JB's Birth Story and Three Things I Didn't Expect

Tomorrow, John Benjamin will be four weeks old. This does go by fast! I should be more tired, but I'm not. However, last night at 9:30pm I became very tired. DH said, "Well, you haven't slept more than 2 and a half hours at a time for a month." Actually, it's been longer than that since I had to go potty all night while pregnant. I guess I should expect to become tired at some point. Pure love and adrenaline can only go so far!

So, here is little JB's birth story:

First things first: I went to Mass in the morning. Afterwards, I asked Fr. William to give me a blessing. He was more than happy to do so, and he did it in his own language - of which I loved! Upon leaving, so many people told me that they would pray for me as I was scheduled to go in to the hospital at 3:00pm - the Hour of Mercy. Those of us that work at the church pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 o'clock so many people said they will offer that hour for me. Great! I'm sure I will need His Mercy!

We went into the hospital on Thursday, December 29th at 3:00pm as scheduled. Nervous? Maybe a little. DH took me out to lunch at a restaurant he hates to go to so I could have....a salad. I was told to eat a "good" meal since I won't be able to eat once I get to the hospital, and I choose to eat the Crispy Chicken Salad at Abe's. It is what JB and I have been eating for months during lunch, and that is what I wanted, so there. DH hates going to that restaurant so I thought it was sweet that he went where I wanted to go. Aww...that's why I love him!

So we get to the hospital and they were busy! Apparently every baby in Northern Illinois wanted to be born in time for the New Year celebration! Because of that, I ended up in a small room, not the nice big pretty room I toured six weeks ago. No problem, we'll get a big room when I'm ready to have the baby. DH and I settle in nicely. At 5:30pm, I'm checked and I was fingertip, 30% effaced, and -3. Bummer. I started Cytotec which was supposed to help soften my cervix. This first dose didn't do a thing for me, so at 8:45pm I received my second dose of Cytotec. Well, would you know it, my body kicked into full gear! Welcome contractions every 1 1/2 minutes. Holy Contractions!

The nurse tells me that the contractions coming so quickly cause a problem in that the baby received oxygen between contractions. By 10:30pm, I received a shot to slow down the contractions (so I took meds to get me going then meds to slow it all down). Go figure. Only, they didn't really slow down all that much! I went from every 1 1/2 to every 2 minutes. Somehow, I was able to get myself in a nice "zone" to where I was focusing and meditating, praying for all of those carrying the cross of infertility, for our parish family, for my family...if you asked me to pray for you - you were prayed for, and I was moving right along nicely. Looking back, I think that I was doing so well because of all the people praying for me! Thank you all so much!

By 2:40am, this is NINE hours of labor, the baby is still not engaged, ALMOST 2 centimeters, MORE effaced (she wouldn't tell me how much so I figured not much more than last time which was only 30%) but the cervix came down a little. Nice...I figured this would be a slow process, but come on! With contractions like these, I should be a little farther along! At 3:30am, the doctor recommends to start Pitocin. Labor is in full gear!

By 6am on Friday, I am very uncomfortable. They ask me if I want an epidural and I say yes. The nurse checked me to find out that: I AM STILL NOT EVEN 2 CENTIMETERS! All this work was not for nothing though because I was 90% effaced, but the baby was still not engaged. I laughed at myself for having an epi when I'm not even 2cm, but good grief, why shouldn't I get one? I never had any intention of doing this naturally and if I can be comfortable, let's go for it. I get my epidural by this cute little doctor of whom I was trying to think of who I know that is single that we could set him up with! DH just laughed at me, especially when I told the nurse the doctor was cute and I'd like to set him up. She informed me that he is married. Sorry Ladies! Anyway, shortly after the epidural, we started having problems. Specifically, the nurse kept coming into my room and having me turn from side to side. Eventually, I had the oxygen mask on. Apparently, the baby's heartbeat kept dipping after every contraction, which was again 1 1/2 minutes apart. This was not good. After flipping back and forth so long, I told DH that we were going to have a c-section. I've watched enough Ba.by St.ory's to know that all that flipping results in a c-section!

My doctor had a scheduled c-section set for 7:30am. Before he went in for that, he came in to visit with me and give me an update. He suggested stopping the Pitocin because the baby was not liking labor, and he was still very high up. He said he would return to after his surgery and discuss where to go from there. When he came back in, he immediately recommended a c-section. He said, "We can re-start Pitocin if you'd like to try to deliver vaginally, but he is not liking this and I suggest going with a c-section". Because DH and I already saw this coming, I said "ok" and started crying. My awesome catholic doctor went over to my husband to explain what was going to happen and the  nurses tried to console me by telling me that everything was going to be okay. I wasn't scared, I just wanted my baby to be okay! It was then that my amazing, Catholic, doctor came up to me and said, "Do you want to pray a Hail Mary with me?" He lead my husband and I in a Hail Mary, then he asked God to bring me peace and for the baby to be okay. One hour later they were wheeling us into the OR room.

