Leo’s Birth Story

by Christina on July 27, 2010 · 9 comments

in Birthing

Leo just turned six weeks old on Saturday, so yes, it’s taken me a while to get around to writing up our birth story, but it’s been a busy time.

Leo @ 6 weeks old
The Induction

Leo was very big.  His ultrasound estimates were putting him at 5 kg (11 lbs), so the doctors wanted to induce before I was full term.  At 37 weeks, I went into hospital for an induction and three days later, I checked out, still pregnant. It was three days of contractions,  afterward I was exhausted and disappointed.

A week later, I went in for a second induction. The first time I had been given the medication orally, which they planned to start out with the second time, but I asked for the medication in gel form to be put on my cervix.  Within a few hours, I was getting nice strong contractions and my cervix had started dilating. I was in labor.

A Bad Reaction to Pain Medication

The midwife on duty wanted to give me some pain medication to help me sleep, so I could get some rest before the big show.  One of the side effects was possible nausea, and I raised objections, since I was already pretty nauseous from HG, which I’d suffered from the whole pregnancy.  She said not to worry about it, gave me the injection and sent me back to my room.  By the time I’d gotten to my room, one floor up from the delivery area, I was dizzy.  I made a quick trip to the bathroom to prepare for bed, and by the time I got in bed, the room was spinning.  I vomited several times and got no rest that night.  I felt miserable and don’t recommend this type of pain medication for anyone suffering from HG.  Feeling the contractions would have been much more restful.

Getting the Epidural

By late morning, things had progressed enough for me to stay down in the delivery area.  I was given an enema (I recommend these, they aren’t that uncomfortable and you don’t have to worry about pooping during the birth), then the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural.  It was the same doctor that had done my epidural for Oliver’s birth, and the insertion of the catheter into my spinal column had gone really well that time, so I had no worries.  I scrunched up, which is very uncomfortable when you’ve got a big belly and are having contractions, but I figured it’d be done in no time.  It took 6 tries to get the catheter in.  Every doctor and midwife who saw me afterward said it looked like someone had used my back as a pin cushion.  I don’t think it was the anesthesiologist’s fault, my back is a mess, but in hindsight, this was the worst part of the birthing process, much more painful than the birth itself.

The Birth

Because of his size, the doctor was worried about injury to Leo’s shoulders during the birth.  In fact, I had been offered the choice between being induced and getting a c-section.  There weren’t any openings for a non-emergency c-section for several days though, so I chose to be induced immediately.  At this point in the birth however, I asked the doctor if it was too late to change my mind. He said it’s never too late.

Around 7pm, my cervix was fully dilated.  At the same time, there was an emergency c-section and both gynecologists were in the operating room, so the anesthesiologist came in to my delivery room to help out.  The midwife manipulated my legs to help Leo make his way through the birth canal while I pushed.  Within a few minutes, the birth was over.

Saturday evening, thirty  hours after I started getting contractions, Leo was born, weighing in at 4510 grams (almost 9 lbs, 15 oz).

A Scary Beginning

I looked down and saw that Leo was limp and purple.  He wasn’t breathing at first and was immediately whisked off to the pediatrician.  His 5 minute Apgar score was good, so there was really nothing to worry about, but all I could think about was that I wanted my baby.

He was doing well, but was put into the newborn station for observation for his first 3 days.  It drove me a little crazy to be apart from him, but I was having trouble with my right leg, so I was kept busy with my own issues.

Leo in the newborn station

It seems while Leo was being born, his head knocked my lower vertebrae out of alignment and irritated some of the nerves in my pelvis, so for the first few days, my right leg was numb and tingly (like when your leg falls asleep), and weak.  I was seen by a neurologist and got an MRI done of my leg and pelvis, which ruled out anything permanent.  At six weeks postpartum, I’m getting sharp, stabbing pains in my back.  My leg tires out quickly and the sole of my foot still gets numb occasionally.  It doesn’t sound like it, but I am making progress.

