Hi there all! Well, finally able to blog again, it's been a rough few days for this new mommy. I thought I would write the whole story of how our new son Zachary Conner came into our lives. Most of you have been following along in the blog - so you know about the pregnancy experiences so I'm NOT going to go that far back. Let's start with this past Wednesday when I was admitted to Woodwinds Hospital. As most of you know I am a pretty open person - so I will try to give "Too Much Information Alerts" that I'll call TMI Alerts and will put into (parentheses) like so: (TMI ALERT then the rest will follow a bit smaller than the rest of the text and then will end with another parentheses and then it will be done.) That should be pretty clear - I hope. Okay! So here we go - The Zachary Conner Baby Story!
On Wednesday, August 22 around 7pm, I was admitted to Woodwinds Hospital for the induction to start the process of labor. Zachary was not due until August 28, but because of my pregnancy induced hypertension I needed to have the baby earlier. Let me tell you, induction is not a lovely process. First, the nurse hooked me up to an external monitor to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. Two small external electrodes held in place by a belly band. Zachary loves to move around so he is difficult to track down with the external monitor - but they finally found him. Then the nurse inserted gel next to my cervix. (TMI ALERT for all those that can picture this it looks like a small OB tampon but has to remain sterile AND be inserted by someone else sans applicator...just like the OB tampon. This was my first realization that my doctor wouldn't be the only person with their fingers/hands up my vagina for the next few days. Okay - maybe I knew this but it's always been at the back of my mind.) Then we began the waiting game. Dave and my mom (Pam) spent some time with me then they both went back to our house in Cottage Grove. I thought it would be good for Dave to get a good night's sleep the night before and the sleep chair really did not look all that comfortable. Besides I was just receiving the gel treatment - nothing was going to happen right? So Dave and my mom headed out and I got comfortable and watched some TV until about 9:30 and then went to bed. Then the nurse walked into my room moments later. They had lost Zachary on the baby monitor, so they came in to adjust the monitor on my belly to find him again. That was my first clue that this was going to be a VERY long night. Why? Because Zachary moved around a LOT at night. He was like clockwork from about 9:30 until 2:30 or 3 a.m. he would move around and 'play' in the womb. The nurse asked if I wanted anything for sleep. I thought for a moment and said no, I'll be fine I'm tired. Then every 15 to 20 minutes from just before 10pm and until 2:30 a.m. there was a different nurse in my room trying to find Zach on the baby monitor again or to check my blood pressure. Around 1 a.m. I asked for the drug to help me sleep. So maybe I could sleep through them coming to check the fetal monitor. I was given the drug, but it didn't help with them coming to check the fetal monitor and my blood pressure. I think I finally drifted off to sleep around 4 a.m. after the night nurse called the OB on call to see if they could remove the fetal monitoring because he was moving around so much. She said it was fine. So they removed the fetal monitor and I was able to sleep.
At 6:35 a.m. I had to use the ladies room, when I came out the nurse was waiting to take my vitals. Then I took a shower as they were supposed to come in to give me Pitocin by 7 a.m. to start the contractions and get the show on the road. At 7:30 I called Dave to wake him up and tell him I was getting my IV and Pitocin - Dave asked how long it will take, to take effect. I in turn asked Holly, our fabulous labor nurse, and she said not to rush as odds are things will progress slowly. I hung up with Dave and 15 minutes later the contractions started. It felt like severe menstrual cramping - but was short and not so bad at this point. At 8:00 my mom called to see how things were going and to ask if Dave was there yet. I said, not yet. Then I started to have a contraction and had to go - which I think put my mom into high gear to get ready and come to the hospital, as she had just gotten up herself. Dave walked into our hospital room shortly before 8:30 a.m. excited to see he was there for my 'first contraction' as Holly was talking me through proper breathing techniques while I was contracting. That's when Holly introduced herself and I corrected him that we've been doing this for awhile. Dave looked really sad for a moment like he was missing out Holly was quick to say, "there will be plenty more Dave." My contractions at this point were still being monitored by an external monitor and showed that my contractions were rather mild. However, they hurt and continued to get worse. My reaction to them as they intensified was very intense because they HURT! Holly would show me the sheet when I had them and the peaks and valleys but they looked like the contractions were mild. By 9:30 a.m. I was in tears because the contractions hurt so badly. Holly told me then - you know that labor and contractions hurt but you never realize that they hurt THAT MUCH! YES! It really does take your breath away and is very unexpected you just cannot fathom how much it really is going to hurt. When my tears started rolling, that's when Holly called Dr. Toppin, I had a few more contractions before she arrived and they were continuing to increase in intensity. Dr Toppin arrived around 10:30, looked at me and said, that's not the Megan I know. Then encouraged me to get the Epidural right away if I was in this much discomfort this early on. I took the good doctor's advice. Then Dr. Toppin checked me and broke my bag of waters. I felt like I wet the bed. Then she inserted two internal monitors to monitor Zach's heartbeat and the pressure caused by my uterine contractions. She stayed for a few moments to review. Dr. Toppin and Holly both commented that I was having very intense contractions that they could now see because of the internal monitor. Holly said, you are now getting some credit for the pain you are experiencing. Normally contractions in the stage of labor I was in are 60 to 70 pounds of pressure on the monitor readout. However, mine were 80 to 100. The scale stopped at 100 and I had several that were off the charts. Dr. Toppin commented, Megan you are very sensitive to Pitocin, let's turn it down. Then Doctor Toppin left and said she would be back in to check in a couple of hours. I signed all the wonderful forms and waivers for the epidural and then the anesthesiologist arrived around 11:30 a.m. I was very worried that I would be able to stay still for him to do the procedure if I had a contraction. He assured me I would do just fine, and I did. My mom walked in just as the anesthesiologist was taping up my back. He waited for me to have a contraction. He asked if I felt that - I said I did but it was only pressure - no pain. YIPPEE!!! Life is now good AND my blood pressure went down some because I wasn't in as much pain. Good news all around. For the next few hours we all chatted, played cribbage and scrabble. I would announce - oh I'm having a contraction - I feel pressure. Dave would run to the machine and say - oh this one was 80, this one was off the charts! But no pain felt by me! An epidural is a GOOD THING! Holly continued to monitor my blood pressure. It had gone down but then started to steadily climb.