While in surgery, it was all really surreal. We were about to have a baby! It almost felt like the past nine months weren't real; were we really going to have a living baby? The doctor said, "his head is out" and I looked at DH, "We have a head." Then we heard this little cry for a few seconds. They held the baby over the blue drape, but half of his face was blocked so I couldn't see the baby. DH went over to where they had him, and he was able to cut the cord and see the baby, but I couldn't see anything! They took him rather quickly to the nursery to they could do more testing (on his blood sugar and such) and DH went with him. As the doctor was sewing me up, he was asking me about our journey and I was happy to discuss it! He also said that he has a set of religious pictures, one of them being a picture of the Holy Family, and he would like us to have it. Our doctor is soo cool! As the nurses were wheeling me up to Recovery, they said they had no idea (of course they didn't) of our path that lead us to where we were. I told them that is why I was crying before the surgery, not because I was scared! I had complete trust and confidence in the doctor. I was crying because I knew in minutes I would get to see my son and that was overwhelming to me. They agreed.

While in Recovery, I kept asking about my baby. Is he okay? The nurses didn't know and I began to get worried. My body was still numb from my armpits down, and then out of nowhere, in walked my husband and son. The baby was so wrapped up that I still couldn't see his face! My husband told me that he looks more like me, which shocked me because my husband's family has very dominant traits. All the men look similar, so I would have been everything I have that the baby would look just like his daddy! The nurses unswaddled him and brought him to me to breastfeed. They laid him on my side, propped me up a few inches, and tried to get him to latch. The position was SO weird, especially since I couldn't feel my body real well and the angle made it so I couldn't really see what I was doing, and I still couldn't see what he looked like! He latched like a pro and ate like a champ - Thank God! We were then able to go up to the Mother and Baby room, of which we will stay for the next three days. It was on the way up to the room that I was able to see his precious little face. What a handsome kid! And yes, he does look like his mommy...Icing on the cake!

The rest, my friends, is history.

In all, the birth story was a little dramatic, but not that bad. I fully accept the fact that we didn't have a vaginal birth, but I never really thought I was going to have one anyway (I thought I couldn't with the diabetes. I was wrong because I could have had one, but didn't, which makes me right after all). I have no doubt in my mind that my entire pregnancy being as smooth as it was was a direct result of the many, many prayers offered on our behalf by all of our friends and family. I didn't have one day of morning sickness, not a single stretch mark, not a moment of heartburn. No crazy cravings, no weirdo skin stuff - nothing. This has been a perfect pregnancy, resulting in a completely perfect baby. I definitely feel blessed for the amazing gift God has entrusted to me, and I am soo glad to have such wonderful friends and family to share him with. Thank you for all of your prayers - they really worked!

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THREE THINGS I DIDN'T EXPECT:

1. I didn't expect to miss being pregnant as much as I do. I am completely in love with the baby and just love taking care of him and doing everything "mommy," but I have to be honest: I miss being pregnant. Being pregnant was such an amazing time, especially when my anxiety finally subsided (for the most part). Having life within you, feeling the baby, and being soo connected to him has been amazing. I can't wait to do it again....God willing!

2. I didn't expect to be wet all the time. No one tells you how out-of-control the boobies get. So if you are planning on breastfeeding, let me be the first to tell you: YOU WILL BE WET, A LOT (and with very little reason, like, I am undressing to get in the shower). Yep...

3. The entire time DH and I were worried about the cat, but it turns out the dog had the most difficult time adjusting. The grandparents did bring home a couple of blankets with the baby's scent on it and this might have helped the cat (she was found sleeping on the blanket). The dog, however, was in a full blown depression when we arrived home. She would just sit by me and stare at me, as if she was saying, "This is the baby? I thought I was the baby!" Eventually, she started bringing me her ball again, usually when I am nursing JB. I feel so bad for her, but I can see that now (four weeks later) she is doing better. Now, she is getting more protective and comes to me when the baby starts crying. Now, it is getting better, but at first, it was just a dog-depressed stare saying, "How could you betray me like this, mommy?"

Which one are you going to choose?
The baby, or the Lexi and ball? 
(Look at her staring at me. She is dead serious.)