WOW. I have been a bad blogger. In my defense, this little boy is more entertaining and I just haven't felt like blogging since he's been around. However, I know many friends and family out there have been wanting an update so here you go!
First, I'll start with Logan's birth story. It's kind of long and the day was a total blur so the times might be off. We were scheduled to be at the hospital at 5am on 2/22/11. I didn't sleep at all the night before. Jordan, on the other hand, slept like a baby. I got up at 3, showered, made sure our bags were ready, and puttered around the house. At 4:30, we were grabbing our bags to walk out the door when the hospital called and said they had lots of deliveries the night before and there was not room for me yet. They told me it would definitely be that morning, but to sit tight and wait for a call back when a room opened up. UGH. This was actually a blessing in disguise because I passed out on the couch for 2 hrs after the call. At 7am, they called and said they were ready for me. We were off! Jordan and I talked on the car ride there about how excited/scared/nervous we were. It was the last time we'd be a family of 2. It was so surreal to think we were driving to have our baby boy...FINALLY.
We got to the hospital at about 7:45 and got checked in right away. We got settled in a room and the process began. I was hooked up to the pitocin at about 8:45. My contractions started coming every 3-4 minutes. I could definitely feel them, but it wasn't TERRIBLE...yet. My doctor came in shortly after 9am and said that if I was dilated to 4-5 at lunch time he would break my water. Otherwise, we should plan on stopping the pitocin at 5pm, eat dinner, and resume the process the next day. NOT what I wanted to hear. When he left the room, I asked the nurse what I needed to do to get me to a 4-5 by lunch time because I was NOT doing this for 2 days. If you remember from my last post, I had already been in labor for 4 days by this point. The nurse told me that gravity would speed up the process so we put my bed at an incline and dropped the leg part of the bed so I could sit in a "frog" position. This definitely made the contractions stronger. I would close my eyes through them and just breathe. Jordan was trying to capture everything on camera and I was not a very nice wife about it. He offered to rub my feet and I told him he better not touch me...or else. Sooooo...this went on until lunch time. My parents and Jordan's mom were there by this point. I was obviously not in the chatting mood, so they decided to go get some lunch and come back.
At about 12:30 my nurse came in to check me. I wasn't even a 2 yet. OMG. I started bawling. I just couldn't do this a whole other day. At 12:45, my doctor came in to check me. He said that although I was only a 2, I was REALLY thinned out and he decided it was time to break my water. Holy hell. I screamed. It hurt and the contractions IMMEDIATELY started coming one right after the other...and they were bad. I've never felt pain like that before. I kept telling Jordan that it felt like my insides were going to fall out. I had to deal with the pain for a while longer because you can't get an epidural until you are dilated to 4cm. I really think my pain was so bad because Logan's head was RIGHT THERE. He was so low.
The next few hours were a total blur. I wouldn't open my eyes for anyone and I didn't want to talk. I just breathed the best I could to get through the pain. The nurse said that they could give me a shot of Demoral (sp?) and also give it through my IV. She said that this was all they could give me before the epidural. She warned me that it would wear off and if I wanted more after the initial dose, it would not have the same effects. I didn't care. I needed something right then. So, I got it in shot form and through my IV. I immediately became SUPER tired. It was the most bizarre feeling. I was so sleepy, yet I could hear everything going on around me. I could feel the pain, but I didn't care because I was so sleepy. This helped for a little bit, but soon I was caring about the pain again. Not sure the times from this point on. I think I got the epidural around 4pm. The anesthesiologist came in and started explaining the process to me. I refused to open my eyes and just gave him the occasional nod to let him know I understood. As soon as a contraction passed, the nurse had me swing my legs over the side of the bed and hunch over a pillow to get the epidural. Sitting up was excruciating. The epidural didn't hurt nearly as bad as I had remembered it back when I had the cerclage placed in November. When it was over, I laid back down and had to wait about 15-20 minutes for it to take total effect. Once it did, I was in heaven.
Once the epidural was working, I asked if I could lay on my side. My back was hurting really bad and I needed to get comfortable for a little bit, even if it meant my contractions would not be as strong and make me progress for a while. I was able to rest some and had a good conversation with my nurse...don't remember what we talked about, but I remember her being by my side for a while and talking about who knows what. For some reason, my contractions weren't registering on the monitor when I was on my side, but I was definitely having them. I could still feel pressure from the contractions with the epidural, but no pain. It was a very odd sensation. The nurse checked me between 5:30-6pm and I was at 5cm.
At about 6:30, I told Jordan to go out to eat with our families. By this point, everyone was off work and sitting in the waiting room. Since everything had been so slow all day, I wanted to make sure Jordan got a good dinner because it could be a long night ahead of us. Jordan asked if I was sure and I told him I was fine and it was ok to go. As he left the room, the nurse walked in. I told her that it felt like I had to use the restroom and she said she was going to check me. She said I was at an 8!!! Holy cow. I grabbed my phone and told Jordan to get his butt back in the room. Good thing he hadn't left yet. The nurse said she was calling my doctor and it wouldn't be long before I was ready to push! My doctor came in 15 minutes later and checked me. He said, "I think we're ready to have a baby!" I couldn't believe how fast it went from that point on. I think laying on my side sped up the process.
