Sunday 9/13/09
My parents came over to visit for a little bit in the early afternoon and then I did some laundry for the week. That night Austin's family has planned for a family gathering as a "last meal" before my scheduled induction. We went over there around 5:30 pm and we left right around 7. It was once we got into the car at 7 that I started feeling her move a lot more and started to get uncomfortable. Once we got home after a few errands, I was still feeling stuff happening. I thought it was just the Braxton Hicks so I told Austin I was going to try and lay down, to see if they'd stop. The contractions were like clockwork already, coming every 5 minutes. Only thing was that at first I really wasn't timing them thinking it was only lasting 10 seconds or so. I told Austin that I didn't want to go to the hospital and have it be a false alarm and have to come all the way back home. I went back to bed and I realized I should actually start to time them... hah they were coming every 5 minutes and lasting more than 30 seconds!!! These were real contractions! I went into the den to tell Austin that I thought we should go to the hospital and they could at least monitor me for a while and let us know if it was real. We took our time getting stuff ready, like packing the bag and car and even taking a shower! The car ride there was sooooo uncomfortable. Hitting almost every light at 10:30 pm when no one was around and hitting the bumps in the road are not fun! It seemed like forever to get there. We tried to stop at Sonic before going to the hospital to try and get a last meal in just in case, but we got there at 11:05, just after they closed... jerks! So we got there and entered through the ER and got sent upstairs to Labor and Delivery. They kept asking if we were there for an induction and I told them it was scheduled for the following day and I was starting to have contractions. The put us in a room and I was attached to a monitor for about an hour and a half total. During all this, the nurse checked me and I was still only 2 cm dilated. I couldn't believe it... I told Austin that maybe I was really 3 since the nurse has smaller hands than Dr. McKernan! The contractions at this point were really affecting me hard core in the lower back. I could feel the uterus get hard like a ball and the pain would shoot all the way around to my lower back. So we checked into the hospital at 11:30 pm and after being monitored it was after 1 when the nurse said that they would admit us. Oh, by the way, the nurse told us that I wasn't on the induction list for the following night and they were already running a week behind on inductions!
Monday 9/14/09
Even though I wasn't progressing, she could tell I was in a lot of discomfort with the contractions. This is the same nurse who sounded like I would be going home when she came in to check me every 30 minutes. Austin asked her if we could just be induced since we were already there, but they wouldn't allow it since McKernan wasn't on call that night. They couldn't do anything until he came on at 7 am. Once they put us in a delivery room, they started hooking me up to machines and IVs. The anesthesiologist wasn't going to be able to come in for a while to give me the epidural since he just got called into an emergency C-section, so they gave me something to take the edge off! Wow, it kicked in within 1 minute and my eyes felt like they were going cross eyed! Austin thought it was hilarious and it made me feel so much better.
Before I knew it, time for my epidural! I was still feeling the drugs which made me not notice the "pain" of the epidural going on. They told me to relax and have bad posture while leaning forward. I love that I still had my humor during the entire labor because I asked the anesthesiologist is my posture was bad enough and laughed! They told me not to move, but once you feel the pinch your body automatically reacts and jolts a little bit. They said don't do that! Once again, when the needle was going in, they said don't move and my body did it again, haha! I said it's a natural reaction and next thing I knew it was in and I was hooked up and ready to go! The push of a button provided so much relief! The nurse came back in a while later to check on me and asked if I could feel any contractions, and I asked her if I had any... she said I was having one at that moment and I didn't even realize it! The nurse came back at 4 am and I was 4 cm dilated. I was now able to not feel contractions and be able to get a few hours of sleep. I remember that I asked the nurse if I was able to have a cracker because I was getting so hungry, and I could only have ice chips.
Austin getting some sleep in the hospital
Before I knew it, it was 7:30 am and Dr. McKernan came in and checked me, I was 7 cm and he broke my water. I love that during this whole thing I can't feel anything! I think I tried sleeping a little bit more while I could and it was 9 something that the nurses came in and said I was a 9 3/4 cm and I couldn't get any closer, so they wanted me to start pushing. Who knew I'd be pushing for a total of almost 2 hours and I'd pay for that later. Between contractions I was so tired that I took a nap! I was hungry more than tired! They had me try different positions while pushing to see if she'd progress, but any time I'd go to my right side I felt nausous. The nurse said that it's very common for women who are close to delivering to throw up right before. While I was pushing, I'd get so close and you could see the hair on her head and the contraction would be over and she'd go right back in. I couldn't get her past the bone. The nurse said they may have to try using the vacuum. Next thing you know, McKernan was coming in the room and I was ready to have Aubrey. Before you know it the room is full of people for the delivery. Oh, I did end up throwing up right before McKernan got there. McKernan used the vacuum on her head to help guide her out and he was pulling pretty hard that the suction came right off and he had to reattach it! Next thing I know I was pushing again and they said the head was out, push again and the shoulders were coming out. McKernan said to me, look down... I could see her face! I couldn't believe there was a human coming out of me! Next thing I know she was out and on top of my belly and McKernan is telling me to touch her and hold her. I just couldn't believe it, I was in shock. It took me a second to process it and I touched her. They took her over to the table and started doing their stuff. That's when it finally hit me and I started to get teary eyed and cried.
