Harrison's Birth Story (the long version)

Let's just say birth day did not go as planned.  Doctor decided to induce on Thursday, January 19th with Baby's due date occuring the Sunday prior to this.  I was ready to see my little man!  So Brad and I go to the hospital Thursday morning at 5:00 am (after me only being able to sleep about an hour and a half).  I get registered at the emergency room for my induction and then head up to the labor and delivery floor.  I do paperwork, blood work, change into the fashionable hospital gown that never quite closes in the back, and get settled into the room which I will be confined in for the next couple of days.  At 7:00 am they start the Pitocin IV drip.  I am then confined to the bed and must use a bed pan if I have any bathrooming needs.  The Pitocin was started at a slow rate and then increased slowly so that I could have the contractions to open up my cervix.  When my cervix was checked upon arrival, I was told it was "maybe a 1" so I knew we had a long way to go.  Now several of the events I know what happened but I cannot remember what time everything happened.  During the day, as they would increase the Pitocin and I would have more frequent and intense contractions, the monitors showed that the baby's heartrate would drop at times with the contractions.  When this would happen, the doctor decided to stop the Pitocin for 30 minutes, then restart it at the lowest rate.  Throughout the time I was on the Pitocin, the doctor did this a few times which slowed down the labor process.  Around 6:30 pm, nurses came into my room, put an oxygen mask on me and started rolling me from side to side.  They said the baby's heartrate had dipped too low and they had to work with me to get it back up. They were able to get his rate back to normal but during this time, the nurse decided to check my cervix to see if I had made any progress.  She said I was around a 2 and then I felt a popping sensation and a flow of fluid.  I told the nurse that either my water broke or I was urinating and couldn't stop.  Either way, I wanted a bedpan.  Sure enough, my water had broke and I filled two bedpans with the fluid!  The doctor came in and put monitors in me that could monitor the baby better.  I still wasn't more dialated than a 2 at that point.  I was able to get my epidural around 2:30 am Friday morning.  I was very nervous about getting it but the ones who gave were very nice and talked me through the whole process before and during.  I was really grateful to have it when the contractions got worse.  They would show up on the monitors and I wouldn't feel a thing.  I was able to rest a little during this time too.  Doctor came in around 8:00 Friday morning and checked me again.  I don't remember how far along I was at that time but he told me he expected me to progress a centimeter an hour.  He planned to check me again at 9:30.  Between 8 and 9:30, they had to stop and restart the Pitocin again due to Harrison's heart rate dropping.  I did not make much progress during that time period.  He said he would check me again around lunchtime.  He said I should be ready to push around 1:00 pm.  When he came around noon, I was only a 7.  He told me that he recommended a c-section at this time but would give me another hour if I wanted it.  I didn't want to put the baby through any more of the problems with the Pitocin so I was ready to go ahead with the c-section.  They prepped me and it seemed like an eternity later, we went downstairs for the c-section.  I'm not sure really what happened, except that they gave me a medication that they said could cause nervousness and make me jittery, but I started shaking and was extremely irritible.  I didn't want to talk to anyone while I waited to go into surgery.  I just wanted it done.  When I got into the surgery room, several people inside kept trying to talk to me at once, asking me all sorts of questions and giving me instructions that seemed so difficult to follow.  For some reason, my lower back was in extreme pain.  I kept asking to sit up for just a minute because I hurt so badly.  They kept telling me I couldn't because of the epidural.  The anethesist started using a small tool that zapped me to see if the epidural was working.  I kept feeling pain around my belly and he tried increasing the dosage and then would zap me again.  No matter how high he increased the dose, I still had feeling around my belly.  The doctor started to work on me and I had to tell him I could feel what he was doing.  They then decided to "put me under" and made Brad leave the room.  I felt so terrible about this.  Originally, I had planned a vaginal delivery and both Mom and Brad would be there to see my son born.  Then a c-section had to be done so only Brad could be there with me.  Now he has to leave and I'll be knocked out and no one will get to see him born.  I really hate that we had to miss that experience. Regardless, Harrison Jude Kebodeaux was born at 2:42 pm on Friday, January 20th at 6lbs 9.4 oz and 20 inches long.  Brad told me that after he was born and was all checked out by the doctors, they let him walk up with Harrison in his little bassinet/warmer thingee (no idea what it's called) up to the nursery.  He said they cleaned him up and opened the nursery window for a long time to let him, my parents and Brad's mom and her husband see him.  Brad took video and pictures while he was in there because he felt sorry for me that I didn't get to see him.  I woke up in the recovery area around 5:00.  They brought me back to my room and we had to wait until nearly 6:00 pm before they brought him to us.  And of course, he was (and still is!) perfect.  With a full head of dark hair and beautiful dark eyes.  Even though things did not go as originally planned, I would do it all again to ensure this little boy would come into my life happy and healthy.  It's just a bonus that he's so cute!  Happy Birth Day, Harrison!

