AJB Birth Story, finally!

Wow!  He's 3 weeks and 1 day today!  He's beautiful and wonderful and I can't seem to be able to see him enough!  In fact, I haven't seen him for 9 days!!  Nobody's fault really...just circumstances.  (J & A had a house fire!  Will blog about that next.  And I was sick =(

So...let's see what I can remember......

S and her girlfriend, R, went to Tahoe Joe's for lunch on the 7th because the cheesecake there is supposed to induce labor.  So off they went and had a fabulous lunch.  Later...at R's in-laws place of business....(R's MIL is one of my closest friends.) her water broke!  I hear it was pretty funny!  So they called G at work and he came and picked her up and off they went to the hospital.  They determined that her water did indeed break and got her on monitors.  For purposes of paperwork they decided that her labor actually started at 4:30 p.m.  I arrived at the hospital at 5:30 p.m. where I was to stay for the next 26 hours. 

Her labor started quite slowly....(comparing to mine when I went into labor after my water broke with J.  Immediate hard, knee buckling pain!)  She barely felt the contractions....had to look at the monitor sometimes just to see she was having them!  She was already a 2 from the week before....and after a few hours she was a 4.  Then they started pitocin and the pain increased dramatically.  I am fuzzy about some of the times now...but I think around midnight she got her epidural.  She LOVED it.  She never wanted one but the pain was so excruciating that she finally gave in.  She said that during the contractions it felt like she was getting the best massage!  She was able to doze a little, too. Somewhere around 4:00 a.m. she got checked and was at a 9.5.  The turned her epidural off and had her start "practice" pushing.  The whole lot of us were sent out to the waiting room to await A's arrival.  I dozed off and on for the next 2 1/2 hours sitting straight up in a very uncomfortable chair. 

I must have slept hard for a moment....because I woke up in a panic.  Realizing she'd been pushing for 2 1/2 hours and we'd heard NOTHING about what was going on....I went and stood by the door of their room.  I could hear S screaming and crying and saying she "couldn't do it anymore!"  I opened the door a crack and waiting until I caught G's eye....I asked him if he needed me to come in and he said no.  So I closed the door and prayed.  Then some cleaning lady came by and said that I couldn't stand by the door and I needed to go back to the waiting room.  I said I would when I was done praying...she agreed and I left about 1 minute later.  I really was trying to keep my heart and mind centered on God and realize that He was in control....I kept praying that God would intervene in that room and allow A to be born naturally.  I was fighting back panic and fear....unsuccessfully.  I would wander back down the hall and stop and listen at the door...pray...wander down to the waiting room.  I was by myself.  I wasn't talking to anybody and wasn't bother the nurses at all.  I kept my head down and didn't linger any one place very long.  So on one of my trips down the hall...here comes a Security Guard!  He informed me that if I didn't go and stay in the waiting room he was gonna CALL THE POLICE!!!!!!  SERIOUSLY!!!!  I have had 4 other grandchildren born in that hospital!  ALL 4 times I have stood outside the door!!!! NEVER have I been so insulted in my life.  And the security guard....he was a little pimply faced adolescent wearing a uniform too big for him and with some kind of power complex!  I was in tears, still scared and really fighting down a panic attack.  At the time I didn't realize I was having a panic attack....but looking back I now realize it was.  S's mom tried to calm me.  I couldn't understand why they all weren't falling apart.  I just knew something was going wrong and I couldn't stop crying.  About 30 minutes after the SG incident a nurse came into the waiting room looking for "the grandmother who is really upset!"  She wanted to let me know that the other nurses had asked her to go into the room and ask G to come out and talk to me!  REALLY?  I never asked for that!  He was 100% supposed to be exactly where he was supposed to be and all I wanted was to be close and pray.  I told her about the cleaning lady and the SG and what he'd threatened me with.  She was furious.  She told me that the Nurse Manager for the whole unit would be in in an couple of hours and that I should report the incident immediately....she had never heard of anything like it!  She also told us that S had been "refusing" to push for most of the time and that now she was finally getting serious."  She told us that A would be here soon.  I called Gary and he came to the hospital.  I met him downstairs and we went and sat in his truck and I ate a banana and took my medication.  After about 10 minutes I went back upstairs and heard that he'd been born.  Nobody knew anything yet other that he'd made his appearance.  Withing about 30 seconds I received the CUTEST picture on my phone....and got to share the news with the whole gang!  I was such a proud Nana!

Now for the rest of the story......

The nurse who had suggested that S start to "practice" pushing I guess never really was much help in teaching S HOW to push.  She apparently mostly just stood around.  Obviously it just wasn't a match for their personalities.  S never got from her exactly what she was supposed to be doing...and was exhausting herself trying to do everything right.  S said that G was AMAZING!  He never left her side (I can attest to that!) and was 100% supportive and encouraging.  At shift change around 7:30 a.m. the night nurse left and in came the day nurse.  TOTALLY different personality!  S HATED her because she was a "drill sargeant!"  Basically that is when S began to push with purpose...(when I told her later what the other nurse had said that she was "refusing" to push.....well I can't print what she thought about that!!!)  She finally had someone telling her exactly what to do, when to do it, how to do it and that she COULD do it.  The Dr had been in the room for at least the last hour and ended up having to do a level 4 episiotomy.  That is being cut from vagina to anus!!!!!!!!  (Sorry for being so graphic....but it is MAJOR!)  AJB was born 3/8/11, 8 lbs 8 oz, 8:07 a.m.  (S says she sorry but she couldn't wait on more minute for him to be born at 8:08!  Can't say I blame her!)  His head was funny looking....not a conehead....more like an oblong...and he had a ton of hair in the back of his head but just peach fuzz on the top.  We tease that he had "Papa's hair!"  And of course, he was (and is) absolutely perfect and beautiful!)  (Oh...and by the way...the nurse that S hated so much during childbirth....was the most amazing comforting and attentive nurse for the rest of the day.  S learned so much from her and really grew to love her!)

G was obviously in love with his son from the moment he laid eyes on him.  He is such a great dad!  And he really stepped up in caring for S after the birth.  S was in so much pain from the birth and she could barely move.  She was bleeding heavily and after the 1st time getting up to use the restroom the nurse had to pull that emergency cord in the bathroom.  (I always wondered what would happen if you pulled that cord....apparently every nurse and aide on the floor comes running!)  They caught her from falling and and got her back into bed in a moment of controlled chaos.  So they didnt let her get up without a nurse until the next day.  When they finally did...G took control.  He filled her waterbottle, prepared her pad, changed her pads...I mean he did everything!  He also took over with Austin....changing him, burping him and dressing him.  He could swaddle him better that any of us!  I say all of this because I saw a new side to my son.  One I hoped would be there...but wasn't sure if it would.  He was tender, and caring and present.  I was sure that I would be spending the first night with them because I didn't think G wanted to do it by himself.  But...he was very confident and they had each other and I got to go home and sleep in my own bed!  Yay!

Wednesday...they said they could go home IF A would poop!  We waited and waited and waited.  Well...we cuddled, took pictures, fed, S pumped, laughed and oooed and awed over him.  Still....no poop.  Gas...but no poop!  Finally, about 4:30 he did it!  Not much!  But enough to make the nurses happy.  So A was able to go home.  We took Tahoe Joe's over for dinner (seemed appropriate!) and got them settled and headed home ourselves.  S found nursing extremely difficult because A would not stay latched.  I got her a breast pump and she has found that pumping and the bottle seems to make the most sense for them.  They have been doing an amazing job ever since.  I am so blessed to have S be the mother of my grandbaby!  And so proud of G.  And so in love with A!!!!