At 2pm Dr. Toppin came in to check on me. She explained that my blood pressure was very high which is a concern they are watching. They are also watching the baby because his reaction to each of my contractions wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. She then told me the likelihood of my delivering naturally was not good, my blood pressure and the read outs of the baby suggested that the stress of delivering naturally could be harmful for me and the baby. She also had concerns about my pelvis (which we had discussed before) and that because Zach was still pretty high up that the path for him to take down to deliver naturally may not be wide enough for him because of the tilt of my pelvis and may be why he hadn't descended further yet. I really wanted to try to deliver naturally, so she offered a solution that could help. She could give me IV fluids to put fluid into my uterus which should help out Zach and may help with him descending. So that's what we did. Over the next hour I received IV fluids. Holly watched the monitor and said it seems to be working. But just in case, let's sign all the consent forms for the C-section because then that may be a way of insuring we won't need the forms. So I read and signed all the forms. The IV fluids worked great for Zach - he bounced up and was doing great. I on the other hand started to shake and was intensely cold from all the room temperature fluid pouring into my body. I couldn't stop shivering even with blankets from the blanket warmer warming me up. Then Holly took my blood pressure again - it was 167 over 145 (normally I'm 110 over 60). She asked me if I had a head ache. I replied no. She asked if I was seeing any bright spots in front of my eyes. I replied - no just black spots.
Moments later our room was filled with nurses. Holly asked me who I wanted to come down to the OR with me. I said, both my mom and Dave. Holly explained she would do everything she could do to make that happen but depending on the anesthesiologist they both may not be able to be in the room with me. So it may only be Dave. I shook my head that I understood. The nurses were tossing gowns, caps and feet covers to my mom and Dave as they wheeled me out of the room. My mom and Dave caught up to me as we were rounding the corner. I asked Dave if he had the camera. He looked at me and said, "no." Holly said - "go grab it we'll walk slower." We got to the elevator and it arrived quickly - they pulled me onto the elevator but Dave wasn't back yet. They told my mom to wait for Dave and then to come down to floor one. When we arrived in the OR area Holly checked in to see which OR we were going to. The person in the office told her one thing and she said - no I think it's supposed to be three as she waved to someone through some doors. It was the anesthesiologist that did my epidural. He came out and said hello - and told the woman in the office, "Megan is coming down to OR three." Holly left as it was the end of her shift and Marlo who was there too took over. Holly told me I would be fine and I was in great hands and would tell my mom and Dave what was going on. I was wheeled into the OR and moved to the table. The anesthesiologist welcomed me to his room and said, fancy meeting you again. They strapped me down and he started doing all the testing that needed to be done to ensure I couldn't feel anything. All good. They draped the sheet across so I couldn't see. Then just started chatting with me. Dr. Toppin arrived and said hello and then without my knowing started in. They then brought in Dave and my mom. Dave sat down next to my head and was tearing up. I asked him if he was OK and he laughed and said that was his line not mine. I commented that I could feel the pressure of Dr. Toppin moving things around and pulling out Zachary. Then there was a feeling of suction and he was out! They brought him over to the newborn table and cleaned him up. Dave and I both started to cry - a joyous moment. A few photos:
Dave then ceremoniously cut the cord and then they needed to bring Zachary upstairs. So they asked me who should stay with me in the OR as they closed me up. I told Dave to take Zach and asked my mom to stay with me. So Dave went up to find out Zachary's stats (a few photos)
My mom sat down next to me and we chatted as Dr. Toppin closed me up and put everything back into place. She explained the drugs that she prescribed me - a little softball type thing that went directly into my incision that gave me drugs directly to my incision and then I would have a PCA pump with IV pain meds. I said thanks to Doc Toppin for everything, then we went upstairs to my room for post op. Now for an oh so lovely picture of me and Zachary post op...I'm not to crazy about the post op photos...
But hey - I just had major surgery I'm not going to look like my best anyways. *giggle* So those are the events that brought our beautiful son Zachary Conner into the world. He weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and is 20 inches long. His APGAR score was an 8 and 9 out of 10 immediately after delivery. (Grandma Pam was very proud of that! She was certain that he would be a 10 when he went upstairs. He was the same.) We are amazed and are flooded with emotions of love - being a parent for the first time is amazing and beautiful!
Thanks for reading!
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