I wasn't done though, here comes the placenta. That was almost more uncomfortable with McKernan pushing down on my belly helping the placenta come out, not fun. Then he said I had torn a little bit and before the nurses said I was swelling a lot from the long time I spent pushing.
So, 12:06 pm Aubrey McKae entered our lives! She weighed 6 lbs. 12 ozs and was 18 1/2 inches long. She has Austin's nose, ears, and chin and has my hands and toes. Best part yet, she has hair!!
So after she was born, Austin and I got to have our private moment with her. A little bit later Austin's Mom, Holly, and Heather came in to see her. I tried calling my mom to let her know that they could come to the hospital now to see her and I couldn't even make it a few seconds before I have another round of throw up. Not pretty, but those drugs and emotions take a toll on you! I guess the nurses said I had to try nursing within the first hour, but we had visitors and one of the nurses said she'd come back to help me, but never did. So, sorry Aubrey but you didn't get the boob like they wanted the first hour of your life. Guess we'll find out if that will have any affect on you later in life! My parents came to visit for a little and the lactation consultant finally came in to help me try and breastfeed. I swear that Aubrey all of a sudden grew teeth once she latched on! Austin got a picture of my facial expression because he said it was priceless!
The nurses came in to get Aubrey to take her to get her first bath, and while they did that we were moving rooms. The nurses had to train me on how I was going to have to care for myself every time I go to the bathroom, and it's quite a process. At this point I think I still couldn't believe that I had just given birth. I was tired and really hungry. I was getting frustrated with people asking me what I wanted to eat because nothing just sounded good. Austin's mom got me a grilled cheese from Sonic- Thanks!! We got to our recovery room and tried to get situated. I don't really remember much else of that day, it went quickly. We had Austin's family come to visit and brought us pizza for dinner. Phil and Janelle came up from Casa Grande to see Aubrey and brought my Grandma with them. We had a room full of people when I got a visit from Roni and Kristy! It was so good to have family and friends come to see our little bundle of joy!
I remember that I had a good night nurse on duty that night and she would come in and we'd talk. She just made me feel comfortable. Austin was such a good Dad getting up with her in the night while I slept. He fed her and changed her since it was really difficult for me to move around since I felt like I had 30 pounds under me! The swelling and bruising was no fun at all. When I'd try and breastfeed her, the contractions of my uterus would really hurt. It's almost like you don't know what's worse... contractions or breastfeeding!!
Tuesday 9/15/09
The next morning we had a new nurse, who I didn't like within the first minute of her talking. She looked at our baby log of when we feed and change her. She was really upset that she went so long without eating... she was sleeping and didn't wake up to eat. We didn't think it was a big deal, but she gave us a lecture on setting alarms to wake her up and feed her and the importance of breastfeeding. Then she sent the lactation consultant in to give us another lecture of the importance of breastfeeding and how to do it. After she left I felt so emotional. It was then that I started to cry because I was pissed at these people for trying to shove it down our throat how important breast milk is. Needless to say, when that nurse came in, she could tell I was crying and I told her why. She went on another speech and Austin's Dad came in to visit before going to work. That nurse seemed to back off just a little bit at that point. She just didn't seem to have good bedside manner in regards to emotional new moms learning on their own. She was just full of advice and eager to share it with the world. I realized that my hormones were just all over the place and crying was just so easy for me to do.
That second day in the recovery room was just exhausting. It was like every 5 minutes a new person was coming in from the hospital to give us paperwork and take menus and watch videos and take Aubrey to do tests in addition to having visitors. This was the day that I got really pissy with that day nurse because they really wanted us to only breastfeed her and not give her bottles. They were going to run a test on Aubrey that afternoon, the PKU, which they came back to say she wasn't eating enough. Well, duh, they wouldn't let us feed her! I felt like they made me starve her for that test.
Dr. McKernan came in to do the one day follow up. It was a quick visit, but his advice for getting my milk to come in sooner was to go downstairs and grab a Heiniken beer! The yeast would help... I'm sorry but I can't stand the smell or taste of beer so that was a no go for me! I asked him if going # 2 was supposed to be some grand event while in the hospital because they kept giving me stool softeners every day and asking if I'd gone. I just didn't see what the big deal was...
Austin's Aunt Julie came to visit and later his Grandparents came too. His Grandpa just stood off to the side and watched for a while until he stated he must make history and hold the first Great Grand baby! It was super cute to see. Austin's Grandma and Aunt Stacy came to visit later, but I just couldn't stay awake. I was exhausted still and I made a noise like a big baby sigh just as I got into a deep sleep! That afternoon Austin ran to work to prepare some plans for the sub since he was going to be out the rest of the week. Austin's mom came to keep me company and care for Aubrey. I got a visit from my friend Jacquie while Austin was gone and I started to get tired again. I was out!!! Oh, I forgot to mention that I wasn't really eating much this whole time because nothing sounded good and the hospital food they kept bringing was just awful looking! When I woke up, I asked Austin if a new nurse had come in yet and he said no. I really had to go to the bathroom but I needed a new ice pack. We called the nurse's station and it took them a while to bring one, except the person that brought the ice pack brought this huge ice pack for like a neck or back. I sat there for a while trying to figure out how to make it work! I basically ended up making my own before the nurse came in to introduce herself. She was super busy with other moms asking for things at the start of her shift. This nurse, Denise, was the best! She made me feel so comfortable and confident. She guided me rather than told me what to do.
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