Tuesday, July 9th
6:30am: Woke up thinking my water had just broke. Yay!
8:10am: Went to my doctors appointment... water not broken :(. Just leaking cervical fluid. I am dilated to 1cm and 30% effaced. I am scheduled to be induced on Sunday... hopefully Sammy will make an appearance before then.
Thursday, July 11th
10:10am: Went in for an ultrasound to check on the baby. Everything looks good except there is a little fluid around the heart. Doctors think he is probably okay, but decided to go ahead and induce to be safe. Got wheeled over to labor and delivery.... I always feel to awkward in wheel chairs.
During the ultrasound they estimated baby to be 8 lbs 11 oz. we'll see if they are right.
1:00pm: I am all hooked up, and they placed a tablet to try and thin my cervix. 1 cm, 30% effacted, -3. It will be a long labor, I am guessing.
5:30pm: Dr. Lund came in and checked me. I am now dilated to a 1.5, 60% effaced, -1. I got a second cervix tablet. Another 4 hours before I get checked again.
10:00pm: I got checked again. Now I've dilated to a 3.5, 70% effaced, -2. They are now starting me on Pitocin.
Friday, July 12th
2:00am: The contractions are getting bad. :(
4:00am: The epidural is in. Pain is mostly gone. Yeah!! I can still move my feet.
5:00am: I got checked. They said that I was at a 3, and at 70%. They decided to break my water because the babies heart beat was dropping. The fluid was thick due to meconium.
6:00am: They reported that the heart rate was doing great now.
8:00am: The epidural wore off and so they came in and up the dose and gave me more. Feeling good now.
8:30am: His heart is doing things the nurse doesn't like, so they put me on oxygen and are giving me some more fluids.
9:00am: His heart rate keeps dropping dangerously low, so they have started having me flip from side to side on the bed, to try and move the baby away from the umbilical chord and increase his heart rate. My legs are dead from the epidural, so they keep flopping around.
10:30am: Flipping isn't working, so they have started preparing me for a possible c-section. Dr. Lund is holding off as long as possible, hoping things will kick in. There are twins being born c-section right now, and he is planning on calling c-section if things don't improve by time the other c-section is finished. The anesthetists have been doing ice tests to see if the epidural is ready for a c-section. It is not, so they are coming up with a plan. It is only in my legs, and they need it up to my waist. I am surprised it is killing the pain, since it is so low.
11:00am: Things have gotten really bad. Baby's heart rate is really low and not coming back up. They have put me on my hands and knees on the bed, and have a monitor hooded up to the baby's head. I am still at a 3 and 60% and the baby has not come down into the birthing canal.
Dr. Lund called an emergency c-section. We couldn't wait any longer. While wheeling me back to the O.R., the anesthetist, Dr. Rock, tried to up my epidural so it would move up to my waist. I felt it moving up to my waist, but then it didn't stop. It kept going, and by time a was in the O.R., I couldn't move my arms and it was getting hard to breath. When they rolled me over onto the operating table, I couldn't breath at all anymore. I mouthed to the anesthetist that I couldn't breath, and thankfully she saw me. She started breathing for me, and then called for them to put me to sleep. Next thing I know I am waking up in my room with my mom, and told baby Sam was here! Yay!
11:31am: Sam Austin Christiansen was born. He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz, and 20.25 inches long. Dr. Lund came and talked to me and told me that Sam was in the NICU, and would probably need to be there at least a week, because he aspirated some meconium. He also was being rolled into surgery because his head was cut while doing the c-section. Surprisingly this didn't stress me. I was sure everything would be okay.
8 hours after Sam's birth, I was able to go down to the NICU to see and hold him for the first time. To be able to go down, I had to be able to walk from my bed to my wheel chair, and not get dizzy doing so. I got sooo dizzy and nauseous, but I didn't say a thing because I had to see my baby. I couldn't believe my baby was so cute. I held him for 15 minutes until I got too dizzy and tired and needed to go back to bed. I am so in love with my little guy and so excited to be his mama.
8 hours after Sam's birth, I was able to go down to the NICU to see and hold him for the first time. To be able to go down, I had to be able to walk from my bed to my wheel chair, and not get dizzy doing so. I got sooo dizzy and nauseous, but I didn't say a thing because I had to see my baby. I couldn't believe my baby was so cute. I held him for 15 minutes until I got too dizzy and tired and needed to go back to bed. I am so in love with my little guy and so excited to be his mama.
Monday, July 15th
Today I got to take my sweet little guy home earlier than expected. So excited to be home with him where I can spend all my time with him, and don't have to travel the walk back and forth from the NICU and my hospital room. We are so happy to have Sammy in our lives!!!