The End of HG

I had read accounts that as soon as women suffering HG to the end had given birth, their nausea was gone.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me.  The nausea improved day by day.  Two days after the birth, I was able to go without anti-nausea medication.  I got a bit motion sick in the car on the way to the neurologist, but managed without the medication.  By four days postpartum, the nausea was completely gone.  My husband asked me how I was feeling that morning and when I answered, “Okay,” he said that it was the first time in 8 months that I hadn’t said, “Terrible.”

Leo at 1 week old

A Difficult Homecoming

On Tuesday after the birth, we were released, and as soon as we got home, we heard that my father-in-law was not doing well.  Rainer and Oliver jumped in the car within an hour of Leo and my homecoming and made the five hour trip to my in-laws.  My father-in-law passed away that evening.

It wasn’t an ideal start as a big brother for Oliver, with us bringing the baby home and then “sending him away,” but it couldn’t be helped.  Once he was back, he ignored the baby.  It took two weeks before he wanted to touch or kiss the baby.  Now he’s a great big brother though.  If Leo is crying, Oliver is very concerned and tells me to hurry up because the baby is sad.  He gives the baby a kiss when he leaves for day care and when I pick him up, and at bed time.  He’s very gentle and thoughtful towards Leo.  I try to have one-on-one time with him as much as I can, which isn’t a lot, but as Leo gets older, he’ll be able to have mom’s attention more and more.

Family bed

Interestingly, with Oliver’s birth, I had a lot of trouble remembering much of the details, but with Leo’s birth, I can remember every little thing.  Perhaps it was because Oliver’s birth was more painful and traumatic (Leo’s went pretty smoothly and I didn’t even have to cry out once), or maybe because it’s my second time around.

Have you found you can remember one birth better than another?

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It is summer, which means travel time in our home. In the past, we have flown with our car seat and go-go-kidz, which I still love and lend out to my friends quite frequently. Now that The Boy (TB) is getting bigger, however, I decided to invest in acar seat cover and CARES system. I use the cover and check the car seat, which is usually free.

Early on, I held off because I thought the curve of the seat would be uncomfortable for TB, but I have to admit, I love the CARES system, and so does my son.

When we boarded, I quickly slipped the main portion around the seat, and then looped the harness through his seatbelt. It took very little time, and we were able to board as a family instead of separately. (We normally tried to have one parent board with the car seat and the second board later with TB.) The harness and strap were easy to adjust.

CARES fits kids 22 to 44 pounds, which makes it a great addition for children on the airplane. It is also nice during layovers, because the system folds back up in to his six inch sack. At a meer one pound, it is a great travel companion.

The picture I am posting is slightly misleading. I snapped this picture prior to take-off, and when I looked at my son in it, I realized that the portion that attaches to the seat back was not low enough. We also further tightened the harness to fit his slight frame. According to the installation instructions, the red strap should be just above a child’s shoulders.

The CARES system is available for purchase in the US ($74.95) and UK.

(This post is cross-posted at www.piecesofmymind.com.)

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On Friday, I hit 39 weeks pregnant and will be checking back in to the hospital for a second attempt at inducing labor.  The first attempt, last week, was unsuccessful.

I’m still dealing with nausea from HG, although it has eased up a bit.  If I don’t go anywhere and take it easy, I can manage with two 50mg tablets of dimenhydrinate, but I still get incredibly motion sick in the car and have to take an addition two if I want to go anywhere.

Because the baby is so big, the doctors wanted to induce at 37 weeks.  We ended up waiting until last Wednesday to check in to the hospital for the induction.  I knew there was a possibility that it wouldn’t work, but was hopeful.  The first day of medication gave me fairly light, regular contractions, which built over the second day to being pretty strong contractions every 2 minutes by the second evening.  When the doctors examined me, however, my cervix hadn’t lowered or effaced at all and as soon as the medication ran out, the contractions would begin to subside.

I came home Friday, still having strong contractions about every half hour, but they gradually stopped and there have been nothing more than Braxton-Hicks contractions since.

