Now I had to have a c-section with Emma so from my first doctors appointment with Ian we knew I would be having a c-section with Ian. My pregnancy with Ian was a little more difficult than Emma. My morning sickness was worse but it did stop half way through my second trimester. I also had the same back and hip issues that I had with Emma only worse this time. About half way through my pregnancy Dave went down to New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina so I was at home with Emma by myself and pregnant. The worst part of that experience wasn't that Dave was gone (don't get me wrong here I hated that he was so far away) but it was that the company he was working for wasn't paying him. Finally right before Thanksgiving Dave came home due to issues with his pay.
On December 20th Dave drove to the companies hub in West Virginia to get his check. He also cashed it at their bank down there in fear that if he didn't he wouldn't be able to up here. This is by far the largest check either of us has ever had. Dave called me that afternoon to let me know he was able to cash the money so after work that evening my mom picked Emma up and I ran all over town finishing up my Christmas shopping. I got home about 10pm that night and I was exhausted so I went straight to bed and actually slept really well.
I got up December 21 to get ready for my Dr.s appointment and work but I was not feeling well at all. I was a little sick to my stomach so I made some toast and ate about half a piece. My all stomach and back felt really strange, the best way I can describe it is it felt tight but I wasn't having any contractions (I had contractions off and all from the end of my first trimester on with both kids) so I chalked it up to all the running around the night before.
When I walked into my doctors office the first thing the receptionist did was ask if I was feeling ok. Apparently I didn't look very good. Then she proceeds to ask me if I got the message they left about needing to reschedule my appointment. Clearly I hadn't got it and I knew there was no way I could leave and come back that day. I guess I looked really bad at that time because one of the nurses walked in to hear my conversation about my appointment and she asked if I would be willing to see one of the nurse practitioners. I said that was fine so I went and peed in the cup and sat back down.
It didn't take them very long to call my name and I was surprised to hear as I was walking to my room that my Dr. was on his way in. I guess he had forgot to cross off a surgery from his personal calender. The nurse took my blood pressure which was high and not like me. Then she started asking me all these questions so I stopped her and asked if she thought I was in labor. She was honest and told me that it was possible but she wasn't sure. The next 10 minutes I just laid in the room waiting for my doctor. I kept thinking this couldn't be happening, Ian wasn't due for 3 1/2 more weeks and his c-section was schedule for two weeks later.
Once my doctor got there her checked me and I was still dilated to a three like I had been for weeks but he was concerned about the way I looked and the tightness I was feeling. He told me that he wanted me to go to the hospital so they could monitor me for a while. If I was in labor they would do the c-section that day and if not they would send me home.
Dave wasn't working that day so I drove myself the 10 minutes home to get him and go to the hospital but when I got home Dave wasn't there. It wasn't even 9 am so I couldn't figure out where he would be. The only thing I could think is that maybe he went to the bank to deposit the cash from his check. I decided I would wait a few minutes to see if he came home. About 5 minutes in I started having contractions and I knew at that point I was in labor. This is when the panic set in. Of course my mom was doing an inspection in the Dayton area and back then she didn't have a cell phone. I called my grandma to get my Aunt Pat's cell phone and I had to pretend everything was ok so she wouldn't freak out. As luck would have it my Aunt wasn't answering her phone so I called my mom's office and talked to the receptionist, I explained to her what was going on and she said she would call the place my mom was going to and leave a message and she would also do the same for my Aunt place (my mom and aunt both work for the Ohio Department of Health). Dave still wasn't home yet so I called my best friend Shanna at work. I told her what was going on and how I didn't think I could drive myself to the hospital but I didn't know what to do. She stayed on the phone with me for the next 10 minutes which is what we decide we would give Dave to get home before Shanna left to come get me. Literally at the 10 minute mark Dave walked in the door. Of course he didn't get very far before we were both back out the door and he was driving rather fast down 270 towards St. Ann's. By this point my contractions were strong and fairly close together.
