I've finally gotten a chance to sit down and write my recollection of Reese's birthday...
Looks like Reese was ready to meet you all a little sooner than February 14th, her original due date. Sunday night, 1-20-08, I took my last dose of abutrol and anticipated my appointment with Dr. Leeds-Richter the next day. I woke up around 5:45 a.m. to use the bathroom and thought OK, I'll sleep one more hour and then get up. Shortly after I laid back down I felt a warm drip. Uh oh, I thought, I'd better get up and see what this is. I got out of bed and felt the gush. "Plummy!", I shouted and flipped the light on. Matt jolted up from his sleep and I said something like I think my water just broke. As I head to the bathroom, he got up and started getting dressed. Yep, the water just kept coming, so Matt handed me my phone and I called the Doc letting them know we were on our way to the hospital. As I sat on the toilet and gushed, Matt frantically packed our last minute items. (Luckily, I had pretty much finalized our bags the day before as I had a hunch Reese was coming soon. I also managed to finish a sewing project on Sunday. I was determined to finish Reese's burp cloths before she arrived.) I was quite calm believe it or not. It was approximately 6:00 and I called Mom with the news. Sam answered and I said "My water broke!". I don't think I talked to Mom at this point, but they he assured me they were on their way to the hospital. Matt and I finished up packing and I got dressed and off we went. On the way to the hospital, I called his parents and left a message. Pat called back shortly and said she was on her way too.
Once we arrived, we headed to the labor and delivery floor. It was just in time for the shift change (around 6:45 or so), so my nurse was not assigned to me yet, but one of them got me set up in my room. I changed into a gown and got into bed. We reminded them about 50 times that I had Group B Strep to make sure they would give me the antibiotics in my IV. The contractions started shortly after we arrived at the hospital but were not too bad which was good because I had to answer lots of questions, so the nurse could finalize my information in the computer. My nurse, Linda, was assigned to me and I got my IV; shortly afterwards she started the antibiotics too. It burned when the antibiotics were injected into the IV, so I accepted the ice pack she offered to numb the sting. Mom and Sam arrived in no time and I asked Sam if he had found a sub for his class. He reminded me that it was MLK day and he was off from school. Reese was so kind to decide to arrive on a holiday as it made for light traffic! Pat arrived soon and Sam headed home before the pain of labor began. So there we sat, Me, Matt, Mom and Pat ready and waiting.
As there was nothing better to do but sit and have contractions, I started text messaging everyone in my Blackberry address book stating, "My water broke. At hospital now.". Don't you just love technology? Throughout the labor, I responded to replies and kept folks posted on the progress.
I got the epidural around 9 something and it was a breeze. I must say, the entire labor process was not too bad. During the pregnancy, I had prayed that the Lord would bless Reese and me with an easy and non-traumatic labor and delivery. My prayers were answered! The Lord is good! The worst thing was the shakes. My friends Wendy and Jennifer had warned me of them, so I knew to expect it. My nurse said that the shakes are not caused by the epidural but the fact that my body was in pain (even though I could not feel it). My entire body shook and my teeth shivered. I was so tense and it made my neck and jaw ache. Matt and Mom gave me neck massages to ease the tension.
At first I progressed quickly, starting at 3 cm and dilating to 7-8 cm by Noon. It was Dr. Leeds-Richter's first day back from her maternity leave (perfect timing again on Reese's part) and she was impressed with our progress. Reese was very low, a good sign. She estimated Reese would arrive around 3:00 p.m. at the rate we were going. Sam had predicted Reese would arrive around 3:15 and Mom had predicted around 6:00.
My nurse, Linda, was very good. She was organized and informative. She explained everything that would happen during the delivery like how I would need to hold my breath when pushing, etc. She was always ahead of the game. I owe her a nice thank you note!
At some point, I got to 9 cm and stalled. I also began getting a fever, so the nurse injected me and my uterus with fluids to cool Reese and me down. This lasted for about 3 hours and I wasn't moving past a 9, so the Dr. ordered a c-section. Linda and another nurse quickly prepped me for surgery and before I knew it Matt and I were off to the c-section wing. I was nervous that I'd faint during the surgery even though I could not feel the pain, I knew I would feel the pressure. The nurses told me what to expect. There will be a lot of light and a lot of people in the room. They talked me through it all. Matt had to wait in another area until they began. Dr. Richter came in and explained why the c-section was necessary. My body was failing to progress and she was concerned that with the fever I may develop an infection my uterus which would affect Reese. The nurse made sure I was nice and numb and before I knew it, the Dr. had started the surgery. Matt came in shortly afterwards and sat next to me holding my hand. I don't think we talked much. I just tried to close my eyes and think sweet thoughts of Reese. Dr. said for us to pay no attention to what she was saying, but once she started to talk football we would know Reese was about to be born. She said, "When I say score, she'll be here". We both anxiously awaited to here that word. I didn't feel much pressure at all until right before they took her out. Dr. said that I'd feel some pressure and boy did I! It felt like they were crushing my chest and that is when I moaned and hoped they would hurry! Two big chest crushing pressures later, Dr. said "Score!" and showed Reese to us.
