A bit late: He's here! Birth story

[awkwardpenguin]

Maxwell was born on 3/29 at 3:25 p.m.  He was 7 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches, and he's absolutely perfect.

I went in for an induction on 3/27 at 9 p.m.  They took FOREVER to get things started, and I started Cervadil at 12:40 a.m.  I was closed and 50% effaced.  They left that in place for 12 hours, and when they removed it I was 1 cm and 50% effaced.  They then placed a Foley balloon and started me on Cytotec, and that step was another 12 hours.  I was having regular contractions but they were very mild.  When they removed the balloon I was 5 cm dilated but still only 50% effaced.

I was moved from the antenatal unit to L&D around 4 a.m., and they started Pitocin at 5 a.m.  I dozed for a while, and at 7 a.m. my water broke.  Then things really got started, and suddenly I was in active labor with contractions 3 minutes apart.  I started vomiting and they gave me an anti-nausea drug, and a bit later my doula arrived.  I was breathing and working through contractions, but they started coming so fast and were so intense.  They were 1.5-2 minutes apart and I was having a hard time managing the pain.  I hadn't planned to get an epidural, but I had left the option open when I knew I would be induced and get Pitocin because I know Pit contractions can be more difficult.  I started vomiting again, and I was feeling very overwhelmed.  The resident came in to check me, and I had a hard time with the vaginal exam, but she found I was 6 cm and 90% effaced.  I couldn't imagine that kind of pain for another 4 cm so I chose to get an epidural.  They placed it and I immediately felt much better, although I was kind of emotional about it.

I was still feeling contractions in my low back, and my doula massaged my back with each contraction, which was amazing.  Then we all kind of just hung out, which was a weird feeling knowing I was in labor and probably progressing but not feeling more than mild discomfort.  They came in to check me around 1 and were like "uh...you are 10 cm".  We agreed to let me labor down so the baby could move into position better, and it was just me, DW, and my doula in the room for a while which was so nice.  Our co-doula arrived because my main doula had to leave by 5 p.m. and we all just hung out for a while.

At 3 they came in and the baby had moved down A LOT and I was ready to start pushing.  They had intended to let me labor down for an hour but it ended up being 2 because there were two other women pushing at the same time.  So I started pushing, and things progressed really quickly.  After 3 or 4 contractions baby started having decels and there was a brief discussion of what to do and the OB said "she's going to push this baby out now".  On the next contraction I pushed three times and delivered the head, then one more push and he was out.  DW cut the cord, but because he wasn't crying right away and because of the decels he got whisked away by the NICU team that had been called.  I heard him start to cry, and I was pretty sure things were okay, but I was also scared because no one was telling us what was going on.  After a few minutes (and a malfunctioning pulse ox machine that caused minor drama) they assured us he was okay, weighed him, and placed him on my chest to breastfeed.  I was overwhelmed with emotion and was so amazed by the experience.

We've had a minorly rough time since then.  I had a small post-partum hemorrhage, he had hypoglycemia that was followed very closely and needed glucose gel and formula supplementation but he managed to not get admitted to NICU, and my milk has not come in.  We're formula feeding via a supplemental nursing system and I'm pumping after feeds to try and get my milk to come in but we're on day 10 and things aren't going any better than they were a week ago, so I'm sort of discouraged.  But in the grand scheme of things he is an amazing baby and he is fed and happy, so I couldn't ask for anything more.

Pics in next post!

[awkwardpenguin]

PDQ pics

[G22]

Congrats! He's handsome!

[loira]

Congratulations! He's lovely!

[KaraOrNot]

Congratulations!!!

[lms]

So precious! Congrats!

[kristind3]

Beautiful! Congratulations!!

[shauni27]

thank you so much for sharing! congratulations on your healthy little guy.

[King26]

He's adorable COngratulations!

[pooh8402]

Congratulations!

[cherryvalance]

Congratulations! What a sweet baby!

[thoseareradishes]

Aww he's so cute! Congratulations!

[scm1011]

Gah, that sweet squishy face!! Congrats, Mama!! I've been wondering about how things went for you. I'm sorry you're having a tough time nursing. I hope it improves or you find peace going a different route. Great pics - you look fantastic!

[dellabear]

Aw!! He's so cute. Congrats!

[nmosrob]

How precious! Congratulations, so happy for you!!

[starryfish]

OMG he is adorable! Congrats!

[awick14]

I'm so far behind but congrats!!

[rachelgreen]

He's so cute! I love sibling pictures!!! Congrats to your family!