Joshua's Birth Story It's been over 2 weeks now since his birth. I'll try to write down the story as best as I can remember it. ........ Wednesday the 11th I just didn't feel good all day, I can't really explain how I was feeling, just off. I wan't having contractions, maybe a few braxton hicks, but no real contractions, just felt crummy. So I took a hot bath and went to bed early. I know I wasn't suposed to take a hot bath but I figured I am so far along what harm could it do. And my belly stuck way up out of the water anyways. ......... So then I woke up Thursday morning at 6:30 am feeling even worse and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up and went and laid down on the couch. I was feeling a ton of pressure in my lower stomach. Still no contractions, just a lot of pressure. Thursday was my scheduled ultrasound appointment at 11 am. So as I was laying on the couch I started to think that maybe today was the day. So I decided to have everything ready just in case. I completed packing my hospital bag and I even took off my rings ( I knew I'd have to for the operating room). My Aunt had called me that morning when I was laying on the couch, but I didn't tell her a thing about all the pressure I was feeling. I thought it was just a small chance because I didn't have any contractions. ...... Johan was sleeping this whole time becuase he had worked the night before. I went and woke him up for the ultrasound appointment but I didn't tell him anything else. It was when we were heading out the door that I told him that he should put the suitcase in the car. He looked a bit surprised of course. ....... So we went to the ultrasound appointment as planned, I had an appointment on Friday to see Dr. Fleisher. So at the ultrasound appointment the technician asked how I was doing. I then told her about all the pressure I was feeling, she gave me a "you're in labor" look. She asked if I was feeling contractions, I still wasn't. She then hurried up and did the ultrasound to check the fluid really fast. I think my fluid was somewhere around 9. Then she went to get Dr. Fleisher. He was unavailable so she got another doctor to examine me. Afterwards she went and got Dr. Fleisher who also examined me. He said I was 3-4 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced. Which ment I was in labor. Still not a single contraction. He told me to wait there and he was going to call the hospital. He came back a few minutes later and told me to go straight to the hospital and he'd meet me there. ...... It's a good thing I had packed my bag, the camera was the most important thing. ..... On the way to the hospital Kevin was the only one of our family that I could get a hold of. Also on the way to the hospital I finally felt my first contraction. It was about 12:15pm. When we got to the hospital they were waiting for me. They were extremely rush rush. They were trying to prep me for surgery as quickly as possible. Dr. Fleisher arrived and told the nurses to hurry up. Right before they brought me into the OR one nurse asked how far appart my contractions were. I didn't know. I didn't take any labor classes. She looked at the machine and said that they were already only 2 minutes apart. So from the time I felt the first contraction until they brought me into the OR was only 45 minutes and they were already only 2 minutes apart. Had I had a regular birth it would of been over very quickly, probably to quick to even get an epidural. .... So they bring me into the OR at 1 pm. They do the spinal drip. It wasn't so bad I guess. First they stick you with a small needle to numb you, that one made me jump. Then they do the big one. I didn't really feel that one too much, just some pressure. The almost immediately I start going numb. That part was the worst of it I think. Being completely paralized from chest down. I could feel the location of my legs but couldn't move them at all. My arms were stretched out on both sides of me. And they put the curtain up right infront of my face. It was about then that Johan came in and he stayed by my head. I didn't have a sense of time. I didn't feel anything, but I could smell the burning of my flesh when he cut me, he must of coterized the incision. At 1:31 pm Joshua was born. Johan saw when they lifted him up. He said he was clean, much cleaner than he'd thought he'd be. He didn't have any of the gunk on him. He was wet and he had some blood on him. Most likely my blood from passing through the surgical opening. ........ Then the nurses took Joshua over the the side and checked him out. Johan went with them. They weighed and measured him. Took the apgar score. Gave him a vitamin K shot. And I'm not sure what else. He weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces. Measured 20.25 inches. And had apgar scores of 8 and 9. They then brought him over to me and I was able to see him for the first time. They just held him up to me. And then they took him off to the nursery and Johan went with him. After they left I kinda drifted in and out of it. No sense of time or what was going on. I started feeling nausous and I got a headache. And I started shaking really bad, shivering. I found out later that those are all normal reactions. At some point I opened my eyes and only 2 nurses were left in the room and they were moving me to a bed. I could see them bending my legs and moving them but I couldn't feel anything at all. If anything it still felt like my legs were straight out in front of me still. I remember thinking "are those my legs". Very odd. ...... They brought me to recovery and I'm not sure how long I was there. Johan still wasn't there. He went to call all the family. I found out later that he actually left the hospital to go buy a calling card to be able to call Cananda. At some point he came back and finally they brought me to my room. I still couldn't move my legs. Then they brought Joshua to me and I was able to hold him for the first time. I'm not sure what time it was or how long it had been since he was born. ....... I remember thinking how small he was, yet so big to think that he was just inside of me. He looks so much like Johan, everyone says so. And now I can see that he looks like the ultrasound photos.
