Our little/big baby Henry is here!
The night before (post before this) I stayed up and wrote Henry a letter. I couldn't sleep knowing that the next day our lives would change forever. Lane on the other hand, being the calm man he is, fell asleep immediately.
As I sat in bed, feeling Henry move, I couldn't help but get emotional at the thought of only being able to feel him in my tummy for a few more hours. Very surreal and strange realization.
We woke up early on that Wednesday and I got ready by taking a shower and putting on makeup. I for some reason wanted to look cute (but the pictures of that day clearly show I didn't look as cute as I thought I did!). My parents (The O'Briens) were here and woke up with us. They didn't leave with us but were going to come to the hospital later after we checked in etc.
Lane and I took a few pictures before we left and again the realization of leaving the house for the last time without our little dude set in. The drive to the hospital was short. Literally. It is just about 3 miles from our house. I kind of went into this state that I get in when something huge is about to happen. I remember it the day I was marrying Lane. I get really uncharacteristically calm. As we walked in to the Labor and Delivery unit with our bags, I stayed calm and was ready. The same kind of ready I was to become Lane's wife. We walked in, checked in, and got to our room. It was a big room with a window and on the back hallway (room #16). I got in my gown and waited for the nurse to come in.
She came in and I immediately loved her. I don't know what it was about her, maybe her calmness, but I could tell this was going to be good. I got in bed and just waited taking it all in. The resource nurse came in and started my IV. She did a great job and got it first try (something I always hope fore when starting them on my patients). It didn't even hurt. I was suppose to be started on Pitocin but when I got hooked up to the monitor I was contracting on my own. Every 5-7 minutes or so but they weren't too painful yet. After answering a lot of medical questions, she checked my cervix and I was 5 to 6 cm dilated and I think 80/90% effaced. She was shocked as was I, because you NEVER have inductions that are that far dilated. My doctor, Dr. Romberg, came in around 9ish and she broke my water. After that, the contractions started to become more painful but I was still able to get through them because they were far enough apart. They still didn't start Pitocin and so I was able to get up and walk around and not be monitored continuously. Before I went in, I really really didn't want to have to use Pitocin. I hate the stuff and wanted to do things as "on my own" as possible.
I walked around the unit, some with Lane, some with my dad. I had to stop a few times to breathe through the contractions but was trying to move things a long. During one of my walks, Lane's parents came and so my parents, Lane's parents and Lane were there room just hanging out with me. When the nurse came in, everyone would leave. So 9 AM the doctor broke my water and around noon (I think) they came in to check me. I was 7 cm and still rocking so I continued to walk and breathe through the contractions. When I would have a contraction everyone would stop and stare at me and it was really awkward! Then I would say "don't look at me" and everyone would turn their head away! A few hours later I was 8 cm and decided at that time that I should go ahead and get an epidural. I probably could have made it further but the thought of feeling the actual birth and possible rip freaked me out. So I sat up got the epi and felt great. The doctor that did the epidural was really nice and reminded me of Lane's cousin John. It was more painful than I imagined (I have done A TON of them with my patients) but now I know what it really feels like which is better than the contractions but still uncomfortable.
I laid back down and my friend Danielle (a labor and delivery nurse I work with) had come up for the day was in the room at one point with the nurse. I think it was about an hour later, around 4 PM. Danielle and my nurse watched Henry's heart rate on the monitor and he had a small variable. A variable is a sharp decrease in fetal heart rate that indicates cord compression. As long as the heart rate comes back up quickly there is no reason for concern. It was the only one he had the whole day and my nurse said, "ok, lets check her". She did and I was 10 cm, 100% and +2 station! That means PUSH TIME! When Jenny said that I was excited and nervous as I know that pushing for "prime eps" (first time moms) can take hours. Jenny was to leave at 5 PM because her sister was in Austin (Jenny's hometown) from London and she was going to see her that night. So, we started pushing instead of laboring down because I think Jenny wanted to be there for the delivery. I would have preferred to labor down but oh well. I still wasn't on Pitocin. Jenny set up the bed and I began to push.
I pushed for 2 hours total. The first hour, my contractions were spread out and so I would have a couple then not have one for 5 minutes or so. Jenny left at 5. I was sad. We made plans to become friends on Facebook and then Heidi (the nurse who was there for the delivery) came in. She got report from Jenny and then pushed with me. I at that time became the annoying dreaded patient who asks after every push, "did he move?!". Poor Heidi. She would say, "we've got some work to do". Or, "yes, but he hasn't come past the pubic bone". I forgot, the second hour we started the Pitocin to get the contractions closer. It helped. And I was ok because it was the best case scenario. At one point I think she got frustrated with me and offered me a mirror. To my surprise, I said, "yes". NEVER thought I would but once I got that mirror, I could tell what I was doing and within the next hour gave birth to our sweet baby Henry. I do remember feeling the contractions - I didn't feel the intense pain but I could feel them coming. At one point I got nauseated which is also normal when the baby's head is way down on a nerve. Weird.
Dr. Romberg put him on me and I just remember thinking, "oh my gosh, he is so red and acting like a normal newborn". I have no idea what Lane was doing or what else was going on. I was in a moment that stood still. Once Lane cut the cord, they took Henry over to do his assessment and give him his Vitamin K shot and eye goop. Lane was over there by him and I just though wow, look at this moment. It felt like I was watching a movie. I was happy that I was still alive! I got the shakes pretty bad (which are normal) and just sat there watching everything going on.
It was so neat. So so neat. The next hour was full of repairs, the nurse doing things, family members coming back in the room to see us, and trying to breastfeed. More on that later. I was down in L&D for an hour and it was a very very very fast hour. I got my catheter removed and into a wheelchair to head to the wonderful land of postpartum.
**I have to say one of the things I was most excited about which is so weird is getting a catheter. The thought of having something drain your bladder so you don't have to get up really made me excited. I am blaming getting up every hour during pregnancy to go to the bathroom on this excitement!
Now introducing:
Henry O'Brien Arnold. 8 pounds 12 ounces. 21 3/4 inches with little blonde fuzzy hair and dimples!
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