12 days of Kaedyn (day 10) .... The Birth & Day 1 :)

written: September 10, 2008  

It's 2:30 am......... I can't sleep - how sucky is that?

I was so beat about 3 hours ago I thought I could sleep all night. But alas... it tis'ent so. I'm starting to hurt more now, and I'm itching like crazy from the spinal - for which I've gotten two meds for, and I'm STILL itchy...

Anyway.... I suppose I should back up and start...

Yesterday morning, Dennis told me he was going to get up so that I could sleep in... which he TOTALLY did... however... I'm so use to getting up with Nathan at 5:30-6 am that I couldn't sleep. So I got up, told him to go back to bed. I had one last glass of juice I pretty much nursed all morning until 10. See, I can't eat or drink anything until late morning usually because of the morning sickness/nausea... so I don't normally bother anyway. 10am rolled around, and I was cut off. Monday night I sorta sugar highed myself... donuts, lemon bars :D .. lol... I did it for two reasons... 1: I figured I deserved it... upcoming hospital food and all... 2: I had been good.... with the Gestational Diabetes I hadn't really been bad.... well... other then with Subway cookies anyway. 3: I knew I would be crashing by the time we got to the hospital if I wasn't high in the morning working it off. But I did not even bother to check it in the morning...

So I started to get stuff done. Cleaning ... re-packing what we had unpacked, making sure we had everything AGAIN....... trying to fold some clothes, etc and so on....

Had some phone calls, had to make a couple... anyway - I'm having contractions all morning, but I'm not stopping long enough to pay attention to them or even time them. They aren't that bad, I mean, I could feel them, sometimes had to stop because of them, but you gotta realize, I've been having contractions for 2 months (or is it more?) ... and although the contractions had changed the last couple days... I have a high pain tolerance and they just weren't horribly bothersome so I was working through them trying not to give them any thought.

Spend some time with Nathan, who had been acting rather weird the last few days, as if he KNEW .. ya know. Course I did too... I told Dennis on Saturday, my body was preparing for labor and I didn't know when, but I was going to start it soon. He told me to start it NOW.. lol... And it's funny cuz on Friday when DR. B asked me what I wanted to do, I told him... "Well, the 9th sounds good .... " LOL... and so he called and set it up...

So we left the house, Dennis had to go back home cuz HE forgot something (I won't mention what) ...

We got to the hospital at 1... the amnio was suppose to be on at 1:30 and I figured, like last week on the 2nd, they'd want to get a tracing on Kaedyn to make sure all was well. Walking into the hospital, I had a NICE contraction, almost had to stop in the middle of the road we were walking across, to deal. But I managed to keep walking... so we register, AGAIN... we get taken up, I'm asked to change into a gown (top half naked) ... I left my pants on... oh hell yeah I'm not exposing that to the world yet...

So they hook me up to the monitors... and now that I'm laying still... oh my.... I'm realizing these contractions are like... 2 minutes apart... literally! So Dr. B comes in at 1:30 ... and he is all smiling and I said "Hey Dr. B!! I'm having some nice contractions for ya ever couple minutes" LOL... he laughed and said something about my trying to avoid the amnio and I said "absolutely!" ... so he comes over and looks at the strip, tells me they are every 2 minutes, and they are lasting a minute or longer... wow huh? I am in actual labor maybe!! I haven't done that for almost 13 years!! So he starts talking, thinking "well maybe we don't need the amnio" cuz they won't stop the labor and if I am in labor then he's coming out regardless... So he starts talking out loud ... he decides he's going to check me to see if there is any change in my cervix and decide what to do then.... so the pants get chucked after all... DARN! ... so he's rooting around and says something that shocked me to the core!!

"Well, you are 3 cm dialated and about 80% effaced....."

:::: shakes head in disbelief :::: errrrrrrrr what!?!?!?

I think I actually started to laugh ... "guess that decides that!" LOLOLOL...

He says "yep, you are in early labor so let's start to get this kid out."

And the preparation for the c-section was put into full swing.

So out went a mass text to everyone who asked me to... and a couple of phone calls... "We're having a baby, no amnio needed... I actually started LABOR!!" LOL...

