Our first few couple of days passed by in a blur, in the whirlwind of activity that is a hospital stay.  I always tell my patients "there's no rest for the weary" in the hospital, and I got to experience that full force, being a patient myself! 

Our nurses were wonderful though, and helped us learn the ropes of diapering and bathing and swaddling and breastfeeding...there was SO much to learn!  I think some of it made it into my brain, but my recall is pretty fuzzy at this point.  Evan did well though; he passed all his newborn screenings.  He slept a ton from the get-go, and to date is still near impossible to wake up when it's time for a feeding.  The nurse did check his blood sugar one time though, just to make sure he was doing okay, and it turned out everything was fine - the kid just didn't want to eat.  I agree, sleep is much more preferable.  I chatted with the audiologist who came in to do Evan's newborn hearing screening, and she let us watch the process.  It was pretty cool actually, measuring Evan's brain waves and such, but I got my first hint of parental anxiety...I was so nervous he wouldn't pass his first test!  Of course all was fine though.  We made it through our first meconium diapers...and were shocked to find out that they didn't smell (a happy discovery!), and that there's way more than one green diaper.  We'd always heard about the "first poo", not the first ump-teen poos...

We had lots of visitors in the hospital, from the whole rehab team (all my coworkers)who came in to check out the new addition to the Horne family, to my doctors and pediatricians, to our friends Kristen and Jackie and Brad.  Now they were the most fun, as they brought in a bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion!  Even Mommy had a sip.  "Aunt" Kristen was very impressed by Evan's attempts at head control already, which was happy news, coming from a speech pathologist who works with NICU babies.  It really is a miracle that Evan is so healthy and strong and alert. 

Everyone gave us the advice to stay in the hospital and get as much rest and help as we could before we went home, but of course when we were actually in the situation, all we wanted to do was to get home.  We were eternally grateful for our nurses one night though, when Mommy and Daddy could not figure out how to soothe Evan (my theory is that the colostrum just wasn't cutting it for our little hungry guy).  Our nurse swooped in and offered to take him to the nursery, so we were able to get a few blessed hours of sleep.  Now that would've been a great service to have on our first night home! (It was rough, very rough).  They gave him just a bit of formula to tide him over, and by the time he was ready for his next feeding, we were at least semi-functional again. 

In the end, we were just itching to get out of there, having been in the hospital since Monday night.  It was very happy news indeed when our doctors decided to let us out early, since Evan was doing so well and looked so healthy.  We did have the stipulation that we had to take Evan to a doctor's appointment the next day, as he was in the Low-Intermediate range on the jaundice scale.  Apparently breast fed babies are at higher risk of being jaundice, and his little nose was a bit orange when you pressed on it.  So, on Thursday afternoon, after getting the all-clear, they wheeled me out to the car and off we went to take our bundle of joy home.  Let the fun begin!

While I have a second, and am awake and semi-functional, and Evan is sleeping and Daddy is holding him, I thought I'd get started on Evan's birth story.  I'm going to write what I remember - sorry if this gets overly detailed but it really is a record for me - skim through to the good parts if you want.

NOTE: I will be piece-mealing the story, telling it bit by bit as I get the time, so if you're interested, please be patient and keep checking back!

The story left off with us going to the hospital to have our baby.  We packed up the car and headed off; it was a very uneventful trip with me not yet in labor and in no real rush to get there.  We said a prayer together in the car before heading in (which has already been answered many times over), and walked in to have our baby.

After checking in, they led us to our Labor and Delivery room, which funny enough was exact room we got to see during our hospital tour, and within an hour or so got things underway.  Two blown veins later I had an IV started to get me going on my fluids, was hooked up to a blood pressure cuff and two fetal monitors (heart rate and contractions), and had my dose of Eservidil at about 12:30 a.m.  After all our ministrations the weekend before, I had dilated to a whopping 1 cm and 50% effaced, so clearly the Eservidil had its work cut out for it.  Dave and I amused ourselves reading magazines and playing cards while all this was happening, but by about 2 a.m. or so the Ambien my doctor prescribed so I could get some sleep kicked in and off we went to dreamland.  As a sidenote,  I made it through all three doctors in the practice during the process...Dr. James at check in, Dr. Ray the next day, and finally Dr. Mistie for delivery.  We were there a very long time.

