Monday morning I had my normal OBGYN appointment at 11am. I measured only 1 and a half to two cm (cervix dilation) and it didn't look like much was changing or going to change anytime soon. We set up a non-stress test for this coming Tuesday and if I didn't deliver beforehand, I would be induced on the 23rd.
Then we went home and prepared for my sister Starla's visit. She had been trying to come down and bring us our crib for a while, but she kept having to cancel. My dad also happened to be home, which never happens, especially for important stuff. At 9:00 I went to the bathroom and noticed I lost my mucus plug.
So I came downstairs and told everyone but we went about our evening waiting for Starla. It was either right before or right after she arrived, around 10pm (an hour later) that I went to the bathroom again and noticed the start of my bloody show.
Now normally, I go to sleep at like 10:30, completely zonked out lol. I stayed up because Starla was visiting. Got hungry and had some taquitos around midnight. Had I known it would be my last meal in a very long time, I'd have had something a little more filling. 12:30 Steve and I decided to go up to bed. I of course went to pee beforehand, and all if what came out wasn't pee. There was a little green on my underwear and I took that to be meconium, especially when I stood up and the flow didn't stop lol. I got continual gushes just about up to delivery.
Because I suspected meconium I called the hospital and they did have me come in right away to be monitored. So there I was, 1:30am suddenly in the hospital lol. I walked around and labored for a few hours. Eventually I did get to 3cm but it wasn't picking up or changing for a bit so I was given Oxytocin to get the contractions coming more regularly.
First, I got my epidural catheter. Our concern was me not being able to get one because of my scoliosis. The plan was to get it in and add the medication to it when needed. In the end it took 4 or 5 tries but once I got it, OH MY GOD. That medicine.
Delivery was... surreal. My pushing was good, didn't last very long at all. Came close to needing a c-section because of Lizzy's reactions. Her heart rate was crazy so they wanted to get her out fast. I was given the option to try the vacuum and forceps as a last ditch effort sorta. The vaccuum we tried twice, and no luck. The forceps did the trick. I needed an episiotomy basically the whole way down and I also have some cuts up inside but meh. Overall I remember it in a sort of detached, do what you gotta do, sort of way, but my mom says it really wasn't as easy or smooth as I think it was. Guess I needed to stay calm.
Elizabeth Morrigan came out crying and breathing perfectly. Her APGAR scores were 9. :) She was born at 7:08pm on June 11th and weighed a matching 7lbs 8oz. 19 inches long.
After delivery my contractions got worse, and my epidural did NOTHING for the pain. I would deliver 4 times over before I'd have those contractions again. They're supposed to contract your uterus down to size but mine were wayyyy too bad. It was the only time I actually cried out in pain at all. I sounded really high pitched like I was dying. The doctor had to come and massage my uterus and that HURT and urge a bunch of blood and clots out. At first I freaked but he said that's what he was trying to do, and I relaxed because it was INSTANT relief. Literally felt completely better and asked for people to come in and to eat and all this stuff when minutes ago, I wasn't doing well at all.
My mom of course freaked and everything, wanting a second opinion, etc. My aunt delivered in the same room I did and bled out to the point where she had no blood in her body at all. The doctor had his arm elbow deep scooping out clot after clot and there's really no reason she should be alive today. It was too reminiscent for her.
She finally went home and just Steve, Lizzy and I stayed the night. When they went to move me to my room, I passed out. They had a hard time waking me up and I just thought I was sleeping? It was weird. I've never passed out before so it scared me. I ended up needing to stay some extra nights because my hemoglobin levels were so low. Supposed to be a 12-15, I went down to 7.5 then 6. I had 2 things of blood yesterday and my levels are at 8 now. I'd be released today if Lizzy didn't have to stay.
Suddenly Lizzy has jaundice. :( It's really common in newborns. Especially in ones that breastfeed because they can't flush as well, and it can also be caused be bruising, which of course happened due to the vacuum attempts. So she's under a special light until it goes down, hopefully tomorrow.
So I'm still here. Still in the hospital. I've gotten about 5 hours of sleep in 3 days ughhh. But worth it. She's so precious and THE MOST mellow baby it almost scares me lol