So, they came in to start the IV... poked me, it didn't take... had someone else come in to poke me and she's trying to make convo, take my mind off it all... and she asks me "What are your boys names at home?" And I burst into tears. See, I hate needles.. HATE THEM.... scare the crap out of me. This is what causes me the most anxiety ... this is why I can't get excited about birth cuz it's a c-section which means one thing to me... Needles and Catheters.... cuz they suck as much as needles do. My last two c-sections, they put it in BEFORE you are numbed up down there... royally sucks... so when DR B told me that they were going to put the cath in after I got back into the OR, after the Spinal, I couldn't help but shout "Oh thank GOD!" ... he looked at me funny, and I told him at Marshfield they do it before, he just sorta shook his head and said "yeah that's unnecessary" ...

BTW - she never did get answered.

So after the IV got put in, I was able to calm down a bit, and slowly go back to my happy go lucky self, trying not to think about the last part of my major issues of the day, the spinal.

Dennis got into his scrubs and they came and got me, I actually had to walk down there ... lol...

So I get back there and immediately start to shake... and of course everything is suddenly going faster (not that it wasn't moving along before, but ya know... the worst part is coming, like... right now!) ... anyway - the anesthesiologist... started to mess with my back, and poke at my back with his finger... I was even jumping at that... and so he did the back wash, and then more pushing, then the numbing stuff... and hello water works. Luckily - it didn't take him 20 minutes like it did for the chick who did it with Nathan's c-section... he got it in a few pokes, but I got this horrid electric shock down my left leg and it about made me jump off the table. But alas, that came to an end with my feet getting tingly...

The crying stopped, and I was laid back, everything got started... the curtain went up... the prep down on my belly and nether regain began... the cath put in, totally didn't feel it - whew!... Dr. B asked me "So what is this little guy's name?" ... and I said "Kaedyn" and everyone ooh'd and ahh'd ... and then I said "Just don't let Dennis spell it" and everyone laughed, as I heard this "WHAT!?!" LOL... coming from the door ... apparently he had just walked in, Dennis that is. So I told him that he wasn't allowed to spell Kaedyn's name cuz he'd spell it wrong.. lol... and he said "yeah, D-E-N-N-I-S" ... (insert room full of laughter here) ...

Dennis stood up most the time watching the c-section... DR. B had told him he could (I had made a joke, cuz we've been making jokes the last few days about Dennis wanting to assist in the c-section.. lol...) ... so I had told Dr B - Dennis wanted to help... DR B said as long as he was comfortable, he could watch, it was fine with him.

So he did... hence him getting the really cool shot of Kaedyn's head out of my belly and that's it...

Anyway ... needless to say, it felt forever... but I heard him before I had any clue... this gurgling fluid filled attempt at a cry, and the tears started again. LOL... next thing I know he's crying, and then DR B says "Well his plumbing works!" (apparently he peed coming out!) and peeks over the curtain with him... and he was all fat and white from the vernix coating... and he's whisked away with Dennis in tow (which is what I told him to do) ... I could hear him screaming the whole time... and I made some comment about him being one mad baby... Dr. B said "yeah he has attitude" lol... and I said "donno where he got that from" and DR. B laughed... "no clue" he said...

It seemed like FOREVER for them to close me up. Towards the end of it, Dennis brought Kaedyn over and I wanted to cry again, OMG ... breath-taking! And when Dennis told me he had the head full of dark hair I keep saying he had, I about cried. Especially when he showed me... not only did I say he had the dark hair, but one of my best friends had a dream about him and said he did too. LOL...

He's just so little - and yes - compared to what Noah and Nathan were born at, he's huge... but OMG ... he's just so little!!!

After they finished up, I was taken into the little room they had taken Kaedyn into after he was born, Dr. W (the kids Ped) was in there... so we were chatting about him ... everything looked great and his lungs and heart were good... joked about how he will probably pass up Nathan in no time... then the vampires came in to steal Kaedyn's blood and apparently he doesn't like needles either cuz he wouldn't really give them any! A half hour later, and may pokes... he was back in my arms, calm and just where he wanted to be.

He was making a grunting, whining type sound every time he was breathing and I knew, it was because he still had some fluid in his lungs/tummy ... but they weren't concerned, so I tried not to be either. It was cute... lol...

After awhile I got taken to my room ... then Dennis and the boys showed up, chaos begins!!! Then much to my surprise and complete pleasure, Jess walked in shortly after them... lol...

