Here Comes Jonah

We arrived at the hospital probably like most other couples having a baby, all flustered and not knowing where to go. We went in the main entrance at Children's and were directed this way and that till we got to the Labor & Delivery area. There we were told to wait in the waiting room, and we were wondering if they understood that this wasn't a typical labor. My husband went to explain things while still trying to be calm and reasonable and they came to get me shortly after. The nurse started to take me to the assessment room but once she saw my jeans, she decided we could just go to a room :) Our friends were hanging out and my parents were on the way, so much for the private labor I had planned.

On the way to the hospital if I concentrated really hard, I could feel the contractions. By the time we checked in and got all hooked up to monitors, the nurse told me the contractions were 3 minutes apart and strong. I could feel them by then, but they didn't hurt, not really. This was about an hour and a half after my water broke we think, we can't seem to put together the timeline but we're thinking we went for dinner fairly early maybe a little before six, waited for a table, and ordered and ate salad before my water broke then the drive takes about 45 minutes so we're thinking we actually got to Children's around 7? That means it was approximately 5 hours between my water breaking and Jonah's arrival ~ wow, a heck of a lot quicker than the 12-24 hours my childbirth class kept insisting was typical for a first time mom.

They were now aware of Jonah's condition thanks to a wonderful delivery nurse who called the NICU and got things started since I was concerned -- unfortunately I can not remember her name for the life of me and I feel bad because I kind of got the impression that the delivery doctor was upset with her for "going over her head" so to speak and calling the NICU before she had assessed me. But I just wanted all hands on deck and ready in case Jonah arrived quickly, as it turned out, its a good thing because he did come rather quickly. Because they couldn't contact Dean for any of my hospital records and ultrasounds at that time of night, they brought in a portable ultrasound machine. They told me that if he was breech or my placenta was in the way, they were going to deliver him C-section. Luckily both of those things were fine and we were ready to go.

They were trying to minimize internal exams since my water had already broken but when I was physically sick, the doctor decided she'd better check as apparently that's a sign that things are moving along (now why don't they tell you THAT in prenatal classes?!?). Turns out, I was already at seven centimeters! Wow, no wonder the contractions were hurting by this point huh? They asked if I wanted any pain medications and originally I told them that I wasn't sure, I was just going to see how it went since I have a pretty high pain tolerance but had never had a baby before so couldn't really know what it was like. They asked again at this point and the nurse recommended at least talking to the anesthesiologist as signing the paperwork so I could be ready if I decided I did want it. They called the anesthesiologist and he explained all the different options and the risks involved. By the time he came and did his whole spiel (he wouldn't talk while I was actually having a contraction so it took a good 30 minutes for the whole process) things were hurting a lot and I thought I still had a long way to go so I asked for an epidural. He left to get all set up and I got sick again, so the nurse checked my progress and announced I was at 10cm and ready to have the baby! She said this just as the anesthesiologist came wheeling into the room with his little cart, he just looked up, turned his cart around and went back out of the room. My husband thought that was the funniest thing ever! At that point the whole room flooded with people, I stopped counting in my mind around 14, the doctor and medical student, anestesiolgist (who what, wanted to stick around for the show?!?), the nurse for me, two medical staff that stood in the back, the NICU neonatologist and 5 nurses for Jonah, it was a regular three ring circus, and everyone was standing around watching me labor so they could do what they needed to do.

The actual pushing wasn't too long, about a dozen pushes (or probably only 8 after I figured out how to push) and Jonah was born! 6lbs 6oz and 18-3/4 inches long, very good size for 6 weeks premature! We heard a short cry before they intubated him and got him set to be transferred to the NICU. I knew from all my crazy research that that was a good sign. They did ask if my husband wanted to cut the cord and wheeled him over so I could take a quick peek into the isolette but we were so concerned about getting him where he needed to go that we didn't really savor the experience. After they took Jonah they finished up with me and called with an update one hour later. No absolutes yet, but things look pretty good. We went to our regular room while they cleaned up and got Jonah settled. We had him just before midnight and it was nearly 2am by the time we got to see him but I know it could be so much worse so I'm grateful for all the nurses that were wonderful that first night. We were back in our room by 3:30am, leaving Jonah to recuperate and us to catch a bit of sleep before morning. Once I got to see Jonah I was much happier, this action was so much better than the waiting and worrying and I felt oddly pretty calm considering the circumstances that first night.