We Meet Our New Addition

After just short of 12 hours of labor we finally met our son. Devlin Phillip Hill born at 5:56 p.m. He was 5 lbs. 7 oz. and 17.5 inches long.  

They began the Pitocin to get my contractions going at 6:00 am. It took a while before my body developed a good contraction pattern of 2-3 minutes apart.  Once they had administered the right amount of Pitocin for my body, the contractions kept coming and things went perfectly.   I didn't feel uncomfortable until about 11:30 am.  At that time I was dilated to 2 1/2 cm and I just wanted to take the edge off to get some rest.  They gave me a medication called Nubane which usually allows women in labor to relax and get comfortable.  However in 30 minutes, the pain went from an uncomfortable feeling to a "what the hell was I thinking" feeling.  By noon the anesthesiologist came in and worked his magic by giving me the epidural.  The epidural was probably the most painful, and uncomfortable part of the whole "laboring" experience.  The doctor was great, but I could actually feel the needles going into my spine and it was rather disturbing.  I never felt like I was out of control which was really really great.  I felt like I handled the pain really well and I was really surprised it wasn't worse.

Once the epidural took effect I actually felt crappy.  I am not sure if I can explain it any different, other than I didn't feel myself and I just felt uneasy.  It took the pain away, and I only felt pressure, but I also felt sick and really weird.  My legs were tingly and numb, my arm with the IV kept going to sleep.  It was not the relief I was expecting or that I remembered when I had it with Derek, but I wouldn't have done anything different.  I definitely wouldn't have tried to have had a "natural" childbirth.  Marty stood by my side the whole time and tried to be as comforting and supportive as possible.  My mom, Beautiful Bobbie, Aunt Terri, Grandma and Loressa all stayed for the whole thing from start to finish. They were really great, and it was so nice to have them all here!  I know it was a long day but it was filled with excitement.

From 12-4 I went from 2 1/2 cm to 4 cm.  From 4 to 5 I went from 4 cm to 7 cm, and from 5 to 5:35 I went from 7 cm to 10 cm.  I pushed once and the nurse saw his head, at which point she called the doctor in and the NICU team.  Once everyone was set up I pushed one more time and his head was out.  The rest of his body came out shortly after and he was screaming at the top of his lungs.  He did not sound happy, it's cold out here on the outside world!

Currently he is not getting enough oxygen.  They are giving him oxygen to assist in his breathing.  In order for him to go home, he will need to be able to tolerate feedings (I am pumping breast milk), keep his temperature up, and breathe well on his own.  I am guessing he will be here about a week, but it could be sooner and the nurses say it could be longer. Everyday he will hit another milestone.  They are going to keep a close eye on him to look for signs of jaundice which is very common in premature babies.

At this time, we don't really want any visitors for a few reasons.  One, we are not even able to hold Devlin.  Due to him being on oxygen and his age they don't want to disturb him for the next few days as he is trying to get stronger.  The other reason we don't want visitors is the NICU is very cramped and we are under a lot of stress with him being in there.  When we receive a release date from the Neonatologist we will announce it and welcome anyone to the house who would like to see him.  I am exhausted after this whole ordeal, so I would like some time to recover and transition back to our day to day routine.  I am going home tomorrow, but I will be juggling my time from the house and the NICU until he is released.  If I don't answer my phone when you call, please understand our circumstances and don't take it personally I want to talk but I need some time.  

If you have any questions you can always email me or call my mother.  I am trying to keep the blog as detailed as possible, and I look forward to seeing a lot of you at my shower in a couple of weeks.  By then, I should feel a lot better and Devlin should be home.  Thanks for all of your prayers and support.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate it!  Loressa created a birth album online so if you have not seen it or didn't get the invitation just send me an email and I will forward the invitation for all to see.  I am also taking more photos today so I will add more to the blog later.

Tomorrow Is The Big Day

I woke up with a migraine this morning, so the lights have been out, drapes have been closed and I have been resting all day.  Tomorrow is the big day we meet our little guy.  I'm getting excited but feeling badly, and not getting much sleep.  I will have photo's tomorrow to update the blog so everyone can see what he looks like :)

Nerves

It is getting harder to rest and I am getting increasingly nervous.  I hope he is ready to come out! He doesn't have much of a choice, but hopefully he will cooperate and come quickly.  I hope the contractions I have had up until now have softened my cervix and I am already dilated at least a little bit.  I just don't want a long dragged out labor again.  I was in labor for 72 hours with Derek. It was way too long!

Tomorrow I will catch up on all the shows from this week, watch a few movies and try and get a good nights rest before Friday.  I rented 40 Year Old Virgin, and a few other movies to keep me entertained and my mind busy.  I figure tomorrow will be the longest day I have had here.  

 

3 Days

I can't hardly believe that I am down to the last few days.  It has felt like an eternity in here.  I am still trying to picture myself holding this baby, and feeling him in my arms for the first time.  It's all so surreal.  I am really getting more uncomfortable by the day.  The back and stomach cramps are getting old, as are the contractions I have had.

