a bit of the birth story...

sorry it has taken so long to get on here and update the blog - life with baby is good - but Alex got flu and my best friend from UK showed up - as a surprise on Thursday Feb 26th, which was lovely - but we were out and about and adjusting to schedules and not blogging! it was a total surprise as she wasn't going to come and stay as she had planned in the end - she flew in thursday and my sis picked her up and she stayed there... they brought her round friday a.m. i was brushing my teeth and alex said all your family is here - i said well they have to wait for me to brush my teeth - so he came back in with the camera and said look at this great pic of seb... so i look at the display and its a pic of lizzi with seb - well it took a few secs for me to realize it meant she was here - so i start crying - then she comes in the loo crying then i hear mum crying and saying 'i knew she'd cry'... i am in a nursing bra and disposable knicks and a giant pad for all this...

anyhow - i wanted to get a bit of birth story info on here...

the birth went well - i went in for my stress test the a.m. of Wednesday Feb 18th, and my amneotic fluid had dropped from 10 to 5.2 in 3 days... so they had a ultrasound tech from my perinatologist come and do the fetal test thing... baby was fine, but my fluid was low so they wanted to keep me in and induce before it dropped more... they 'checked me into' L&D and broke my water... we had already agreed with my doc that i could eat drink and not have an IV - he was going to just break my waters to star with.... the nurses that admitted me argued that they were not going to let me eat or drink and i could go on ice chips - i said look - i've been here since 7 a.m. and have not eaten and doc Y (my jamaican doc X's partner) said i could - then they brought in the iv and i burst into tears and refused and they argued.. i said doc sullivan said just a hep-lock and no iv needed as i was allowed to eat and drink. i said why are you making me do these things - and they said - well its just what we do - exactly what they said... so flex said well you need to check with doc Y as we made a point of asking these things when he said i was being admitted... so they called him and he came down from triage and said - yes she can eat and drink as she is fine and baby is fine - alex go to the cafe and get her what she wants - and he said - she does not need an iv as she is going to drink through her labour...

round one achieved... we got our assigned nurse D - lovely - she read our birth plan and was fine with it and brought me in the birth ball and a rocking chair - despite the fact that every room was full we lucked out and got one of the 2 big rooms with a shower - score...

Doc Y broke my water and said he would be back in 4/5 hours... Flex went home to get my case, snacks and laptop... when he got back nothing was happening still... so doc Y came back - my nurse had to go help with someone pushing and at the end of labour so a nurse called nancy (evil nancy) came in - she was someone we had for one of our stress tests and i didn't like her then... oh god - she was AWFUL... had obvious disdain for our birth plan - when we said our doula was on the way she made a face... we had heard doc sullivan saying i only needed a low dose of pitocin - and to only take me from 2 to 6... well once he left she kept upping it... Laura our doula was here by now... and we all said to stop - i was having contractions by then - hard core... was swaying and breathing.. she kept saying i wasn't having contractions - they weren't showing on the monitor - i kept telling her she had the monitors on my fibroids and that was why - she argued and had me up to 14 pitocin... well i got on the birth ball and she came in and said - people fall off those and hurt themselves.... everything she said is negative... awful awful... anyhow - i was getting myself all upset, so Laura asked her if the shifts changed at 6 still and she said yes... it was 5.40 so we just let it go...

then Christine my nurse for the rest of my labour came on -----and she was marvelous... they put her on the natural birth plan births... so it went on... my contractions were coming every minute and 20 secs thanks to the pitocin and a couple of times i thought i was going to have to take something - but then i would then think get through it and rest in the minute off - so i would. i spent most of the labour on my feet just rocking and doing gentle lunges...

