*May not be suitable for all readers, my post is about my pregnancy and delivery of the baby*
Alex slept pretty good last night. He did cough during the night but I didn’t give him any cough medicine as he stopped after a few minutes.
At seven o’clock, Alex was coughing, he woke me up. I got up to go to the bathroom. I felt fine before I went to the bathroom but when I finished I didn’t feel right. I had some show when I went to the bathroom. I had some pain in the pelvic area but it was far apart in time.
I decided to have a shower first to see if I still felt the same. By the time I had a shower, got dressed and dried my hair I felt like this was it. Time to have the baby.
I told Charlie we should get ready for the hospital. I never saw him get up so fast before. He quickly got dressed and told me to phone the doctor, Mom and Dad.
I talked to Dad, told him we were getting ready to go to the hospital and would bring Alex down. Dad said okay.
DR. C phoned, I told her I felt like it was time and told her my symptoms. She asked me how far apart my contractions were. I said I hadn’t timed them yet, I had just gotten up. I thought maybe three minutes a part. She said she would meet us at the hospital.
Mom phoned to tell Charlie she would come and get Alex.
Charlie was running around the house collecting everything. I went down to the car. Charlie went outside with Alex. Mom came shortly after I had gotten in the car. While Charlie got Alex into the car, Mom came over to the car. She said how are you doing? I told her okay. She said how far apart are your contractions. I said a few minutes apart. Mom said well you had better get going.
When we left Mom, Charlie roared down the street. I told him to slow down we weren’t in that much of a hurry. Charlie said I thought you said we had to get to the hospital. I said yes we have to get to the hospital but I want to get there is one piece. Charlie slowed down and I asked him for his watch so I could time my contractions. I thought they were quite close together but they were about eight minutes apart.
We got to the hospital after eight o’clock. We went to admitting and I told the woman I was having contractions. She told me to sit at the second booth. Charlie was getting annoyed with her. He said she was taking too long. I did sit at the booth for quite awhile before she came to take the information. Once she had taken the information she said I’ll take you upstairs. Then when she went to take me upstairs she stopped to answer the phone. Charlie said I don’t believe it. You could have the baby right here!
I was taken upstairs in a wheel chair and I continued to do my breathing. It really helps to do the breathing with each contraction.
Once we were upstairs a nurse came to take us to our labour room. We went into labour room six. The nurse asked me to take everything off and get into a gown. I had to ask Charlie to help me as it’s impossible for me to bend over at this point. The baby’s head is so low. I have to keep on going to the bathroom. I’ve had two bowel movements already and it’s only eight thirty. My body must be getting ready for the baby to come.
Dr. C arrived at the hospital before us. She’s really determined to delivery this baby which is nice, since Dr. W wasn’t there for the delivery of Alex. She said she would come back after the nurse had prepared me.
The nurse put me onto the non stress test. It showed that my contractions were between eight and ten minutes apart. The nurse took my blood pressure which was 130/80. Then she took my temperature and my pulse. She asked me questions about my pregnancy. I told her I became diabetic and I’m on a salt free diet because of my blood pressure and my feet had swollen. She asked me if I had come in contact with German measles or some other illness. I told her no.
Dr. C came in to examine me. The nurse had already checked to see how far along I was in the dilation of the cervix. She told the doctor the cervix wasn’t dilated yet but it was very thin. Dr. C said for me to walk up and down the hall. She said the force of gravity would help speed things up.
Charlie and I walked up and down the hall. The other patients looked at me rather strangely but there was nothing I could do.
DR. C said when the baby was born he/she would have to go to the special care nursery. It’s the hospitals’ policy when the baby comes from a diabetic mother. Dr. C said she didn’t like it but that was their policy.
I saw a obstetrician and he asked me questions about my pregnancy. Then he said do you think you’ll have this before noon. I said yes I think so!
Dr. C was in and out of the room throughout the whole time. We met her husband who was up to give her some medical notes and a dictation machine.
