When I found out I was pregnant with Ligon, Bethany was only 4 months old. It was quite a shock, and one that didn't wear off until I was about 8 months pregnant! My due date was February 28th. It was Leap Year, so my doctor put the pressure on to induce on the 29th. He wanted me to have a Leap Year baby. Me? Not so much! I hated the thought of having a baby on a "weird day!"
When would we celebrate his birthday?
Me: Well, on the 28th, of course! His birthday is the last day of the month.
Roger: No, on March 1st! The 28th isn't his birthday.
Yeah, having a baby on the 29th really wasn't good for anyone!
Ian and I have birthdays in February, and everyone else is in different months, so we thought it would be great to have a March baby. We planned to induce one week after my due date, on March 5th. I have never gone into labor on my own, so we always plan to induce at some point.
Early in February we found out that Roger would be out of town the weekend following the 5th and I just couldn't see how coming home from the hospital and him leaving a few days later would be a good thing.
I didn't want to go more than a week overdue. Anytime I have been more than a week overdue there has been meconium. Bethany was only one day overdue, and there was meconium, but I attributed that to a stomach virus I had the day before I had her.
So, we decided to induce almost a week early...on the 22nd. It's a great date...2/22/12!
I went into the hospital the night before. (We passed 22 deer in a field on the way to the hospital!) I was dilated 2-3 cm. The doctor ordered cytotec to help soften my cervix. I really thought it would put me in labor, but it didn't. The next morning the doctor came early and broke my water and I started on Pitocin.
From the moment the doctor broke my water, Ligon began having problems with labor. There was A LOT of thick meconium. We were not expecting this! A week early, and thick meconium?! We suddenly saw that it was a blessing that we induced early. Ligon would have either been very, very sick if we had gone past the due date, or more than likely...would not have survived. We can certainly see how God ordered our steps!
For hours, Ligon's heartrate was up and down. Nurses were running in my room at least every 10 minutes telling me to turn to my other side. They were having a hard time getting him stable. "C-section" was thrown around several times. I was so worried about him that I considered asking for a c-section a few times.
Finally, his heartrate seemed to settle, but he was no longer moving. They came in to tell me that they needed him to wake up and move around. They told me it was not normal for him to be so still during contractions. More fear and worry. They talked to the doctor and decided to give me sugar water through my iv. It worked! The poor little guy needed some food!
With Lauren, our first baby, I got an epidural, but had several complications. So, with the next 5 babies, I delivered naturally...with no medication. I had been told by an anesthesiologist that I would probably have the same complications with future epidurals because of scar tissue from a past back surgery.
I decided to meet with an anesthesiologist during my pregnancy with Ligon to get a second opinion. He was willing to try an epidural, and believed he could get it to work. He offered to be on-call for me, so he could be there to do the epidural. He even rearranged his schedule, so he would be at my hospital the day I delivered!
In the afternoon, I decided to try an epidural. I was so scared! The complications I had before were awful, and I couldn't imagine doing that again. The doctor came in and prepped me. He got it in...and he did it fast! I couldn't believe it! It wasn't until he was done that he told me how nervous he was to do this for me, and he has done this procedure thousands of times! He figured out quickly that my spinal space is more shallow than normal, so he was able to get it in without puncturing through.
The epidural was a blessing in many ways. As soon as I got the epidural Ligon seemed to handle labor much better, my labor got into a good pattern, and I was pain-free! The relief was amazing!
A few hours after I got the epidural I began feeling the contractions on one side. Ouch! It was really painful, but such a relief not to feel the pain all over. It was helpful because I knew when I needed to push, and it helped to push through the pain. Thankfully, the epidural worked, so that I didn't have to feel him while he was coming out. That was the biggest relief of all!
After pushing through two contractions Ligon was born!!! Because of the thick Meconium there was a large team of doctor's, nurses, and respiratory therapists in the room when he was born. I didn't get to hold him, or see him for the first 25 minutes. He was still in my room, but the team was working on him, trying to make sure he was suctioned well, and monitoring whether he had aspirated meconium into his lungs, which would have made him very sick. After 25 minutes they declared that he was healthy, meconium-free, and ready for his mommy and daddy to see him and hold him.
And here we are...one year later!
I am so glad this little guy is in our family. He is so much fun! He is happy, content, cuddly at times, very ticklish, a good eater...and very loved! We all adore him. Bethany is his little mother hen. She hasn't been jealous of him at all...she just wants to take care of him. She is constantly in his face saying, "Awwwwww....baby." I think the two littles will grow up to have a great relationship.