apparently between 9 and 10 and i collapsed - all i remember is the lights going on - the call button being pushed to summon dr X - who was now on duty - and people running around - then lifting me into the bed and putting me on oxygen... both mine and the baby's heartrates had dropped... once they got the oxygen on we both came back up - the oxygen mask sent me into a panic attack though as i was trying to breath through a contraction and the mask was sucking onto my face... so i was trying to rip it off... anyhow - i then said i wanted my mum so flex ran off to call her.... my lovely big sis brought her in and she and sis stayed with me - i was half way through transition and had the need to push so they told me to go with my body and i did - then i told flex to go get his mum who was in the waiting room as it wasn't fair to have one granny and not the other - so i had mum and flex on the left leg, sis on the right and MIL putting cool cloths on my head... it was actually great to have them all there - although as mum had never been at a birth EVER (sis and i are adopted) she kept trying to have weird conversations with me or tell me jokes when i was contracting and pushing and sis had to keep telling her to shut up as i was in a zone and concentrating... looking back i remember it all, but at the time was focused inward... pushed for an hour and sebi came out - 8lbs 6 oz - god - i was horrifed - and ny va-j-j was traumatized... dr X sewed me up for almost an hour (he has a rep of doing plastic surgeon quality repair work) - turns out i tore slightly during the birth - but the little bugger grabbed hold of my perineum with his hand on the way out and tore it more... UGH...

he latched on to each boob for 15 mins and then they showered me off and washed him down - did it all in the L&D room - i drank 2 big bottles of gatorade to rehydrate. Meanwhile flex recovered as he cried and almost fainted after Seb came out - he got to announce the sex which was cool...

went up to mother and baby - all the nurses were so lovely and said it was exciting to have someone go for natural as no one did it anymore and people like us made them keep coming back to the job... was really nice...

stayed in hospital this night and the next and then home...all the neighbours have brought round gifts and had all the friends visit in hospital... family have been great and lots of people have brought meals... alex has been amazing and very hands on - taken over lots of the household duties and keeps the place organized so i don't get stressed out with mess...

he's arrived...

welcome to Sebastian Alistair Fleener, born naturally at 1.09 a.m. 2/19/2009, 8lbs 6 oz, 20 1/4 inches - mummy and baby (and daddy) are doing well... eating breakfast - YUM...

labour and delivery...

well here we are at labour and delivery.... came in for our stress test at 7.00 a.m. and the fluid had dropped from 10 on Saturday to 5 today and Dr. X had told me on Monday that if the fluid dropped below normal (8) then Teeny would have to be coerced... So far we just had the bag of waters broken - no pitocin or anything else... we are reassessing at 3.00 - it is 2.00 now... the nurses are awesome - totally cool with the birth plan and have me walking around... didn't make me do the IV when i said no... when i requested food they checked with Dr Y (Dr X's partner) and he said no reason not to so i had a fab veggie sandwich and apple and i am drinking water too...

they brought me a rocking chair and a birth ball so all ready with those and i keep talking to my doula every hour to see when i want her to come in.... the phone has run non-stop with the love of family and friends... am going to try and nap now before the 3.00 check...

only one negative - no cameras or video allowed during the birth - and I SOOO wanted to video it or at least photograph it and be able to see it myself later! :(

Alex is currently trying to hide the camera somewhere so he can sneakily turn it on when everything is happening... can you get thrown out of hospital - ha ha? :)

Officially overdue...

Okay, now we are officially overdue, according to the first day of period magic wheel and our own calculations based on knowing our sex life! :) So Teeny is hanging on like a stubborn combination of its Mum and Dad...

This is okay in the scheme of things, but at 3.00 a.m. this morning i had a realization that if Teeny does not make an appearance soon - it wlll not get to meet Granny on my side... she is going in for a hip replacement op next week... and will be at a completely different hosptial from me - so not only will she not be with me when all finally happens, she won't even get to meet Teeny for a few days after the birth... also, my sister may have to leave for UK to go and be with my brother in law for personal reasons sometime next week and Flex's grandmother's other half is having a knee operation this week so she will be busy... and his Mom is busy running her practice, so busy anyhow...

