Jude's birth went well. It was quite quick too. My due date was Dec 6 and because of my age the doctors didn't want me to go over due. There are increased risks to baby the longer you go over. So, I had an induction scheduled for the 5th or 6th depending on when the hospital had room for me. The day of the 5th was a pretty normal one. Mom and dad had arrived on the 3rd so Lennon was excited and kept busy playing with them. I actually did some Christmas baking that I had been meaning to do. The phone hadn't rang so I was thinking that the induction wasn't going to happen that day. I put Lennon down for her nap and was just about to lay down myself when I got the call. They were ready for me! I called Fred at work and we were at the hospital ready to go by 3pm. If you don't want to read the details of Jude's birth skip the next paragraph!
Once we were settled into the room and I was changed the doctor came in to check my dilation (2 cm) and to break my water. My water was broken at about 3:30 and by 4:00 I had been started on the oxytocin. Then it was just waiting for contractions to start. We walked the hall, talked about names as we had t settled on one yet, Fred read me stories off the internet, and things slowly got going. My contractions this time were much different than with Lennon. They were very low and in front and felt like a cramp. Progressively they got worse and worse. I was still able to stand and move around a bit though. Around 7:30 contractions started getting more intense and we were waiting for the doctor to come back around 8 for another check. Things started moving much faster at that point. I started breathing in the gas to help alleviate some of the pain from contractions. The nurse ending up checking me because I was in so much pain. I was at 7 cm at that point. It was then that I asked for an epidural as things were pretty unbearable and the gas wasn't doing a whole lot to help. The nurse called for the anesthesiologist and started to set things up. Then the doctor came in and said that the epidural wouldn't be happening as the anesthesiologist was in an emergency c-section! Ah!! I was giving the option of having a shot of fentanyl. I was really reluctant and unsure about it because it does pass to the baby and baby can come out very drowsy. But after a couple more seriously intense contractions I said ok let's do it. The nurse had literally just gotten it ready when I all of a sudden felt that baby was coming and said "I need to push!" So turns out I was going to do it all natural after all. I think it was around 8:30 when I started pushing. That was seriously hard work. Much different than with Lennon when I had an epidural. I got to feel his head at one point...weird but cool. Then our baby boy arrived at 9:24pm. There had been meconium in my waters (just like his sister) so a team came in to check him out and suction him. While this was happening the doctor was trying to deliver my placenta. After trying for about 20 minutes she figured it hadn't detached. Ugh! So, my options were to take fentanyl and breath the gas while attempting to have it "scooped" out or go into the OR and get a spinal so it could be removed. I chose to try the fentanyl/gas option so the surgeon came in and worked to get the placenta out. It was a super painful and uncomfortable process, but thankfully it worked!
Meanwhile, baby was grunting a lot and the doc called the nicu team back in to assess him. Turns out he swallowed a bunch of fluids and stuff on his way out and it was causing him some trouble breathing. They decided to take him to the nicu to be monitored. We both got a chance to hold him a bit (me once the effects of the drugs wore off!) and then Fred went with him while I was being stitched and cleaned up. That was weird...Fred and baby were gone and I was laying there by myself once the doctor was done while the nurse was cleaning up around the room. Once they had baby setttled in the nicu Fred came back and we decided on his name. Once I was ready to be moved the nurse took us to see Jude in the nicu before bringing me to my room in the postpartum unit. It was a little sad seeing Jude there with an iv and all kinds of monitors on him but he was doing better already. I then got settled in my room and Fred went home to sleep. Despite a couple of wake ups for checks checks from the nurse and a snorzing roommate (thank you ear plugs!) I was able to get some rest. Jude wasn't able to feed yet, they were giving him nutritional sugars through an iv in the nicu, so I didn't have baby waking me either. In the morning I did pump and then about mid morning Jude was ready to try feeding! I was a bit nervous about it because it was so hard and painful at the start with Lennon but it went really well! We both got the hang of it right away! He then fed about every 3 hours the rest of the day and night. They kept him, and me, another night just to make sure he was continuing to do well. Fred went back and forth between the hospital and home and then later in the afternoon of the 7th we were both discharged and able to go home! It felt like a really long hospital stay, especially with Jude being in the nicu. We were very glad to be home!
Lennon has been adjusting quite well to having a baby in the house. Having Grandma and Gramps here definitely helped transition her. She had lots of distractions and kept those guys busy playing with her! She is very sweet with Jude. She calls him "my baby" and loves to kiss and touch him. Hopefully the love continues!
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