Firsts

Firsts for Isaac this week: diaper rash :(, weight check up (up 5 ounces = 6 lbs 13 oz), smile (most likely from gas, but still adorable), umbilical cord falling out (ok, that only happens once, but still), and bath in the sink (not pleasant on the ears).

Firsts for mommy this week: mocha since May, mixed drink (yay daquiri!), steak cooked medium rare (no more leather for me!), and realizing how much the maternal instincts have kicked in when your newborn is screaming his head off because he peed through his sleep and his blanket and your boobs are dripping milk to the point where your pj shirt looks like someone dumped two glasses of water on you and all you can think about is comforting the baby.

So to finish the birth story....

After the epidural kicked in and everyone was stable, I was able to sleep, even with the sexy catheter and scalp monitor. I woke up a couple of hours later when Nurse G (my favorite one) was checking my printout sheets. She said that my labor had almost stopped (contractions 25 minutes apart...they had been 3) and the doctor wanted to come in to talk to me about pitocin. The doctor, who was a nasty piece of work, was not good at explaining things. She was very "this is what we are going to do because I am the doctor and I say so." Plus she talked to me by talking about me right next to me. I started to freak out a little bit. The nurse came back and calmed me down a little bit. She said she would bring the doctor back to explain things better. Dr. came back and was a bit nicer, butnot much. She said since my water had broken about 9 am the previous morning, I was getting close to the deadline for active labor to start. I agreed to the pitocin after a few minutes and she left to review my charts from the night. She came back a few minutes later to say she wanted to prep me for a C section since we had had such a hard time with the epidural and she didn't want any adverse reactions to another drug, and she had called my doctor to verify. She was worried about the baby. I FLIPPED OUT. I was screaming and crying. I felt like because I couldn't handle the pain, I had somehow jeopardized my baby. The doctor came back, wearing scrubs, and actually asked me what was wrong. I said that I just didn't want a C Section and I flipped out again. She said we would wait for my doctor to get in, about 7 am. Ben was really great, and was trying to calm me down and reassure me that things would be ok and that my doctor didn't do C sections unless he absolutely had to.

My doctor finally arrived, and said I was fine for pitocin. Whew. I should say that one of the problems I had with the other doctor was that I didn''t know her at all and she just wasn't nice to me. Not even that, she just wasn't personable. I was relieved that I could start the pitocin and once they hooked it up, I went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until late morning when the nurse came to do my exam. I was 6 cm and 100% effaced. Things were moving very well, and I was still in epidural heaven. I ate some jello. Around 2 in the afternoon, I started to feel like I had to poo very badly. The baby's head was on my colon now and I could feel every contraction again because of it. The nurse checked me again and I was almost at 9 cm and the baby was at +2. About half an hour later she came back and told me I could start pushing. They changed my epidural, and the fun began.

Now, I tried not to scream. Really I did. But I have never exerted so much physical energy and force before in my life. The epidural kept the contraction pain way down, but I could still feel it. The best part was when the nurse told me to stop pushing because the doctor wasn't here yet. Um....no. She said I could still do little pushes. I may have snuck some bigger ones in. The next best part was when she said I could reach down and feel the baby's head. Um...no thanks. The dr. arrived and soon after, I head the first cries fill the room. I lost it. I was bawling. They put him up on me and I didn't want to let him go. Ben did really well, and held my leg the whole time. He cried too. :) He didn't even pass out or anything. :) I didn't feel the ring of fire that they describe when he crowns, but I did feel a stinging. God bless you epidural. :)

The doctor said I did really well. I only had to push for an hour and that was excellant for a first baby on an epidural. All in all, it was about 26 hours of labor (from the big water gush). Oddly enough, the most uncomfortable part for me was the IV in my hand. I complained about it being uncomfy and hurting more than anything else. I can still feel the bump from it. And of course, it was the last thing they took out. It was really wierd when the epi wore off....and apparently funny to watch. I could touch my leg and feel it, but it just didn't feel like my leg. I felt like I was in a nursing home, since they had to roll me over to change the bed liners and stuff. :)

It's true what they say. I don't remember the pain or discomfort. I don't really even remember the discomfort of pregnancy. All I see now is my beautiful baby boy and I don't know what I did without him.