Cardio update & Baby R's Birth Story

G/morning!

Update on cardio appt - Yesterday, Dr. Cardio's office called to let me know my results:

• Echocardiogram - clean! Yeah!
• Heart monitor results - my heart rate recorded 140 bpm. This is "cause for concern" but not "alarming." Please note that I'm using the nurse's words. Apparently, 150 is when they become alarmed.

Basically, she said they would be putting me on some meds, but since I'm due to give birth next Tuesday they are going to hold off. Works for me!

Okay, since I'm getting closer to Baby #3s arrival, I wanted to share birth stories of my first two babies.

CAUTION: The following post may contain TMI. Plus, it is a really, really, really long story. I wanted to give all the details though :)

Baby R's Birth Story
In November of 2006, I woke up @7AM; four days prior to my due date. I woke up to a feeling that my water was breaking. I had my sweet-tart (hereby to be referred to as ST) push me out of bed (literally) and confirmed that I was in labor.

ST was so excited. He ran around, getting my bag ready, getting dressed, and telling me to get out of the bathroom! I was so afraid to stand up from the toilet. My water was just gushing out...I had no idea what to do. Ugh!

After dressing, we got in the car and drove the 5 mins to the hospital. Labor & Delivery confirmed that my water had broken (litmus test) and we were put into our private room. This is the room where we would deliver and also where we would stay for the duration of our hosp visit.

Right around 8AM, my contractions started and were pretty consistent. The doc put me on pitocin to ensure that I would deliver the baby before he left for the day @5PM. Gotta love docs!

The pitocin made things so much more intense. Plus, my ST decided to start joking around and talking during my contractions. Apparently, this was a no-no for me. No talking during contractions! I was basically hateful. At one point, during a really bad contraction, my ST was trying to talk and be funny and the nurse looked at him and said, "I think your wife said you needed to be quiet." Awesome!

Around 11AM, I received an epidural (dilated at 4cm). It took them 3 tries to get the epidural in (first time hit a nerve, 2nd time hit a blood vessel). My ST has this on video. I can barely watch it.

I was feeling great from 11AM until around 2PM. I also ate 10 popsicles during this time (cherry and banana - big mistake considering how sick I felt from them later).

That's when the epidural basically wore off. From 2PM until 4PM, I basically thought Baby R had taken a wrong turn somewhere and decided to come out of my behind :) I know, TMI!!!!

Around 4PM, I started pushing. I pushed until around 5:30 and then Baby R's heart rate started to drop dramatically. The doc decided that I needed a c-section to get the baby out, and I was whisked off to surgery; after signing about a million forms.

Keep in mind that during this time, every time I had a contraction, I was pulling my knees up to my chest and pushing on my own. It just made me feel better.

When they wheeled me into the surgery room, they tied my legs down. I was screaming b/c the contractions were awful and I was basically tied down (by then, my arms were also tied down).

I remember a flurry of activity and the anesthesiologist introducing himself. Then, I remember crazy, crazy pain. The kind where I truly felt myself leave my body. It was as if my brain couldn't handle the pain and I just needed to get away from it. They were cutting into my abdomen. I heard the anestesiologist say, "Is this really necessary?"

I was telling them where I was hurting and then they held up Baby R. He was all black eyes, and pink hands and feet...and screaming. So beautiful! I wanted to hold him, I wanted to count his fingers and toes, everything.

Then, I don't remember anything until I woke up in recovery. My throat was sore and I wanted a drink of water or an ice chip. They told me I couldn't have anything in recovery and I'd need to wait until I got back to my room.

When, they wheeled me back to my room I kept asking my ST, "Why weren't you in the room? Where's the baby?"

He said that they didn't let him in b/c I was screaming and they couldn't get my pain under control. Apparently, they are worried that the husbands will go beserk when their wives are like this during the surgery. Poor ST!

My friend, EE, was there when they brought Baby R in. She'd been watching him for me in the nursery b/c I had a phobia about someone stealing him. I have the best girlfriends.

When I met this little boy, he was so adorable. He started nursing right away and I just fell in love with him. My ST and I fell in love instantly :)

The next morning, the anesthesiologist came in to check on me. I asked him what happened, and he said that b/c they had to take the baby so quickly (it went from urgent to an emergency c-section b/c of Baby R's continued heart rate decrease) they didn't have time to ensure that I would be numb. When I was screaming they decided to give me a sedative to knock me out.

So, there ya have it. Baby R's birth story. Lots of details and TMI...but so glad I recorded it. I don't think I've ever given anyone all of these details.