Because Forgetting is Easy: November 13, 2012

Patrick's Birth Story:

During my pregnancy I had strong feelings about being induced. I knew a few women that were induced and had such a hard and painful labors and that was something I didn't want. Let me back up just a bit. I knew labor and delivery was going to be painful and honestly I did a good job of convincing myself it was going to be awful and the worst thing ever but the result would be worth it. I didn't really think I would have a natural labor or anything but I just didn't want to be induced.

Fast forward to about 38 weeks and I was MISERABLE! I hadn't been sleeping longer than 45 minutes at a time for weeks and I was going back and forth during the night between the bed and a recliner we borrowed and set up in our bedroom. I was in pain almost constantly and often it was hard for me to walk because my hip kept wanting to shift and I had to go to the chiropractor often. Luckily, I was able to nap during the day and take it easy because I had already quit my job by this time. At my 38 weeks appointment I told my doctor I had changed my mind, he was right about me wanting to be induced. He had told me around the 35 mark that because Patrick was so low into my pelvis I was going to keep being in more pain and I would probably want to be induced at 39 weeks if he hadn't come by then. I was already 90% effaced and only 3 cm dilated.

I went in Monday, November 12th for my 39 week appointment and was 100 % effaced but still just 3 cm dilated. My doctor made an appointment for the following morning at 6:00 AM for induction! WHOOP WHOOP, I was so ready to have this baby! I called the hospital in the morning to confirm my appointment and was asked to come in at 7:00 AM because they were a little behind. My mom followed Steve and myself to the hospital and got checked in. It was about 8:00 AM before they got all my IV's and monitors hooked up and the pitocin started close to 9:00 AM. Let me tell you something...being hooked up to IVs and monitors is awful! I kept having to pee and you have to unhook all this junk and take the IV pole with you and not to mention I was HUGE and Steve had to help me. There is nothing beautiful about being induced and giving birth....it's just a dirty job but so worth it! You also lose all dignity in the hospital and although I'm a SUPER modest woman you just don't care anymore. And it's a good thing, because the doctor and nurses are checking on you in all your private areas and moving you around and it's just ugly.

I think it was about 11:00 AM that my doctor came in to check me, still 3 cm so he broke my water and turned up my pitocin drip. It wasn't long after that when I got my epidural (the most amazing thing EVER). I wasn't in extreme pain but knew it was coming and didn't want to wait until it was too late...GOOD THING! My nurse told me it could be awhile before the doctor could come give me my epidural so I better get on the list. She was right, it was an hour and half later when the anaesthesiologist came in. I told my nurse around 1:30 PM (I think) I was in a lot of pain and was scared my epidural wasn't working. She checked me and I was 8.5 CM! I had went from 3 cm to 8.5 in just an hour. She was shocked and called the anaesthesiologist to up my epidural. She also called my doctor to let him know I was almost ready to push. At 2:35 PM my nurse (who was amazing by the way) had me push just once to see if I was close. She quickly told me to stop, called the doctor and said to get down there right away because the baby's head was already showing.

I pushed until 2:59 PM and baby Patrick was here! Honestly, the pushing was the easiest part! I had been miserable being on all the monitors and junk hooked up to me and not being able to move around so pushing was great. Before I started my nurse told me most first time moms average 2 hours of pushing but she thought I would only need an hour. How about closer to 20 minutes! That's what I'm talking about! My pregnancy hadn't all been lovely but my delivery was, it was honestly wonderful and my doctor and nurses were AWESOME! Patrick came out crying and the doctor said he looked good but had swallowed some fluid so the nurses suctioned him and brought him to me to hold. He was absolutely perfect!


Patrick Lewis 7lbs 10oz 20inches

I was kinda out of it but Steve told me he could tell the nurses were concerned, they couldn't get all the fluid out. They said Patrick was going to the nursery to have the fluid sucked out but he would be fine. I was ok at first but after over an hour without him I began to panic a little. We were told he was taken the transition nursery which was connected the NICU but he wasn't actually in the NICU, YET. He had swallowed so much fluid he was having trouble breathing so they put him under an oxygen hood to help him. They told me he was going to be fine but I freaked! My poor baby boy was under an oxygen hood, having trouble breathing, and I couldn't hold him! I was terrified and just started praying, "Lord, please don't take my sweet boy from me. Please heal him and make him ok and healthy". We were informed that he would only be allowed in the transition nursery for 6 hours then a doctor would check him and decide if he could come to my room or needed to go to the NICU, depending on how well his breathing had been and his glucose level.

It was about 8:00 PM before I saw my sweet boy again. Stephen was great and kept going to check on him since I couldn't go down myself. At 8:00 my wonderful night nurse, Hope, wheeled me down to see my boy. I could see all the other babies that were actually in NICU and felt so much heartbreak for them because my boy was, in fact, going to be just fine. At 10:00 PM Patrick came to my room and I was the happiest woman on the planet! He was so precious and I just wanted to hold him all night, except I was COMPLETELY exhausted. Labor, delivery, and constant worry for a day will wear a girl out, who knew?

Sucking his thumb

To make a really long story short, Patrick was going to be just fine and we had a good stay at the hospital and came home November 15th. Because I wasn't able to nurse until 10:00 PM the day he was born, Patrick lost a lot of weight in the hospital and was 6 lbs 12 oz when we left. The fun was about to begin...

Here are some of his first pictures: