I was not a happy camper. I called David as soon as Audrey and I got in the van (we'd figured he could skip this appointment - oops) and started blubbering about how I didn't want to be induced and was fearful that Luke wouldn't be ready. As I'd written in earlier posts, the doctor had already discussed an induction with me, but that was for 39 weeks, not 37.5. Those final days can make a huge difference in lung development and weight. Moreover, I was nearly 100% convinced I wouldn't need to be induced and would go before then, especially since the doctor had said he would strip my membranes at 38.5, which sends most second-time moms into labor within 48 hours.
SO, 37.5 weeks had me stressed for sure. Not so much because I wouldn't be ready, but because of the induction process itself. Great for the blood pressure, no doubt. David calmed me down and said he'd be home to help me as soon as Audrey woke up from her nap. I spread the news to our parents, spent $200 stocking up at the grocery store, ran by Goodwill to drop stuff off, and swung by to get an oil change. After that, AJ and I headed home to finish packing everyone's bags for the hospital. When David got home, I gave him a haircut and then cleaned out the fridge. (I gotta confess - I am terrible at the bed rest thing.) I did take it much easier the following few days, squeezing in stuff here and there amid lots of lying around. My mom came out on Monday and I snuck away for a pedicure. The one major pro of a scheduled induction is that you have an exact date by which to finish everything...including that all-important pre-delivery pedicure. Monday night after a quiet dinner at home, we treated Audrey with a trip to the frozen yogurt place and let her eat as much as she wanted. Considering it was nearly freezing outside, that wasn't a lot. We came home, got her ready for bed, and I tucked her in. It felt like the end of an era.
By Tuesday, I was over the bed rest (even my lax version) and sent David off to work promising I wouldn't stroke-out as I scrubbed the toilets and ran to Target. He wisely came home at lunch that day to keep an eye on me and attempt to make me rest. We soaked up our last hours as a family of three playing and then all taking naps. David's parents came to pick Audrey up around 4:30 and take her back to their house. I was so emotional watching her go. Though we were obviously ecstatic to bring Luke home and make our family complete, there is definitely a sense of mourning over knowing your only child/baby's role is changing.
After they left, we showered and called the hospital to find out if they were ready for us to check-in. As it turned out, they were slammed with deliveries that evening and told us to call back at 7:30pm. We ate dinner, watched TV, and did a few last minute non-necessity things that kept us busy. When we called back at 7:30pm, they still weren't ready and this time took down my number and said they'd call me. FUN. Again, the stress, anxiety, and waiting was just what the doctor ordered for high blood pressure. The phone rang at 9pm and we were told to head up. With the car already loaded, we took a minute to lock-up and make sure everything was in order. I can't tell you how good it did my Type-A OCD heart to know that every room was spotless, every laundry basket was empty, and everything on my list was done. Maybe there was a little up side to the whole induction thing. Before walking out, we took a moment and prayed together, knowing that whatever lied ahead was going to need God's grace. We nervously talked and laughed (it's hilarious to me how chatty David gets when he's anxious) on the way to the hospital. We joked about how late it was for us to be out and how completely weird it felt to be walking in to the hospital pain-free and slowly this time.
We completed the registration process and walked back to our delivery room (again, very different than the painful fog of Audrey's arrival.) I changed, climbed into the hospital bed, and then the nurse came in and hooked me up to the fetal monitor, blood pressure monitor, and IV while asking a million questions in her thick accent. She checked my progress and I was 3cm and 50% effaced. I had been 2cm and 50% at my 36 week appointment a week and a half prior, so that wasn't as much progress as I'd expected. Though I'd sort of hoped we'd go straight into pitocin to speed things along, my doctor had written up the order for me to receive an oral Cervidil pill first. I took that at 10pm and uncomfortably lied there listening to Luke's pounding heartbeat on the monitor and the moans of several women on the hall attempting natural labor. As you might guess, there was zero sleep for either of us with all of the commotion.
At 4am, I still was not in a regular contraction pattern. The good news was that meant I wasn't in much pain. The bad news is that meant labor wasn't starting with just the Cervidil. However, more good news came with the nurse discovered I was 4cm and that meant they could begin pitocin. Although I'd already given myself "permission" to have an epidural with a pitocin delivery (the drug makes contractions much closer and more powerful than natural labor), I had considered waiting until I was 6cm in the hopes that an epidural wouldn't slow things down. However, feeling as exhausted as I was and having lied there for six hours listening to screaming women on the hall, I took the charge nurse's advice and went ahead and requested one. I gotta confess, I don't regret it a bit. The anesthesiologist was wonderful. Though David thought he was a bit too relaxed (at one point he joked that he'd already had his screw-up of the night since he'd had to redo one), I thought he did a great job putting me at ease and getting the job done. By 6am, I was numb from the waist down.
Then came the scary part. A side effect of epidurals is that they can cause a drop in blood pressure. Shouldn't have been an issue considering mine was high, right? In fact, that was another reason I decided to go with one. I figured that being in intense pain certainly wasn't going to help my numbers and that if the epidural actually caused them to drop a bit, that was a good thing. The nurse hung around and watched my readings for nearly fifteen minutes after the anesthesiologist left. The moment she walked out the door, I told David I felt light-headed and nauseous. Suddenly my monitor alarm began going off and read 80/40. David scrambled to press the nurse's button and find me something to get sick in. Several people came rushing in, straight out of scene from ER. One pushed ephedrine into my IV, the other handed me a vomit bag, and a third began rechecking my pressure. Within 60 seconds, I felt better again, though David may still be trying to recover. They gave me more IV fluids, which made me unbelievably cold, and the nurse stayed with me for awhile until she was sure my dramatics were over.
We waited some more, attempted to watch a little TV, and rested. They didn't start the pitocin until nearly 7am. At 7:30, my OB came by to see me and let me know he'd be back in an hour or so to break my water. When he returned at 9am to do so, I was only 6cm and getting impatient. I'd been there nearly 12 hours and I'd only progressed 3cm! Turns out I didn't need to worry. The nurse told me to call if I started feeling pain or pressure. A little after 10am, I began feeling each and every contraction and it was unbelievably agonizing. David called the nurse and told her he thought my epidural was wearing off. She came in, checked me, and reported my epidural wasn't wearing off, but that I was just ready to have a baby! I'd gone from 6cm to 10cm and the baby had fully dropped in just over an hour. They paged my OB, who walked in the room at 10:30 and began setting up. Shortly thereafter, they told me to push. Less than fifteen minutes and three contractions' worth of pushing later, at 10:56am, I looked down and saw Luke born. What a glorious sight.
They placed him on my chest and I immediately realized God had answered every fervent prayer I'd uttered over the last 9 months and especially few days. His lungs were clearly healthy and his weight and size were not an issue at all. At 8lbs 13oz and 20.5" long, he'd surpassed his sister in size. I cannot imagine what would've happened if we'd waited much longer to have him!
We watched as the nurses cleaned him up, took his footprints, and gave him his eye drops. They handed him back to me and I checked him over. He was a masterpiece, for sure, complete with fuzzy blond hair and two dimples. My dad came in and held him and visited for a few minutes. All too soon they whisked Luke away to the nursery for his bath and shots and I focused on scarfing down the most delicious turkey sandwich I'd ever eaten in my entire life. Or maybe I was just that hungry and hadn't hold cold deli meat since June. After I ate, they moved me up to the post partum floor and David and my dad took turns keeping an eye on Luke through the nursery glass as he got his first bath and shots. He came back in the room and had his own version of the best turkey sandwich ever before I took a shower and then we all fell asleep for a blissful short nap.
Later that day, David's parents, Audrey, and my mom came up to visit. David went out to get Audrey and bring her into our room. It was really important to me that she meet him by herself first so she could feel special. David carried her in and she silently began looking around frantically. I pointed over at the bassinet. David let her lean in and took a good look at her new little brother. She wondered allowed why he was so still and then declared how cute he was. She gave him the teddy bear she'd made for him and then came and sat with me on the bed. David placed Luke in my arms and we talked about him and snuggled. We took pictures for a few minutes before letting her introduce him to his Nana, Grandmom, and Granddad. AJ fussed over his blanket, hat, and socks and gave him kisses and pats as he got passed around. When she started getting squirmy, we knew it was time to say goodbye and sent everyone on their way.
The next 24 hours were kind of a blur of nursing sessions, check-ups, tests, eating, and a little sleep. We didn't have any visitors on Thursday, which was great because we had at least 15 various hospital staff come by on top of handling a lactation consultation, circumcision, and check-ups of my blood pressure. Contrary to what I thought (and what my still-swollen legs show), it doesn't immediately come down in the hours after giving birth. It takes days and even weeks for everything to return to normal. Still, the doctor was satisfied with where it was holding, so at 4:30pm, we loaded ourselves and our 29 hour old son in the van and headed home. Though we could've stayed longer, I couldn't imagine a third night in the hospital and all the interrupted sleep that would entail. Determined not to short-change the child on his second day of life, we took plenty of pictures of his homecoming while we waited on David's parents to bring Audrey over. When they arrived, we visited for a few, took more pictures, and then said goodbye and ate dinner.
That night, though only two days ago, is also already a blur. Being his second night, we were prepared for the "second night delight" phenomenon where there is a lot of crying and nursing, but he still did better than expected. We got short shifts of sleep and woke up to face our first full day as a family of four.
The first few days at home have been going very well. We've had a few visitors and made some great memories. Audrey has been doing great with him and we've actually been getting decent sleep. Last night we got one three hour shift and two two hour shifts - literally more than in Audrey's first few days of life combined! Luke is nursing well and only slightly jaundiced. We have his newborn appointment in the morning, so we'll feel better after that I'm sure. We survived his first sponge bath and have only been peed on a handful of times. We are managing to keep Audrey from being too cuddly or "helpful" and are somehow managing this divide-and-conquer thing pretty well. Of course, I did have my first break-down moment last night. As I was tucking Audrey in (we're still trying to keep her routines normal and therefore take turns) Luke was screaming to be fed. I looked at her and wondered if I'd hugged her enough that day and began sobbing my way through "He's Got the Whole World." I realized it's going to be quite some time before any of my family gets my 100% again, but that that's okay. We're covered in prayer, doing the best we can, and knowing God's grace is going to fill in the gaps.
So welcome home, Luke. We are so glad you're finally here. You're an amazing, adorable miracle and we're honored to have you complete our family.
More updates and pictures to come...eventually. :) Until then, here are a couple of teasers. The first is immediately after birth, the second is heading home, and the third is from his first sponge bath last night (after which Audrey started crying because she thought she was hurting him while helping me dry him off. Let's hope she always cares so much!)
Thank you so much for your prayers and support in the past week. Please, keep them coming!
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