I can't believe that I've been a mom for almost 8 weeks now....and I also can't believe that I'm just NOW writing about my delivery. Well, maybe I can believe it, since it's amazing how busy I feel when I only have one kid. I guess when you have a baby attached to you for many hours out of the day, that happens!
**** This blog is really for my Journal...I just didn't want to forget details, so if you don't want to read about blood, and contractions and baby pushing...then you might as well stop here!****
So...as for the delivery. My due date came on Nov 4th....and went by, unfortunately. I was not really surprised, but still disappointed that I hadn't gone into labor yet. I was just READY to be done with being pregnant and READY to have my little girl in my arms!
On Sunday, my sister and I went on a LONG walk in her neighborhood. I was determined to walk/squat/jump this baby out.
I guess something worked, because I woke up at around 5:45 Monday morning having contractions. I knew they felt different than the Braxton Hicks that I'd had, but I didn't want to get excited, so I made myself sleep in between contractions. I didn't wake up Stephen, because I was a little scared to get him all excited if it wasn't the real thing. Well, by the time his alarm went off at 7:15ish, I had been having contractions pretty consistently. Then, for a couple of hours, I just walked...showered...walked again...bounced on Cara's exercise ball (which, conveniently I had borrowed the night before) and paced until I decided that I wanted to head to the hospital.
(on the left, my due date...the right...the day we went to the hospital. can you tell i'm having contractions?)
Talk about disappointing. The nurses told me that they were going to see how I progressed in one hour, so Stephen and I started walking the halls of labor and delivery.
I never understood why people always said contractions were like waves....until I experienced it myself. The contraction would build and build until I was in a lot of pain, and then would crash and subside into a lull. I am so lucky to have Stephen..who held my hand and constantly told me how strong I was and how great I was doing. It really did help me stay calm and get through the pain.
An hour later, we went back up to Triage to get checked. Luckily, by this point I had progressed to a 3 and 1/2, so they brought me to labor and delivery to get started on the IV's and such. They gave me some medicine to ease the pain until I was able to get the Epidural. It really didn't ease the pain, but it almost made me forget the pain in between contractions until the next one came...allowing my body the chance to relax and prepare for the next contraction.
Around 3pm, the Anesthesiologist came in and gave me the Epidural.
oh. my. goodness.
Pain was completely gone, and I'm pretty sure I was asleep within minutes. I slept for HOURS, just waking up occasionally to drink some water, or to let the nurses flip me to the other side so the epidural wouldn't just take to one side.
I'm pretty sure that during this time, Stephen just watched Sports Center and listened to me snore for hours on end.
My parents, Stephen's parents and brother, Ryan got to the hospital around 7ish and came in to see me. By that time, I think I was dilated to about a 7 or 8, so they all ushered everyone out.
I didn't become fully dilated until about 9, and they didn't allow me to start pushing until 9:30. I think the doctor was delivering another child down the hall, and he hadn't gotten to my room yet.
I was pushing, and I guess the exertion of it took a toll on me, and I got nauseous and started throwing up for about 10 minutes. Despite that, however, within 25 minutes of pushing, Grace was coming, whether we were ready of not!
The nurses actually told me to STOP pushing, because the doctor wasn't ready yet, and I think that was were the problems began. The doctor got there, and Grace was here within seconds! She was born at 10:04pm measuring 8lbs 7oz and 21 1/2 inches long. She was perfect. They laid her on my chest, and I just remember thinking about how much love I already had for that plump little girl.
Stephen and Grace
Linder family visits!When they took her away was when I realized that the doctors and nurses were all milling around my bed. Grace was healthy, and that was really all that mattered in my head...but I had obviously lost a lot of blood in delivery. I had to get about 8 stitches because I had torn in several places. So, I watched them clean up my baby and hand her to Stephen while I was being fretted over and stitched up.
Then, once Stephen and the baby had gone to the nursery, more drama unfolded. Obviously, there are a certain number of gauze's and such on the delivery table, and they could only account for 28 of the 30 pieces of gauze used. yeah. So even MORE nurses came in, and were going through trash bins and those bio hazard tubs to find these missing pieces of gauze.
So, here I am, laid up on the delivery table, unable to even move my legs, much less do anything but watch as they gather all the bloody gauze and collect it on the table right in front of me...wondering if those missing pieces are inside of me. Luckily, they found the gauze that was lost in the wrong bin, and some sort of order was restored. My family wasn't even let in the room to see Grace until around 11:30. When they did come in, however, my sister was extremely nervous and worried about me. From what everyone tells me, I looked green, and Cara (being the nurse) saw my blood pressure numbers and became a little panicked. Once everyone was ushered out, Cara called back to the hospital to try to get information on me, but they couldn't tell her due to privacy. So, she called Stephen , who in turn gave permission for the nurses to talk to Cara.
I had lost a lot of blood, and my blood pressure was extremely low. Once the epidural wore off, they tried to get me to the bathroom in the room, and I remember standing up and looking down just as blood falls and splatters on the floor and on my feet. We kept progressing, though, and made it to the bathroom. When we were trying to get back to the bed, I stopped at the doorway of the bathroom because I started to feel dizzy...and then started to black out. Luckily Stephen grabbed the chair fast enough, and helped the nurses position it under me, so I didn't fall to the ground. Once we got to our post partum room (at 3am, mind you) the same thing happened. As I tried to walk to the bed from the bathroom, my hearing started to fade and I began to black out.
So, from that point on, I wasn't allowed to get out of bed unless someone was with me, and I had to have a Catheter. gross. The next morning, I had to get 2 units of blood transfused back into my body to help me recover. That made the world of difference. Once I had some of the blood back in my body, I felt soo much better!
Cara and the kids had made me a little care package for the hospital and mom brought me a little 'bouquet' of almond joys. I got so many compliments from the nurses about how they had never seen a care package as cute as the one Cara made, and everyone asked about the bouquet. We had about a million visitors, which was fun, but we were so ready to leave and be at our own home. As soon as they gave us the discharge papers to sign, and said we could leave anytime that day...we began to pack our bags to head home.
My sisters Mary and Cara, as well as my mom were there at the house waiting on us. I remember that before I even opened the door, I knew mom had made bread for us, because the scent of fresh bread lingered on the front porch. What a welcome that was...I love it when the house smells like fresh bread. Also, my sisters had prepared a meal for us...my favorite, STEAK!
We were so blessed those first couple of weeks. My mom stayed with us the first week, which was great...She catered to me and helped so much with everything. And so many friends from church offered to bring meals. I don't think we had to cook dinner for about 2 weeks!
On the way home!Bringing Grace home felt just like that...HOME. I know that she was preserved for my family, and I could not be any more happy to be her mom. I used to always think that there was no way I could love anyone more than I love my nieces and nephews..but Grace has brought in a whole new dimension to love. She is our joy and happiness. She has completely stolen my heart and I don't even want it back. I love this little girl with each and every fiber of my being.
Chorey Family at homecoming!
Bergevin Family
one of my favorites of Grace on the first few days at home.
(I could do a whole post on Nora and Grace...that little girl is in LOVE! I hope she still loves Grace as much once she has her own baby sister in a few months!)
(napping with Grace, Grace playing peek-a-boo, after a bath, and in the swing)
The many faces of Grace-Face.
First outing to zoo
Bedtime, winking, first day back at church, bathtime...she loves baths now, but that first one was traumatic!)