Calahan was in love, Noah wanted to hold him right away (mind you he had a lot of trouble touching Nathan) ... Nathan looked at the baby like "yeah... so!?!?" ..lol... poor baby isn't going to know what hit him! LOL... I held Nathan some and the boys got their big brother bags (I took pics but haven't shared yet) ... and then about 7pm they left... Jess hung around for a little while longer while Dennis was gone, which was nice... she hogged Kaedyn which was just fine... lol.. then they left, and to my shock my friend Missy showed up shortly before 8... I really wasn't up for visitors anymore, I had been falling asleep when everyone else was here... I was just BEAT. So they stayed for almost an hour I think... before they finally left.. don't get me wrong, it's nice and appreciated that they came, just which at the hour they had come, she had asked me if it was okay cuz I would have asked her to wait until tomorrow.

I have tried to nurse Kaedyn 3 times, he isn't sucking (not even on a finger) and seems to have no interest in me ... course he has been struggling with the whole fluid thing too.. and he freaked Dennis and I out about 9:30 or so when he spit up (mind you he hasn't eaten) ... so I called the nurse in and she said it was fluid which was okay... they expected him to have a little still... he's just working it out. So finally about 10 or so I asked her for a bottle cuz he just wasn't nursing at all. So when he started fussing (poor little guy had tons of gas that kept waking him up, but no poop yet) ... I pulled him out of the bassinet (which I had Dennis put in my reach) and when I put that bottle in his mouth, he looked totally insulted!! But then... interested... hum... still, no sucking. I'm trying to get him to eat and I'm in and out of sleep too ... lol... bad me... but I would fall for a few seconds and then pop an eye open. I tried for a half hour before the night nurse came in, and I started telling her. I'm worried, cuz he's not eating. I thought sucking was a newborn reflex, ya know? So I asked her to take him down to the nursery tonight - very sadly might I add - cuz Dennis is passed out and I need some sleep too... (which apparently I'm not getting anyway) ... and I asked her to try to work on his eating and if he started sucking decent, to bring him back so I can try to nurse him.

That is pretty much it up to this point :D We've already got our invites for the Sibling Party the hospital throws for all new siblings, and the "romantic dinner" for Dennis and I which we are going to have tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to getting up and walking around tomorrow, getting in my own PJs after they get the IV and cath out. Plus I have those stupid inflatable leg things .... so they are constantly going off... one leg.... pause.... the other leg.... pause... one leg... pause... the other leg .. pause... you get the drift.

So I'm starting to get tired again (thanks to the meds she just came in and gave me) ... she says Kaedyn is sleeping and that he chewed on the bottle a little bit, but she's going to try to feed him again here shortly...

Wednesday - September 10 - Kaedyn's first full day...

Kaedyn had spent most the day on the 9th grunting and blowing bubbles which I knew meant he still had fluid in his lungs. The DRs didn't seem worried about it, so I tried not to. But at some point before midnight - he had thrown up - mind you he hadn't eaten a thing yet... so it was all clear and all the fluid he had, I guess. So finally the bubbles and grunting stopped. He still didn't eat all night, he took maybe an ounce out of a bottle, but he really wasn't even sucking. It was starting to really worry me. I slept for maybe an hour - woke up at 2:30 am ... started typing up the birth story entry (the one before this) ... I was up until 4 until I finally fell back to sleep. The nurse had been in while I was awake, and I debated greatly over having her bring Kaedyn back in the room. I had asked her to take him before one so I could try to get some sleep.. every sound he made was waking me up, I was anxious cuz I wanted him to eat, and it wasn't happening. So I asked her to work on it with him cuz he wasn't doing any ... and at that point was thinking maybe I wouldn't be able to nurse him either. But I didn't care, I just wanted him to start eating.

So at 6am the vampires came in to get my blood. So I was awake again. I could hear Dr. B down the hall talking with the nurses. I knew he'd be in the room soon. Sure enough... about 6:30 he came in. He asked me all sorts of questions, checked me over.. everything looked good... before leaving, he asked me if there was anything he could get me ... I said "my baby" ... lol... I was anxious to get my hands back on him. The nurse brought him back in and told me at some point he had eaten about an ounce (or was it a half ounce) during

the night. Otherwise he just slept. She took the leg things off me (whew - hate those things, hate blood clots too, but... still) ... and my IV had been taken out I was equally as anxious to get up and get moving. So after a little while I was sitting on the edge of the bed... I was about ready to start doing stuff myself... then about a half hour later, they came in to pull out the cath and help me get up. So after the cath was pulled and she started to hand me another gown to change into, I said "ah, no thanks, I'll put on my own clothes" ... she looked at me, as if she was hurt, and said "you don't like our gowns?" I scrunched up my face, and said "eh, no" lol.. lol... but OMG I felt so much more human after I got my own clothes on. I got to clean up a little bit, and brush my fangs... I was up and down all day ... over doing it I'm sure, but so happy. Dr. W (the Ped) came to check on Kaedyn ... I talked to him about the lack of sucking he was doing and how he still hadn't eaten really since he had been born, other then the little bit of bottle he took, and after his exam he stuck his finger in his mouth and said - he was sucking great now! A little after 8 Lisa & Josh came to see Kaedyn. After they left, I attempted to breast feed again. And finally... SUCESS!!

