Wow- sad that our Lil man is 5 days old & I'm just now getting to posting his announcement! Sorry!
Tuesday at 6:30 I called the hospital to see if they had room for me to be induced- yep come on in! So we got up & ready. Jeremy & Angela took Hayden to daycare, while I went to the hospital to start the check in paperwork (I had to be there at 7:30 & Hayden's daycare opens at 7:30- so we had to go separate ways!) About 8am, I was shown to my HUGE labor & delivery room (it had a gallery-like extra room!) Dr. Bell checked me- still just 2cm & 50% effaced (same as at appointment last Friday). By 9am, I was all hooked up to the pitocin. I had been sorta contracting on my own, so it didn't take much for the pitocin to kick right in. I stayed on the lowest dose most of the morning, since I had a great contraction pattern. Sadly, they weren't very painful yet. Dr. said that we'd break my water around noon- but when he checked me, baby was still way too high & if he broke my water, there was a chance the cord could prolapse & we'd need to do an emergency c-section. So- we'd hurry up & wait & check in a few hours. When the Dr checked again at 3pm, I was still 2-3cm, 50% & baby's head still too high. He said that when he came back to check again at 5pm, if baby hadn't dropped any, that we'd call it a day & turn off the pitocin & try another day! I SO did not want to start all over again! Thankfully, at 5pm, Dr. Bell said he'd break my water- he also said he was a big chicken when it came to breaking water- he wont do it unless he's sure we had made some progress. I was at 3 cm & still 50% effaced. I immediately requested my epidural (and THANK GOD I did!) At 6pm, the contractions got intense, I got my epidural & when the nurse checked me- I was at a 6cm & almost completely effaced! In the matter of an hour, I progressed more than I had all morning! My epidural worked great- although I felt a ton of pressure with every contraction. We repeatedly called the nurse/Dr to check me since I was progressing so fast. Baby's head was turned wrong though, so I was moved into all kinds of weird positions. It was so strange when I actually felt baby flip into the "birthing" position!! At 8pm, I didn't think that I could breathe through the contractions anymore & not push; I was completely dilated with just a little bit of cervix left that the nurse thought I could push right through. Dr. came in- we got down & dirty. One push & his head was out, but his shoulders were turned a little, so it took a few small pushes to get his shoulders unstuck- & he was here at 8:18pm! Only 3 hours elapsed from the time my water broke till he was here!
Declan Neal weighed in at 7lbs 4 ounces & 20 inches. His apgar's were 9/9 & 9/9. He is a champion nurser- latched right on & hasn't had any problems so far. He passed all his tests in the hospital (hearing screening, bilirubin, pku, etc) with flying colors & we came home Wednesday at about 8:30 pm. (Baby had to be 24 hours at the hospital).
We are all doing quite well. He's nursing about every 2 hours, but has a couple 3-4 hour stretches at nighttime- so I'm surprisingly rested! Thankfully he sleeps well in the bassinet by our bed- Hayden HATED sleeping in there! He doesn't cry much- only when he's cold (getting dressed or diaper changes). He only lost a few ounces when we left the hospital (6lbs15oz) & was down to 6lbs12oz at his first checkup on Friday morning. He has another weight check appointment next weeks, so we'll see how he's doing then. My milk came in very fast this time, so I have no doubts he'll be back up to his birth weight by then.
Hayden is OVER THE MOON for her little brother. She asks to hold him all the time. Some Hayden funnies: She is scared of his cord (almost ready to fall off)- at diaper changes she cries that she doesn't want to see that belly button anymore! :) She sings ABC's & Twinkle Little Star to him when he's crying to make him happy. When he is squirming around, she tells me that her baby brother isn't cooperating very well! ;) She told Aunt Nic that she has been "waiting a long long time for her baby brother and her baby has none as much hair as yours!"
When Jeremy changed his first diaper- he was promptly pee'd on, then poop'd on and then lil man spit up. Daddy was thoroughly baptized!
Thanks to everyone who's sent us well wishes! Feel free to stop by for a visit! :)
Here's some pictures from my facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113735&id=1356115959&l=924ddaddbb
