Thomas' Birth Story

My son is 1 week and 2 days old today. This is sort of long....I had him on May 28th after 8 hours of labor. I had to have an emergency c-section afterwards. His heart was slowing down through each contraction and he wasn't coming down (coming out back of the head first). I also never progressed past 6cm. We went in for my induction around 5am that morning. I thought it would be a breeze like my first 2. Well, my Dr. broke my water and then around 9am I was getting my epidural. Mike actually FAINTED!! He was holding my hands and apparently locked his knees. He also hadn't eaten breakfast that morning either (neither had I of course). Anyways, he was holding my hands and then when the Dr was almost done he whispered.. " I need to sit down"... he let go of my hands, took one step back and FLOP was on the floor. He hit his head pretty hard too. I just sat there hunched over up high on the raised bed. The nurses ran to him and he came too. They put a pillow under his head and I heard him say "what happened". They made him drink some orange juice. They kept telling him "it happens" and that's it's usually the tall guys this happens to. I kept asking him if he was ok. He said he just heard white noise in his ears and felt to light headed and needed to sit. Then he wakes up on the floor. He said he even dreamed that the Dr finished etc. even though he was out for such a short time. Anyways, it was so surreal, like out of a movie. It really happens!

Anyways hours later I was so tired and on oxygen and they were moving me constantly to keep my son's heart rate up. It kept slowing down. At one point, it got so slow they were shaking me. My Dr told me we were doing a c-section, he wasn't coming out. So I'm exhausted and feeling week.. they wheel me to the operating room which in my view was mostly a view of ceiling tiles going by till we got there. Mike came in all dressed in the operating garb and they put my hands to the side in a T and a curtain went up. I had only the epidural but the Anesthesiologist did something through that so I was awake. I FELT everything but didn't feel pain. It was such a strange sensation. I kept losing track of Mike but he was there holding my hand. I was sort of out of it but I felt someone pushing on my stomach towards the top and the this huge slimy feeling of something leaving body then I felt his body placed on my upper half for a second. Next thing I know, I hear a foreign sounding cry and they bring him around for us to see him. I don't recognize him at all but it was like that when my first two were born too after I had them... that alien feeling when you see and hear them for the first time. Anyways, Mike goes to wherever they took the baby and I feel such weird sensations. I thought they were sewing me up but they were getting the placenta out- I felt that come out moments later and was also very strange and icky feeling at the same time. That hurt a bit too when they were pressing on me. Seemed to make it hard to breath while they were doing that. It also seemed to take forever for them to finally finish sewing/stapling me up. Then Mike came around holding Thomas. I just saw a tiny face wrapped up really well with his hat on. They put some sort of black wrapped up board under me to move me to another bed then wheeled me to recovery. Another series of ceiling tiles going by. I was so disorientated. Anyways, I went OUT. I woke up to my mom talking to me and annoying me with a bunch of questions. I was so rude to her (in my head it turns out) because I mostly mumbled, but believe me I was telling her to get out and to let me be. She wasn't helping and I just wanted to sleep some more and I was really drugged up. Then I'm moved out, not sure after how long but I was moved. I don't really remember going to the room but I woke up more in there. I learned later that Mie had been to see me several times in recovery but I was out each time he was there. Finally, in my room, I was able to raise the bed so I could sit up and I was able to hold him for the first time and inspect Thomas. He looked so much like my daughter and first son when they were born. It was amazing. I started to breastfeed him right away and he took to it after a few tries. He was so hungry of course. I hated that I didn't get to hold him right away but at least daddy did.

Anyways, I got stapled up and that alone was a strange thing. The getting up for the first time, the first bathroom break etc. hurt a lot and was an adventure in itself. I never thought I'd be able to walk again or anything but today I'm getting around almost back to normal. I'm still taking some motrim though.

We ended up staying at the hospital for 4 days. My son had jaundice and then on top of that his blood is A+ and I'm O+ and apparently that's a problem. There was a word for it but it basically gave him higher jaundice levels and a problem with antibodies. They said it goes away after a few days but they wanted to keep him for the jaundice so we got to stay too. Anyways, we had only packed for 2 days and silly me had NEVER planned on a c-section so I knew NOTHING and did no research about it and about recovery. They gave me some morphine type of stuff that made me itch all over which I had no idea that's what it was so I was quiet about it till I couldn't stand it anymore... They later gave me some pills for pain that made me have such headaches and break out into itchy hives on my face. I also was allergic to some of the tape adhesives from all the tubes and monitors they stuck on and in me (which were a ton). Well, to make a long story short.. we finally get to come home, everything is taken off of me and they remove the staples before we leave and tape me up. I come home with that floppy belly over the stitches and was told to wear a pad under there to keep it dry or I could get an infection! So I feel so weird, achy, etc and we come home to our house being HOT... Our AC was OUT and this is Texas! So we load up our bags AGAIN, this time my mom can't watch the older 2 kids anymore so we have to juggle them (without me able to lift anything heavy either) and go to Mike's parents home to stay until we can get a repair man at our house. It was Saturday night so we knew Sunday was out and Mike scheduled a repair man for Monday. We had the same crappy clothes we'd been wearing for days... I was bleeding, sore and achy and we were far from our pharmacy to get my pain meds that I am allergic to, the older 2 weren't happy either and we had to set up 2 pack and plays in the room and my oldest son slept on the floor and us in a tiny full bed. Thomas was up at all hours of the night, his first night "home" and we didn't have use of any of the stuff we had bought for him. Monday couldn't come fast enough.. we load up, take the older 2 to daycare then come to our hot house. My dad (I LOVE HIM) had bought a portable AC to cool our room so we set that up and I wait in our bedroom with the new baby and finally get to relax. It was so nice to be home. The repair man comes..it was ANTS that shorted it out (Thank GOD it wasn't expensive) and voila, we are finally really home. My son is 9 days old now. What an adventure we had.

He eats well, is still orangey but is doing well. He was born with a full head of dark hair and gray slate eyes. We love him so much and he's such a little guy! 3 kids under one roof! WOW!