Then after Nathan's nap - him and Nanny came to visit for awhile. So we had fun watching Nathan getting to know his baby brother a little more. He was very interested in the baby... not exactly sure what to do ... and definitely not gentle but he doesn't know better. LOL... but it was awful cute watching Nathan trying to figure it all out. Nathan's favorite past time while at the hospital though, was crawling in and out of the closet and this little cubby on Kaedyn's bed.. lol..

We just sort of hung out after Mom took Nathan home for lunch and his afternoon nap, and worked on nursing, and just getting to know Kaedyn. Dennis had gone down to the gift shop and gotten me some flowers, and Kaedyn some balloons.

We set up our romantic dinner for 6:15 that night, and the "Siblings Party" after school at about 4:15 ...
Basically the Siblings Party was set up to help the older siblings feel special - it's something the hospital does. Very cool... It wasn't a big thing, they just brought in a cake and drink of choice (I decided Chocolate milk) ... anyway - basically - we had all the kids put on their siblings shirts - I didn't manage to get a picture of Cal alone with the shirt on though... we took several pictures of the boys all together, the one I am posting is the one that turned out best I think. The boys had fun, Noah didn't get to go to his scouts meeting because Nanny grounded him from it for having a bad attitude (talking back a lot after school) ...

After the party was all done, Kaedyn got changed and settled... he actually let Mommy & Daddy have a nice dinner to themselves...

The dinner was VERY nice... the food was decent and I have to say the company was excellent! I tried not to get mushy and weepy during dinner. I really do love Dennis so very much. He amazes me all the time, sometimes not in good ways, but most the time - those times don't matter for long... because he is amazing, and he's all mine.

Over all that night went well... Kaedyn was finally nursing, and appeared to me making up for lost time. The only bad thing about the night was the stupid student nurse assigned to my room. SERIOUSLY - stupid. Okay maybe not but - UGH! It was frustrating. She would come in, ask questions, write stuff on her little mini pocket notebook... go away, come back 10 minutes later, ask more stuff... there was a point before the dinner where she came in with her instructor to check my belly and push on it, blah blah... so they came in, and the lesson began ... no problem with all this because ya know, we need to encourage our nurses. This one just got on my nerves. She just really didn't seem to have a clue on what she was doing, she seemed to just be going down a list, and didn't seem to care. She just seemed to be going through the motions. Now I donno if it was her first night by herself, or what... but it really was frustration and I didn't get a good vibe off her at all. So anyway - back to the story... so they did their thing with my belly, and the instructor said "they are having their celebration meal tonight and we do not bother them during that." ... so the dinner comes and Dennis and I sit down for it, we're about 10 minutes into eating and enjoying each other and conversation... and ::: knock knock knock ::: "come in" ... she comes in with her little notebook... "I have to write down what you ate" ... mind you I wasn't even done eating! She stops... looks... "oh" ... then "are you done eating?" ... "no" I said... "okay I'll come back" and she was gone.

What a lovely memory. Later, when my nurse came in after I called her for my pain pils, and she was with... they asked if we were done... told her yes, she tells the girl "well just roll this out in the hall then and... " and the girl goes "which side was yours?" ... "this side?" I said yes... she goes to start inspecting and my nurse goes "we don't keep track of what she's eating anymore, we only do that about the first 24 hours" ...

And that just made it even lovelier - cuz the interruption was pointless....

Then this is pretty much when the "Marathon Nursing" started... Kaedyn decided he needed to make up for lost time. He would nurse on one side, sleep for 5-15 minutes, eat on the other side... sleep ... eat on the other side... sleep... etc for as long as he could... then he'd pass out for an hour or two, and then start it all over again. Needless to say, I was up with him until 2am doing this... but I didn't mind...

Kaedyn decided he wanted a paci for awhile... er... maybe I was trying to get a break. But he liked it!

September 11th ...  Kaedyn Phillip Russel came home...