Between 6:45-7pm, it was chaos in my room. Nurses were coming in an out. They were taking apart my bed and getting it ready for delivery and Jordan and I were looking at each other like, "Oh sh*t! This is happening!" We were soo soo soo excited! We had decided the night before that we were going to let my mom and Jordan's mom be in the delivery room. They had rules to follow, however. They had to stay in the corner and not make a sound. Jordan's mom followed the rule, my mom, however was too excited and forgot about the rules! haha. That's ok. It has been her dream to be in the delivery room when one of her grandchildren was born and this was the first time she got to do it. She was over the moon excited and I couldn't blame her! Back to delivery. At 7pm, the nurses started explaining how I needed to push. We did a few "practice" rounds and then the "real thing" when my doctor came in. I only pushed for 15 minutes and Logan Scott entered the world! It was pure elation. I have never been overcome with such love and joy as I was at 7:18pm on 2/22/11. Jordan and I cried tears of happiness. Everything we had been through came flooding through my head and I realized just why I had done it. It was finally real...my sweet baby boy was here and was SAFE.
I didn't get to hold Logan right away. The NICU nurses were in my room because they needed to check Logan due to the cholestasis and the spot on his liver. They put him under the warmer, measured, weighed him, and did the APGAR test. Logan was 7lbs 11oz, 201/2inches, and scored a TEN on the APGAR test. My doctor said he has never seen a baby score a perfect 10. Well, my baby is perfect! :) After doing all of the normal tests, the nurses said that Logan could stay with me for an hour and then would have to go to the NICU for 3 hrs for an evaluation. Our families got to come in and meet Logan and I got to breastfeed before Jordan went with Logan to the NICU. Logan was a pro at breastfeeding right from the get-go. Such a proud Mommy!
The next 4 or 5 days were agony for me. I was in so. much. pain. I think my situation was worse because I had been in a bed for 14 1/2 weeks. Every muscle in my body was sore and I felt like I had been hit with a baseball bat all over. We were discharged from the hospital less than 48 hrs after delivery and it felt so good to get home. We had constant visitors for the next 4 days, but we were so happy to share our little boy with all the family that had been waiting to meet him for so long!
Here we are 16 days later. Logan is now 8lbs 8oz, eats every 3 hours during the day and 3/12-4 hrs at night, has about 2-3 hours of wide awake time during the day, and is just overall the easiest baby I could have dreamed of! He sleeps a lot during the day still and night times are awesome. He usually lets out a few grunts every 3 1/2 hours to tell me he's ready to eat. I get up, feed him, change him, and he goes right back to sleep. He rarely cries...and I mean I can *maybe* count the times he's cried on one hand. He is just a happy boy who is easily comforted by a kiss, being swaddled, or being held. Jordan and I thank our lucky stars every day to have been blessed with such a perfect miracle! It's hard to imagine what life was like before Logan arrived and we couldn't be happier parents! Our son has made this transition in our lives SO EASY. :)
As for me, I'm feeling GREAT now that my initial recovery pain is gone. The first few days were rough. I even told Jordan our next child would have to be through adoption because I didn't know if I could handle the pain again. Now that I know it only lasted a few days, I told him we can have more...but not for a few years. It's going to take me some time to recover mentally and emotionally from what I've gone through the past 9 months. While the reward is totally worth it, it was not easy! I'm having a hard time right now with not overdoing it. After being in a bed for soooooo long, all I want to do is be up and moving. My body is not moving as fast as it use to and my muscles are having to regain strength, but overall, I'm feeling great. I LOVE not having restrictions anymore. I'm feeling like my old independent self and I love it. As for my weight, I was VERY lucky. On delivery day, my total weight gain was 16 pounds. 16 days later, I am currently one pound UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight!!!! I can fit into my old clothes already and it's like going shopping for free. I would highly suggest breastfeeding to soon-to-be mamas out there. It really helps speed up the weight-loss process. However, just because I lost all the weight does NOT mean my body looks the same as it use to. Quite the contrary. It's not terrible, but my stomach does not look the same at all. Oh well, I can't complain one bit. Baby boy was very kind to me!
Life right now is pretty much perfect. I have all I have ever wanted and I couldn't be happier. Jordan is an AMAZING father to our son. He has surprised me in every aspect of our new life. He races home from work every day, scoops up his son, and enjoys every second they can spend together. I have shed tears many times in the last 16 days just watching them together. It melts my heart and makes me so happy that Jordan is so happy.
I will try to update at least once a week with happenings from our week. Thank you again to all of our family and friends for your continued prayers and support! We love you all!