Happy Birthday, lil' Lig!
When would we celebrate his birthday?
Me: Well, on the 28th, of course! His birthday is the last day of the month.
Roger: No, on March 1st! The 28th isn't his birthday.
Yeah, having a baby on the 29th really wasn't good for anyone!
Ian and I have birthdays in February, and everyone else is in different months, so we thought it would be great to have a March baby. We planned to induce one week after my due date, on March 5th. I have never gone into labor on my own, so we always plan to induce at some point.
Early in February we found out that Roger would be out of town the weekend following the 5th and I just couldn't see how coming home from the hospital and him leaving a few days later would be a good thing.
I didn't want to go more than a week overdue. Anytime I have been more than a week overdue there has been meconium. Bethany was only one day overdue, and there was meconium, but I attributed that to a stomach virus I had the day before I had her.
So, we decided to induce almost a week early...on the 22nd. It's a great date...2/22/12!
I went into the hospital the night before. (We passed 22 deer in a field on the way to the hospital!) I was dilated 2-3 cm. The doctor ordered cytotec to help soften my cervix. I really thought it would put me in labor, but it didn't. The next morning the doctor came early and broke my water and I started on Pitocin.
From the moment the doctor broke my water, Ligon began having problems with labor. There was A LOT of thick meconium. We were not expecting this! A week early, and thick meconium?! We suddenly saw that it was a blessing that we induced early. Ligon would have either been very, very sick if we had gone past the due date, or more than likely...would not have survived. We can certainly see how God ordered our steps!
For hours, Ligon's heartrate was up and down. Nurses were running in my room at least every 10 minutes telling me to turn to my other side. They were having a hard time getting him stable. "C-section" was thrown around several times. I was so worried about him that I considered asking for a c-section a few times.
Finally, his heartrate seemed to settle, but he was no longer moving. They came in to tell me that they needed him to wake up and move around. They told me it was not normal for him to be so still during contractions. More fear and worry. They talked to the doctor and decided to give me sugar water through my iv. It worked! The poor little guy needed some food!
With Lauren, our first baby, I got an epidural, but had several complications. So, with the next 5 babies, I delivered naturally...with no medication. I had been told by an anesthesiologist that I would probably have the same complications with future epidurals because of scar tissue from a past back surgery.
I decided to meet with an anesthesiologist during my pregnancy with Ligon to get a second opinion. He was willing to try an epidural, and believed he could get it to work. He offered to be on-call for me, so he could be there to do the epidural. He even rearranged his schedule, so he would be at my hospital the day I delivered!
In the afternoon, I decided to try an epidural. I was so scared! The complications I had before were awful, and I couldn't imagine doing that again. The doctor came in and prepped me. He got it in...and he did it fast! I couldn't believe it! It wasn't until he was done that he told me how nervous he was to do this for me, and he has done this procedure thousands of times! He figured out quickly that my spinal space is more shallow than normal, so he was able to get it in without puncturing through.
The epidural was a blessing in many ways. As soon as I got the epidural Ligon seemed to handle labor much better, my labor got into a good pattern, and I was pain-free! The relief was amazing!
A few hours after I got the epidural I began feeling the contractions on one side. Ouch! It was really painful, but such a relief not to feel the pain all over. It was helpful because I knew when I needed to push, and it helped to push through the pain. Thankfully, the epidural worked, so that I didn't have to feel him while he was coming out. That was the biggest relief of all!
After pushing through two contractions Ligon was born!!! Because of the thick Meconium there was a large team of doctor's, nurses, and respiratory therapists in the room when he was born. I didn't get to hold him, or see him for the first 25 minutes. He was still in my room, but the team was working on him, trying to make sure he was suctioned well, and monitoring whether he had aspirated meconium into his lungs, which would have made him very sick. After 25 minutes they declared that he was healthy, meconium-free, and ready for his mommy and daddy to see him and hold him.
And here we are...one year later!
I am so glad this little guy is in our family. He is so much fun! He is happy, content, cuddly at times, very ticklish, a good eater...and very loved! We all adore him. Bethany is his little mother hen. She hasn't been jealous of him at all...she just wants to take care of him. She is constantly in his face saying, "Awwwwww....baby." I think the two littles will grow up to have a great relationship.
Happy Birthday, lil' Lig!
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