Twelve or so hours later, after the meds had time to work their magic, I was checked again.  I really thought this whole induction this was supposed to work fast, but in my case apparently not.  The meds had the grand effect of graduating to 1 cm and 60% effaced.  Dr. Ray came in and told me that it wasn't worth trying another round of Eservidil (and waiting another 12 hours), or even the gel (wait time of 3 hours), and instead they started me right away on Pitocin.  Even the Pitocin took awhile to kick in, or at least it took me awhile to feel any contractions.  In fact, I was shocked when Dr. Ray arrived again and told me I was contracting every two minutes!  I definitely felt uncomfortable, but nothing really too out of the ordinary. 

So the waiting game continued.  We watched a lot of TV, read, sent a few text messages, tried to relax.  I drank lots of water just so I could have an excuse to get unhooked from everything to get up and go to the bathroom.  Oh, what lengths we go to when we're bored!  I amused myself by calling down to the kitchen call center and chatting with the girls down there, who I know from work.  This is going to sound geeky to anybody but me, but they actually played a practical joke on me while I was there.  I'd ordered pancakes for breakfast, and they sent it to me pureed!  This is after a few weeks ago when I'd given an inservice on the merits of pureeing and altering food for folks who have trouble swallowing (yes, I know my job is weird).  In any case it made me laugh.

At 3:30 the nurse came in and upped the Pitocin, and at 5:00 upped it once again.  Finally by about 6:00, my contractions became more intense, at least so that I could feel that something was going on down below.  By 6:30 I'd graduated up to a whole 1-2 cm dilated, and now 70% effaced.  Baby Horne sure was taking his/her merry old time!  They did start me on penicillin at that time, since I'm Group B positive and needed antibiotics at least 4 hours before delivery.  So for awhile I was distracted by the burning pain of the penicillin going in the IV, and then it was back to mildy contracting. 

At about 7:15 we had a big "uh-oh" moment, though I didn't know it at the time (thank goodness my nurse Shannon was so level-headed and calm, or I would've likely been a mess).  Sidenote: I thought of my dear friend Shannon the whole way through my labor, due to my wonderful nurse Shannon, and also because I was experiencing back labor, which she also had when delivering her son.  Back labor is a joy I do not wish upon anyone else.  So back to the story, as I was flopping around trying to find a comfortable position, Baby's heartrate took a dive into the 70's, which translates to an unhappy baby.  But Shannon calmly had me turn to my other side, started me on oxygen, and left the room. Only when she came back did she tell me that she'd been concerned, called the doctor, and the doctor was convinced the baby had rolled over on his/her umbilical cord.  She also told me that when placentas are attached posteriorly, as mine was, umbilical cords tend to gather on the left side.  Which makes me think that was likely the case, as Baby H. always always preferred the right side of my belly the whole pregnancy, and I was always more comfortable laying on my right vs. the "optimal" left side.  But I digress.  Suffice it to say Baby continued to be much happier when I was on my right side. 

By about 7:30 or so, all was back to normal, and they upped my Pitocin yet again.  At 7:40 I was checked again, and was then 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  We were really moving up in the world!  At 8:10, as the contraction had gotten much stronger and I was checked again, Shannon told me active labor had officially begun.  That's when it began to sink in that I would really be having a baby at the end of all of this! 

The contractions were still coming about 2 minutes apart, but felt like they were getting harder and harder.  Dave was absolutely wonderful throughout it all, and was the perfect labor coach.  I don't think I was too crazy through it all, except when I sent him out of the room to eat his dinner, as his french fries were making me nauseous!  I was also quite hungry by this point, since I hadn't eaten since 10 a.m., and now wasn't allowed to eat because of all the meds. Go figure. I'd snuck a few pretzels early on, but then sadly it was ice chips only for me.  At about 9:15 I discovered I'd passed the mucous plug...again taking joy in progress, however small it may be. 

