The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

On Tuesday January 26th, my mom and DH’s mom arrived here in Arizona in the afternoon and we got to spend some time with them before heading to the hospital at night. So we headed to the hospital at 10pm to begin my induction. Got checked in and headed up to L&D. Met my lovely nurse and got started with attaching monitors and an IV. Luckily I was already 2-3cm’s and they decided to only do one dose of Prostaglandin instead of three. If I had gotten there any later in dilation (being fully 3cm’s) they wouldn’t have done it at all and we would’ve gone straight to Pitocin. While doing some laps around the unit, I noticed my IV site was quite puffy. Apparently it “blew” and I needed to have it taken out and another started. No biggie, other than the pain of the darn tape! When they started the Pitocin at 6am, I was already 4 cm’s and also got my epidural. After that, I physically felt nothing from the waist down…no pressure, no pain, nothing. Which was very weird and I had to concentrate on the fact that not feeling anything was ok. I progressed quickly from there, ending up fully dilated by 11:00am. The baby was still high so they tried placing me in different positions on this “peanut ball” which was awesome. It literally was a big orange ball in the shape of a peanut, and it worked. By 11:50am we were pushing. If I had not been sick with an upper respiratory infection, the baby probably would’ve been out quicker but he arrived soon enough after only 27 minutes of pushing. Amazing what you can do when you have to. So at 12:17pm Cooper James entered into this crazy world and made our family complete. I thought I would cry like a baby, but I was so amazed at what had happened that I think the shock of it all kept my tears in. I had delivered a healthy 8 lb 8 oz baby boy who was 20 ½ in long. And he was beautiful.

I stayed on the unit for a little while and then moved up to the Couplet Care floor for postpartum. And that’s where the story takes a turn. Let me first say that the idea of Couplet Care is amazing. Baby stays in your room (no nursery stay for healthy babies at all) and you bond as a family with limited interference from nurses/doctors. With that being said….After delivery they noticed I was bleeding a little more than normal after a vaginal delivery and watched me closely. That turned into a postpartum hemorrhage rather fast and they reacted pretty quickly. I was hooked back up to Pitocin, given a series of Methergine shots and suppositories (Cytotec) all at one time. I didn’t have time to even think about what was happening. I began contracting again, this time without the help of my friend Epidural so the pain was pretty extreme since all 3 of the meds they were giving me brought on contractions. I couldn’t have any medicine to help as they were concerned they would only cause more bleeding. It took about 4 hours, but eventually my uterus was starting to cooperate and stay firm and the bleeding began to slow. The exams were brutal, but necessary. All the pressing on my stomach was horrible but I was relieved to know it was starting to turn around. I can’t tell you the things that ran through my head during those hours… as much as I tried to keep them out they crept in. It was a lot to handle so soon after such a joyous occasion, and it hit both DH and I quite hard. He was a rock during the entire induction/delivery process… but once they doctors and nurses started responding to my situation he lost it. He was clearly thinking the way I was, even though I wouldn’t dare say it out loud.


So here is where my problem with Couplet Care comes in ….My poor DH was left to see his wife in trouble and still at the same time care for our newborn infant. Our mothers had gone home for a few things, so he was alone and feeling beyond overwhelmed. He wanted to put his full attention on me and care for me, but had to be concerned for our son. He was being pulled in two different directions and it was too much to handle. No one should have to make that choice. Eventually our mom’s got back and were told that our situation was more serious than they had let on and that it was truly touch and go. They asked if it was possible for the baby to go to the nursery this evening overnight since I was clearly not able to get out of bed (because I was on bedrest) and I would need my husband to take care of me. They said no. There was no Plan B for situations like mine, and that is where my problem with Couplet Care comes in. I love the idea, and was excited for it. But when a mother is in a situation like mine, or any other situation where she can’t help herself because of some serious situation, there should be options. Thankfully our mom’s basically refused to leave that night and stayed with us to care for baby Cooper. We couldn’t have done that night without them, and for that and everything else they did for us I can’t thank them enough. We had to stay an extra day in the hospital because of my bleeding but eventually got to come home on Friday. I was so happy to get out of that place! Fresh air!!

Life at home is adjusting…Cooper is slowly getting into a routine and learning about his surroundings. He enjoys his bouncy seat and his swing and loves to go on walks. Luckily our weather out here in AZ is perfect for a new baby and the doctor encourages getting him out. We had our first visit and he’s already gained 6 oz (he came home at 8 lb 6 oz) and weighs 8 lb 12 oz. The doctor said he is a week ahead of schedule. He also got his first shot, Hep B and will be circumcised this Thursday. They don’t do circumcisions in the hospital here in AZ, which was hard for me to get over but it’s ok now. Talk to me on Thursday though and it might be a different story! So that’s it… I know it was long, so if you actually finished reading it, I thank you. I would do it all over in a heartbeat, no questions asked.

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

wow what a story! so glad to hear you are all doing well! Congrats to you and DH!!! Can't wait to see pics!!

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

Congratulations to the both of you on your baby boy. Thank you for sharing your birth story with us.

~dancerandchef~

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

What, your story is incredible. I'm glad you and Cooper are great :) Feel better and congrats!

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

reading your story makes even more real then when I spoke to you!!! I am glad you are recovering nicely & Cooper is doing well in his new surroundings

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

oy vey erin! holy crap! sooooooooooo glad you're okay. poor DH i know how emotional he is :)

cooper really is beautiful. i am so incredibly happy for you. love you tons!

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

WOW OMG what a story!!!!! That is really strange that a hospital would have no "Plan B" as you called it, your poor DH!!!! I cannot IMAGINE what you both went through!!!! Thank God your moms were there and you are all healthy and perfect now! Congratulations!

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

Congratulations on the birth of your son, Cooper!!!!! What a crazy story, I am glad you are ok and feeling better!!!!!

Re: The Arrival of Cooper James 1/27/10 (long story)

What a story. So hard to believe they don't have a backup plan for the baby if there is a problem.

Congratulations on your little boy!!!!