My chances of taking him home are extremely slim!  He is probably going to be here for a short period of time.  Up to about two weeks as long as there isn't anything seriously wrong with him, and as of now everything looks great.  I am praying for a quick, safe delivery; I've also been praying for a healthy baby.  I really really hope all goes well!  I just need to prepare myself to go home without him though.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best!  

Erik and his girlfriend Lisa are on there way out to see me this evening.  I am excited to see them!  It's been 3 weeks since I have seen Erik, which is a long time for me to go without seeing my brother.  I am surprised they are coming out today because I know they were planning on coming out after the baby is born.  Twice in a week is pretty good for Erik, he hates this drive.

I will say that I have been very fortunate to have friends and family see me everyday.  It helps the time go by quicker that's for sure.  I get more and more tired as the days go on and I am not moving around too much.  I'm not sleeping well through the night and so I have been making up for the sleep deprivation during the day.  I think it's my body's way of preparing itself to be up all hours of the day and night.  

Apparently the labor and delivery floor is full tonight and they are understaffed.  The good news is that I usually don't ask for much at night, so it makes no difference to me.  I have put in a request for the labor nurse that I want to have for Friday.  She has become familiar with my family, and I know she will have no problem telling anyone to leave if they talk too much.  I really want to be left alone during labor.  I need to be able to focus and breathe through my contractions without any distractions.  That would be difficult with the loud mouths in my family.  Terri is so nervous you would think she was going to be the one giving birth.  She is the one person I trust to shut up, well her and Loressa.  My mother will not be able to help herself, Marty for sure will break the rules and my grandma will try and pat my arm at the absolute wrong time.  Beautiful Bobbie will try and make me laugh guaranteed, and yes all these people will be in the room while I am in labor.  If they don't bother me, they can stay for the delivery as long as their heads aren't in my crotch checking things out.  That spot is reserved for my doctor and the nurse.  

We are going to video the delivery, but not the nasty view.  Mainly just when he comes out and they clean him all up.  Hopefully I will get to see him for a few minutes before they whisk him away but I am not trying to get my hopes up.  The benefit of having a vaginal delivery is that I will get to head over to the NICU after everything is said and done and see him.  I will also get a report on what's going on with him health wise.

Well, I need a break from the computer.  My eyes are getting tired and my head is starting to ache.  I need to relax before my visitors arrive.  They are coming kind of late for me.  Normally I am on my way to la la land.

Counting Down

The countdown is becoming more surreal at this point.  In just five days it will be time to deliver this baby, and for my head to spin!  Marty has been reading up on child birth education, what the husband can do to be supportive.  We weren't able to take a class unfortunately.  The want you to wait until around 3 weeks before your delivery date to take the classes.  We had just got the pamphlet at my last doctors appointment on the 31st of December to sign up for classes in February, and the very next day I ended up in here on bed rest.  They had a daddy boot camp class but Marty is not into "bonding" with other men he doesn't know.  He says he would rather learn how to change diapers from Derek.  Derek has decided he is ready to show Marty what to do with the baby for a fee, $20 per day.  Erik would be so proud.  He is such an entrepreneur.  

Still working on getting through the Bones TV series.  I am on the 3rd season, and I should finish it by today.  I am trying to spread my shows out over the course of the week so that I am entertained all hours of the day.  This series has kept me busy for quite some time now.  I am going to give Marty a list of videos I want from Blockbuster I think.  In case I can't spread this out.  I technically only need to stay busy today thru Thursday because Friday is delivery day. That isn't too many days, so I am sure I can find something to occupy my time.  I started a new show called Lie to Me and it is really good.  Once I get out of here I am going to be hooked to so many shows and there won't be time to watch them all.  Not with a new baby at home anyway. Even with Tivo!  

I am really happy that Derek is still in school and this isn't a summer baby.  This will allow me time to really bond with the little guy and he won't be jealous.  Once he gets out of school I can put the baby in the swing and help him with homework.  I have been trying to put together a schedule of how I think things should run in the house.  In the beginning it won't be too tough since babies like to sleep, but I will just have to take it one day at a time.  I know I am going to be exhausted, especially with the pumping schedule.  I want to go back to Weight Watchers, and back to an exercise routine.  I will join my aunt for meetings on Saturdays.  I am probably going to need a few weeks to adjust before I start.  We shall see, hopefully the weight pours off of me. Since I will be nursing it will help!

I didn't get much sleep again last night so I am going to rest for now.  I am just getting increasingly nervous and anxious.  It's hard to rest when you are thinking about getting out of here.  I am so excited to get home I don't know what to do with myself!  I can't wait to shower in my own shower, sleep in my own bed, pet my dogs and eat home cooked food.  I am tired of the food in the basement, as well as the food from the restaurants around here.  So good night for now, I will update if there are any changes later today otherwise I will be back on here tomorrow.