Labor & Delivery

In the delivery room - about to head to the OR


Pulling out Carson!



Talk about good timing with the camera daddy - being pulled out of mommy!


First family photo

I was a nervous wreck going Wednesday night and Tuesday morning. I really didn't want to be induced. I thought it would be a much longer process than going naturally. Jason was nervous too, but my scheduler was super excited to have a planned date and everything was under control!

We did our best to get some rest knowing the 10th was going to be a big big day! Although it is torture, we had to check-in to the hospital at 5:45 am meaning I had to be up by 4:15 to be on time - UGH! So much for a final night of sleep. I was told not to eat after midnight and it would be until after the delivery to have any real food. I would be on ice chips and hard candy (lollipops, popsicles and lifesavers during labor).

So, to add to the craziness it decided to snow that night! It wasn't even predicted. They cancelled school in our county, but it really wasn't that bad out. The side roads were a little icy, but the main raods were fine.

We checked-in and they said every delivery room was packed. Mine was room 9 and it was wide ready me as I was high risk. I got in to the room and had to undress into a hospital gown. I laid in bed for about an hour - felt like forever, waiting on the nurse to come and start all my paper work and get this process started!

At about 7:45 AM they broke my water. It was uncomfortable but not unbearable. Checking my cervix hurt the worst, but breaking my water was like nothing. Although, it did feel really weird leaking warm water all over.

They started the Pitocin drip at around 8 AM. It took about 30 minutes to start feeling contractions. They were really low on me. At first, they weren't that bad, but they increased quickly. They felt like really bad period cramps, but instead of staying they would come and go. Start slow, ramp up, peak and then come back down. They were in my back and lower abs.

I did this for about 3 hours before I said give me the epi! At first I was nervous about the epidurl. The fear of the unknown as well as getting it too early. It turns out during an induction - you really cant get it too early as the doctor controls the labor. The Dr. can up the pitocin or lower it to speed/slow labor along.

The epidurl did not hurt one single bit. The nerves were for nothing!!!! Jason said the needle wasn't all that big. It felt like a hard pinch and was over quickly. There was just a cool sensation as they work the medicine in, but it was the best decision ever!

It took about 30 minutes or so for it to kick in, but I was feeling no pain after that!

My contractions were all over the place. They measure them on a chart and average contractions measure 60-70. Mine were measuring 125 and were off the charts! It was so early for this!!!! I wasn't feeling it well at least not any more.

The baby's heart rate wasn't handling the contractions well. He wasn't recovering fast enough from the strong contractions, so they brought of up the c word. Ugh - there goes my blood pressure again.

They pulled me off ice chips and all the other good stuff I could have in case they had to do surgery. The doctors and nurses kept coming in about every 20 minutes and checking my monitors and discussing. They were trying to let me labor for as long as possible, but as soon as they saw a risk they were pulling me out for surgery.

They upped and l0wered the pitocin a few times to see how baby would react. He didn't show much progress. Jason and I could tell by the conversation/reaction from the doctors that we were headed to c-section.

They gave me one final hurdle and said they would check my labor progress. I was about 2 cm last time they checked me. Now, I was 3 cm - Not good enough for this babies heart rate!!! Dr. said we are going in for a c-section!

I got really nervous - blood pressure through the roof! I asked the doctor what the process would be and she starts running through all the risks. OMG - just tell me what start to finish is all about, not that a kidney may rupture or puncture my bladder. I was going into surgery and it would be in about 30 minutes!

All of a sudden there was alot of commotion. Dr.'s every where and Jason getting dressed in scrubs. They had to un-plug all my machines and do some more paper work. And then, we were off being wheeled into the OR.

Jason had to wait outside the OR for about 10 minutes as they prepped me for surgery. They had to move me to the OR table and wash me down. One of the first things they did was put a blue tarp up so I could not see then they wash me-up. I was completely nakie!

Jason entered the room and the Dr. started going to work. The process from start to the time Carson was born was about 5 minutes. They cut me open, pull out all my organs and put them on the table, then pull baby out. Jason said the midwife was literally up on the OR table tugging him out. They said I would feel pressure and I may have felt a little, but not much at all. Looks like my placenta was old and that was why he stopped getting proper nutrients to keep him growing. This necessarily doesn't mean we will have the same issue with future pregnancies.

The bad thing about a c-section is that I don't get to hold baby. He is whisked away to a warming table next to me. I got to see him from a far. They did his Apgar test (a test to score on how well he is responding to life outside the womb - crying, color, etc.) He socred 8 and 9 out of 10 on his first two tests. A sigh of relief - looks like a healthy baby.

Jason got to hold him and bring him close to me so I could see. He was so handsome. Next, Jason and the baby went to the recovery room and waited on me. I had to be sewn back together. This took about 15-20 minutes. Then I was wheeled to recovery where I got to hold my baby!!!! I had to wait here for a little over an hour. They were measuring my heart rate and monitoring my surgery recovery. I also had to be able to move my legs before I could leave this room.

After about an hour we were taken to our hospital room - #333. My parents were there and got to meet Carson. I still was not aloud to eat until the next day - UGH!

All and all I was really against induction and c-section. However, now that it is all said and done it was a great experience and I don't think I would have changed it if I could. I had minimal pain and even the recovery has been speedy (so far). I took pain meds for the first 3 days and that was it. On a scale of 1 (best) -10 (worst) my recovery pain has only been 2-3. The biggest annoyance is that my stitches burn sometimes. They are better when I am sitting down vs standing. The dr. said this is normal.

Unfortuantely, my blood pressure still has not come down so I am having to take blood pressure meds. Hopefully this is short term and will return to normal soon. Alot of people have this happen to them during pregnancy.

The best part of this is that we are all home and have a healthy beautiful baby!