My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

I was induced Wednesday morning at LIJ at 6am and was given cytotec to start to dialate my cervix. I was only a finger tip dialated when I got to the hospital. I started having contractions every 2-3 minutes - they weren't pleasant but nothing agonizing. I was so excited - thinking, "YES! This must be working...I'll be dialated soon and she'll be here before the end of the day!" So so wrong! After four hours they check you and I went from a fingertip to one cm. They couldn't give me another round of cytotec because it could put the baby in distress so I just had to sit and wait through the contractions. I waited from 2:00 in the afternoon until about 8:00 at night when my dr asked if I wanted to try a cervical balloon. He didn't think it would work but knew I wanted a natural birth so he figured we'd try. Holy hell, it felt like they were trying to push my into the next L&D room! After 30 minutes of crying and four failed attempts we stopped. I was crying and in so much pain by then. They said they'd check me at 12:00am and decide if we can start pitocin then. They would up starting it then and I was on pitocin, with regular contractions from 12-6am. I didn't sleep at all. I was in pain and couldn't leave the bed because I had to be monitored while on the pitocin. My blood pressure was really high and they had to do blood work. My dr checked me at 6am and there was NO CHANGE! Plus I was sooooooo sore when he was checking from the night before with the cervical balloon. From 2:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 the next morning. My dr seemed to think it would continue the same way all day long and possibly into Friday.

I decided at that even though I didn't want a csection, I was making no change, the baby was big and we were told there was a good chance I wouldn't be able to deliver vaginally anyway, and my blood pressure was not getting any better. So I decided by 7:00am to have a csection. By 7:15am there were so many drs and nurses prepping me and getting me to sign papers. It happened so so quickly!

I was really scared when we got to the operating room. I stepped up onto a stool to get onto the table and got the spinal. Honestly, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! I was absolutely shocked. Of course I cried, but I cry for everything. Dh came in and they started quickly. Having the spinal was such a strange feeling - you can feel them touching you and pushing and moving things but you can not feel pain. It's so odd.

We started at 7:46am and Natalie came out at 8:22am. They didn't lift her over to show me, I was so disappointed! DH looked over and said that she had a lot of dark hair! I was so excited. My dr kept calling for suction suction suction - I later found out there was meconium everywhere! Also, her head was tilted back and there would have been no way I could have delivered her vaginally! I was happy that I didn't continue to try to labor on my own. Finally we got to see her when they weighed her - she weighed 8lbs 9oz and was 21.5 inches long...hey! Where's my 10lb baby? She looked tiny and perfect! They stitched me up, she sat with DH a while and then DH got to take her to the recovery room. There was a student at the delivery so I think stitching me up took much longer since they let her help. A nurse said they'd have to feed her in the nursery since she couldn't wait. They told me she'd get fed and go for testing for 2 hours and then I could hold her. I was super bummed!

We went to the recovery room and honestly, I didn't feel bad at all. When they checked my blood pressure again it was still super high. They gave me something for that and morphine for the pain even though I really wasn't feeling much pain. I was the thirstiest I'd ever been in my life - it was after 9:00 on Thursday morning and I hadn't eaten since 5:00am on Wednesday. They gave me ice chips and I was in heaven.

Finally I got to meet and hold my beautiful baby and it was like being in heaven! We had the sweetest recovery room nurse who really helped me breast feed for the first time. It took a few tries but Natalie eventually latched on and had a pretty good feeding. Because of my bp I couldn't go to a room right away. I had to have more blood work done. Finally they let me go to the room and when I got there my sisters were already there. My family all visited and I was feeling as good as I could considering I had just had major surgery.

When the nurses came in to check my bp one of the questions they kept asking was if I had any pain in the right side of my rib cage. I didn't have it until about 8:30 after everyone had left (I sent DH home too because he had been there since I got there the day before). The pain was so so bad. I called the nurse and they came and took my bp and it was so high. They took more blood and eventually decided to send me back to L&D because I had to be put on magnesium to lower my bp. They told me they were afraid I was going to have a seizure. I never had high blood pressure throughout my pregnancy but the second I there for the induction all of a sudden I had it.

