Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

I was due on January 1st. That day came and went. At my last checkup I was at 3cm and 75% effaced. We went walking at the mall often trying to get things going. I was bouncing on my yoga ball too. Nothing seemed to be working.

The night of January 3rd my stomach was acting up (or so I thought). I took something for it and went to bed around 11pm. I woke up around 3am on January 4th and again my stomach wasn’t feeling right. I was in and out of the bathroom till around 6am. I knew from other people’s experiences that this could be the start of labor. I wasn’t contracting at all so I figured it wasn’t it for me. I did have a crampy/achy feeling in my lower abdomen but I attributed it to my stomach.

My husband got up to get ready for work around 6:30am. Around 7am I asked him to stick around while I called the on-call Doc to tell her what I’d been feeling. I called and she said it was probably the start of early labor. I could either wait till 7:30am and call the office and get checked there or go to the hospital. I decided to wait and call the office. I figured I wouldn’t be stuck in triage and all that – and the hospital is literally right across the parking lot from my Doc’s office so if I did need to go it wouldn’t be far.

I got in the shower and got ready to go and I started to feel contractions. They weren’t too bad. I was able to breathe through them and they weren’t lasting too long. They were about 45 seconds long every 3 minutes. I also had some bleeding at this point.
It was around 8:45am when we got to my Doctors office. I was 5cm when they checked me at the office and by then I was contracting harder. I couldn’t talk during the contractions but they still were manageable. The Doc called over to the hospital to let them know we were coming over.

On the walk over to the hospital we called our families to let them know today was the day! No one believed us! January 4th is my Grandma’s birthday. This was the first one since she passed away last year. From the moment we found out we were pregnant we all joked how our baby would be born on Grandma’s birthday. All I could think is what a great way to spend her birthday. What a gift this would be.

We got up to L&D and had to wait a few minutes till there was a bed open in their triage area. We were finally checked in and admitted at 9:59am. I got back to triage and they had me change into a gown. I asked to use the restroom before I changed. I was still having hard contractions. Finally I was changed and they put me on a monitor. We were joking around with our triage nurse. (She was absolutely fabulous) The L&D doc came in and checked me. I wasn’t fond of her. She was nice but took her time. Here I am contracting and she’s checking me and taking her sweet time with it!

Next thing I know I hear my nurse tell me to lay on my left side. Uh-oh. I know what that means. I roll over and now I’m facing the monitor and can see the baby’s heartrate and it’s not good. She puts me on oxygen. Next she has me roll on my right side. As I’m doing that 6 people rush into my curtain area. (One of them was my Doc who was the one on call from my OB’s office – I was SO glad to see him) I hear him tell someone to hold an OR.

Now I’m getting worried. One doc says he wants to put an internal monitor on the baby. He’s going to break my water. As soon as he does I hear him say “I’ve got mec with particulates.” I’m not even sure they got the monitor on the baby and they tell me to get on my hands and knees. So here I am on my hands and knees having hard contractions (at this point I was ready for an epi) with all of these people in my curtain area and my gown is falling off me. Lovely. I’m pretty much stark naked. Modesty went out the window. They put in a folley and an IV.

Finally the baby’s heartbeat came back up. I was able to lay back down. When I was getting situated I could see the water on the bed. It looked like pea soup. I knew that wasn’t good.

They moved me into a L&D room and got me over to the bed. No sooner did they do that the baby’s heartrate went dangerously low. My Doc says “that’s it were doing a c-section. Call anesthesia and let them know we need general.” I heard that and so many thoughts went through my head. I knew the baby was in trouble, I knew I didn’t want to be put under general anesthesia and I wanted my husband. With all of those thoughts running through my head all I could say out loud was “F@*%”.

They unlocked the bed and started to move me. I was able to give DH a kiss. He told me it would be ok. They rushed me down to the OR. I see my Doc scrubbing in. He’s rushing pretty fast. He tells me I’ll be ok but they need to get the baby out now.

They transfer me over to the operating table and the baby’s heart rate comes back up. The anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist are talking to me telling me what’s going to happen. They put oxygen on me and my Doc comes into the room. My triage nurse tells him the baby is stable and he says we can wait a few minutes and monitor him. If it stays stable we can do a c-section with a spinal. Was I glad to hear that!

I’m still having contractions while they’re monitoring the baby and I’m strapped on the OR table. Talk about uncomfortable! My triage nurse asks if she can give me a shot to try to stop the contractions. She gave me the shot and they did stop a few minutes later. Not long after that I was able to get the spinal. It wasn’t bad at all. It was a pinch and a burn and then I was numb. It was the strangest feeling.

They brought my DH into the room and started with the c section. About 5 minutes later my baby boy was born. Andrew James (we call him AJ) was born at 10:47am.

They took him right over to the warmer and there was a team from the Special Care nursery to look at him. Because of all the meconium they were afraid he was going to have some in his lungs. He did. They didn’t like the way he sounded when he was breathing and crying so they took him. I didn’t even get to see him. My DH came over and showed me a picture he took and then I had him go with the baby.

The rest of my surgery took about 40 minutes. I was relieved the baby was born but scared that he wasn’t going to be ok. I went back into recovery and by then my sister arrived. DH came into recovery a few minutes later. He told me that AJ had a collapsed left lung. He was being put into high pressure oxygen in the Special Care Nursery.
AJ spent 12 hours in the oxygen and 2 days in Special Care before he was able to room in with us.

My hospital stay was great. It was hard because I felt like we were there for so long (5 days) but all of my nurses were so great and so helpful. They really listened to all of our questions and concerns. I wouldn’t have made it through without the support from them.

We were finally released from the hospital on January 9th (I developed high bp on Wednesday and it took them 3 days and 2 medications to get it under control).

He is the sweetest little boy. He’s so good and the joy of our lives.

Andrew James (AJ)
January 4th, 2010
10:47am
8lbs 2 oz
19 3/4 inches

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Message edited 3/17/2010 11:28:16 AM.

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

AJ is so handsome, and what a roller coaster ride you had!!!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

thank god both you and baby are okay!!!!!!!!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Wow so scary!
But he is just gorgeous!
Congrats!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Congrats!! which hospital did you deliver?

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

He is sooo cute! I am sorry you had such a hard time but I am glad it all turned out ok. He is a handsome little boy!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

He is so cute! COngratulations on the birth of your little man!!!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Congratulations! He is adorable!!!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Congrats!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

What a story! I am so glad you and DS are fine.

He is a cutie pie!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

Wow - what a story - glad you are all ok! Congrats!!

Re: Andrew James -- Jan 4th, 2010 (Long!)

that's a heck of a story!!! He's adorable!!!

Congrats to you and DH!!!