Cole Daniel's Birth Story + Pics

I was scheduled for induction at 7 pm Tuesday night. DH, and my two best friends went with me to get the party started. I was lucky and got the nicest birthing room on the floor. It was quite spacious and had a bath tub, which I was very happy about. Too bad I never actually got to use the bath tub. They started me off with misoprostal Tuesday night. It did help me progress and dilate me but very, very slowly. The doctor broke my water the following morning to see if that would help me progress any faster. It didn't. I was given the pitocin drip at 11 am Wednesday morning. They started me off at 1 and I handled the contractions fine. Then they increased me to a 3. Shortly after that the cx were overwhelmingly strong. It was nothing like I had ever experienced in my life. I realized after 4 or 5 really strong cx that were close together that there was no way I was going to last another 6-8 hours with that kind of pain. That's when I ordered the epidural. That was a wonderful relief, even if I was a little disappointed that I would not be having the med-free birth I had envisioned. Turned out it was a good thing I had done the epidural.

Once I was finally fully dilated I started pushing. I pushed for an hour but made no progress at all. His head just could not get past my pelvic bones. There was a point when dh and my 2 bff's could see his hair, but he just would not go any further. Not only that but his heart kept deceling with the contractions, especially if I laid on either side. After that hour of pushing the doc came back in and told us that it was time to do a c-section. They were concerned about the decels and did not believe I was going to progress any further than I had.

When I got the news I was so disappointed. I so very much did not want to have a c-section. It took me awhile to compose myself. They told me what to expect, and the doctor told my dad and step-mom for us because I didn't want dh to leave my side. They wheeled me in in to the operating room once it became available and started prepping me. The anesthesiologist was telling funny stories while he was doing his thing which helped me immensely. Once I was all prepped, they brought dh in and started the c-section. Oh boy was that uncomfortable. All the pushing and tugging and pressure I felt floored me. I kept my eyes closed almost the whole time just so I could cope with what was happening to my body. When they were ready to pull the baby out, I opened my eyes to watch dh's face. They had asked him if he wanted to watch while they pulled him out and he said yes, to my surprise. He is normally a bit squeamish when it comes to stuff like that. First I heard them say he had a big head and dh's eyes got really wide. He said "Wow! He really does have a big head! That's a big head!" I then heard the doctors say something about nuchal cord. Turns out the cord was wrapped around Cole's neck twice. They showed him to me very quickly over the curtain but I wasn't able to touch him yet. His cry, though, was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my life. They asked dh if he wanted to cut the cord but he declined. He said his hands were too shaky. They cleaned him and wrapped him in a blanket, then they brought him over to me and laid his head on my shoulder.I was immediately in love and was sad I couldn't hold him for awhile. I was shaking so bad from the everything I couldn't have held him anyway. They wheeled me away to the recovery room where I needed more pain meds and something (morphine, I think) to help with the shaking. After awhile I was able to drift off to sleep for a couple of hours. DH brought Cole into the recovery room for me to spend time with him before I was brought up to the post-partum room for the rest of my stay. I was not allowed to have him room-in with me that first night because of my catheter and epidural, but the next night and the rest of my stay I did. We came home with him Sunday. We were (and are) both so in love. It was such an amazing and overwhelming experience.

Cole right after birth:


With me in postpartum:


Snuggling with Daddy:


First day home, holding his godmother's finger:

40 Weeks Tomorrow

I can't believe I'm here. I have arrived at my due date and Baby Cole is still kicking and rolling and doing whatever it is he does in there. My closest loved ones call me every day to ask how I'm doing or how I'm feeling, if I think he will be here soon. On the one hand, I love that they are all nearly as eager as I am. On the other hand, it's driving me bat shit crazy! Poor G is going crazy himself, wondering when this is going to happen. He likes his life to be nice and predictable. Having to be in this wait and see place is nearly torture for him. If I don't go into labor before then, my next appointment is on Thursday. I will discuss scheduling an induction with the doc then. The nurse told me last week that they won't let me go longer than 10 days past my due date. So at the very latest Cole will be here by the 16th or 17th, depending on what time the induction is scheduled and how long labor takes. I very much do not want to be induced, so anyone reading this, please send some good vibes/prayers that Cole makes his appearance before then. My sis is coming into town Thursday morning and leaving the following Tuesday. It would be nice if Cole is born while she's here.

Oh yeah, one piece of awesome news: I got straight A's this semester! I have never done that in my life! I was hooting and hollering and jumping for joy when I saw my grades posted online. And to think I did that while pregnant and not taking any meds. Hopefully that trend will continue for the spring semester with my online classes. If so, I can see staying off my meds for good. I recognize that due to past depression and anxiety I am at risk for postpartum depression and have told my ob as well as Cole pediatrician about it so they can check in with me. But I feel pretty good about it as of right now. I really hope I am able to stay off my meds. That would be great.

In other news, last Tuesday my cousin did a maternity photo shoot with me. I've only seen one of the photos so far and I am absolutely dying to see the rest. Anyway, hopefully my next post will be announcing Cole's arrival. My maternity pic is below: