Dear Charley,
You are finally here. You were born on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 7:09 am: Father's Day! It was a long and difficult labor, but as all mommas say: it was worth it. Here's a summary of how you entered the world.
On Friday, I anticipated being admitted in the evening to be induced, however, the nurses on the labor and delivery floor called and told me to come in since it was quiet on the floor. So Auntie Christina and I ate breakfast, I took a shower, finished packing, made sure I took a dump, and headed to the hospital.
They started pitocin to start my contractions around 2 pm. I was only about 1.5-2 cm dilated at that point.
Friday night, I was only about 3 cm dilated. I started feeling contractions that night, but was disappointed that I was still only 3 cm dilated the following morning. They gave me some pain killers to help me sleep.
Saturday morning, I got an epidural. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated it to be, although the look on dad's face made it seem like the needle was as bigger than anything he had seen.
Around 1 pm, Dr E came in and told me I was only 3-4 cm dilated. She broke my water, which didn't hurt at all.
We really thought you were coming soon, but that night, I was only 5 cm dilated. It frustrated me so much as I started to feel the contractions more and more. Both dad and Auntie Christina stayed with me Saturday night.
Dr. E came in around midnight and said that if I am not fully dilated by 6 am, then we are going to do a c-section. Yay! That's exactly what I thought was going to happen..
..when at 3 am, I started having full on contractions where I wanted to push! Dr. E came in and told me I was fully dilated and it was almost time to push. She said to wait an hour to really start pushing as it might take longer than expected. I did some practice pushes with the nurse, but when it got too painful, I pressed the button for more epidural, and then I couldn't feel the contractions anymore. The nurse told me to rest to let the epidural die down because it is important that I know how and where to push.
So, I waited. The contractions hurt. I was not happy.
When I started feeling the urge to push again, dad and Christina held my legs and I started to push. It was the hardest thing EVER. It took practice to learn how to read the build up of my contractions and when and how to push.
I was seriously in a zen zone during the whole pushing process. I would rest in between the contractions and then push my hardest when it was time. Dad and Christina were the best coaches ever, and they saw EVERYTHING.
At 7 am, the nurses shifted and the nurse from Saturday, Darla, reassigned herself so she could be with me. She was so awesome and helped me visualize how to push. Dr. E kept asking me if I wanted to see her hair, her head, etc...but I refused. I needed to be in my zone and that would have truly thrown me off.
Anyways, when I felt I couldn't do it anymore, I pushed my hardest and you popped out. You pooped on the way out, which meant that dad had to cut your umbilical cord really fast and they took you away to clean you.
I had a lot of bleeding afterward. I lost about 600 ccs of blood. I had one tear, but was very swollen. Also, during labor, I felt my tailbone pop, which made for a horrible recovery afterward.
I was so exhausted, but about 30 minutes later, I was able to hold you and feed you. You were perfect. Dad even cried a bit.
It was a long labor. 44 hours total, with over 3 hours of pushing, but you made it. You are healthy, beautiful, and so perfect. It makes me cry to even think that God blessed us with you.
We stayed on the Maternal-Infant Ward for 2 days. I learned how to breastfeed, and you slept a lot. I developed a horrible migraine that didn't go away with all the pain medications. Later they realized that this migraine was because of the epidural..it happens to 2% of women..so I had to get ANOTHER EPIDURAL to fix it. In addition, because of all the blood loss, I was so weak and couldn't move too much, which was fine since my tailbone was injured and it hurt even to move my legs. It was a long recovery process..the only bright side was that I could eat whatever I wanted now!
We took you home on Tuesday. Since then it has been a learning process. We realized that you are nocturnal, and are so alert at night! AAAH! You also looooooove to be held as you fall asleep...AAAAH!
Breastfeeding has been easy. It did hurt in the beginning, but I think you and I have finally gotten into a good flow. My milk has finally come in and you seem to be eating well.
You are a bit jaundice, so we have been to the pediatrician every day to monitor it. Good news is that it is going away..so we'll just have to get you in indirect sunlight everyday and make sure you are pooping and peeing accordingly. Also, good news is that you are gaining weight. Yay!
You are so precious, Charley. We love all the faces you make and the way you melt our hearts. It is hard work for sure, and I have been very emotional at times, but I am so thankful for you. I even caught you laughing in your sleep.
Also, I couldn't survive without Auntie Christina. She has been an awesome supporter in every single way--she cleans, cooks, takes turns sleeping with me to take care of you, and has helped me through my most emotional break downs. She loves you so much, Charley!
We love you and I can't believe you're here and you're mine!
love, momma
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