Lincoln Zephaniah Foster is here
Note: Excuse all spelling and gramatical errors--I really don't care right now! :-)
Yes, it's true! He's finally here.
I didn't get to post a message before I left for the hospital as things kind of happened quickly...
I awoke around 1:30 AM on Monday 9 April and discovered that my water had broken. I woke Chris up, told him to shower and we were off by 2. Got to the hospital and they started monitoring me. My contractions were 6-7 minutes apart and I was feeling great. I was breathing through them and my pain level was pretty low so I was going drug-free for the time.
Doctor came to see me a bit after 4:00AM--it was MY doctor, and he had been on call for the past 72 hours and was going off call at 7:30 that morning so it looked like I would be stuck with this Korean doctor that I had avoided the entire pregnancy. I guess that's what I get for trying to avoid him. Anyway, Dr. Fowers checked me, I was 3cm dialated and Lincoln was at a -3 station, which meant he had only dropped a little bit from when he had previously gone back up. Because my contractions weren't too strong and because they weren't too close together the doctor wanted to start me on Pitocin to bring things along but we had to wait for an Anathesiologist (sp) to be available just in case. The doctor also decided at this point to put internal monitors on the baby and my uterus to measure things more accurately. So around 5AM everything is in place and we are just waiting for the Pitocin to be started. It wasn't long after the internal monitors were in place that my contractions started getting all sorts of crazy--really close together, like 30 seconds and lasting for 15 seconds or longer and really, really strong--off the chart on the monitor strong--the pain kicked in too and I was ready to throw in a towel. I was BEGGING for pain meds and became nausous so they gave me some reglan for the that and just when they were about to give me pain meds the nurse started screaming to get the doctor because the baby's heart rate starting dropping really low. Of course this sends me into a panic so I am freaking out a lot and am hot and in terrible pain so I just tell them, "Give me the section, it's not worth it..."
The doctor shows up and orders them to give me some drug to stop my contractions. He wants to get the baby's heartbeat back to regular and then start things again. He checks me again and it is horrificly painful when he checks me. He discovers that the baby has gone back up into the uterus even farther than he was and this coupled with my pain level and other symptoms, he thinks it is highly likely that my uterus has ruptured so he tells everyone we are headed to the ER now. By this time the meds to stop my contractions have kicked in some so I ask him if I get a local or if it is going to be general and he tells me it is general as we don't have time for a local which freaks me out even more because I can't imagine what is going on--I don't know if it is me or the baby that is more in danger at this point. So into the OR we go, Chris is left hanging outside, I get through one last contraction that I remember, move to the operating table and remember breathing the gas. That's it. Next thing I know, I am waking up in ICU and no one really knows anything except that I am ok and that I've had a boy and that they think he is fine. Great feeling there, folks. It wasn't too much longer and they brought Chris in and he had taken pictures of Lincoln to bring to me and he was just perfect.
It turns out, we don't know why the baby went into distress like he did. The doctor said he was surprised when he got inside me to see everything looking so healthy with very little scar tissue and no signs up uterine distress or rupture. Just one of those things. This isn't entirely dis-similiar to what I went through with Gunnar so I guess I'm just meant to have c-section babies.
He was born at 6:15 AM, 8 pounds even. 20 1/4 inches long. 13 1/2" head and chest. He is smaller than Gunnar was which is kind of funny because my late-term ultrasound said I was having this unusually large baby.
It is now Wednesday evening and I've been home since 1PM. I'm feeling good, I forgot after the last section how much this hurts but I'm getting through it. Have only had Tylenol for pain since 6AM since I'm so hard-core! ha ha. Lincoln is doing good. He's eating well and breastfeeding is working so far this time. Little man sleeps really well--I'm lucky there. Let's just hope it continues this way.
Well that's the story folks. Happy to be healthy and to have a healthy little boy. I'll get pictures posted later. I'm tired now! :-)