2006-10-11 (38 weeks)
38 Weeks I'm 38 weeks today. Check out the ticker at the top of the page, it can't move much more. Only one more week left, if I make it that far. I've been having a ton of braxton hicks contractions these past few days. I'm still so miserable. It's so difficult to even move I feel so big. It seems like I just sit around and wait for time to pass or wait to go into labor. One more week seems like forever. I am definitely not against having this baby sooner than the planned c-section date. Even though all our plans are around that date, I would love to have this baby today. I would like to avoid having him born on this Friday, the 13th. But if it happens, then it happens. I have my last ultrasound tomorrow. I feel so miserable. I know I already said that, but I feel like repeating it. Oh, and I just wanted to say to the people who have called me and I didn't answer the phone, it's only because I didn't feel like moving to get it. It takes real effort just to get up and answer the phone. I feel like the clock is just standing still. I just want time to pass.
2006-10-10 (37 weeks)
Almost there Only 8 more days!
2006-10-08 (37 weeks)
10 more days! Check out the new photos I've added. ....... I've been eating so much food lately. Now wonder the weight is adding up. I was 129 on Friday. Lauren and Jayme came over last week and brought me some Krispie Kreme doughnuts and a decaf frappichino, mmmmmmmm, they were good. Yesterday Johan and I went to Blueberry Hill. I had the stuffed french toast. They take two slices of french toast and stuff them with cream cheese, then the smother it in butter, and top it with blueberry compote and whipped cream, oh so good! And then I ordered scrambled eggs on the side. Only 10 more days left to be able to enjoy eating like this. ........ Looking back on my pregnancy I don't think I've had too many of the typical "pregnancy symptoms". I didn't have much heartburn, only back when I was eating in the employee cafeteria, and I was eating the jalepeno poppers. Old wives tales say that the more heartburn you have the hairier the baby will be, so according to that this baby will be bald. ....... I really haven't had any real cravings that are worth mentioning. There are things that I really like eating, like french toast and chocolate. But I have always enjoyed them, who doesn't like chocolate. ....... I haven't had any hemorrhoids, not even sure exactly what they are, but apparently I would know if I had them. ....... No stretch marks, not a single one. ......... Supposedly my hair is supposed to be thicker and fuller, I don't think I've noticed a difference. ......... No swelling of my feet or hands. ........ I did suffer from morning sickness at the beginning, but I don't think it was as bad as I have heard other women say it was. ........ I am tired a lot, and I do have to go to the bathroom all the time. ...... So looking back at that, I'm still a bit disappointed that I ended up having low fluid. I was feeling so good. I didn't have much to complain about. I thought I was the picture of good health. I ate good, I exercised regularly, I was at a healthy weight, I think I had an active lifestyle, I didn't spend much time at all watching TV, I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I gave up caffeine when I got pregnant. Being out of work for this long was completely out of my plan. I thought bed rest was only for patients who were unhealthy and didn't take care of themselves. There was no way I thought that I would be put on bedrest. I had planned on continuing to work until October. Just shows how things can change so quickly and how things can be completely out of your control. ........ Anyways, only 9 1/2 more days until little Joshua is here. Even after all this bedrest and feeling so miserable these last days I'm going to miss being pregnant. I'm going to miss feeling him move inside me, and watching my belly move. But at the same time I can't wait for him to finally be here.