Magnesium kicks the s h i t out of you, let me tell you. I still managed to nurse Natalie all night but I was feeling like absolute garbage. While all of this was happening, my iphone crapped out and would not work. I managed to call DH and he came but couldn't contact the rest of my family. I sent DH home eventually because he deserved a good night's sleep. Throughout the night, I spiked a fever. I had been so so hot the whole time I was in the hospital and all of a sudden, I needed two blankets and a space heater on. In the morning they moved me to another room that was in between labor and delivery and maternity. Before I got there, the nicest nurse in the world gave me a sponge bath. Before I got to the hospital one of my main concerns was being able to keep my bra on while I was in labor - 48 hours later I'm completely naked and being given a sponge bath and crying because it felt so good to be close to clean. I spent most of the day in the new room - they let me keep the baby and we just spent the whole day together. I was so happy to be with her. I was still on a clear liquid diet (now over 54 hours after being admitted) and that was miserable. By noon they decided the magnesium was doing more harm than help and they took me off of it and just gave me regular bp pills. They finally let me go to a regular room by like 4pm. It had been 32 hours since giving birth and I was now able to go to the bathroom and clean up. That was the hardest walk of my life. It was so painful. I didn't want to take anymore percocet because I didn't want to need to take it or have problems with going to the bathroom later.

Saturday morning I woke up determined to feel better. I was finally able to take a shower - yes - by now it had been over 72 hours since I was able to shower. That was super painful but I felt incredible after I did it. They kept asking if I had passed gas yet and I hadn't because i wasn't able to walk until that morning. I walked to get breakfast and picked all things to help with bathroom issues - raisin bran, a bran muffin, and prune juice - and then after that I walked to the nursery to get Natalie. That helped and by the afternoon I was able to pass gas. OH MY GOD, IT WAS THE BEST FART OF MY LIFE!!! DH couldn't believe me! It was gross but necessary and I felt a million times better after I did it.

I would up being able to go home on Sunday and god was I happy to be home yesterday! We had an awesome first day and night home and my little princess has been sleeping while I've been typing this.

So I basically had the delivery and recovery from hell but it was worth it because I now have the most amazing baby in the world. And now, here she is!

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Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

wow what a story! your DD is absolutely beautiful! congrats!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

she is so cute Ang! Congrats!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Congratulations Angela! She's beautiful! Sorry her birth didn't go according to plan, but you braved it like a trooper, and she's amazing and wonderful because of all you went through!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Congratulations

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

she's beautiful! congrats!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

She is so beautiful Angela!!! I can not wait to meet her!! I am so sorry you wnet through all that but it is totally worth it!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Congrats Ang ! She's gorgeous !

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Awww, look at that precious angel!!!! Angela, I'm so sorry you had to go through such a tough time!!! Blessings on you all!!!!! Mary

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

yay congrats ang!! she is gorgeous!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Wow what a story. So sorry you had to go through all that. Congrats! She's absolutely beautiful!!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Congrats to you - she is adorable!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

wow, what a story, she is absolutely beautiful!!! :) conrgats!!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

you went through so much.. your daughter is just beautiful! congrats!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Sorry you had to go through so much, but she is perfection - congratulations on her arrival!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Congrats Ang!!! What a story! Natalie is so beautiful!! I can't wait to meet her!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

she is soooo beautiful just like her mam!!!! i cant deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Message edited 3/15/2011 2:38:09 PM.

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

wow, what an ordeal! But she's a beauty, congrats!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

What a story Ang!!!!!!!!!!!! Worth it though

Natalie is SO your mini-me!!!!! What a beauty!!

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Wow what a story!! I am so glad everything turned out ok, but I am sure your little Princess was worth it! Congrats

Re: My very complicated csection birth of the prettiest cupcake in the world!

Ang what a story and she is still as adorable as she was when she was born!!!