July 27, 2011
Well, he is here, and we are all very happy and tired. More happy than anything else. He was born on July 27, 2011 at 6:48 pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 14.6 oz., and was 19 3/4 in. long. Ian is beautiful like his brother Nolan. He seems to be a bit darker than Nolan ever was though, and Nolan has a little cleft in his chin which Ian doesn't have. His little features like his lips and nose are so much like Nolan's when he was born sometimes I do forget he is a different little baby.
Nolan seems to love him. He is always asking to hold him and wants to help burp him, etc. It is quite cute. On the other hand, I can see that we need to give very special attention to Nolan as well so he feels included. He has been very good though, and I appreciate that.
As for the birth story, here it goes...
Nolan was born via Cesarean section after what they called "failure to progress". My plan this time was to try a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean section). Not all doctors are willing to do this, so I found one that was highly recommended to me by some Labor and Delivery nurses. Dr. West was the winner. He was very supportive about my plan and honest about the risks involved.
For the four weeks prior to Ian's birth, there seemed to be little to no progression in the thinning of my cervix (sorry did I mention this may be a little too much information for the faint of heart?). I was almost dilated to one cm for four weeks, and it seemed like Ian's head was stuck on my pelvis...Not promising for someone trying to have a baby naturally (at least vaginally). I would come home from my appointments all bummed out. I had some practice contractions (Braxton Hicks), but I could really only feel them if I had my hand on my belly. I never really felt them because they were so mild. In fact, I don't remember having them at all with Nolan either. I guess I just always thought that contractions were supposed to hurt or at least be uncomfortable.
I started to have real contractions (not Braxton Hicks) two days before Ian got here. The first day was nothing very special at all. The contractions were pretty sporadic and didn't hurt very much at all. Monday at work they started to get pretty regular, so then I went home early (my co-workers were afraid I was going to have him right there). Once at home, all the contractions just stopped. At least I was able to get some sleep!
The fact that they just stopped was a bit frustrating, so I thought I would do whatever it took to start them up again. So, I decided to mow the lawn. Nothing. Our lawnmower makes mowing the lawn so easy! Sigh...I also went for a walk (which I had done a lot of over the weekend). Also nothing. So my next thought was I will just go to work again, and that will put me into labor, and it sure did.
When I got to work that night, we were in down time which means that one or more of our computer programs at work were down. This is never fun because it creates a lot of extra work and lots of paper work to file. I felt good for most of the night.
It wasn't until about 10:30 pm at night that I started to feel the contractions. I get done with my shift at 12 am, so I decided to stick it out until my shift was done since we were in down time. By the time I left work, my contractions were 5 minutes or less apart. I called Nick, and I told him to get ready. I also called my good friend Laurie to see if she was available to stay with Nolan overnight if necessary, and she said yes thankfully. I didn't want to get home and have my contractions stop again, so we waited a few minutes and really kept track of how far apart they were. They were coming every 3-4 minutes, so we decided to go in.
We got to the hospital somewhere between 2 or 2:30 am. When we checked in at triage and were finally checked, I was only at about 2.5 cm and not the 3 cm we needed to stay, so they told me to walk for an hour and they would check me again in an hour since my contractions were so regular. We waited the hour by walking around the entire hospital (and in my sexy hospital gown too). I even saw some people I used to work with. My mom arrived with her friend Sara, and I met up with them so they could try some techniques on me to help me relax (me and my pelvis). We checked back in, and nothing had progressed.
They really didn't want to send me home since I was trying for a VBAC and since things were so regular. They suggested I walk again for an hour to see if it would do any good. It didn't, but that hour seemed really long since the contractions were coming harder and faster.
They did convince the on call doctor to check me in for good around 5am. This made me feel pretty good. I knew that at least things were happening. I was ready for the tub too. I was really hoping it would help me to relax and progress with less pain. It did help me to relax, but in the wrong way. My contractions started to slow down, so I decided to get out. When I was checked around 8:30 am by my doctor I was maybe at 3cm. Not encouraging for me. He went ahead and broke my water at this time to hopefully get things moving. It was pretty quick, and I went back to trying to help things along.
