Ethan's Arrival

I have been meaning to sit down and write about Ethan's arrival but somehow have not found the time. Ha! Here is a little bit of the story of his arrival. :)

On January 17th, I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was beginning to elevate. They sent me to triage at the hospital for some tests and put me on bed rest. My first thought was..."Bed rest for three weeks?" I wasn't sure that I could make it, but apparently God knew I couldn't make it. On Wednesday, January 19th, Nathan and I went to the doctor's office prepared for another possible trip to the hospital. With my blood pressure going higher and my lab work not looking so hot they sent me to the hospital to be induced. I was filled with so many emotions - excitement, uncertainty, concern, joy...the list could probably go on. Nathan was obviously filled with one emotion - nervousness.

Just after getting settled in at the hospital

Once we arrived at the hospital, they got an IV started and began to induce my labor. I had been uncertain about having an epidural but once the nurse explained the risks of not having one with my blood pressure I opted to have one placed. This portion of the process was quite difficult for me because I am so afraid of needles. I am the girl that passes out every time I have my blood draw unless I lay flat...and I get weak just thinking about blood. Honestly though, looking back, I would do it again. It was almost painless and definitely relieved my pain completely.

**From this point until Ethan was born I remember little of what happened. Nathan had to fill me in a couple of days later.

A doctor came and broke my water. The fluid was apparently blood tinged and my doctor decided that internal monitoring of the baby was a good idea. Thank God they chose to do this because Ethan's heart rate began to drop with each contraction. I could not see the screen keeping track of his heart rate but Nathan said that you could just see the line plummet below "normal." Instantly there were about three or four more people in the room trying to reposition me so that Ethan's heart rate would become more stable. Initially they were not having a lot of success and were telling us that they would have to take me to do a c-section right away. My doctor was only 15 minutes from the hospital but they did not think we could wait that long. Nathan said that they threw scrubs at him and told him to change. Thankfully, they were able to get Ethan's heart rate climbing back up and we were able to wait for my doctor to arrive at the hospital to perform emergency c-section. By this time, I was shaking and scared. I didn't really know what was going on but I knew it couldn't be good.

My doctor came in and talked to me and then they took me to the operating room. Nathan had to wait in my labor and delivery room until they went back to get him. EVERYONE was so nice and understanding of my fear and uncertainty. I cannot count how many times they reassured me and made sure that I was doing alright. They brought Nathan in right before they began the procedure. He was so wonderful. The adrenaline of everything going on around him really gave him a strength to be there for me. Throughout the procedure I was very shaky...which, I now know, is apparently normal. At the time, I wasn't sure why I was shaking and kept trying to control my body. Most of the procedure was full of very odd sensations although I didn't feel any pain.

When Ethan was born I heard him cry almost instantly. Someone made a comment about how alert he was. He became quiet fairly quickly. I watched Nathan as he stood over Ethan while they cleaned him off and checked him over. Nathan took a few pictures. One of the doctors brought Ethan to me. I was able to touch his little leg and say hello. Once they got him all wrapped up Nathan held him and looked so proud. I will never forget these special moments.

Our first family photo :)

The remainder of my surgery took an added amount of time because of some excess bleeding that I had. By the time I left the operating room I was already starting to feel pain. Nathan and I took a few moments to get a couple of pictures before with us together as a family before they took me back to my room. Because of some issues with the IV line for my morphine, I was in quite a bit of pain for the next two to three hours. I have never felt a pain like this and do not really wish to feel that kind of pain again. In addition, I was very nauseated. Due to their concerns related to my blood pressure I had to stay on the labor and delivery floor for 24 hours. It was a long 24 hours. There are many other details of this part of my experience that I will spare you. I will just say that as much as having a c-section scared me, the aftermath of the c-section was very intense for me personally. I am not sure that this would have been the case if I had gone in prepared for a c-section...the whole process was quite overwhelming having not been ready for it.

On Thursday evening, a full 24 hours after Ethan was born, I was moved to a regular room on the Mother's Unit. I got a good night's sleep. The next morning I was soooooo hungry. I have never been so happy to order food in my life! Ha!

Another funny fact...I lost my voice while I was on labor and delivery...why, I am not sure. But for someone who loves to talk it was quite difficult for the next couple of days until my voice recovered. Over the next two days we had several visitors and enjoyed some very special moments with our new little one. On Saturday around noon they let us take him home. It was quite a crazy ride to meet Ethan for the first time but he is such a blessing in our lives. He was worth everything I went through and more. We are loving every moment we get to spend with him. :)

Calm and quiet little Ethan
6 lbs 9 ozs, 20 inches long
Born January 19, 2011 at 9:01 PM