Our Birth Story

Warning: This will probably be very long and in some parts graphic.

It's been a VERY long week folks! I was supposed to be induced on Thursday, the 22nd, but the hospital was full and couldn't get me in. It became a waiting game and left me very frustrated. The hospital finally called me back at 8:00pm on Friday night. They started me on Cervadil and basically told me to go to sleep.

By shift change the next morning, I still had no progress and was extremely thirsty (the over night nurse wouldn't let me have anything but ice chips). When the day nurse came in she quickly brought me some water and removed the cervadil. From there, things started picking up. Contractions were getting strong very quickly. At about 1pm I opted for the epidural (and boy...do I swear by those!!). Shortly after that they broke my water. Things continued to progress through out the afternoon, but somewhere along the line I developed a fever. By the time night came, I had still only dilated to 9cm and was receiving antibiotics for the 101.3 fever that was now a royal pain in my ass. They also discovered that Rya was posterior (head down, but face up) instead of anterior (head down, face down). They shifted me onto my belly (which was NOT comfortable) hoping that the baby would shift. I also started feeling this extreme burning sensation on my belly anytime I would move or if something brushed up against me. Eventually, they realized that the contraction monitor was the cause and when they moved it, it was an immediate release. It had dug in to my belly and was causing the pain.

I had been in the hospital for 24 hours by this point. I was tired, sore from sitting in bed for so long, and now having chills because of the fever. As it got later and later, the doc gave me one more hour to try and push to get the baby out on my own. Needless to say, it didn't happen and I was getting prepped for my c-section in the blink of an eye. I'd never had surgery before and was pretty nervous. The drugs I was given caused my body to shake uncontrollably (which is normal for some people). Roy was sitting to my side, holding my hand the entire time. I could feel the pressure of what was happening, but no pain. When she was finally pulled out, Roy got to take some pictures and cut the umbilical cord. Because I had a fever, Rya was brought over to the nursery to start her own set of antibiotics just in case I transferred anything over to her.

While Roy was in the nursery, I was put to sleep because I couldn't stop the shaking and I was starting to get nauseous. Afterward, the doctor told me that my uterus was not hardening and contracting after birth like it was supposed to and that it took them a long time to get it functioning properly again. If they hadn't been able to, it would have meant a hysterectomy for me...YIKES! Obviously, I was very lucky and have a GREAT doctor!!

I'm healing pretty quickly, but am still incredibly sore. I'm lucky I got to go home so early...I guess during the c-section I lost a lot of blood. When they drew more yesterday, my blood count had dropped and there was talk of possibly having a blood transfusion. When the doctor came in to talk to me, she said that she was happy with my progress, and that if I didn't want the transfusion that was fine. It was my call. By this point, I just wanted to be home with my little girl, and didn't want to face any of the risks involved with the transfusion.

So...that brings me to today. I'm at home with my little girl, and while walking and sleeping are still incredibly uncomfortable, I feel a little better every day. The dogs are adjusting to life with a baby, and are constantly looking into her bassinet and will start whining when she cries. It's cute.

Roy has been absolutely WONDERFUL! I'm extremely limited with what I can do and he's taken on more responsibilty than either of us had expected. For the next 6 weeks I can only pick up Rya - nothing else per doctors orders. I can't drive for a couple weeks either, so I'm going to be relying on him pretty heavily. But, all in all things went well and now we have our beautiful little girl. These are exciting times in the McCormack household!!

A slideshow is posted below with tons of cute photos. Enjoy :)

Some slide shows for you all

I laugh in the face of bedrest...hahaha!

Ok, so maybe "laugh" isn't the right word. I was actually sort of freaking out, wondering how my boss would take the news...but I'm ahead of myself here...

As you've probably guessed, I had an appointment this morning. Everything is still good. I'm almost completely effaced (it basically means thinned out)...and have just started dilating...I'm at about 1 now (on a scale from 0-10). Haven't really had too many contractions, so who knows when things will really kick into gear.

I've mentioned in previous blogs that they've been monitoring the baby's size. They snuck me in for another ultrasound today and Rya is still right on track - they said she was weighing in at...HAHA...nope, I can't put it in here. I'm having a weight guessing contest on my MySpace page and some of those people also check this blog...sorry :) But boy...was I surprised. Her belly is still the biggest measurement which means that instead of worrying about trying to push her head out, I may have to worry about the belly instead...LOL. They said she's a BIG eater...yeah, just like Daddy ;)

Anyways...they also noticed that her fluid level had dropped (the amount of fluid surrounding her) and was right on the edge of being too low. The nurse practitioner asked the doctor and they decided to give me a week to bring up the level of fluid (by drinking LOTS of water and taking 3 baths a day)...OR...they'd put me on bedrest for the remainder of the pregnancy. While there's really only 3 weeks to go, I'd still rather be able to be up as much as possible...NOT confined to the bed. Especially since I still feel pretty good.

So, I have my next appointment a week from today with another ultrasound scheduled. For some reason, I have this feeling that she may be here next week...but what do I know?? The nursery is finished...just have to hang the art work. I've gotten all her clothes, blankets, wash clothes, etc washed and ready to go. Carlene is throwing me a shower this Saturday...and I know that part of the plan is to get the "essentials" ...since I'm still short a few important items. After that, Rya could come at any time and we'd be ready...or at least as ready as new parents can be. I'm totally ready to meet our little girl right now...but of course, this is one time in life where I can not maneuver this to my liking :)

As always...keep your eyes posted for the latest and greatest news. I'll try to get the slides of the nursery and my shower gifts up shortly :) Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!!