Easton Jordan Smith
Born @ 10:10pm on Oct. 26, 2009
8lbs 15oz
21.5 in.
Born @ 10:10pm on Oct. 26, 2009
8lbs 15oz
21.5 in.
My Belly the morning of our big day
Well, after the most painful experience of my life, he is here!!! Seriously, after my labor and delivery experience I commend all mothers out there who have done this more than once. Here is our experience.
We had planned on being induced a week early mainly because the week before I was due Jordan had a week off of school so it was the best time for us, and based on the size of our baby and his large head, which you will hear more about later, it was a good time for him as well.
We were scheduled to go in on Sunday evening so they could give me a tablet that would help me efface and contract. They needed to monitor the contractions and it could possibly cause me to go in to labor so I would have needed to spend the night. However, we went in and got all ready and after they had checked me, I was dilated to a 2 almost 3 and thinned to between 70 and 80% which meant I was too far along to give me the tablet. So, they sent us home to sleep in our own beds for the night, but we needed to be back by 6 am the next morning to start my induction. We got there and they decided after all the check-ups and paper work to start me on pitocin at about 8:30. They continued to up the dosage until around 11:30 which is when they decided to break my water because the pitocin wasn't doing much.
I started contracting about 12 and by 1:15 my contractions started getting worse and coming every 2 min. I decided to rethink the epidural I did not want because of my huge fear of needles. I got the most wonderful, heavenly epidural at 1:30. I know that the Lord was with me at that moment. The man that was supposed to give me my epidural was on a lunch break. So, a different anesthesiologist came in to do it. He did a combination epidural that I was told some doctors do and some do not (typically the younger doctors are more known to give it). So, instead of taking the 15-20 minutes for it to kick in, it kicked in right away and then when the first dosage wore off, the typical one that kicks in had already begun working. My contractions disappeared right away. I was told later that the doctor who was supposed to give me my epidural kicks husbands out and doesn't do that combination epidural.
So up until 6:30 I felt NOTHING as I waited for delivery time. When it came they had me start pushing at 6:45 - 7:15. It was exhausting and hard, but not incredibly painful because of the epidural. Well he wasn't moving much and my "Nurse from Hell" had the bright idea that I needed to feel the urge to push so they should cut my epidural in half. She swore it wouldn't be more painful, I would just have more of an urge. I could feel the contractions still and I knew when to push and I was pushing as hard as I could, but she felt we needed to do this and what did I know, I had never done this before. Well I tried pushing again at 8:00 until 8:15 and she says "I don't know if I believe that you can feel the urge to push like you say you are" and said we would start again at 8:30. Well don't worry from then on I pushed from 8:30 until 10:10 when I had the baby. It was the most awful pain I had every felt in my life. I seriously believe I could feel everything. My nurse was so discouraging and pushy and kept acting like I was overreacting with the pain. I had meltdowns when I felt like I couldn't do it anymore, and yelled at my nurse to stop being so pushy because she was definitely NOT helping. The most discourage part is when they continued to say he wasn't really moving.
The doctors were very nice and very encouraging when they were there (they had like 3 other deliveries at the same time). They would tell me that they could tell I was pushing hard and it wasn't my fault and I was doing well. It really could not have been true, but made me feel a whole lot better than my nurse did. So the doctor came in around 9:30 and said he wasn't really moving and they would let me try for another 1/2 hour but then might need to do a C-section. The pain was so awful I could not even think of pushing that much longer and said "Do the C-Section, GET HIM OUT!" But another doctor came in and said it looked like he had moved a little and they could try the vacuum and the forceps to help him along and that is how he came. We later learned that it was because of the size of Easton’s head that kept him from coming out. It didn't matter if they had cut the epidural in half or not, he still would not have moved. I got a 3rd degree tear and had a freaking oxygen mask throughout the whole thing.
Jordan was amazing. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband. It was funny because beforehand I told Jordan that he should take a picture right after he came so I could see what he looked like when he first came out. He had already told me how he just could not get himself to even want to watch and would just look at me the whole time. He was told all he would have to do is hold my hand and tell me I was doing well. Little did he know he would be the one holding my legs in the air and doing the counting along with grabbing my oxygen mask to put it back on me after I would throw it off when it was time for me to push while having blood splashed all over him from the vacuum and at one point freaking out because he didn't see them put the vacuum in and just heard a "POP" sound and after glimpsing over, he thought the doctor had pulled off the baby’s head. He really was encouraging and tried hard to count over the sound of our nurse’s voice. I could not have gotten through it without him.
Looking back, I feel I am and was reminded by the Lord that good things don't always come easy. I know we have so much to be grateful for. All I could think afterwards is how I never feel like I could mentally, physically, or emotionally ever go through that again. But looking at our beautiful son I could not imagine our family without this sweet spirit and if the Lord had it in his plan for us to have another one I know I could go through it again.
I got discharged from the hospital on Wed. and had to go right back on Friday night because Easton had jaundice and needed to be readmitted. For me, it was difficult. It seems like it would be a nice break from all the hustle at home, but I really missed my family. My husband had been home all week with the kids and I had only seen my kids 2 days during this week. I finally was able to come home on Sunday afternoon. But again as depressed as I was being away from my Husband and kids, Easton is home and slowly getting over his jaundice and it feels so good to be here with everyone!
Home for the first time (before going back into the hospital)
The boys loving Easton
Easton Today at 9 days old ( a whole lot less swollen from the vacuum and forceps and the jaundice slowly going away!)