I felt decent Friday morning, but by Friday evening I felt the two days of contractions in every muscle in my body (and most painfully in my cervix, which I’m sure was battered and swollen after two days of being pressed upon by the baby’s head).  Even my arms and legs were sore, which I found surprising.  I had problems sitting and standing and even rolling over in bed, on Saturday, but by Sunday I was feeling well enough to venture out for a large ice cream sundae (although I demanded an ice cream shop that we could park directly in front of - no walking for me!).

I’m back to “normal” now, I suppose, and feel ready to give it another go.  The doctors all tell me this time should work, that the second induction is almost always successful when the first fails.  I’m not sure what will happen if it doesn’t work.  The OBGYNs at the hospital say they won’t let the pregnancy go beyond my due date.  The baby’s head size is off the charts, so I’m a little nervous and hoping the birth won’t be too difficult and I’ll have a quick recovery.

I hope you’ll keep me in your thoughts on Friday and this weekend and that I’ll have some great news to share next week.

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I had thought I was improving. I’ve thrown up a couple of times since my last update (when I had gone almost a month without vomiting), but I have been doing a lot more recently.  I had thought that my increased activity meant I was doing better, but I went back and reread all my postings on living with hyperemesis gravidarum (excessive nausea and vomiting in pregnancy), and found that I’ve been steadily increasing my dosage of anti-nausea medicine when I had thought I was taking the same amount now as I was back in January.

Now I think my body has just adjusted to the side effect of fatigue that I, at first, had with dimenhydrinate (aka Dramamine), allowing me to take enough to be somewhat active.  In January, I wrote that I was taking 2-3 50mg tablets a day.  Now I’m taking 5-6 on good days, up to 8 a day on bad days.

I can generally manage doing stuff like going shopping, or maybe some light housework or gardening every other day, with a day of rest needed in between to recuperate.  I’m managing to cook most of the time, so I’m off my steady diet of ready-to-make meals (thank goodness!), but I still can’t drive more than a mile or so and get really motion sick in cars (despite 5-6 Dramamine a day!).

The baby continues to be very large.  I was a large baby, so the docs think it’s just genetic (I was born at 36 weeks and was 8lbs, 4oz).  They’re planning to induce me at 37 weeks because the baby is so big (it’s estimated at 8 lbs right now).  I’m really looking forward to an end to the nausea and fatigue and motion sickness.  I can’t wait to have my freedom and mobility back (something I think most new moms aren’t thinking when it comes to giving birth, but that’s HG for you).  I’m looking forward to not being dependent on others pretty much all the time and being able to get back to being myself.  So, unless the doctors change their minds, I’ve only got 3.5 weeks to go.  The end is in sight.  Phew!

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Happy Earth Day!

April 22, 2010

I thought for Earth Day 2010, I’d highlight some of our previous reviews and posts having to do with living greener. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to live greener, check out my 15 easy tips for going green and saving money.  I’d also like to recommend a couple of books for newbies […]

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Struggling with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG): Week 29 Update

April 6, 2010

I haven’t thrown up in 24 days!
In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I have been suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum this pregnancy (I didn’t have it with my first), which causes excessive nausea and vomiting.
I had thought that a lot of the fatigue I felt must be caused by lack of nutrition, but it’s […]

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I thought for my 26-week pregnancy update, I’d tell the story of how, because of hyperemesis gravidarum, Oliver and I ended our breastfeeding relationship.
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Yesterday, I hit 23 weeks pregnant.  Just over halfway.  For most of that 23 weeks, I’ve been suffering from the excessive nausea and vomiting that goes along with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or HG. It doesn’t feel possible that I’m only half way through.  It feels like this pregnancy has lasted forever.  This has easily been […]

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What’s your mothering style?

January 29, 2010

An old friend of mine just sent a link around to this MotherStyles quiz and I found it really interesting. It’s a Myers-Briggs type quiz analyzing your mothering/parenting style.  Turns out I’m an INTP mom, or a “Love of Learning” mom, who excels at calmness, and fostering independence and love of learning, but struggles with routine […]

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