After that, I decided to do a combination of walking and squats during the contractions to help things along. I did a lot of bouncing on an exercise ball too. It was funny, the nurses and my resident doctor kept joking that I was walking so much I could have finished a marathon that day. I thought all pregnant women walked a lot at this time...
When I was checked around 11:30 am, I was maybe at 4 cm. My doctor at this time suggested giving me low doses of pitocin. This scared me a bit because it was starting to sound like Nolan's birth. I didn't want to do anything that could increase the chances of having a C-section. This made me crazy emotional, and almost anything sent me into tears. I decided to think about it, and get back to the doctor later.
Here I am in the early afternoon. Just waiting...
Here's a close up. (Of course I have a monitor on so it looks funny.)
By the end of the work day (4:30ish), I had made it to 5 cm. That was great! I never made it past 4 cm with Nolan, and so I was feeling a little better.
The next time they checked me l still hadn't progressed the way they were hoping I would. I was maybe at 6 cm. Things were progressing slow, and it looked like my doctor and nurses were starting to lose hope. My doctor said that Ian's little head was just getting caught on my pelvis. He said that unless he was able to turn his head or my pelvis was able to open more, it looked bleak. I was pretty much in tears now. The emotions were starting to get to me, and so was the pain.
Finally my mom convinced me to think about an epidural. I talked to both the nurses and the doctors about an epidural. I didn't want something like an epidural to prevent me from having a vaginal birth. While at my childbirth refresher course, the instructor was so sure I had to have a C-section because I had an epidural with Nolan. It kinda made sense in my mind. Once I got the epidural, I stopped progressing...
Both the nurses and the doctors told me they didn't believe it would prevent a vaginal birth, but that there were no guarantees. On the other hand, they all had seen women get epidurals, and it seemed like things really started to move once they received it. It was almost like it relaxed them enough to just let nature take its course.
I decided to think on it a bit more, but eventually I decided to get the epidural. I received the epidural between 5:45-6pm, and it was a big relief in a way. They checked me at this time, and I was almost at 7 cm. As soon as everything was secured, they rolled me on my side and told me to get some rest (once you have an epidural, there's no standing, walking, etc.). I told them I wasn't having any pain, but I could really feel pressure down low in my pelvis now. They said this was a good sign.
I had only been resting for about 20 minutes when they came to adjust my monitors. I told them that every time I had a contraction there was lots of pressure and I could feel a lot of gushing. I didn't have the urge to push though. The nurse said she would like to check me just in case.
When I rolled onto my back and the nurse got a look, she said there was a lot of bloody show. And then she went to check me and all she said was, "Oh there's his head. He has a lot of hair." She quickly called Dr. West back in, and Nick called Mom, Sara, and Elisa back (they had all left to get something to eat).
He was beautiful from the start!
I was so happy and relieved. He didn't cry right away, so the NICU team came and did a tiny bit of work. It was no big deal, and then I got to hold him and even feed him. He was a good little feeder from the start. Right away I also just wanted Nolan to be there with us. It wouldn't be complete without him. We called Rob and Tiff, and they agreed to bring Nolan in when they got the chance.
They had to give him a bit of oxygen...
Here he is weighing in at 6 lbs. 14.6 oz., 19 3/4 in.
I finally really get to hold him
(Besides right after he was born. They set him on my chest for a moment.)
First picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Ian together!
Nolan was able to meet Ian at about 8pm. He loved holding Ian, but wasn't too happy to see me. Either he was mad at me for not being there in the morning, or he was scared that I had and IV and was dressed in a funny gown. Who knows! It was a quick visit, but we promised Nolan we would bring him home with us. (He kept asking to make sure we wouldn't forget him!)
Thanks to Aunt Tiffany, we have this picture. For some reason we just forgot to get pictures of Nolan and Ian on their first meeting together. Nolan had just finished swimming with the cousins, so he was still in his swim clothes.
Daddy & Ian's after we went to the Mother Baby Unit
Here are a few pictures we got before, during, and after his first bath. I wasn't able to be there for Nolan's first bath due to the C-section, so this was kinda a big deal to me this time.
