Wow! I have been meaning to update the blog since Dylan was born but the last 5 days have been a whirlwind! We are just smitten with our little man and learning what it means to be parents!! Here is the birth story about how Dylan arrived and made our family complete!!
On Tuesday, July 20 we headed to the hospital at 6:00PM for the labor induction. We settled in and I was given Cervidil to begin the labor process. That evening and overnight went great with just a little cramping - it was the waiting that made it seem to drag. We watched TV and just waited in anticipation for something to happen.
Then first thing Wednesday morning my nurse came in to wake me up to shower so they could start the Pitocin to induce labor. Due to my high blood pressure I also had to be on an IV of magnesium to prevent seizures and keep things in check. So, the Pitocin drip started at 7:00AM and throughout the morning I started having contractions but nothing too major. The magnesium made me feel horrible - very lightheaded and hot!! Then around 3:00PM Jeff and I decided to take a nap so I could get a little rest before the delivery. After about 45 minutes of napping my contractions came on very, very strong and I was in a lot of pain. My doctor came to check me and I was only 1 cm dilated. I was very discouraged but since I was having lots of pain they did give me the epidural. They did not want me to be in pain and have that also increase my blood pressure.
The epidural was awesome! Everything that everyone has ever said about how wonderful they are is true! I was no longer in pain and could enjoy the labor and pending arrival of my little boy. My mom and dad visited that afternoon and evening as well as my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. At 7:00PM my doctor came to check me and I was 3 cm dilated. It was a slow process! She then decided to break my water to try and speed things up a bit. My parent's were trying to figure out what to do since it was looking like the baby would be delivered during the night. They ended up staying at a hotel down the road to make things easier so they could get to the hospital for the delivery.
We were all visiting in the labor and delivery room when my sister-in-law and I started to notice that Dylan's heat rate was going down on the external fetal monitor. I started to get a little nervous at that point. My nurse and a few others came in and cleared the room so they could figure out what was going on. They decided to attach a small monitor to the baby's head so they could be sure they were getting the correct heart rate. They also decided to insert an internal contraction monitor as well. They called in the OBGYN on duty to get the procedure done immediately due to the seriousness of the issue. My doctor arrived shortly after and by tracking the internal monitors quickly discovered that with every contraction Dylan's heart rate was dropping and that he was in distress.
She then told me we would have to do a C-section immediately because that would be the safest option for the me and the baby. I was scared and upset but knew I had no choice - off we went to the operating room for the section. Honestly, everything happened so fast a lot of it is a blur. I remember not feeling my body at all and feeling just like a head floating around. I do however remember one of the doctor's talking about how their was a severe thunderstorm directly over head!! If you know me well, you know I am petrified of thunderstorms!! But, at that point I really did not care. During a thunderstorm, over the sheet in the operating room we were able to get our first glimpse of our little Dylan. Jeff and I we were immediately overrun with emotion and just in love. He was so perfect!
Daddy stayed with Dylan while they finished my surgery and I went to recovery. Then both of them came to meet me in recovery so I could see my little boy! I was shaking like crazy from the spinal epidural, had dry mouth and was feeling pretty horrible. But, it did not seem to matter because I was able to be with Jeff and Dylan.
That night I was hooked back up to the magnesium for my high blood pressure and had to stay on it for 24 hours following the surgery. During that time I could not eat and the magnesium continued to make me feel awful. Finally, Thursday evening they moved us from the labor and delivery floor to the regular recovery floor. I was taken off my IV's and able to walk for the first time since Wednesday afternoon. We stayed at the hospital until Saturday afternoon. Jeff stayed with Dylan and I each night which really meant a lot to me. During that time we had many family and friends come by the hospital to visit.
While the delivery was not what I had planned for or hoped for in the end it did not matter. We were blessed with a healthy beautiful baby boy and that is all that matters!!
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