Merry Post-Christmas Post

So what do you do with Christmas presents when you are too pregnant to care about putting up a tree and don't yet have a baby to put in his crib?

Well, whatever works, I guess. 

Not much going on here but bed rest, cleaning up the baby's room multiple times as we keep adding stuff to it, and the mister did some maternity pictures yesterday.  I'll post some of them on here as soon as he is finished editing and resizing them.  We do have some with the baby's name in them so they will have to wait. 

I don't see the doctor again until next Wednesday so I may know then when my little man is coming.  I am getting anxious and now that I'm at home all the time, I am just waiting and waiting. 

We got the baby's swing put together and put it in the living room today to get the dogs used to it.  They barked for a little bit and then just ignored it.  Just don't know how well they will do when it is occupied with their little brother.

Upcoming events:
January 4th:  Next Doctor's Appointment
January 15th:  Due Date

One more month until D-Day!

That's right only one more month until Little Man's due date!  It seems so close and so far away at the same time.  If that makes any sense at all.  I have washed clothes and some blankets (the handmade blankets will need to be hand-washed so that hasn't happened yet) and started to put things away in his room.  I have ordered the swing which should come in today or tomorrow,

his bedding set which will probably come in one day next week,

and a few things from Target including a baby bath tub, changing pad, changing pad covers, mattress pad cover and a breathable bumper. 

My parents ordered me a glider for the baby's room too.  It'll take another three weeks to come in but it is SOOOO comfortable.  I picked it out last week after my doctor's appointment when they started talking about taking me off of work.  The salesman was busy and I just sat in the chair, rocked and cried (no one else was around).  I guess I've already bonded with it.

Everything is starting to come together and I'm excited about that!

However, I'm not excited about being taken off of work due to having high blood pressure.  I have started my maternity leave today (I was kinda supposed to have done it yesterday but when I left the doctor's office I had too many loose ends to tie up at work that I stayed there until 1:30.).  I am supposed to mainly be lying down but I'm not the type of person that can do that all day and all night, so I lie down for awhile, get up and do a few things around the house, sit in my recliner, do a few more things around the house, then lie back down for awhile, then repeat the sequence.  I am not doing major things around the house, just enough to feel somewhat productive.  I am trying not to think about work.  That's hard when you've been working for so long (don't know how retired people do it!).  I am so attached to my patients and their families so they are on my mind a lot.  I know they will be in good hands. 

So from here on out, it's just one day at a time and keep that baby baking as long as he needs to!

Update (almost 31 weeks)

At my 29 week ultrasound appointment, the doctor discovered that Baby's umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck with his arm in between the neck and the cord.  Good news is that he's small enough he can still wiggle out of this position.  Bad news is we can't just do another ultrasound, him be out of the position and know that he won't get back into this position. So I am monitoring his movement at home and doing weekly OB visits to be hooked up to a non-stress test to monitor movement there.  So basically, I can just worry about it. 
I went to my 30 week appointment on Monday to do the non-stress test.  It wasn't a big deal.  They just hooked me up and I laid there.  They said it will usually take 30 minutes to an hour.  Plan for next week:  bring a pillow and a book.  Also my blood pressure was running a little high.  It has been somewhat high on past visits.  I think trying to work while exhausted has something to do with it.  I have been monitoring it all week with a nurse at the office and it's been pretty good. 
Had my baby shower last Sunday at church.  The ladies there are so sweet and pass along good advice as well as wonderful gifts.  I mainly got clothes for Boudreaux.  Which is good because at the first shower, people did not know the gender and I got more of the necessities and less clothes.  That will be my advice for anyone having multiple showers:  Reveal the gender after the first one so you can get things you need other than clothing.  The ladies where Brad work also want to do a shower for us.  There hasn't been any talk about one where I work, but I would be shocked if they didn't do one there. 