I know people live all over the world and have babies alone - but i was blessed by the fact that all of my family are close by - but as Teeny hangs on - life goes on and people will be doing all sorts of other things... and honestly the thought of having a new little Teeny and my Mum and sister possibly not being around breaks my heart just a little!

Saw DR X yesterday - I am now 2 cm and 40% effaced - so we are making our way there slowly, but surely. He is out of town this weekend and still willing to let me go to 42 weeks (next Thursday according to them), but is concerned that I will sprog this weekend when he is away and is wanting to be there as he has been through all the ups and downs of this pregnancy with me...

Come on Teeny - we all are waiting! :) x

40 weeks and STILL counting...

Here we are, 40 weeks in and still hanging in... had our check up with Dr X yesterday and was 2 cm dilated... but no effacement. Discussed due dates and going over and Dr X is happy to let me go to 42 weeks. He suddenly then had a freak out when he remembered that Dr Doom (a prior - and shortlived partner - in the practice) was on call for them next weekend. He mumbled to himself that he could not let Dr Doom be my doctor if i went into labour - he had gone this far with me - that would not do... he just kept saying to himself... no - not Dr Doom - can't have him... anyhow. He then opted to strip my membrane to see if that got things softening and moving along more quickly... This caused me crawl backwards rapidly up the exam table... phew...

Anyhow - been having some back contractions throughout the early hours and day - but still VERY irregular.

Had acupuncture on Monday and took some blue cohosh which speeds up some people - NOT ME... Teeny is hanging on for dear life in there now... I suppose spending months possibly shooting out early makes that happen... at least Dr Red Baron said that can happen. If Teeny is happy great - but i don't want to end up with Dr Doom either... i have heard the rumours!

Will keep you posted of president day weekend Teeny events!

bloody hell....

Well, here i am getting ready for work on Thursday - spent Tuesday with cramping, hip aches contractions, etc... called the doc - they agreed i might be in labour - but we waited at home- our plan to labour at home as long as possible... i had acupuncture - had the doula on alert and then spent the rest of the night feeling INCREDIBLY nauseous and trying not to puke... at 4.00 a.m. when i got up and ran a bath and sat in it for 1.5 hours reading I realized i may have the flu going round... confusing when they say early labour signs involve all those above and can be seen as the flu.... had a scheduled stress test on Wednesday a.m. anyhow, so went to that at 8.00 a.m. turned out Teeny was happy inside, amniotic fluid still at good levels and heart beat all good... was having some contractions, but nothing major and no imminent sprogging. Booked back in for a stress test on Saturday afternoon as will be a couple of days overdue by then and back to waiting!

Fully cooked?!

So here i am at 39 weeks... had my appointment today and baby is still head down and zero station - but my cervix is 'a stubborn one' and is still closed up like a clam.... This is not an issue though - Dr X has seen people go from firmly closed to fully dialed in the same day.

If nothing has changed by middle of next week - my 'due date' - then I will go into the Labour and Delivery triage at the hospital to get my amneotic fluid levels checked. If they are good then I can go to 41 weeks - if they are low then I will be induced. I have to say I did not want to be induced if possible as apparently that increases your chances of demanding an epidural by 80% due to the out of control/back to back contractions. But... we'll play it by ear and if it has to be then it has to be.

In other news, today is Flex's birthday - happy birthday honey - my 8 year anniversary at work and Flex's one year anniversary with his job... I will be preparing his favourite meal for dinner - Caesar Salad - which he feels so special when I make for him - and does not realize I see it as a welcome break from cooking... i mean romaine, parmesan, croutons, cardinis and a rotisserie chicken - SWEET...

Flex's parents gave us (cough - HIM) a thermapedic foam mattress topper for his birthday - wow - I wish I had one the WHOLE pregnancy - I can turn from side to side and my hips aren't screaming... if you can't invest in the whole thermapedic foam bed i highly recommend getting the topper... LUSH... and also his sister gave us some organic beechwood sheets for the bed... can you say SOFT... we are in bed heaven! Thanks everyone!

So happy day to everyone!