Birth Story

The whole story. And since I tend to write a lot, it's long. I apologize.

8.5 months

We got to the hospital at 3:30, and the nurses began all of the preparations for the c-section. I was insanely nervous (especially about the spinal block), but the nurses and anesthesiologist were all so wonderful, that it made me feel better. We got into the OR just before 6:00.

The anesthesiologist did the spinal block, and it was the BEST feeling in the world. This is because I was suddenly numb from my chest and down and no longer itched! After weeks of having an insanely itchy belly, it was so great to not itch anymore! Mike came in and held my hand, and the doctors got to work.

Joshua Andrew was born at 6:16pm. He weighed 8 pounds, 2.5 ounces (just .5 an ounce more than Grace), and was 21.5 inches long. After each of my c-sections, the most incredible sound in the world is hearing my babies cry. I don't feel this way at 3:00 in the morning now, but hearing him cry when they took him out and knowing that he was okay, made me cry. It's just a wonderful noise. They took him over and cleaned him up, and Mike went over with them.

I knew I had a lot of fluid, but my doctor was shocked at how much exactly I had. They removed close to 3 2-liter sized bottles of fluid. She was so surprised that I hadn't gone into labor because of all of it.

After Josh was all cleaned up, Mike and nurse brought him over to me. The nurse put him by my face for a quick picture and then brought him to the nursery. I didn't even get to look at his face, which was disappointing, but I also wanted him to be checked out to make sure he was okay.

I was wheeled into recovery, and started to get the feeling back in my legs. This is also one of the best moments (for me) after a c-section... having the feeling come back and knowing I'm not paralyzed. That probably seems a little over-dramatic, but it's something that the anesthesiologists always warn me is a risk, and it's always a worry in the back of my mind during the c-section. So, getting the feeling back is always a relief.

Mike came in a little while later, and told me that Josh had fluid in his lungs. This is common in c-section babies (though it had never happened with Adam or Grace), and unfortunately, he was going to have to stay in the NICU while the doctors monitored it. Josh received several x-rays and labs to check the fluid, and to make sure it didn't develop into an infection.

I was really disappointed about not being able to hold him or see him. Mike went down to the NICU regularly and took pictures for me, but I was still kind of bummed. At 5:00 the next morning, after getting up to walk around, the nurses wheeled me down to the NICU so that I could see him.

Josh was covered in wires: monitors, an IV, a tube down his throat (to remove the extra fluids in his stomach) and had the oxygen glued to his face. I knew it was helping him, but it still was so hard seeing him like that. The doctor came and talked to me, and told me that he would be in there for a few days to make sure that the fluid dissipated and didn't cause an infection. He wasn't allowed to eat for the first day and a half, so I had to pump every 2 hours. Mike was so wonderful and ran down what I pumped to the NICU every 2 hours, even through the night. Mike was allowed to feed him 36 hours after he was born. Poor little Josh was so hungry! He drank the entire ounce in about 10 seconds and screamed for more.

Mike went home to spend time with the kids once a day (the hospital was about 45 minutes from our home) and then would come back and divide his time between me and Josh. He wasn't eating and sleeping very well, and all of the stress took its toll. He started feeling sick on our second day, and got really sick on the third day. He went to the other side of town for Adam's school presentation and then went straight to the doctor afterwards. He ended up having strep throat.

Adam's school presentation on scorpions

My stay at the hospital was pretty typical: nasty food, not feeling good enough to do anything but not wanting to stay in the hospital either, and a super-uncomfortable bed. Normally I would have a baby to cuddle and take care of, but since he was in the NICU, I couldn't do that. So, it was a bit boring. Mike brought me the new Dan Brown novel to read, and it made the time go faster.

Over the next few days, Josh progressively got better and they were able to remove the oxygen, stomach tube, and IV. I was allowed to start nursing him, and things looked good for him getting released when I did. Unfortunately, because he didn't get to eat for the first day and a half, he became jaundiced and lost over half a pound, and ended up having to stay in the NICU under the bili light after I was released.

I am so grateful for the NICU, and the wonderful miracles that take place there. However, going home without a baby is one of the hardest things I've had to do. I have absolutely no right to complain; so many of the babies in the NICU are there for weeks and months, and there are many moms don't ever get to bring home a baby from the hospital. Josh was doing well and was healthy, but it was still really hard. I only got a small taste of the NICU; Josh was only there for 6 days. My heart goes out to the families who have babies there. Every time I left, it got harder and harder to say 'good-bye', and I can't imagine how difficult it must be on families to have a baby in there for a long period of time.

I spent the next 3 days dividing my time between being home with Adam and Grace, and then going back to the hospital 3 times a day to nurse Josh and see him. Mike was too sick to go back, so he stayed in the lobby and slept while I saw Josh. Adam and Grace struggled with us being gone and with Josh not being home. It was a hard few days.

On Sunday, Josh's labs were starting to look better so they did the carseat test, hearing test, and I had to watch a CPR video. On Monday, Josh's labs looked good, his x-rays were clear, he had gained an ounce back, and we were finally able to bring him home! Bringing him home and being a family all in one place, being able to hold him whenever I wanted without all of the wires, and seeing Adam and Grace fall in love with him, too, was so wonderful!

We went back to the doctor the next day, and he had gained 4 ounces. He's healthy and strong and wonderful and we are all so grateful for him!

I am SO thankful for my mom, who came up and stayed with Adam and Grace; for our sweet family and friends who prayed for us and kept us in their thoughts; to the wonderful doctors and nurses at the hospital. I am incredibly thankful to Mike for all of his extreme wonderful-ness during the pregnancy and birth. Most of all, I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who carried me through this pregnancy and delivery, and that Josh and I are healthy and well.

We are so in love with this little guy!