Ava's First Few Days.

So much to tell!

*Ava has been a fantastic nurser since birth. Things got a bit irritated on Tuesday, but picked up again that night and have been going strong again ever since. She likes to go a good four hours between feedings, so that's been a fantastic reprieve for my very sore girls. I'm starting to feel like my milk may be on it's way in, which is both exciting (because at that point she'll start gaining weight again and, also worth mentioning, I'll have a fantastic rack) and terrifying (engorgement = major pain initially). So far, though, so good.



*Maybe one of the most surprising things about parenthood so far is the fact that I really like breastfeeding. I mean, yeah, it's painful and all, but I love feeling that connection with her. Knowing that my body is fully capable of feeding my beautiful daughter makes up for the fact that it gave a disappointing labor performance.



*D is an amazing father, completely head over heels for his little girl. He snuggles her and kisses her and has gone from never holding a baby or changing a diaper to being a total pro! Part of that I'm sure is that he has had to do it all while I was confined to my bed initially, but I attribute it more to his inherent dad skills coming out. Either way, I've never loved him more.



*As far as sleep goes, it's few and far between. Ava is a fantastic sleeper and nurser, so what exactly is keeping me up? Pain from my c-section is the biggest culprit, combined with the new mom dear that something might happen to Ava while I'm sleeping. The first night, I slept about 45 minutes. Last night - maybe slightly under 3 hours? I think we're at a whopping total of 12 hours since Sunday morning. Ouch.



*While I was expecting the recovery to be long and painful, I am indeed surprised by how many different places it is painful. I feel like I have been in a major car accident. Part of this I'm sure was the insane shaking that I did due to shock and anesthesia, and also from relying solely on my arms to pull me up and help me move around, but wow. It's been hard.



*Ava is a really, really calm and content baby. I'm talking the kind of tranquility I still couldn't reach, even post-morphine. She's just the most pleasant person in the entire world.



*Just now am I finally starting to lose some of the swell from everything they had to give me pre- and post-op. My tummy immediately went WAY down, but my legs and calves and feet looked positively huge! I went from looking 9 (10) months pregnant to just having a really fat ass and thunderthighs, much to my chagrin. Luckily, I'm peeing it out now that I'm up and out of bed. Whew. Also, I can happily report that I have zero stretch marks. Thanks, little A :) You're the bestest!

Ok, barely keeping eyes open. More later.

She's Here!

Ava Elizabeth arrived 12/28/09 at 12:27PM via c-section (see explanation of complications in previous posts). She was 7lbs, 12ozs and 19inches long! She is absolutely gorgeous and we couldn't be more in love.



It's true what they say. No matter how you felt about your pregnancy, or how your labor went (in my case awful and excruciating), the second they slip that baby into your arms, you'd do it all again in a heartbeat. I simply adore her.





The c-section went as well as it could, considering I really wanted to deliver vaginally. I was terrified, but D was with me every step of the way. My spinal block didn't hurt nearly like I was expecting, and they inserted my catheter afterward so I didn't feel a thing. I was really dreading the so-called tugging and pressure I was told to expect, but didn't feel any of it. Just a slight pressure when they put weight on my belly to get her out, but even then it was barely anything. I have had the shakes horribly since and before, thanks to my nerves!

All in all, not the awful experience I was thinking it would be!

Either way, I'm so excited and grateful she is here safely!

Delayed.

Delayed until noon.

3 Hours!

I am extremely upset to be having to say this, but at 645, I'm being taken to the OR and by 7am, Baby B will be here.

The cervidil kickstarted my contractions to 1.5-3 minutes apart, hyperstimulating my very irritated uterus. Because of the risk of uterine rupture and resulting fetal trauma, we made the decision to have it removed and to perform a c-section. I am so 100% terrified and upset by this that I cannot even describe, but I was having 90-second contractions 90-180 seconds apart from beginning to beginning for FOUR hours, and I didn't progress whatsoever. Apparently I have a cervix of steel. Thank you, previous LEEP procedures. I would love to tell you that I am at least experiencing some relief since they removed the cervidil, but I am not. They gave me a shot of stadol for the pain, but instead of working and easing me to sleep, it couldn't even mask the pain, and now I've been awake all night long in the worst pain I've ever felt just from the cramps the cervidil caused. Unfortunately, it also made me very sick, and I threw up in excess of 15 times. Not the birth story of anyone's dreams, now, is it? Only now that I've slept in two five-minute bursts am I coherent to post, and only because I know that ill be laid up for quite some time in the hospital and probably won't feel like it again.

I don't mean to scare those left to deliver, but I was completely unprepared for how badly this could go and how excruciating it would really be.

Prep for surgery begins at 6am, and in 2.5 hours, ill meet my little girl. That's just about the only thing keeping me going right now.

Ouch.

The cervidil was mildly uncomfortable, but moreso was the exam beforehand. Good God, was the man checking to see if my tonsils were in place?! Woman doctors are worthwhile if only for their small hands!

The insert was quick, though, and really no more uncomfortable than my less painful cervical exams. It is making me cramp like crazy, though, so this may be the last update for a while. I am really, really uncomfortable, especially in my back.

The doc was surprised by the frequency and intensity of my contractions, especially since I'm still stuck at a 1. Super lame. He said we'll do this insert, remove it at 5:30, and then start pitocin at 6:30am.

Ok, I'm signing off, because this is really starting to move from uncomfortable to painful. Perhaps the next post will have baby pics?

On a side note, a name announcement may be delayed. We still have it down to three, but I'm really torn.

At The Hospital.

Yep, I'm blogging on my phone because I'm that technilogically advanced (aka bored stiff already).

So, we're here. Since I know that several others are scheduled for inductions, ill give you a little play-by-play, since knowing what to expect is half the battle, right?

Check-in was surprisingly easy. I walked in with my laughable amount of bags (my bag, baby's bag, D's backpack, two pillows and my boppy), signed a paper authorizing care, and bam! I was admitted to Room 3 :)
Once inside, I changed into a hip little booty-bearing number (clearly I'm joking about the 'hip' part), and answered a series of questions about my allergies, prenatal history, breastfeeding preferences, etc. Pretty simple.

Next step: IV. Warning ladies: that thing HURT. I've had several IV's in the past - two others in 09 alone - but this was a large needle, and I'm still feeling it. No biggie, though. Definitely not worth losing sleep over, so fret not.

Now, I'm just waiting on my fluids to finish, and for Dr. R to get here to insert the cervidil. I see a lot of waiting in my future!

Ill update after it's inserted.

The good news is I'm having contractions! Not sure yet if they're causing any progress, though.

In Other Big News...

..I forgot to mention something rather awesome: We got a new car!

Yeah, yeah, I know that I got a new car back in July thanks to my massive wreck, but D has had a single cab truck for the past nine years, and needed to upgrade to a vehicle that was safe for Baby B. Here she is:







Isn't she pretty? And now at least one of us gets decent gas mileage :)

D went and bought her after my appointment on Tuesday, but since they gave him a 48-hour return option, and D hasn't bought a car since his senior year of high school, he kicked the option around until it expired, hence why I didn't mention it sooner. I love it, personally, and I think Baby B will also!