Nolan seems to love him. He is always asking to hold him and wants to help burp him, etc. It is quite cute. On the other hand, I can see that we need to give very special attention to Nolan as well so he feels included. He has been very good though, and I appreciate that.
As for the birth story, here it goes...
Nolan was born via Cesarean section after what they called "failure to progress". My plan this time was to try a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean section). Not all doctors are willing to do this, so I found one that was highly recommended to me by some Labor and Delivery nurses. Dr. West was the winner. He was very supportive about my plan and honest about the risks involved.
For the four weeks prior to Ian's birth, there seemed to be little to no progression in the thinning of my cervix (sorry did I mention this may be a little too much information for the faint of heart?). I was almost dilated to one cm for four weeks, and it seemed like Ian's head was stuck on my pelvis...Not promising for someone trying to have a baby naturally (at least vaginally). I would come home from my appointments all bummed out. I had some practice contractions (Braxton Hicks), but I could really only feel them if I had my hand on my belly. I never really felt them because they were so mild. In fact, I don't remember having them at all with Nolan either. I guess I just always thought that contractions were supposed to hurt or at least be uncomfortable.
I started to have real contractions (not Braxton Hicks) two days before Ian got here. The first day was nothing very special at all. The contractions were pretty sporadic and didn't hurt very much at all. Monday at work they started to get pretty regular, so then I went home early (my co-workers were afraid I was going to have him right there). Once at home, all the contractions just stopped. At least I was able to get some sleep!
The fact that they just stopped was a bit frustrating, so I thought I would do whatever it took to start them up again. So, I decided to mow the lawn. Nothing. Our lawnmower makes mowing the lawn so easy! Sigh...I also went for a walk (which I had done a lot of over the weekend). Also nothing. So my next thought was I will just go to work again, and that will put me into labor, and it sure did.
When I got to work that night, we were in down time which means that one or more of our computer programs at work were down. This is never fun because it creates a lot of extra work and lots of paper work to file. I felt good for most of the night.
It wasn't until about 10:30 pm at night that I started to feel the contractions. I get done with my shift at 12 am, so I decided to stick it out until my shift was done since we were in down time. By the time I left work, my contractions were 5 minutes or less apart. I called Nick, and I told him to get ready. I also called my good friend Laurie to see if she was available to stay with Nolan overnight if necessary, and she said yes thankfully. I didn't want to get home and have my contractions stop again, so we waited a few minutes and really kept track of how far apart they were. They were coming every 3-4 minutes, so we decided to go in.
We got to the hospital somewhere between 2 or 2:30 am. When we checked in at triage and were finally checked, I was only at about 2.5 cm and not the 3 cm we needed to stay, so they told me to walk for an hour and they would check me again in an hour since my contractions were so regular. We waited the hour by walking around the entire hospital (and in my sexy hospital gown too). I even saw some people I used to work with. My mom arrived with her friend Sara, and I met up with them so they could try some techniques on me to help me relax (me and my pelvis). We checked back in, and nothing had progressed.
They really didn't want to send me home since I was trying for a VBAC and since things were so regular. They suggested I walk again for an hour to see if it would do any good. It didn't, but that hour seemed really long since the contractions were coming harder and faster.
They did convince the on call doctor to check me in for good around 5am. This made me feel pretty good. I knew that at least things were happening. I was ready for the tub too. I was really hoping it would help me to relax and progress with less pain. It did help me to relax, but in the wrong way. My contractions started to slow down, so I decided to get out. When I was checked around 8:30 am by my doctor I was maybe at 3cm. Not encouraging for me. He went ahead and broke my water at this time to hopefully get things moving. It was pretty quick, and I went back to trying to help things along.
After that, I decided to do a combination of walking and squats during the contractions to help things along. I did a lot of bouncing on an exercise ball too. It was funny, the nurses and my resident doctor kept joking that I was walking so much I could have finished a marathon that day. I thought all pregnant women walked a lot at this time...
