On Sunday, January 9th, Austin Brandon was born at 4:46 pm, 7 lbs 5 oz, 20 in long. This is going to be a long post...
Due to the fact that he had been measuring big the doctor decided to induce me as soon as I hit 39 weeks. At the last ultrasound it said that he gotten smaller. This also worried the doctor. So, I was scheduled for induction at 7 am on the 9th. When we got to the hospital I was about 1 cm dilated. The nurse told me that it would probably take more than 24 hours to get me into active labor. They gave me a drug to focus on softening the cervix and put me on the monitors. After awhile, regular contractions started.
Around 10:20, all the sudden five nurses came swarming into the room. They told us that during a contraction his heartbeat would dip down to around 90 bpm. They shot me up with drugs to stop the contractions and had me lye down with the oxygen mask on. His heartbeat returned to normal and they said that they would wait until 4 hours after they gave me the original medicine to start labor to give me potocin. My doctor was called into the hospital and watched us closely for the rest of the day. To be honest, I just wanted them to take him out right then and there so that he could be safe but they have to exhaust all options before a c-section can be done.
Around noon I was put on pitocin. My nurse said that they were all taking bets on how long he would be able to stand it before his heart rate dropped again. The thing with pitocin is that they can stop it at anytime and it would stop working in just about 3 minutes. This way, if anything was to start stressing out Austin, they could stop it immediately. He lasted for a long time on it, and around 2 I was checked by the doctor. I was about 1.5 cm this time, and that was slightly depressing.
There were a few times that his heart rate dropped down, but it wasn't consistent so they didn't stop the drugs. My nurse told me that we would probably be doing a c-section and started to get me ready. Then, the doctor was able to break my water around 4. There was a slight meconium color to the liquid indicating that Austin was under stress. Around 4:30 his heart rate was jumping from 90 to 160 and back to 90. My wonderful nurse rushed in, had me drink this nasty stuff that would make it so if I threw up on the table, my stomach acids would not eat away at my insides! Next thing I know, the doctor and the anesthesiologist were in my room explaining what I needed to do and what was going to happen. At this point I was worried about Austin and I didn't care what they had to do to get him out of me, but that they do it as soon as possible.
I was wheeled down the OR and given my spinal tap (weirdest thing ever!), and prepped. Brandon came in and the anesthesiologist told him that if he gets dizzy to sit down immediately. Then they started the c-section. As I was lying there I could feel this tug-a-war going on inside of me, but of course no pain. Brandon watched the entire procedure and thought it was the coolest thing ever! After maybe 5 minutes, I heard the doctor say "Oh, that is a grumpy face!" and then Austin cried just a little. Apparently, his umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around his shoulder, and would pinch off, stopping blood flow during a contraction, which is why his heart rate would drop. This also is the reason that he lost over a pound in a week and a half. When they cut the cord, it just started to shred into pieces! I am so happy that the doctor decided to do it the day he did, and to take him when he did!
Due to the meconium, they had a respiratory team on stand by in the OR and they quickly took Austin and made sure he was breathing okay, and to get out any meconium that he may have had in him. I just laid there on the table wishing that they would bring him over for me to see. As they were working on him, he was hardly crying. Brandon said that he just laid there quietly. After about 10 minutes, they brought him over and said that he had been having slightly labored breathing, and were going to monitor him downstairs. I got to see him just for a second, and then they took him away.
I was wheeled back into my labor and delivery room, and they wanted to make sure that I was doing okay for an hour before they would take me to Mother and Baby. I was taken downstairs around 6, but I didn't get to see Austin until about 7:30. He is the sweetest little boy! He is very calm and really only cries when he is hungry or needs to be changed. We have been spoiled the past few nights with him sleeping about 3 to 4.5 hours at a time.
The way that he got here was not the way that I had wanted or hoped for, but that doesn't matter to me. All that matters is that he is safe and healthy. I am doing great, I am up walking about and I hardly take the pain meds. I am not 100% better but more than 70% better.