She said he thinks he’s deprived but he isn’t. it seemed to us that he might be a doctor as well.
I kept on walking up and down the hall. The nurse said I should have a shower. First of all they had been trying to get me to have an enema but I didn’t want one. By noon I had three or four bowel movements so I didn’t see any point.
So I had a really hot shower. The contractions started to come at three minutes apart. After I got out of the shower, Dr. C checked me and she said I was about three or four centimetres dilated. It sure is painful when they check to see how far dilated you are.
Dr. C said you really amaze me. She asked Charlie if he could tell when I was having a contraction. He said no he didn’t know. I said I tell him to check the time every time I have a contraction. Then she asked if I was having a contraction. I said I just finished one. She said you really amaze me. I said why should I be yelling and screaming. Dr. C said if only all women could go through labour like you. I didn’t feel screaming would help me at all.
By two o’clock my contraction were at two minutes apart. At this time it was very hard to keep in control. The pain from the contraction was so intense it was almost doubling me over. I had by this time five bowel movements. I told Charlie to tell the nurse how far apart my contractions were. He actually wanted me to tell her but I said no. I was in extreme pain so there wasn’t any reason why he couldn’t do it.
Charlie had gotten a Charlie horse at the time we arrived at the hospital. The whole time we were there he had it!
Dr. C checked me again in between contractions. She said she could stretch the cervix to ten centimetres it was so thin. She said it’s really amazing. I asked her how many centimetres I was. She said I was nine centimetres and not to push just yet.
They wheeled me down to the case room while the doctors and Charlie got dressed.
It seemed to me like it was taking them forever to set everything up. I was having a heck of a time breathing and the urge to push was so strong that I couldn’t hang on any longer. I told them I couldn’t hang on any longer. They said it’s okay Nancy your almost there. I thought who cares I’m pushing anyways. After I had pushed with the contraction, Dr. C said with the next contraction you can push.
It was funny during the delivery of this baby I held onto Charlie’s hand very tightly. It was like I had to get strength from him I couldn’t do it by myself.
With the next contraction I pushed and then our Samantha was born. Dr. C said you have a daughter. She was really purple when she was born and had white stuff on her head.
The nurse took her and cleaned her up first before giving her to me. Dr. C said well you got what you wanted. I said I knew it was going to be a girl.
Dr. C took her from me. She checked her and weighted her. I was really surprised, she only weighs 6 pounds one ounce. I never thought I would have such a small baby. Dr. Be thought the baby should be around seven pounds.
The obstetrician stitched me up. Dr. C explained that they had decided not to do a episiotomy. She said I had ripped but it wasn’t too bad. I had told her I had a episiotomy with the delivery of Alex and it had pulled for weeks afterwards. It seemed to take forever for the doctor to stitch me up. It must have been at least half an hour.
The nurse took Samantha to the special care nursery. Charlie said he would stay with me but Dr. C told him to go with them so he would know where to go. Charlie said oh okay then.
While Charlie was gone Dr. C explained what the doctor was doing. That first of all he stitches the first layer then he has to stitch the top layer.
Dr. C showed me the placenta. It looks like a big piece of liver. It’s really amazing when you think how it supplies the baby with food. The whole concept of conception and childbirth is totally amazing. We tend to forget once the baby grows into a young child.
Charlie came back to the case room. Dr. C asked us if we had a name for the baby. I said we hadn’t discussed names yet. Of course I had already decided upon Samantha if the baby was a girl, so I was pretty set in my way!
When Dr. C left for a short period I said to Charlie I wanted our daughter to be called Samantha. Charlie said okay but what about he Chinese name. I said I’ll leave that up to you. You decided upon Alex’s Chinese name.
By this time the obstetrician had left. We had thanked him and he congratulated us.
One of the nurses talked about the size of the babies. She said it’s better to have small babies. She thought people who have large babies like ten pound babies miss out. They really have three month old babies but they aren’t able to do the same things as a three month old baby. I said I wouldn’t want to deliver a baby that big. The nurses and doctors thought that was pretty funny. The nurse said I don’t blame you.
