**MY LABOR STORY** Whew! Where do I start? It has been a long week! It has been so exciting....some of the greatest moments in my life have took place. I guess I'll just start from the very beginning...
Tuesday, December 27 (two days before due date), I was scheduled for my prenatal appointment at 8:30 am. I went in, and to make this part of the story short, was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia and was admitted into the hospital to be induced. I could no longer be delivered by the midwives since I was considered high risk. I was starting to get upset because things weren't going my way....I was hooked up to an IV and was being given magnesium for my blood pressure. So, I was confined to the bed....since we weren't expecting me to be admitted that day we hadn't ate, and then, I wasn't allowed to. The snacks I had packed for labor were peeking at me from the open suitcase...it was torture! LOL I was so excited that Aydan was on his way though, that it didn't matter. I wasn't having strong contractions and my cervix was still a 2-3. So, the plan to induce was....start a medicine next to my cervix to prepare it for labor, wait 12 hours and then start pitocin. At around 6pm that evening, Vicki came in and started the medicine for my cervix called cervadil (spelling?). The plan was to then begin pitocin at around 6am. Well, my body had a mind of its own. (Thankfully!) I almost immediately started dialating more and having stronger contractions. They weren't too bad, but I decided to get some stadol in my IV to take the edge off. This is the only part of my whole experience I would wish different. The stadol did absolutely nothing for my pain. It only made me feel extremely messed up and made me forget alot. I only remember bits and pieces of the time between about 3am and 6am. Randy said I started to talk a little crazy...LOL The contractions were really starting to hurt. They gave me a sleeping pill so I would be well rested for the next day. It made me sleep through some of the contractions. Apparently the cervadil was working on its own! I didn't end up needing the pitocin! Things were starting to happen fast! At 3am my sister arrived from Tennessee. I was still breathing through the contractions, and felt no pain relief.....but, I was trying to be tough and go without. Around 6am I was dialted to 8cm and just couldn't take it anymore. Breathing through it was just not working. Randy was so great during the whole thing! He rubbed my feet and back, and helped me to breathe. I finally, at 8 cm, opted for the epidural. Let me tell you....I wish I had gotten that anethesiologists name for next time! It was great, and I didn't feel a thing! About 3-4 contractions after he administered it, they started to ease up. And finally all I could feel was strong pressure. I was able to rest up to push. The doctor then came in about 7am and broke my water (still at 8cm). At 9am I was 9cm. They put me on oxygen because everytime I had a contraction his heart rate would drop. By 11 am I was 10cm and ready to push. I could feel everything, but no extreme pain. I couldn't have asked for the epidural to be any better. It let me feel just enough, and knocked out about 80% of the pain. I started to push at 11. Randy was on my right side holding that leg up when I pushed, and my sister Stephanie was on my left. After I pushed the first or second time, they let me reach down and feel his head. At exactly 11:15 he was born. They layed him on my stomach. I just remember him being so hot when I touched him. Randy cut the cord, and we were crying. We will never forget that moment. Aydan was then looked at by the doctors. He was doing great! I was then transferred to ICU. Where I had to stay for 24 hours since I was on the magnesium and my blood pressure was up. He was allowed to room in with us whenever we wanted. He weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and 20 1/4 inches long. He's so perfect! He has brownish blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and long blonde eyelashes like his daddy. He hardly ever cries. He's so good!
After 24 hours I was able to come off the magnesium, and was transferred to the regular mother/baby unit. Aydan had to lay on a little blue light because his belirubin levels were high (slightly jaundiced), but it went away the next day, and they took him off. He's our little glow worm... LOL He is eating well, and only lost 4 ounces the whole time we were in the hospital. Which was 4 nights, five days. He had all his tests done on his little head (which looks great by the way, it is perfectly round...LOL). He had an ultrasound on it...which still showed the fluid. And then an MRI. Initially we thought he was going to have to have the surgery to place a shunt in his brain, but the neurologist came in the next day and gave us hope. We were able to look at his MRI pictures ourselves. His ventricles are slightly enlarged, but they are draining! So, no surgery is needed at this time. Hopefully, never. Things are looking good. He just said this is how he is, he has a narrow duct that drains the fluid off his brain. That's all. Thank God!!! The doctor says he thinks everything will be perfectly fine! He has an appointment tomorrow morning with his pediatrician.
We finally came home New Year's Eve. We left the hospital around 6pm.
Well, that's my story. It was so perfect. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I really enjoyed my labor experience. Look for pictures soon. I will keep you updated on Aydan. Time to go feed my little angel.
2005-12-31 (baby has arrived)
HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AYDAN EMMANUEL MABE
HAS ARRIVED!!!!
BORN DECEMBER 28
AT 11:15AM
WEIGHING 7LBS 1 OZ
20 1/4 INCHES LONG
2005-12-26 (39 weeks)
Rest Is Good!!! Well I got some much needed sleep today. We got up and did some after Christmas shopping. I got Aydan some more great outfits for not much at all. I feel pretty good today too. My feet aren't as swollen....my shoes fit alot better!
I talked to Stephanie, and they will be heading this way sometime tomorrow! Can't wait to see her!
I have another appointment in the morning. Bright and early. We have to be there at 8:30. I hope everything will be fine this time. I'm so ready for him to get here. Sunday will be 2006!!! I was hoping he would at least be here this year! We'll see I guess....THREE DAYS UNTIL DUE DATE!!!
2005-12-26 (39 weeks)
MERRY CHRISTMAS Merry Christmas everyone! Actually it's the day after, but better late than never! Our computer messed up again, so I wrote as soon as I could. STILL NO BABY! AND 3 DAYS TILL DUE DATE!!! I was so hoping he'd be here by Christmas. Oh well, it might even be next year....LOL
Alot has happened since the last time I wrote. I went to the doctor Friday, 12/23. I saw Vickie this time. Again, there was protein in my urine, blood pressure was high (124/86), my feet were swollen, and I won't even say how much weight they said I'd gained. In just a week! She did say it had nothing to do with my diet and that all these were signs of preeclampsia, so, they sent me straight over to the hospital. There we were with the kids (no school due to Christmas), and nobody had had anything to eat all day. I thought I would be in and out of the appointment because the week before had went so smoothly with nothing wrong. But, here I was having to go to the hospital to be admitted so they could monitor me for a couple hours. Well, to make a long story short, we went, and I was monitored for about two hours....poor kids....LOL. They monitored my blood pressure, the baby's heartbeat (which was great), and contractions. They ran some more tests including bloodwork. All of them came back fine, so they released me and told me to rest. Right! Right here at Christmas. All the nurses kept saying....Yep! You're here to have a baby!" I was starting to get a little nervous there for a while. It was like.....this is it! LOL We weren't quite ready, and it doesn't look like he is either!! I'm so glad everything was ok though. I wouldn't like to be induced. I might be saying something different if he doesn't get here in the next two weeks though!! I got to meet another midwife (three down, two to go), Shelley, she was very nice. I'm still 2cm too...
Christmas went well. The kids liked all their presents. I've been resting as much as possible, with my feet up. Yesterday morning I felt pretty bad. I had a headache, and my feet are so swollen I can't even get on my shoes hardly...ugh! Throughout the day I felt better though. It's all going to be soooooo worth it in the end!!!
