Monday was a normal day. I worked all day and took a walk (~ 1 mile) at lunch with Drew and the dogs. After work I went to the gym and did my usual workout feeling normal - no signs of labor, etc. We went to bed around 11 pm that night and at 11.30 pm I woke up because there was this warm feeling between my legs. No really...there was. So I thought 'Hmm, did Levi shift and place more weight on my bladder? This is embarrassing (thinking I wet the bed).' I got up to use the restroom and my body just started leaking non-stop at a slow, steady pace. I made a couple trips back and forth to the restroom before I woke Drew up. I asked him to Google 'water breaking' to review signs, etc. Once we agreed that my water probably broke, we called the doctor and they instructed us to head to the hospital.
We arrived to the hospital at 12.30 am and was placed in a room where they confirmed my water did indeed break and I was having contractions (little ones). Levi was doing great....and the doctor told us we'd probably be holding our boy by noon. Since it was early morning on Tuesday, we decided to hold off on calling our parents until 6:00 or 7:00 am so they could sleep.
Around 3:00 am-ish we were moved into the 'labor/delivery room' where we set-up camp. The doctor said I was around 2 cm dilated but since my water broke they wanted me to progress quickly to avoid infections. I was given pitocin to kick start my contactions and boy did that work. Contractions are no joke. They are painful and they gradually get worse and worse. Even with all the contractions - like every other minute for hours - I was dilating very slow. The nurses were also noticing that every time I had a contraction, Levi's heart rate would drop. The laboring continued and around 9:00 am I finally gave up and requested an epidural. Sweet relief. I no longer felt the intense cramping, just some pressure each time a contraction would happen. And for another 2-3 hours I continued to labor with Drew by my side.
Around noon, the doctor came in and said that Levi's heart rate was continuing to drop with each contraction and recently it had dropped to a point there was concern. At the beginning of labor, Levi's heart rate was around 140 - 155. As the contractions got worse, his heart rate would drop....to 125, 130, etc. The nurses said they like to see a heart rate around 115+ and as my contractions worsened, his heart rate dropped to 80 (at it's lowest). I was being closely monitored as you can imagine. The doctor came in to perform a check to see how I/Levi was progressing (roughly 5 cm - not as far along as they hoped at this point) and he noticed that Levi's head was not dropping as it should. And with his heart rate so low, they decided that I needed to head into surgery. The doctor explained the c-section procedures to me and I was strong with Drew there by my side the whole time...I lied...for about 10 minutes and then I crumbled. It all hit me at once that my baby boy was in danger and I was about to head into an operating room. It was overwhelming and I myself cried like a baby. Drew reassured me that everything would be okay and he would not leave my side...and we needed to do this for our son we were going to meet shortly. That's all I needed and off we headed to the OR.
Once in the OR, I cried again. I was so scared. The staff was amazing and comforting to me - one nurse telling me she'd had the same procedure with her 1st child (she probably tells everyone that but at the time, it helped). I decided to take deep yoga breaths and stay as strong as possible....but I was terrified for Levi and myself. All these thoughts rushed through my mind - I worked out, ate healthy, took care of myself - why was this happening? The procedure begin, Drew by my side, along with an excellent staff at REX Hospital and within 15 minutes or so I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. A crying Levi. They held him over the sheet for us to see him and it was magical. For a moment it felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. He was beautiful even covered in blood and whatever else. Drew was taken out of the room to be with Levi and the doctors completed their procedure. Drew walked back in at some point with Levi in his arms...it was a moment I'll NEVER forget. Drew was so handsome in scrubs and then to be holding our son in his arms (my heart felt like it was melting on the inside) and there was this sense of calm in his eyes...I just knew at that moment everything was going to be okay with Levi, with me, with us as parents. It was our little family, together from that moment on. Our own little Vetter family.
After spending a little time in the recovery room and with Drew and Levi alone, I was finally able to see my parents and Drew's parents and Joe who were waiting patiently. Seeing my own parents was special because for the first time in my life, I understood the child/parent love. Before my Mom left that night she whispered something in my ear that I'll never forget....let's just say it's about how much a Mother loves their child.
Thanks to all our family/friends for your support throughout our pregnancy and delivery. Thank you God for giving me the best thing life has to offer - unconditional LOVE!
I love you Drew and Levi more than I can ever explain. You both are my world.
1 comment:
Congratulations to all three of you! This brought tears to my eyes. So happy and excited for you! Enjoy this precious time with your sweet little Levi!!
Post a Comment