At last... birth story and the first two months Ha

Yeah 3 months later. The first 8 weeks or so of his life are all hazy to me. We were in survival mode. But I want to get it out before I completely forget...

I was due August 30- a Monday. After about 36 weeks or so I was definitely ready for baby boy to make his appearance. I wanted him to cook as long as possible but I was phsyically and mentally over being pregnant. I was HUGE (gained 40 plus pounds at that point which was solely based on me eating like CRAP for the last month or so but I realy didnt care... I care NOW as my thighs and butt are huge still and none of my pants fit but oh well). Started going to the doctor weekly at 36 weeks and was slowly progressing. 1 cm or so at 36 weeks and stayed there until 39 weeks when it jumped to 1 1/2. I never had a real contraction- I still just think they were braxton hicks. After about 38 weeks or so I really started assuming he would go past the due date. I was a late baby and maybe I blocked out the water breaking, heavy contractions, laboring on my own thing because I just couldn't handle it or maybe deep down I knew I would have to be induced.

At my appt. that Monday I still hadn't felt a change and doctor was on call for that Thursday so she asked if I wanted to come in that morning (at 5am!) to be induced. I thought about waiting it out but I just didn't think I had it in me so I said let's go for it. Of course, I could have gone into labor that night or Tuesday or Wednesday but I just knew I wouldn't.

I took off work Wednesday and so did Dale so we could enjoy our last day as just two. I can't even remmeber what we did that day or where we went but I know I was anxious. As anxious as you could be having NO FREAKING CLUE what was about to happen. You can read as many books as you want, websites, talk to other moms, doctors, etc but you relaly just have NO idea what you are in for until it happens hah.

I was up pretty much all night Wed/Thursday morning. We went to bed around 10 but we had to be up at 4 to go to the hospital so I was just up pacing reading all my books about what happens when you are on labor. Ha so silly now. Took my last shower as a free woman and headed out.

Got to the room and checked in by about 5:15am. For as much as we had to pay to deliver a child you would think Dale could have gotten a better chair/bed to sleep in but it was AWFUL. I felt really bad for him. Anyways- I knew since I was being induced I would ahve to be hooked up all day and not able to walk around plus I was strep positive and rH negative so I had extra IV fluids and meds all over me (this was tramitizing as well because I had never even been around a pregnant lady in a hospital let alone be the one in the bed). I had no idea how painful and annoying being pricked 10 times was or having 3 needles in your arm and hands for hours a day could be. And the TAPE oh the tape they use to keep things in place is itchy and HURTS. I digress...

Went to the bathroom to take care of business (DISGUSTING) with the help of my nurse and then I was in the bed for the duration of my labor. Pitocin started around 6:30am. Not bad for the first hour or so. Around 7:45 though it was already too much for me to handle (I knew I wouldnt last long and how ANYONE can deliver naturally is BEYOND ME because I would have DIED from the pain.. I'm being dramatic but serious. I could.not.handle.it)I started making Dale's hands bleed and I figured it was time to get the epidural. There were like 345345 other women delivering babies that day too so the epidural cart was being used. I started to panick. Nurse asked if I wanted a shot of Stadol in my IV to help with the pain a little. It wasn't supposed to take away pain but make me relax a little more so it wouldn't hurt as bad. Even as she is saying this I'm thinking "if it can't take the pain away, I'm going to still be frekaing out". But I took it anyways. I wouldn't call it a mistake but it sucked. Didn't work at all, still felt the pain and just made me feel dizzy. My blood pressure got really low at this point and I was really out of it. They had to pump something in my IV and within 30 minutes or so I was feeling less dizzy but still dying from the pain. FINALLY the doctor (not an anethesiologist which was interesting) came in to do the epi. It takes like 15 minutes for them to get you up, turned around, taped out *that tape stayed on me FOR WEEKS* , test it out and then put the shot in. I know I was panting like a dog at this point because it hurt so bad. FINALLY- it was in and within 5 minutes or so I was numb from the waist down. Best feeling of my LIFE.

After that I pretty much gained a cm or so every hour. I was at 8 by about 3 or so and by 4 I was "readyto push". I had a really hard time feeling the contractions since I was so numb but I didn't think I could handle the pain if they turned the epi off. Pushed for about an hour and at 5:11 PM Elijah Thomas came into the world. Pushing was hard. I was worried at a point that he wouldn'tcome out on his own because I wasn't getting anywhere pushing and the mean nurses kept looking at Dale and shaking their heads like I couldn't see them. Doctor had to give me an epiosotomy and I tore- 4th degree. The worst. I was happy he was out but had NO idea what a recovery from an epiosotomy and tear like that would be like. I hadn't even thought about that hpapening to me or what recovery would be like AT ALL when I was pregnant. It took her about 45 minutes to stitch me up (also awesome, NOT) and the nurses said I didn't want to know how many stitches I had. Okay great. I still had the epi so I didn't feel anything then UNTIL LATER.

We had maybe the SLOWEST male baby nurse ever. It took him literally 2 hours to do all the stuff before I got to hold him. I was so tired and annoyed at that point I made Dale chase him down and tell him to hurry up. Gah he was slow....

Finally, got to hold him and let family see him. I know they say everyone thinks their babies are hte most beautiful and I guess I get it now because I just thought he was the most precious thing ever. He just looked perfect.

We stayed in the hospital until Saturday evening. I had to stay the full 48 hours becasue I was strep B positive so I had to be monitored. At this point when the epi wore off I was feeling it. It hurt to move, sit up, walk, sit down etc. ALL OF IT. I left the hospital with perscriptions for 800mg ibprofen and tylenol with codiene and I used ALL OF THEM. Hah- I'm not a druggie but I sure felt like one. They really helped because it was hard for 2-3 weeks afterwards.

Breastfeeding got off to a bad start when they had to prick Eli 5 times in the hospital to check his glucose levels because he was so big and give him sugar water to get them to where they need to be. He HATED latching, never wanted to do it would just shake his head all around but never latch on, my milk never came in even with reglan and I felt like I was starving him by the time we got home. Which I know people say they dont eat much and dont need to for the first 48 hours or so but after that, they are HUNGRY. I had no milk to give him and what little I did, he'd never take. I pumped for about a month afterwards what little supply I had to give him but it was too much to take care of him, pump 12 times a day, feed him etc.

He also had to have his bilirubin levels checked at the hospital 2 times after we were discharged. That was intesnse too because they had to prick him and he cried and I just hated it for him. Luckily, it never developed into jaundice.

Like I said- the first 8 weeks were a blur. I was overwhlemed, felt bad most of the time, was so tired, baby was spitting up all the time and fussy alot. He never slept like a newborn as in they sleep all the time. He never did- he was up ALOT. Finally at about a month we took him to the doctor and learned he had reflux really bad. We added cereal to his bottles to help with the spit up and got him on meds for the reflux and that helped A LOT. No more fussiness because his tummy didnt hurt and less spit up (he still spits up ALL THE TIME). He finally started sleeping better and things have been better and better since then!

Here is what I remember from the first two months:
-Not a good sleeper but he got better when we started swaddling him
-Loved his paci, it was the only thing that calmed him down most days. I said I'd never let my kids have one but I was totally mistaken. It is a must, for now.
-HE IS STRONG. I remember when he was only a couple weeks old tryin to hold his head up and liking to be up on his feet.
-The nurses said he had the biggest hands they had ever seen on a baby. football player maybe?/ ;)
-Gave us his first real smile around 6 weeks
-LOVES to kick in his bouncy seat. He seriously bangs his legs on that thing for 10 minutes at a time and loves it.
-even though he was a big baby (8 pounds 5oz) and was gainly weight rapidly, he was in newborn diapers and clothes for the first 6 weeks or so. This was very strange to me as I thought that wouldnt last long at all. He was just long and skinny. Finally betwen 7-8 weeks he started to get CHUNKY. Like rolls chunky. SO cute.
-not a tummy time fan at all. screams actually... this is better now at 3 months.

2 month stats:
24 3/4 inches long and 14.2 pounds. BIG BOY. He is in like the 95% percentile for weight at this point. He goes back in January for 4 months and I am so curious...

Okay. I feel better now. And if you read all of this- well I am terribly sorry.