Dr. C said she was leaving and would see me tomorrow morning. We both thanked her for everything she had done and for staying all day. She said that was okay she was able to do her medical writing.
The nurse gave me a sponge bath. I didn’t have one when I delivered Alex. I was really impressed at how good my care was. I thought last time was good and now this delivery was even better.
The nurse took me to the recovery room. She said I might be there for an hour or so depending upon when a porter could take me upstairs.
I had a different nurse while I was in the recovery room. She took my blood pressure, pulse and my temperature. She said she had called a porter so it would be maybe an hour depending on how busy they were.
It was no time before a porter came actually there were two of them. We stopped at the special care nursery so we could see Samantha before I went upstairs to the ward.
When we got there she was crying. The nurse put her in my arms and she stopped right away. She’s such a sweet little thing and so tiny. The nurse took her back to her basinet and she started to cry again.
I was taken up to the ward and put into a semi private ward. A nurse came in to check my blood pressure, temperature and my pulse. Then she checked my stitches, pushed down on my stomach to check the blood flow. She said there were gushes of blood coming which wasn’t good. She said she would come back alter to check on me again.
Mom, Dad and Alex came up to see us. Alex brought me a vase of flowers and it had a bear that said I © MOM. Mom and Dad also brought me flowers and the baby a present. It’s a light that attaches to the crib, a really good idea.
Alex, Mom and Charlie went down to the special care nursery. Dad stayed with me while they went downstairs.
The nurse came back in, she pulled the curtain around the bed. She checked me again, I told her when I go up or down in the bed I feel a gush. She said I had a clot, she was going to page the doctor to start an I.V. she said maybe when you go to the bathroom it’ll pass out. I said I think I can go right now. She said you’re sure you’re up to it? I said yes I’m okay. The nurse helped me to the bathroom she told me to use the rinse after I had gone and to use the special paper not to use toilet paper. She said I’ll be right outside the door.
I got back into bed and the nurse checked me again. She said it looks like it’ll be okay.
Before the nurse had come to check me, Dad said so we’ve got number 9. I said I wonder if you’ll get a number 10. Dad said Jeff and Martina were still trying but Jeff has had trouble with his diabetes so maybe that’s why they haven’t succeeded. Dad said Victoria wants them to have a girl because they have two grandsons already. Dad said he would like to see them have a boy since Orion is the only one to carry on the name. I said I wonder what Jada and Orion would think.
Mom, Alex and Charlie came up. Charlie took Dad downstairs to see Samantha. Alex said she sure is tiny. It seemed he couldn’t believe how small she was.
When Dad came back upstairs they left. Alex had laid on the bed with me and gave me a hug. He said he missed me.
Finally I was able to get something to eat. I was so hungry the food really tasted good. The last time I ate was my snack last night. I was allowed juice every hour but I wasn’t allowed lunch. I didn’t have breakfast as my stomach was upset.
A nurse came around seven o’clock to give me pain killers. She stood there while I tried to down them. I just cannot swallow pills that well.
I asked her if I could go downstairs to see Samantha. She said yes but I must sign out. She said she would get a wheel chair for me.
Charlie took me downstairs, he said we have to wash and put a gown on.
The nurse said she had just finished feeding her. Samantha’s blood sugar was 2.3 when she was born. The last test showed it was around 3. The nurse said the formula helps to bring up Samantha’s blood sugar.
I held her for quite awhile, the nurse gave me a bottle to feed her but she didn’t want it.
After about half an hour I gave Samantha to Charlie. I found it really hard sitting there. It was better after birth pains which are almost as bad as contractions.
We came up around seven thirty. I phoned Alex and talked to him before he went to bed. He was really interested in what Samantha was doing.
I phoned Shirley but there wasn’t anyone home.
Charlie left around eight o’clock. I did crossword puzzle then I went to sleep.
No Tests
Medication
Cough syrup ------ 2:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Mercaptopurine ------ ------ 8:00 p.m.
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