This amazing arrival brought tears to our eyes. Matt started taking pictures and headed over to see her while I was stiched up. This is when they saw that her nostrils were flaring and she was having a bit of a hard time breathing. Her mouth was bruised as the contractions had pushed her face into my pelvic bone. Dr. later told me that my pelvis is an oval shape rather than being round like a salad plate and this is why Reese could not progress any further. My body knew this and that is why it didn't dilate further than a 9. When she was born, they asked me if I wanted to hold her. Of course I wanted to, but I said "No" because I was still shaking, flat on my back and groggy. I was too afraid I would drop her. They took Reese and gave her oxygen and then sent her to the transition nursery while I went to recovery.
(As I uploaded this picture, I just realized our date stamp for the year is wrong displaying 2007 instead of 2008...Oops!)
After my recovery, we got to the room and waited to hold Reese. The normal transition time is 4 hours, but they kept her for almost 6 to keep an extra eye on her oxygen level. They brought her to our room near midnight and we kept her until 2:30 a.m. Mommy attempted to breastfeed for the first time.
Our 3 night hospital stay was pleasant. We took the advice of our friends and doctors and had the nursery take Reese overnight each night. This gave us both a chance to rest, especially me since I was super sore and tired from the 10 hour labor and surgery. I only broke down one time (I knew my hormones were out of whack for sure) on day two when my nurse was not very attentive all day (didn't bring my water when I needed it, didn't come when my back was leaking from the epidural, etc.) and I wasn't receiving the care I thought I deserved and to top it off when our dinner came they only brought Matt's and I thought they had forgotten mine. My Dad called right then and I answered the phone balling and blubbering too much for him to understand to me. I know this got him all worried too. My dinner came and I dried up the tears knowing that it was just another part of the experience. Each day since, I can cry at the drop of a hat. I'm not sad, I'm just very emotional due to the hormones being out of balance. It's too be expected right!
Also, I seemed to gain at least 10 pounds or more after Reese was born. It was all fluid in my face, legs and feet. My Dr. said I would be swollen for the next two weeks and it would get worse before it got better and to put on some sweats and not look at it. Thankfully, almost all of the swelling has gone now (a week later: 1-28-08) except for my calves and feet. I definitely was not an attractive lady for a few days! I guess since I had the c-section and didn't push out all of that fluid, gravity made it go to my legs and feet.
My milk came in the night before we left. I was so happy because the lactation consultant, Juanita, was coming by again to visit me one last time. She arrived first thing in morning, so I was able to feed Reese her breakfast. They had already brought me a pump, so Juanita showed me how to get Reese latched on using the nipple shield (my saving grace) plus a few pointers that I didn't already know from the breastfeeding class I took. For example, when Reese starts to eat her hands are balled up in fists up on her face. Once she starts to relax that is my cue that she is getting a good drink and is getting full. Now that we are home and the feedings are going well I am so thankful to Juanita for her assistance and guidance. Another big thank you note! She did tell me to offer Reese formula after the feeding to make sure she was full. And both my doctor and Reese's pediatrician had said to let her feed for 15-20 minutes on each side and then offer her formula. Somehow, I forgot this advice the first night home and Reese had us up from midnight to 5:00 a.m. She was feeding longer on each side and I had assumed she was getting enough milk, but she wasn't. Luckily, Matt knew that we needed to offer her the formula (I know you may think it is common sense, but Mommy was tired and groggy and forgetful). Each night since then has gotten better and now Reese is on all breast milk (for the most part), feeding every 3 hours.
Since Reese was so bruised on her face and born 3 1\2 weeks early she is at risk for jaundice. So her pediatrician ordered us to feed her every 3 hours and get her in the sun (lay by the window) when possible.
Getting ready to head home was a task. After a visit from Maylee (who helped me feed Reese and pump), our goal was to leave after lunch, so Matt and I would be fed and before the traffic started. We were also scheduling it around her feeding so she'd be satisfied until we got home. Once Matt and I ate lunch and fed her, we began to pack. Matt changed and dressed Reese after the feeding and I looked down on my bed and saw her umbilical cord had fallen off. Since we hadn't expected this to happen for 2 weeks for more, Matt ran out and got my nurse. She told us it was fine and that some babies loose them early; she said Reese was an over achiever. :) We had so much stuff from the hospital (paperwork, baby necessities, mommy necessities) plus the items we had packed. Matt had to make at least 3 trips before we were ready to head to the car. Finally around 4:15 p.m. we were ready and the nurse had me sit in a wheelchair and hold Reese. She wheeled us out to the car, and Matt and I got her all buckled up in the Volvo (I was just telling Reese today on her way to her first Dr. visit that we had purchased the Volvo almost 3 years ago in anticipation of her arrival). It was chilly and a little drizzly outside. I sat in the back with her and off we went.
More cute pictures of Reese this week. She is so adorable!
Matt and I are so excited that her room is ready; now she will have a nice place to play and sleep! 