Jonah's Birth Story

Warning: Guys, you may want to skip this post.

Mama here, again.  Let's see if I can remember this...

The night before Jonah was evicted!

Jonah's birth was a completely different experience than Sophia's birth.  Since I was being induced a week and a half early and no progress had been made, I was given cytotec at 10:00 the night before induction.  Within 15 minutes I was already having contractions.  I don't consider myself a weenie, but these contractions were pretty strong right from the beginning.  After four hours of the first dose the nurse came to check me and I was maybe half a centimeter dilated.  Are you kidding me??  Needless to say, a second dose of cytotec was administered.  My monitor wasn't in a good spot all night and my nurse couldn't see just how big these contractions were.  So you could imagine how annoyed I was every time she came in and said, "Are you feeling anything?," as if my moans of pain weren't answer enough! That cytoec is no joke.  Contractions were longer than they were apart!  I was checked again at 6:00 AM, and was relieved to find out I was finally in active labor at four centimeters. 

A pitocin drip was started within a few minutes.  After a shift change, my day nurse came in around 7:30 to check things out and was getting a magnesium drip ordered.  With high blood pressure patients, magnesium is given for 24 hours in order to help prevent seizures during and after delivery.  I was told it makes you feel pretty crappy, like you have the flu.  Around 8:00 my contractions were brining tears and I told Jon I didn't think I could make it to a 10 without an epidural.  I asked the nurse if I could go ahead and get the drugs.  She checked me right before the anesthesiologist came in and I was only at a 5, which made me feel like a total wimp.  My epidural was placed at 8:30 and the anesthesiologist told me that after a few minutes I would have some relief and after about 10 minutes I really shouldn't feel much.  She went to place an epidural next door and said she'd be back to check on me when she was finished.  

After the 10 minutes went by, the nurse could tell I was still continuing my labor breathing and asked if I could still feel pain.  I said yes, definitely not as intense, but still pretty strong.  She said "Let me check you again," followed by a "You're about to have a baby.  You're at a 10!"  WHAT?!?  She left to call my doctor, and my mom showed up at that point.  Thank goodness, since I had told her to take her time the night before!  Since everything had progressed so fast I still didn't have the magnesium drip or a catheter placed.  When the nurse came back in, I told her I thought I had to tinkle.  She got a tinkle bowl ready, opened my legs, closed them back up real quick, and mumbled, "That's just going to have to wait."  Shortly after she closed my legs I felt a small gush.  I said, "Did I just pee or did my water break?"  She checked once more and said, "That was your water."  Apparently, when she closed my legs she was able to see my bad of waters right there!  There was a little meconium in the water, so a NICU team was brought in just in case.  I began to worry and cried some, but was reassured that a great team was standing by.  

We did a practice push while we were waiting on my doctor, but was told to stop midway and that I'd do just fine.  After what felt like hours of waiting, my doctor arrived.  I think she was surprised to see just how ready I was.  A quick push and half later, little Jonah Michael arrived!  Crazy, huh?  He was breathing just fine and handed right to me for an hour of skin to skin time. Thank God!

Love at first site.

Our son.

Everything looks good.

Little fingers.

Little toes.

Clean boy.

Family of four.

I don't know about this...

Sweet little guy.

My new man.

My guys.

Ready to go home.