Jacob's Birth Story

Sorry it has taken me so long to actually post!! It has been quite a hectic first week!! I will fill you all in about it soon I hope! But for now, here is the story of Jacob Matthew's birth :)

We made it to my induction date and I was very relieved when we got to the hospital and they had a bed available. Dr D. had told us worst case scenario would be that L&D would be too busy and we'd have to come back at a later time, I knew that was rare, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up to high!  So once I had changed into a gown and got hooked up to the monitors it really hit me that we were finally going to have our baby! 
Dr. D. was preforming a c-section so we saw a midwife after being hooked up to the monitors  (doing absolutely nothing) for about an hour. She checked my cervix and I was 2 cm and still had not effaced anymore since my last appt so they told me they couldn't start the pitocin right away. Instead she put some medicine on my cervix to help it dilate and efface more and it had the potential for putting me into labor. I had to lay flat in bed for two hours and then I was told to get up walk around and get the baby in a better position.
At 1230 I was supposed to be checked again but Dr. D. was back in surgery and the midwife was delivering the baby next door...at this point minor contractions had started but I was also getting anxious and I was upset no one was available to check me. I just wanted real labor to begin and sitting around and waiting for 1/2 the day when I thought the baby would be born by dinner time was annoying. So at 130 the midwife finally checked me to see if the medicine had worked...I was 70% effaced and 2-3 cm, she told me I could take another dose of the medicine on my cervix or start the pitocin. I chose the pitocin.
They started me on a very small dose but since the first dose of medicine started minor contractions the pitocin started giving me some good contractions right away. They had me walk around L&D for the next 5 hours!! Checking me every two and each check I was making some progress. By 630pm I was 5-6 cm and 90% effaced so they broke my water...that's when labor really kicked into high gear! They told me to let them know about an hour before I wanted my epidural because it could take a while for the anesthesiologist to get to me well I was begging for it before the nurse even left the room!! My contractions were super intense and about 1 minute apart! The pitocin was definitely doing it's job!! By 730 the anesthesiologist made it too my room and the contractions were so bad he asked the nurse to turn off the pitocin so I would have more of break in between contractions and he could safely start my epidural. Once that was all taken care of I had instant relief and the nurse said I was still contracting well on my own so she didn't need to start the pitocin...glad she made that call without talking to my doctor!!! He came in at 830 to check me and he was PISSED to learn my pitocin had been turned off!! (That poor man had been in surgery literally all day! He wanted me to deliver the baby just as badly as I did!!!) There was absolutely no change in my cervix from before they broke my water, which was discouraging to me because I had been in so much pain and nothing progressed! So he told the nurse to turn the pitocin back on and get it back up as high as it was when I needed the epidural as quickly as possibly...She started it back at 2 and was supposed to raise it by 2 every 20 minutes....45 minutes later she came in to raise it 4. Once again when the doctor came into check me he was upset with my nurse. However I had made some better progress. By 1030 I had just a cm to go and the baby was coming down nicely. But my epidural was starting to not be as effective it felt like my bladder was spasming with every contraction (after Jake was born, the doctor told it was from him being so big) by 1130 I had a new nurse and just had a very little bit of my cervix left to go and I was starting to feel the need to push but they wanted me to "labor down" and let the contractions get the baby down as low as possible, by midnight I NEEDED to push, They got Dr. D and from there it only took 20 minutes for Jake to be born!! Yeah, that's right I pushed a 10 1/2 lb baby out in 20 minutes!!!  I screamed bloody murder. I was pretty embarrassed, but I really couldn't help it and it was all happening so fast! I think everyone forgave me once they weighed him!!

But even through all the pain it was such an emotional experience. Holding my baby for the first time was such a surreal moment. & I just bawled my eyes out. But I wasn't able to hold him for long. Actually Dr. D. didn't want him to be brought to my chest he wanted him over to the baby bed right away but the nurse gave him to me anyway and I kissed him and hugged him and thanked God over and over. They soon whisked him over to the baby bed to be evaluated. His color wasn't great and he had fluid on his lungs. Also the cord had been loosely wrapped around his neck twice!!  (I had told that boy to stop twisting and turning before he got wrapped up! He already doesn't listen to me!!) Lucky my cord was really long so Dr. D. had been able to slip it off very easily during delivery.
They had a team come down from the NICU to evaluate Jacob and they decided to take him to the NICU for precautionary measures. He didn't need oxygen but the nurse did have to use a suction tube (not just the bulb) to help clear his airway. Before he left I heard him cry so I knew everything was going to be OK.

After he was all cleaned up and getting ready to leave for the NICU

Once in the NICU he was also diagnosed with low blood sugar which most big babies have so they had to give him some formula to help regulate...At first I was still able to breastfeed him successfully even though he was still getting formula from a bottle...but now a week later we have given up and he is exclusively bottle fed. It really is for the best.
Jacob was released from the NICU later that day and was FINALLY able to meet his sister! (That's another post all in itself, everyone was crying happy tears including RaeAnn!!) & Just two days later we were both well enough to go home!
We are so happy to have him here with us, to be a family of 4 and finally feel complete!! We waited two years for our sweet little boy and we could not be more grateful!!!!