

Saturday - James turned one week old while Josh was out once again. However, Josh was worried about his circumcision ring causing him irritation. After an ER run it turns out it's fine. This is the day his umbilical cord fell off.

Sunday - Mom spent the day with James while Josh and I went to see Prince of Persia. Then James and I went to her house to visit my brother. It's been a good day all in all.

That's it. Now I'm waiting for Josh to pick us up so I can sleep since I've been up since 5:30a and going nonstop. I'm ready for sleep and I hope Josh has energy to stay up later than normal so I'm not up every 2 hours during the night.