Chris and I celebrated Christmas in bed! Since I was on still on bed rest, we ate and opened all of our presents in bed. The day was fun, but around 9:00pm, my contractions started back up. Chris and I tried everything possible to slow them down, but my body had it’s own plan. We arrived at the hospital around 1:30am.
After my visit in triage, where they told me I was 100% effaced and already dilated to 2cm, I was checked back into Labor and Delivery. They checked me into the very same room as before, #3. Over the course of the night, I saw two different doctors. It was nice to receive different professional opinions, but both doctors had the same thing to say. Our second doctor put it this way, “honey, it doesn’t matter if you were flat on your back or playing tennis, your body was ready to deliver and you are in labor. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.”
My contractions were worsening , but the anesthesiologist was busy with a C-section. A couple hours later, I finally received my epidural!! The anesthesiologist was a saint, and stopped the pain immediately. After that, we simply had to wait for my body to become fully dilated. Over the next couple hours, the nurse and the doctor continued to check my progress. We were excstatic when the doctor finally said I was dilated to 9cm, which is referred to as rimming. She said it would soon be time to start pushing.
Mom and Dad came to say their goodbyes and wish us luck! With the pain finally gone, I was able to apply a little makeup for the big event! (Mom found this quite comical and entertaining!)
I had more than the normal amount of fluid in my body, so Carter decided to float back up, which took me back to 5cm. This meant more waiting. After about an hour of no progress, Dr. Bower decided to break my water, which kept Carter from floating back up. She was hesitant to do this at first, due to the fear the umbilical cord getting tangled up.
After about 2 hours, I was fully dilated and the doctor told us it was time to start pushing. Four contractions later, I delivered Mr. Carter Austin Weigand. He weighed 4lbs, 13.8 oz and was 18 3/4 inches long!! (Chris was 19 inches long when he was born, weighing double Carter’s weight, 9lbs! Basketball coaches, get ready!!)
While Chris was busy taking pictures of our screaming little boy, the doctors quickly examined Carter, and gave him a 9 out of 10, on the Apgar, health test. We were overjoyed, as we had been very worried about his breathing capabilities right after delivery.
I was briefly able to hold and kiss my little angel before the nurses whisked him away. It was love at first sight, as every Mom can testify.
Chris and Grandpa visited Carter minutes later in the NICU. Dad took some great shots of Baby Carter in his first hat; his UT Longhorn hat from his Grandma Helen!
The doctor finished stitching me up (episiotomy), and told me great job. I don’t remember much after that. I do remember I was starving and was finally able to eat a small sandwich. (Food is always on the brain, whether you’re pregnant or breast feeding/pumping, lol!) I had not been able to eat or drink anything for previous 24 hours, for fear of complications arising, which would have resulted in a c-section.
After delivery, they transfered me to a room in the postpartum wing. I slept for a couple of hours and then pumped for the first time. The nurses were blown away by the amount of colostrum I was able to produce. I hope to breast feed for at least 6 months, so I was very relieved and elated that my body was already producing the necessary fluids!
Carter spent the night in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and remained in stable condition. He was born at 32.5 gestational weeks, instead of the normal 38-42 weeks. Due to his early arrival, he will remain in the hospital until he reaches full term (5-8 more weeks), and is performing like a healthy newborn.
I’ll wrap this post up with a slideshow of Christmas day and Carter’s Birthday! The next update will give you a detailed summary of Carter’s health and all of his improvements!!
xoxo
Future Longhorn!
Mommy's first kiss
Daddy is in love
Filed under: Carter Weigand, Events, Family, Memorable Moments | Tagged: 32 weeks gestation, birth story, Labor and delivery, preterm delivery | 5 Comments »
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