I went to the doctor on September 27th and was already dialated to 3.5cm and almost completely effaced. My OBGYN told me to just monitor my contractions becuase the baby was going to make his appearance anyday. That weekend, I had some tell tale signs of labor and was sure that he was going to come. I had been having contractions on and off for the last few days and was sure that they would just keep getting stronger. But with each day that passed, there was no signs of active labor.
At my dr appointment on October 5th, I was still dialted the same, but was told that I was in early labor and that the baby would probably arrive over the weekend. I started my maternity leave on the 5th and my mom flew in that day so she could be there for the birth of baby boy #2.
And so began the waiting game....
And waiting...
waiting...waiting...waiting...
Until October 18th!! Almost exactly 2 weeks later Mr Lane decided to make his appearance to the world.
I had a due date range due to having a high risk pregnancy and that was from October 5th-14th, so I was not considered overdue by the hospital until after October 14th. I really did not want to have to be induced and wanted my body to go into labor on its own, but once the 17th came, I knew I had no choice.
My dad was leaving two days later and my mom would only be here for another week and I needed the help with Parker when the baby came. So we scheduled my induction for 6:00am on Thursday October 18th.
I woke up at 1:00am with strong contractions and they kept progressing pretty quickly. Within an hour they went from 15 minutes apart to 2-3 minutes apart. We called the hospital and were on our way.
We got there at around 2:30am and was dialated to 4.5cm. Things were going smoothly and I was so excited because I didn't have to be induced!! My body was doing what it was supposed to on it's own.
I got an epidural about 3:30am and then tried to get some sleep. However, they kept waking me up to have me turn sides and try different things because the baby's heart rate kept lowering. This happened with Parker too so I wasn't too worried.
They broke my water at about 4:15am and from there things got a little intense. Baby's heart rate kept going up and down and we couldn't get it to stay at a consistent rate. We tried everything...I was even on all four's {with an epidural!} trying to make it so his heart rate went up. They put a heart rate monitor on babies head, tried to put a saline balloon in the birth canal to create a cushion from the cord, and even had me try to push even though I wasn't dialated to get this baby out.
I was already at 9cm by 6:00am and the baby was going to come anytime, but his heart rate just kept dropping and it was getting to be dangerous. We waited another 30 minutes to see if he would come on his own, but the heart rate was dangerously low and we knew it was time. We were headed to the OR for a c-section.
This was not part of my plan and I was pretty bummed to have a c-section, but I was so concerned about my baby boy and just wanted him out! I wanted him to be safe and free from any stress or complications.
I was wheeled into the operating room at 6:30am and by 6:59am our beautiful healthy baby boy was born.
The c-section was actually pretty easy, besides the fact that there were a million people in the room and I was so nauseas and kept throwing up. They explained everything to me and made me feel very comfortable. Nick was right by my side the whole time and was taking pictures of the actual surgery and everything {my request}. I knew I would want to look back on this and see what happened.
Once they got Lane out, they told me they would hold him up for me to see him, but that never happened. They immediately took him over to the warmer and a team of nurses started working on him right away.
He was 7lbs, 12oz and 21 inches long with dark brown hair and blue eyes.
The cord was wrapped very tightly around his neck twice and his APGAR score was only a 4 when they pulled him out. This is why his heart rate kept dropping while in labor. Because the cord was so tight and the way he was positioned, he would never have come out vaginally, and it is a great thing we went for the c-section when we did.
I remember laying on the operating table and looking over at the nurses working on Lane and not being able to tell if he was okay. No one was telling me anything and all I could hear was a few of the nurses saying "come on baby, come on". I started tearing up then. I just wanted me baby to be okay.
Finally after FOREVER...okay it was only about 5 minutes. They came over and explained everything to me and that he was okay, he was breathing great but that they wanted to take him to the NICU to monitor him for a few hours. I sent Nick with baby Lane and they went up to the NICU while I was sewn up and brought back to my room for recovery.
Once I got back to the room, my mom was there and they allowed me to just rest. After being up all night laboring and then having a pretty traumatic birth, I was exhausted and needed some rest. I was able to sleep for about an hour before the nurse came in and explained everything with Lane and that his APGAR score was a 10 {where you want it to be} by 10 minutes after birth and that they were ready to send him down to me if I was ready.
I couldn't wait to meet my baby boy and have my husband back with me. They brought Lane back to our room and I was able to cuddle him and nurse him and get a chance to bond with my little boy. I was just so thankful that he was okay, that I was okay, and that everything was over. We had our slew of visitors and hospital checks, but I was so tired from everything that I really just needed to rest.
What I did not anticipate with having a c-section was the recovery. Man is it tough! I was so tired, in pain, and couldn't move. The hardest part was that I couldn't sit up on my own. I had to either grip the sides of the bed and pull up, or have someone help me. I couldn't get up to grab Lane from his little crib or even get up to brush my teeth or go to the bathroom.
That first night was tough as I was so itchy from the anesthesia I wanted to crawl out of my own skin and I was in a lot of pain from my incision. They had me stand up and try to walk to the bathroom that first night and I thought my insides were going to fall out. I almost passed out while going to the bathroom and after that decided I would just stick with laying in the bed for a while :)
Recovery has been tough. You are not able to lift anything heavier than your baby for the first 4 weeks and then after that nothing more than 20 lbs for a few weeks after that. But since I have a special needs toddler who cannot walk, I have to carry him everywhere. He is 28lbs of dead weight.
So after Lane was born, Nick's parents took Parker to Spokane with them for 9 days while my mom stayed with me and helped me with Lane. I was super emotional about Parker leaving. Like I was failing as a mom of two already because I couldn't care for both of my boys at once. But I physically couldn't, and knew it would be best for me to try and recover while he was having fun with his cousins and grandparents in Spokane.
Adjusting to life with two hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Sure it presents its challenges since Parker cannot walk or talk, but I have never been more content or in love with my little family. We are so blessed and although Lane's birth was a little different than I had planned, you just go with the flow and adjust along the way!
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