It all started last Friday when I wasn’t feeling very well. Besides an extra dose of exhaustion, I felt like I had menstrual cramps. These were not the same symptoms I felt the week before, so I decided to just take it easy. I did not want to call the doctor. Around noon, I had not improved so being the wise person that I am, I decided to finally read the check list of reasons to call that the hospital had given me the week before. Guess what? Menstrual-like cramps was on there. I called the doctor’s office and had to go through the whole explanation of how I don’t feel contractions. The nurse seemed a little miffed, but told me to come into the office at 2:30pm. I put Lexi down for her nap right away.
I woke Lexi up just in time to make a mad dash. She was still out of it, so I ended up carrying her through the parking lot and into the office. I wondered if I would be scolded, but my options were limited. They took me right in for an ultrasound. Judging by the size of the baby’s belly, they thought he would weigh less than 6 lbs. They also noticed that the amniotic fluid was low. My doctor told me that she wanted me to go right to the hospital and check in. Of course, I called Steve and asked him to come to my rescue. I wondered how much of an adventure this would be considering I had Lexi with me. Fortunately, it was a very short walk.
When we got to the maternity ward, I peeked into my friend’s room to see if she was still there. We had visited her and her new baby the night before. Apparently, she had just checked out. With no more distractions, Lexi and I headed back to Labor and Delivery (L&D). I filled out a few papers and they checked us into a room. I was being hooked up to monitors while Lexi was exploring the room and entertaining the nurses. My phone rang and to my surprise the caller ID showed that it was my friend’s mom. Somehow, she knew I was at the hospital. It turned out that my friend’s husband spotted me going in. She offered to pick up Lexi and help us out over the weekend. Steve arrived fairly quickly though.
My night in the hospital consisted of steroid shots for my premie’s lungs, trying to increase the amniotic fluid through IV, and being monitored. The whole thing seemed strange. Probably because the only other time I was in the hospital was when I gave birth to Lexi. Plus, it was the first time I slept away from her.
The next morning, I was given another steroid shot and a more extensive ultrasound. This time, the baby was estimated to be about 7 lbs and the amniotic fluid was much better. Things were fairly calm except that the contractions monitor revealed that instead of peaks and valleys, I was stuck at 5 (out of 12). I guess it was one LONG contraction that had lasted hours. When the doctor came to see us (about noon), she told me that she could release me, but that I would just be back that evening for delivery. I was already dilated to 4 or 5 cm. She gave me the option of inducing & I took it. I called my friend’s mom to ask if she would take care of Lexi. She dropped everything and came to pick her up. Steve rushed home to grab the camera. While he was gone, my water was broken, the Pitocin drip was started, and I was even given an epidural before feeling any pain.
Steve and I just chatted over the next few hours while my legs were tingling. A little after 3pm, the nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 7cm. She realized that she had not put a catheter in, so my full bladder was probably slowing down the progress. She drained it and at 4pm I was officially 10 cm. The doctor had me push through 4 contractions and out popped Jordan. His official birth time was 4:07 pm. I guess it is true, the second time is MUCH easier. In fact, I think all births should go like this. I only ended up with 3 stitches.
My premie was born weighing 6 lbs 9 oz and being 18.25” long. Not bad for being less than 36 weeks along.
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