Ethan had a scheduled c-section set for November 6th at 7 am (his due date was the 11th). Well, he had different ideas. October 30th (a week before), I had my normal appointment and everything was fine. No dilation, no contractions, nothing. So I go pick up my kids from Nancy's and take them home. Now this gets a little graphic. After being home for about an hour, I feel something wet. I was thinking that maybe my water broke, so I head to the bathroom and nope, it's blood. Then some bloody tissue (about the size of Logan's fist), falls out of me into the toilet. It didn't hurt when it fell out and I wasn't cramping or anything. Nothing was hurting, but it certainly made me nervous. So I put a pad in and went upstairs to call the doctor (I didn't want Logan to overhear the conversation and worry or ask questions about it). The bleeding slowed considerably after that came out, so the nurse said to just watch it and if it got worse or if I started having contractions, to go to the hospital. I texted Nate to let him know, then continued with life. I really did not want to have him yet because I had plans to get the house clean and to use my prep time to finish preparing for my long term sub. Well, that evening while we were carving pumpkins for family home evening, I started having contractions. They weren't strong at all. Just a tightening with no pain, so I didn't really say anything about it (plus I was in denial. I was not ready to have this baby yet!). We got the kids to bed and I told Nate that we might need to head to the hospital. I packed a hospital bag, emailed my principal, and started sub plans for the rest of this week (because my sub plans started the next week). Nate called his parents, did the dishes, and got our sheets in the laundry (so that his parents could sleep in our bed). They came, but I still was working on my sub plans. The contractions started getting a little stronger and were about 3 minutes apart. When I finally finished (about 10ish at night), we headed to the hospital.
Carving pumpkins while having contractions.
Cute video of Kylie dancing this night. I later learned too that Logan had prayed that the baby would come that day, even though we hadn't told the kids anything, and he did!
When we got there, they hooked me up to monitors and were doing different things to make sure it was really labor and that it wouldn't stop. It seemed like such a long time to wait and the contractions were getting stronger so I was getting quite uncomfortable.
Nate all ready to join me when it is time.
Around 1 am, they decided it really was labor and then things happened pretty fast. I was wheeled into the surgery room, given the spinal block, and the baby was born at 1:28 am. The spinal block was not given very well, or else they didn't wait long enough, or something, because the surgery was a bit painful, just like it was with Logan's. I could feel them cut, and they couldn't get Ethan out very easily so they were pushing on my stomach and pulling and yanking me around and it was quite painful. I was so glad when they finally got him out. I was in pain so I didn't pay too close attention to what he looked like, I just saw all of that dark hair! Then I could feel them stitching me up and the anesthesiologist finally got the message that I was hurting (despite the fact that Nate and I were telling him that while they were getting the baby out) and gave me some morphine and I started feeling better. This time, it didn't make me feel very sick either, I think because I was laying down. The doctor said my uterus was very thin, so I think that is why I was having so much pain during pregnancy when I walked. But he said there was hardly any scar tissue so I could have another baby if I wanted. I just should probably wait for at least 2 years. Anyway, that part was finally over and they wheeled me back to the labor and delivery room to wait for my baby and Nate. It took quite a long time for them to get there. But it gave me time to take some calming breaths and feel better. The nurse said Ethan had low blood sugar so they were waiting for that to get better.
So these are the pics of what was going on while I was waiting in the delivery room:
Apparently he really liked the bath. But he was crying through most of the other things.
A different baby in the background is crying.
Nate finally showed up and told me the stats (6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long) and that he had told the nurse that I wouldn't mind if they gave Ethan a bottle. Pretty soon after that, they brought him in and I could finally hold him. He was so little, even though he was our biggest (by an ounce). His hair looked just like Kylie's and he had the same dark toned skin. Turns out he was also jaundiced like Kylie. I tried to nurse him (they said he should still be hungry because they hadn't given him much), and he latched, but he just wasn't really sucking so I didn't worry about it.
Good picture of his cute hair!
A little later, they moved me to the recovery room. In the hospital, everything went the way it should. The pain was manageable, I was able to get up and walk around more than I have in past hospital stays, and no fainting! Yay! I think that was a first. I kind of wonder if part of the reason the walking wasn't so painful was because I was used to walking in pain for the last few months of my pregnancy. It just moved from my pelvis and hips to my stomach. Pain has been my life for months! I went home on time (instead of staying a day later like I did last time).
Grandma and Grandpa brought the kids to see their new little brother. Kylie mostly just wanted to hang out by me. I had to explain to her that she couldn't get on my lap, but she was happy just to sit next to me. Logan was very excited about having a new baby brother and he did such a good job of holding him! They both did. They were really sweet with him.
Since it was Halloween the day that Ethan was born, Nate took the kids out to do Trick-or-Treating. They just went around the Summers' neighborhood since that is where the kids were. So the candy we bought to have at our house never got put out! Oh well! We had just had a baby! And since I still wasn't able to get out of bed very easily to get the baby, I just sent the baby to the nursery for the evening and night. So I tried to get some much needed rest.
Kylie in the stroller with Anna. I imagine that Debbie didn't go out trick-or-treating since she was pretty far along in her pregnancy at this point!
Annika and Steven
Other than that, the hospital was normal. Cindy and Debbie came to visit and Nancy brought Grandma Hill and some of the teachers from my second grade team came and brought some presents. I also got a pedicure for my first time. I decided that I liked the facial better. It was more relaxing. And one of the nights, they did the candle light dinner for Nate and I. I walked around a bit more this time and spent more time by myself. Nate went home at nights to take care of the kids and put them to bed. I didn't stress about breastfeeding and just fed him bottles. That also helped me feel more calm about things. Then it was time to go home!
There was a volunteer who wheeled me out while Nate carried the baby and she was so funny! So Nate went to get the car, and put the baby carrier down for second to get his keys out of his pocket and the lady was so worried he was going to forget the baby! I was like, he's fine. This is our third. He knows what he's doing. And sure enough, he picked Ethan up and knew how to put him in the car. Nate actually had to install the car seat because we hadn't done that yet! I thought I had another week, you know!
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