Here are some pictures from the shower at church:

Ok the pictures are tiny.  If I try to make them bigger on here, they get all blurry.  I will try to get bigger ones later and add them.  If I can figure out how...

28 weeks

In less than 3 months I could be holding my baby.  That statement makes me happy and terrifies me all at the same time.  Brad stays scared and there are times I think "Can I handle this?"  I just keep reading my books and try to soak in all the knowledge I can.  I am also blessed with people in my life that I can ask dumb questions to and not care if I feel like an idiot.  It's going to be fine.  I keep telling myself this.

On another note, I am getting more and more tired and more and more bigger.  As I get more uncomfortable, I keep thinking "Baby is getting bigger which means he will be born more healthy."  I try not to get too stressed at work so that he will stay put until he is fully baked.  Speaking of work, it has been keeping me extra busy.  Which I am grateful for since it helps pass the time along.  I am just so worn out at the end of the day.  One night this past week, I could not even remember which patients I saw that same day.  On Friday me and three others at work did a group interview for my replacement while I'm on maternity leave.  She is really bubbly and has lots of experience working as a social worker in hospice.  I know that my patients will be in good hands.  However, I think she's more qualified for my job than I am.  Hope I still have my job when I need it back after my leave. 

After re-reading this post, I think it sounds pretty negative.  I'm really not in a bad mood, just tired.  Good things are happening too.  I took down the pink butterfly border from the baby's room.  Just didn't seem to suit my little boy.  Brad bought the paint and plans to do that soon.  Green walls will look a little more masculine than pink and brown.  My mom is coming next weekend and I'll get to show her all of my stuff that I have already gotten for Baby.  Baby's furniture is also on the way.  Not sure how much longer it will be until it arrives, but should be in plenty of time (if Baby stays put like I've told him to until he is ready). 
The next three weeks should be pretty busy too.

Upcoming events:
October 24th: 28 week appointment
October 31st: Ultrasound with OB and Mom here
November 6th: Baby shower at church

And soon I will start doctor's visits every other week.  Busy busy busy!

26 weeks

Big event of the week:  Brad felt the baby kick.  Baby's been kicking for awhile but would stop when I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel it on the outside.  Now he keeps going.   I was told this will only be fun until he wakes me up in the middle of the night kicking. 

Brad is trying to come up with different photography ideas for Baby as he is also planning on some family photos for a woman he works with. 

Still have a lot to do for Baby so I'm glad I still have time.  He does not have the furniture here yet, sheets, car seat and several other things but he will before he arrives.  14 more weeks (give or take).

Brad did take some new pictures this past week.

Upcoming Events:
October 23rd: Beginning of third trimester
October 24th: 28 week appointment
October 31st: Ultrasound with doctor
November 6th:  Baby shower at church

25 Weeks

Time is moving on.  25 down.  15 to go.  We ordered the Baby furniture last Saturday. 

We are getting the crib and the short dresser.  Should arrive in 4-6 weeks.  Another step closer.  We also enjoyed spending time with my parents and friends Trish and Walter.  Everyone is passing on child-rearing advice.  Hopefully we will remember some of it when Boudreaux gets here.

Upcoming events:  Brad will paint the room before furniture arrives.
                             October 24th is my 28 week appointment
                             October 31st is the next ultrasound at 29 weeks.  After that, I will start having appointments every other week. 

Still discussing baby names.  We maaaaay be getting close to figuring out the name.  But no information will be given out at this time.