When I got to the hospital they hooked me up to the machines and said they were going to monitor my contractions for 10 minutes then they would call my doctor to see what we would be doing. 5 minutes later they were back in my room telling asking me some questions because it was clear to them I was in labor. One of the questions they asked was when the last time I had eaten was. Being the honest person I am I told them I had toast around 7:30 that morning. Because of that piece of toast I was going to have to wait 8 hours before they could do my c-section. At that point they asked me if I wanted an epidural or some pain medication to help with the contractions. I opted for some pain meds because I did not want the epidural, I would take my chances with the spinal later. While they were getting all my IV's hooked up and my pain meds Dave went and made some calls to Shanna and his mom, my sister, the babysitter, and my mom's office. It didn't take long for the meds to kick in and I was able to relax a little more.
About an hour later Dave's mom arrived which allowed Dave to take a little nap, then my sister showed up which was surprising to me since she was supposed to be in class at Bowling Green (3 hours away) Finally I received a call around a little before noon. My mom was on her way and she wanted to know what was going on. I explained to her that it would be a while because I had eaten so she had plenty of time. I also asked her if she would get Emma before coming to see me.
The day seemed to drag on and on. My mom was able to get Emma and come to the hospital before it was time for me to go into surgery. Shanna and my other good friend Jenn also made it up before to see me. Finally my doctor arrived and it was time to go.
My anastesologist was awesome this time around and got my spinal on the first try. My doctor and him knew each other really well so the two of them, the other doctor helping, and Dave joked around the whole time. This time things seemed to move a little faster than they did with Emma and I wasn't nearly as nervous. I'm sure this is because I knew what to expect.
At 6:04pm Ian was born at 6lbs 7oz. 19 1/2". He was a tiny little guy with tons of dark hair and blue eyes. Just like with Emma they showed him to me from across the room and then handed him off to the nurses first. This is where things got a little weird for me. I hadn't heard Ian cry and it seemed like it had been a while so I started asking questions. Dave answered me and said he was fine and then I finally heard a little whimper. Later I was told that Ian didn't want to take a breath at first. While the nurses were still cleaning Ian up my doctor asked me if I was going to have any more kids? Being high as a kite at that moment I asked him if Ian was a boy for sure. Yes was the response I got so I said then no, no more kids for me. I never thought to ask why he would ask me that questions until the next morning when all the drugs wore off.
The reason for that question was because when the got me open the were surprised to see that my uterus walls had thinned to the point where they could see Ian clear as a bell through them. Basically I was on the verge of having my uterus rupture. They had shown Dave this and he says it looked like if you blew a balloon up until it was ready to burst and then put a baby in it. When they got Ian out they asked Dave if they wanted him to tie my tubes but Dave was too worried about Ian so he told them we would deal with that later. Hence the question they asked me. I really wish Dave would have taken a second to think about things before he answered them because having my tubes tied at that point would have been so much easier but oh well.
Once they had me stitched up I was taken back out to my triage room where my friends and family were waiting to see me. I was able to sit and hold Ian for about 10 minutes and then they took him off to the nursery.
While him and Dave were gone I was taken up to my room and everyone but my mom, Emma, and my sister left for the night. While Ian was with Dave and I as they were stitching me up Ian's body temp dropped some and they were having some problems bringing it back up in the nursery so Ian was gone for a long time. I kept asking my mom to go find out why they hadn't brought him back but my mom wouldn't tell me what was going on until everything was fine. They were able to get his temp up and have it stay so about 11:30 pm I got to really hold Ian and feed him for the first time.
Having one childs birth scheduled and another not I can say I would prefer the shceduled one because it's so much easier and less stressful but I wouldn't change the events of Ian's Birth day.
P.S. I have to share this picture of Emma holding Ian the next morning becase I just love it.
2 comments:
I remember seeing Ian in the hospital... he was so tiny! I think he was one of the last babies that small that I held before Noah was born. Happy Birthday, Ian!
Awe, that is so sweet! What a crazy day. I really enjoyed reading your story. To be honest I delayed cuz I don't like listening to a lot of birth stories. They are all sound the same. I mean I know they are really special to the individual but for the most part they are the same. Yours was really cool though. Not a run of the mill day at all!!! Happy belated B-Day to your Boy!
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