When I was checked around 11:30 am, I was maybe at 4 cm. My doctor at this time suggested giving me low doses of pitocin. This scared me a bit because it was starting to sound like Nolan's birth. I didn't want to do anything that could increase the chances of having a C-section. This made me crazy emotional, and almost anything sent me into tears. I decided to think about it, and get back to the doctor later.
Not much had changed when we were checked about an hour later. We decided to go ahead with the pitocin at this time. After talking it out with my mom, Nick, and my sister Elisa (she is a resident in family practice, but they specialize in OB) we felt much better about going ahead with the pitocin.
Here I am in the early afternoon. Just waiting...
Here's a close up. (Of course I have a monitor on so it looks funny.)
By the end of the work day (4:30ish), I had made it to 5 cm. That was great! I never made it past 4 cm with Nolan, and so I was feeling a little better.
The next time they checked me l still hadn't progressed the way they were hoping I would. I was maybe at 6 cm. Things were progressing slow, and it looked like my doctor and nurses were starting to lose hope. My doctor said that Ian's little head was just getting caught on my pelvis. He said that unless he was able to turn his head or my pelvis was able to open more, it looked bleak. I was pretty much in tears now. The emotions were starting to get to me, and so was the pain.
Finally my mom convinced me to think about an epidural. I talked to both the nurses and the doctors about an epidural. I didn't want something like an epidural to prevent me from having a vaginal birth. While at my childbirth refresher course, the instructor was so sure I had to have a C-section because I had an epidural with Nolan. It kinda made sense in my mind. Once I got the epidural, I stopped progressing...
Both the nurses and the doctors told me they didn't believe it would prevent a vaginal birth, but that there were no guarantees. On the other hand, they all had seen women get epidurals, and it seemed like things really started to move once they received it. It was almost like it relaxed them enough to just let nature take its course.
I decided to think on it a bit more, but eventually I decided to get the epidural. I received the epidural between 5:45-6pm, and it was a big relief in a way. They checked me at this time, and I was almost at 7 cm. As soon as everything was secured, they rolled me on my side and told me to get some rest (once you have an epidural, there's no standing, walking, etc.). I told them I wasn't having any pain, but I could really feel pressure down low in my pelvis now. They said this was a good sign.
I had only been resting for about 20 minutes when they came to adjust my monitors. I told them that every time I had a contraction there was lots of pressure and I could feel a lot of gushing. I didn't have the urge to push though. The nurse said she would like to check me just in case.
When I rolled onto my back and the nurse got a look, she said there was a lot of bloody show. And then she went to check me and all she said was, "Oh there's his head. He has a lot of hair." She quickly called Dr. West back in, and Nick called Mom, Sara, and Elisa back (they had all left to get something to eat).
The nurse did a few practice pushes with me, coached me a bit, and then everyone showed up at the same time. The doctors (Dr. West and my resident) prepped a bit, and then it was time to push. It didn't take long. I would say it took between 15 to 20 minutes, and then baby Ian was here! He was born at 6:48 pm. Yay!
He was beautiful from the start!
They had to give him a bit of oxygen...
Here he is weighing in at 6 lbs. 14.6 oz., 19 3/4 in.
I finally really get to hold him
(Besides right after he was born. They set him on my chest for a moment.)
First picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Ian together!
Nolan was able to meet Ian at about 8pm. He loved holding Ian, but wasn't too happy to see me. Either he was mad at me for not being there in the morning, or he was scared that I had and IV and was dressed in a funny gown. Who knows! It was a quick visit, but we promised Nolan we would bring him home with us. (He kept asking to make sure we wouldn't forget him!)
Thanks to Aunt Tiffany, we have this picture. For some reason we just forgot to get pictures of Nolan and Ian on their first meeting together. Nolan had just finished swimming with the cousins, so he was still in his swim clothes.
Daddy & Ian's after we went to the Mother Baby Unit
Here are a few pictures we got before, during, and after his first bath. I wasn't able to be there for Nolan's first bath due to the C-section, so this was kinda a big deal to me this time.
Before under the warmer...
During...
After...
During...
After...
I only had to be in the hospital for a little more than 24 hours this time. It was so weird to go home so soon. We were very happy about this as I missed Nolan quite a lot, and I ready to try to get back to a normal life....;)