By 10:00, my contractions were getting increasingly painful, and I started thinking that an epidural may in fact be a good thing.  Although I wasn't allowed to get out of bed, I did get to try a few fun labor positions.  Let me just say, it's highly awkward to be laying on your side in bed straddling a peanut-shaped exercise ball, with naught but a hospital gown on.  But it was supposed to help ease my back labor and get the baby in the right position for coming out.  At about 11:00, when I got bored with that one, and really in too much pain to think straight, my nurse let me sit on a different exercise ball on the side of the bed.  Well, that lasted all of about two contractions before I stood up and felt "the gush".  Yep, my water had finally broken, and all on its own!  Nurse Shannon said this tends to be a very good sign that labor would be progressing faster, and sure 'nuff, she was right.  So back to bed I went.  And opted to get the epidural. 

Go figure, as soon as I decided to get the epidural, the anethesiologist had to go in to do a C-section with somebody, so I had to wait for it.  Another very painful hour of contractions passed, but he finally arrived with the good stuff around 11:50.  I was expecting fairly instant relief, but that didn't happen - it took another half hour or so before I felt any real relief...about time!  The leading theory of why it took so long for me to get relief was that I was having back labor the whole time. Fabulous.  About that time, 12:15 or so, they checked me again, and I was 90% effaced and now 4 cm dilated.  Labor felt like it was taking forever! 

Well.  My theory of why labor was so hard even with the meds was this: when Nurse Shannon checked me at 12:45, I was already fully effaced and 80% dilated!  Talk about moving fast. At that point, and later during the pushing stage, I was very very glad I got the epidural, as I couldn't imagine what it would've felt like without it.  When we figured out how far along I really was, Dave and I started getting pretty excited.  Nurse Shannon had been betting on a baby by the end of her night shift, but she amended her prediction to a baby arriving in the wee hours of the morning. 

After all the excitement, we still had to wait another hour or so to get to the full 10 cm; the whole time I had to sit with the peanut ball in bed again - not the most comfortable of positions.  But, by 1:50, at the next check, I was finally 10 cm dilated and baby's head was already at a +1 station.  So...Dr. Mistie was finally called in to finish the job.  The nurse congratulated my uterus on doing its job so well so fast.  This is apparently a big accomplishment as the doctor did the same thing when she walked in.  Go, uterus, go!  By this point Dave and I were getting pretty nervous and excited, and I was getting a little scared, but we were definitely ready to go.  Funny enough, just as the doctor walked in, the song "Let's Get This Party Started", by Pink, came on the radio.  Very appropo, no?

So, all was prepped, floppy numb legs propped up in stirrups, Dave by my side, baby warmer out, successfully had completed "practice" pushes with Dr. Mistie, and by 2:20 it was about time to start pushing for real.  The nursery team was also called in to monitor things, I guess, as Baby's heartrate dropped to the 70s or so a few time during the practice pushing.  But Dave tells me Baby's heartrate was fine after the initial few "what the heck is going on here" pushes, so it was fully steam ahead.  When the next contraction came around, Dr. Mistie and Nurse Shannon coached me through pushing really really hard.  Now that was an experience!  I remember I kept saying "How on earth does anyone do this without an epidural?!?"  The answer was "You'd be screaming".   I also remember pushing so hard it felt like my head was about to pop off, seriously.  Dave said my face did get really really red.  Go figure. 

Happily, after only 11 minutes of pushing and Dave by my side the whole time, we had a little miracle on our hands!  Our baby boy was born at 2:33 a.m.  Oh happy day!  I saw he was a boy about a split second before the doctor announced we had a son, and it really was a beautiful sound to hear his cry for the first time.  It was pretty surreal though, especially with everything having gone so fast.  Dr. Mistie offered cutting the umbilical cord to Dave, who probably could've done it after hanging in there so well during the delivery, but in the end declined, so I got to cut it.  Pretty neat.  After that they place him on my belly and it was just magic, holding and snuggling our new little guy. 

