Welcome Baby Eli!!!

There is so much to write about! I will just start from the beginning. This will probably be REALLY long :-)

I worked right up until the end, got a project for work done Friday morning, cleaned my entire desk off Thursday, and before leaving Friday afternoon I looked over my desk and did some final organizing because I think I subconsciously knew I wouldn't be back. Saturday 6/20 was a pretty uneventful day. I had a nice pedicure, got some shopping done at Target for the nursery then did some reorganizing in the nursery and the closet in the guest bathroom. Now looking back, I was definitely nesting a lot the the last few days, especially at work. Saturday night Jeff and I went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Cafe Poca Cosa, to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary, which was Monday 6/22. It was delicious! Thank goodness we did that, because it was a good filling last meal before labor. We went home and I went to sleep around 10. Jeff stayed up to work on a paper for a college class that was due the next day.

I woke up around 12:30 am thinking I had peed the bed, there was a nice little puddle :-) (Of course I had just bought brand new sheets the day before and put them on the bed that night before going to sleep). So I went to the bathroom and on the way back to bed, more leaked out on the floor. I sat down and debated what to do, because I was pretty sure that I hadn't peed myself twice, although I wasn't mentally ready to go into labor just then so I was hoping I really had just peed myself. But alas, more came out, so I figured it was time to notify Jeff that I suspected my water had broke.

I went out and told Jeff, and I don't think he really knew what to do. I had him call the labor and delivery people at the hospital, and they said that since my water had probably broke to come right in (there is concern that you can develop an infection if you go too long after it breaks without having the baby). So we gathered together last minute stuff for the hospital bags and off we went. Poor Jeff was a little distracted by what was going on and he almost missed the turn for the hospital :-) Because I wasn't having contractions yet, I wanted to walk in with Jeff instead of getting dropped off. We got to the parking deck then started walking into the hospital and realized the main (closest) door was locked, because it was the middle of the night. So we ended up walking all the way around the hospital to the maternity ward on the other side. Thank goodness I wasn't having contractions!

We got inside and was admitted and got changed and into a room. At my first exam I was still only 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Ugh. The nurse told me that they wold have to give me an IV and probably start me on pitocin. This really upset me because I really wanted a natural birth and I didn't want to be tied down by an IV and I certainly didn't want pitocin, which makes contractions stronger and more painful. Unfortunately my doctors were both on vacation and our substitute doctor (who turned out to be awesome) made me get on the IV and started pitocin at 5 am. I was upset about this but what could I do? Jeff got a little sleep but I wasn't able to sleep both because I was starting to have some contractions and because of adrenaline, so I read and watched tv.

As many of you know, my mom has been planning for months to come out early and stay for several weeks, hoping to see the birth. Because of dad's accident, we changed her ticket so she would come out a week later. And guess what day that was -- yes, Sunday! We called her a few hours after we were admitted and she was on her way to the airport. Surprise! Amazingly, she made it from Grottoes, VA to Tucson, AZ all while I was in labor. I called a great friend from work, Lindsey, and she picked mom up at the airport and brought her straight to the hospital. Unfortunately for me, I still had about 7 more hours of labor ahead of me by the time she arrived at around 10:30 am.

After they started the pitocin, the contractions got stronger and I gradually got more uncomfortable. At some point (time is a big blur for me that day) the doctor gave the ok for me to use the shower for help with the pain, so in Jeff and I went, after Jeff changed into some hospital scrubs. The hot water spraying on my back felt SO GOOD! The shower really made the contractions hurt less, but everything seemed to help me progress in labor. Every now and then I would have to get out to be checked and to put the baby on the monitor, but I got back in 4 times! Every time I got out and got back in bed or tried something else like sitting on the ball or in the rocking chair, the contractions got much worse and I just couldn't get comfortable. The hot shower is definitely my best friend. That and the cherry pop sickles Jeff bought for me :-) What is funny to me is that I had lots of ideas about things I thought would be comforting to me during labor, like massage, sitting on the birthing ball, walking around, but it turned out that I didn't want to be touched AT ALL during a contraction because it messed up my concentration, the birthing ball was uncomfortable later in labor, and standing up during a contraction was just miserable. I got through the contractions with controlled breathing that I counted in my head and the knowledge that they didn't last more than a minute, so usually by the time they got really bad they were almost over. And the wonderful shower!

After getting out of the shower for the last time, I was 7-8 cm dilated, 100% effaced and they could feel hair when they did an exam! Shortly after that I started feeling the urge to push, so she checked me again and I was 9-10 cm and ready to start doing practice pushes! This was probably 4-4:30 pm and I had gone this entire time drug-free and I was excited to push the baby out. Unfortunately, when I started pushing, I had a horrible horrible pain in my lower pelvis and it hurt so bad that I just couldn't bring myself to push. We tried several positions, squatting (which hurt my knees), hands and knees, sitting up, but the only position that half way was bearable was laying on my back sitting up a little, exactly how I always thought would be the worst position to give birth in. The pushing urge got really bad and the doctor came in and I had one very intense contraction with severe pain every time I pushed and I think I actually screamed... it just wasn't happening. They offered an epidural so I could get him out, and I agreed, so I got my epidural (which I hardly felt, it isn't bad at all!) and pushed for 15 minutes or so then he was out!

As his head was coming out, the doctor had Jeff and I touch his head - what a weird thing! I was pretty loopy by then though, so I just wanted him out. When his had came out, the doctor said "that looks like a pretty little girl face" but then the rest came out and they pulled him up onto my chest and there was no doubt about it, it was a little boy, our little Eli! What a great moment, I only wish I wasn't so tired and out of it. I had a small tear so I have a few stitches but it is nothing major, i think that has already healed. Mom and Jeff watched him get cleaned up and checked and took pictures and called everyone to let them know while I got stitched and cleaned up and had the placenta come out -- which the doctor showed to me, it was interesting to see. Then they brought Eli to me and I was able to nurse him for quite a while, which was quite an experience since I had no idea what I was doing! He stayed with me from then out, a few hours later he had his bath then they moves up upstairs to our room where we stayed 2 nights and left the 3rd day. The hospital stay was uneventful, other than watching his circumcision (not a pretty sight but he was well numbed up and it has already healed) and trying to figure out how to breastfeed with very sore and occasionally bleeding nipples. Breastfeeding is not easy!!! Geez. And the little man didn't like waking up to eat, and I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, and poor Jeff had to sleep on the pull-out couch.

It sure is nice being home! It has been stressful at times, pretty exhausting and overwhelming, but with Jeff off for 10 days to help, and with mom here, were are doing well and Eli seems to develop some every day. He actually slept 5 hours last night!

I have a ton more to write about our little man Eli and about life with him at home, but I'm too tired to write it all at once. More to come soon, including pictures and video of Eli and a video of his finished nursery!