Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tess Sophia's arrival


Here is the story as I recall it- as grammatically incorrect as it may be...


Wow what a whirlwind it has been for us...As you know Tess Sophia was born on 11/8, but I went into labor on 11/6. I spent all day Friday cramping and just in pain. By 8 pm I knew something was up and I went to bed. I woke up all night with contractions as they went from an hour apart to 15 minutes. By morning I was certain she was coming. It was the 7th- my due date. We joked at how fitting that someone like me who hates being late would have a baby right on time.

I had already scheduled a massage appointment for that day at 1pm, so as I sat waiting for my massage my contractions had moved from 6-8 minutes apart- but were not excruciating yet. We went home and I laid on the couch groaning...Mark convinced me around 4 or 4:30 to call the doctor (mind you I was at the doctor on Friday and they said there was no way my body was ready to deliver a baby). I called and the doctor advised me to come to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 5pm. When the doctor checked me I still was barely dilated...he was considering sending me home. When he left the room I cried for a good 20 minutes at the thought of going home to have contractions for days...Once I stopped crying we went for a walk- as we walked the halls of the hospital the contractions continued. When we returned to the room it did not take long for them to start becoming "excruciating." I went from breathing throught them to clenching my eyes closed and bracing myself through them.

The nurse told me at around 8pm I was staying and the doctor would "check me" again around 10. Well, at 10pm with no doctor in sight I finally took some pain medication-whoa. Whatever it was made me absolutely wasted! Holy cow. I was affraid to open my eyes it was so strong. I could hear myself slurring my words and there was nothing I could do about it. The best quote from the drugs (as Mark so kindly reminded me): "Mark, you need to say the prayers now. I am too wasted to pray." So, I laid there wasted, but still feeling contractions. The doctor visited around 11 or 12. I wouldn't know since I was affraid to open my eyes. He told me he saw a change (that is all I remember) and then he broke my water. I do remember the contractions becoming much worse after that.

At around midnight or 1am the anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural. With my eyes clenched shut and my contractions getting closer together I shoved my face in Mark's stomach as he stood over me and tried to remain still. Of course, the first time the epidural went in they hit a vein- what does the anesthesiologist say: I couldn't have done that if I tried. I will have to do the epidural again. So, it took what seemed like forever to get the darn epidural, but once I did it was so worth it. I managed to sleep until around 5 am.

By morning my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and I was 6-7 cm dilated. My doctor had come on duty and she ordered some pitocin to speed up my slowly dilating body. I was told to plan to push around 11am. 11 came and went and no doctor in sight...Finally at nearly 12 I began pushing. I was told that Tess had moved so low I should not have to push long. After just a couple of pushes they could see her head- and I was told she had lots of brown hair! I opted out of the mirror so I could just focus. I pushed for an hour and there was no progress.The doctor then realized that Tess was face up in the birth canal, not face down. Face up is much more difficult to deliver. The doctor then asked me if I needed a break. I said yes- and exhausted and fearful of a c-section I rested for 20 minutes. Words could not express how tired I was at this point. The nurse came back and I pushed for an hour more- with no additional progress. when the doctor came in I begged her for a vacuum extraction or forceps. I just couldn't get her out on my own. She said a vacuum was not an option since she was face up- they could not attach the vacuum in this position. So, the forceps was the only choice before a c-section. Once the forceps were in place I pushed one time- I kid you not- and her head was out. The doctor asked me to hold- which was nearly impossible- and then I pushed her the rest of the way out. What a sensation. I sware it felt like she flew out of me. All 8lbs 2oz. of her. They rested her on my chest, but quickly whisked her away.

Little Tess was not crying. She was having a "difficult transition" out of the womb and her breathing was labored. She was not able to breast feed because they said she was not breathing well enough. So, they called the NICU and told me they were taking her to intensive care as a precaution. My doctor was busy sewing up my miserable tear, but was great at comforting me as I could not even see my baby at this point never mind hold my baby. Over the next half an hour - all the while I am being sewn back together - Tess managed to get control of her breathing and did not have to go to the NICU. Thank GOD!

The rest is just plain gory and bloody, but the outcome is a beautiful baby girl who I love more than words.
We left the hospital on Tuesday morning only to return to the children's hospital Wednesday evening with Tess so they could place her "under the lights" for her jaundice. We saw the doctor a lot in her first week, but she is now doing great! We love every minute with her although we are exhausted!

I am recovering still- My tear was the worst kind. I asked the nurse how many stiches I had and she said, "Honey, I couldn't even begin to count!" Not what I expected to hear.

I knew labor would be tough, but I did not expect the whirlwind that was my labor and delivery. As a matter of fact, the nurse who checked us in on the 7th finished her shift, went home and returned to work only to find me still in the delivery room 21 hours later!

As for the timely delivery- we decided she started coming on her due date since she is my daughter, but since mark is late for everything she didn't arrive until the 8th!