After that, they took him to the side to clean him off, do the Apgars (he got scores of 9 and 9, hooray!), and weigh him, etc.  He was 8 lbs., 5 oz, and 20 inches long.  I remember looking over at him and seeing three things: 1) he peed all over the nurses cleaning him up, 2) he was already sticking his tongue out and showing signs of being hungry (not surprising since Mommy was famished by that point), and 3) he had crazy long finger-toes, which were splayed out super wide.  Anybody who knows me well knows I am really creeped out by finger-toes, but I decided in that instant that I loved his!  He was very healthy-looking and alert and strong from the very first moment he met the world. 

By 3 a.m., we were already into our first fumbling attempt at breastfeeding - very confusing for both mom and baby! - and by 3:30 we'd officially decided to name our beatiful baby boy Evan Peter Horne.  What a happy, happy end to our long labor story!  We were in love with him in an instant. 

Well, it's official.  I just called the hospital and they have room for me, so my appointment at 10 pm tonight is good to go.  We're just finishing up a few things around here, and then we'll be off!  Dave and I have been feeling a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness all day - all to be expected, I think- and by now I'm just ready to get the show on the road.  I've been getting all kinds of phone calls all day (and, sidenote: have realized how nice it is that when I call anybody now, people drop what they're doing and answer right away - it's a nice perk), and there is definitely excitement in the air. 

I feel pretty good about the whole induction thing after speaking with the doctor today.  I found out it's not only a matter of timing, but more to the point, Dr. James has no high hopes that I will go into labor by myself anytime soon.  He cited all kinds of research giving the reasons why they really don't want anyone to go past 41 weeks, including increased risk of stillbirth, and after hearing that, I'm fully on board.  The other thing I was happy to hear is that there's really no increased risk of C-section with induced labor; he said 80-90% of women still get to go naturally, which is right in line with the normal C-section stats. 

He did give me the option to wait until the end of the week if I want to, but it seems that since I'm not at all dilated yet and am showing no real signs of labor, he really doesn't think waiting will make a difference in my case.  So, I guess this is just the way it happens for some people.  Now I'm just hoping that things progress fairly quickly...according to the doctor this could be a long process depending on how I react to the drugs, and as long as baby is doing fine, they'll be in no hurry to get baby out.  And in the end, cliche as it may be, as long as baby comes out healthy I will be one happy mama.  So, we'll keep you up to date the best we can. Thanks everyone for the prayers and well wishes - they are much appreciated! 

It's a banner day: June 8th!...the day we've been looking forward to for so long.  It's so odd that it's finally here, and yet, there's someone missing!  I suppose I will not be in the 5% of women who have babies on their due date, c'est la vie. 

Baby Horne still seems to be as snug as a bug in a rug in my tummy, and is apparently in no rush to greet the world.  I can't blame him/her...I hear it's pretty shocking for babies when they finally come out.  It's pretty unfortunate for baby then, that we're all getting impatient to meet him/her!  After thinking about it a bunch more, reading up on it, and especially after talking to my friends who already have babies, I've decided to go for the induction tomorrow.  I will call the doctor though, just to get some questions answered, but then it'll be all systems go!

I've been quite the chatterbox this weekend, talking to family and friends, sharing the induction news and receiving well-wishes and lots of prayers.  The Horne family is feeling pretty loved right about now! 

Of course, it would be nice to go into labor on my own.  To that end, Dave has instituted a pretty intense Natural-Labor-Induction plan.  He's turning into quite the well-meaning drill seargeant, all in the name of Operation Go Baby.  We've tried just about everything every heard of to naturally get things moving...I've gone for long, energetic walks...er, waddles, I've had really really hot chamomile tea to drink, I've taken a shower as hot as I can stand it, I've eating lots of spicy Indian food, we've (sorry siblings and parents) done "The Deed", we've tried accupressure, and "best" of all, I've tried the castor oil method.  Lots and lots of pregnant woman have absolutely sworn by it. 

So far, all I can tell is that I feel very homeopathic, I'm definitely in more pain, and I have very, very clean bowels.  Which I guess will be a nice thing when I do finally go into labor.  I'm really doing all this though in hopes that something gets moving so the induction can go a little smoother.  I read that inductions are the most effective in ladies who have already progressed a little bit...so tea and castor oil...bottoms up!