How it all began: Part Two

The hours following Riley’s birth were nothing short of a whirlwind. Like a dream, I only remember snippets of our final moments in the delivery room. I was virtually oblivious to the “repair work” I was undergoing. I was focused across the room, watching Max and our new son. When they finally brought him back to me and laid him on my chest, I think my first words were, “Oh my God, look at his feet!” Riley’s feet and hands would be the topic of many conversations to come…the little monkey. Once we were moved to the recovery room, anxiously awaiting family members were allowed to come in and see the newest member of the family.

That evening, after all of the visitors left, it was just Max and I alone with Riley. We finally had our own little family! Max slept on the couch, I in my bed, and Riley was beside me in his bed. He was so little, so quiet, and didn’t make a move. I awoke several times that night, just to check on him and ensure that he was breathing!

The next day everything was seemingly well with both Riley and me. Late that morning though the nurse came in to do her checks and discovered that Riley’s temperature was a little high. Thinking it was the cozy new blanket that I had him wrapped in; I was instructed to take him out of it. Shortly after lunch, Riley was taken back for a routine circumcision. The next several hours would prove to be the longest of our lives. Riley seemed to have excessive bleeding from the surgery that they were not able to get stopped. We were assured that they were holding pressure on the area and he would be returned to us as soon as it was stopped. Hour after hour went by, no Riley.

A nurse finally came in and said that they had the bleeding under control but there was a new issue. His temperature was over 100. They were waiting to hear from the pediatrician on call and told me that since he was the only baby in the nursery, I could come back and nurse him. They never came to get me so I went to them. Im not sure if it was a lack of communication or something else but I didn’t get to feed him. Next thing we knew, they were taking him over to NICU. It had been about five or six hours since we had seen or held Riley and the situation was getting the best of us. We were finally able to go see him but were told that he would remain in NICU for 48 hours while they ran tests. My heart sincerely goes out to anyone who has complications with their newborn. Seeing your new baby hooked up to all kinds of monitors, without knowing what’s going on, is gut wrenching. Nothing could have prepared me for this emotional roller coaster. As if delivering you first child isn’t overwhelming enough, sitting helpless in that room was more than I could stand. I couldn’t look at him without my eyes welling up. Without feeling like it was all my fault.
Fortunately, there are a few nurses that are truly God’s special angels on earth. One particular nurse brought Riley this Purdue hat. A member of her church hand makes them for NICU babies. The hat warmed his head but the gesture truly warmed our hearts! Two very long days later we learned that everything was fine. The doctor, who was wonderful, said that the high temperature must have been a fluke. A fluke. We agonized over a fluke. But, Id rather take extra precautions for a fluke than be sent home with an issue.

Our final day there, we had to wait for the last test results to come back before being released. All of Riley’s monitor leads were removed and we were finally able to relax a bit. With much anticipated freedom, he and daddy watched their first Purdue football game together before going home. Though our stay was less than ideal, the important thing was that Riley was okay. And is still doing great! Babies typically lose weight after birth with the expectation that they’ll gain it back within two weeks. A week later he had his first checkup and weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz., a sure sign that he was doing wonderfully!

How it all began...

Wednesday, October 21st, at 7:00 am, Max and I headed to the hospital for the induction of our baby. 12 days past due, we were more than ready to get the show on the road. After checking in at the front desk, we were escorted up to the maternity ward and taken to the delivery room. We were not the only induction that day, we knew of two others, so the floor was sure to be busy all day long. All dressed and ready to go, Max and I waited for things to begin.
Before my doctor came in to see me, I was already 1 centimeter. Such exciting news considering the number of regular doctor appointments I had that showed no signs of progress up to that point. My body was finally starting to prepare on its own, which I hoped would pair nicely with the induction process. After the doctor came in to see me, the pitocin was ordered, the miracle medicine that would bring this baby out. Unfortunately though, we waited until 10:00 am before the nurse would bring it in and hook me up.

The first two hours progressed nicely. Contractions were starting, nothing painful, and I still had a smile on my face. This labor business isn’t so hard! Max and I continued to watch trashy television until the doctor would make her next round over the lunch hour. When she came in, I had dilated to 3 centimeters so she proceeded to break my water. A little unsure of how that would go, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t uncomfortable as I thought it would be. After all, each measure brought me another step closer to the baby’s arrival.

Before proceeding, let me rewind a bit. At one of our baby classes, where we were learning about epidurals, the anesthesiologist came in to talk to us. Very nice guy and quite funny too. “Two-Stick Dan” is what he claimed his nickname was…not exactly comforting for someone who would potentially be sticking a long needle into your back! His humor helped to relax the room during a somewhat scary conversation. When asked what the likeliness of paralysis was with epidurals, he calmly replied, Oh, not bad, about 1 in 3. Some of the younger parents-to-be failed to see the humor right away. He then skeptically asked if anyone in the room planned to deliver naturally, so I sheepishly raised my hand. Based on due dates, our baby was the first to be due in the class, and subsequently, I was probably the smallest expectant mother in the room as well. So I caught some heck for my desire to deliver naturally. Two Stick Dan wished me good luck but said he’d see me at the hospital…doubting my ability to tough it out.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er ah, hospital…the pitocin levels continued to increase over the next couple of hours, as did my contractions. The mild contractions I had felt earlier that morning gave way to more intense labor pains. The television was turned off, the window shades closed, and the iPod was playing…all helping to sooth my headache and pain. Because there was no clock in the room, I had difficulty keeping track of time. The nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 4 centimeters. Ugh, only 1 centimeter worth of progress since the doctor had been in. I was starting to think that perhaps it would be a very long afternoon, with no baby expected until later that evening. But the contractions kept coming and kept intensifying; signaling the fact that baby indeed was on its way. At one point, Two Stick Dan popped his head into the room to see how I was doing. Still skeptical, he said he’d see me later! Two Stick Dan obviously doesn’t know me very well.

I tried to stay positive through each contraction. Thankfully, Max was at my side, holding my grip and reminding me to breathe through each one. I was no longer able to get a break between each contraction; they were getting too close together. Sensing the need to go to the bathroom, I made a break for it one last time before the next contraction came. Getting stuck in the bathroom with my pants down (or shall I say, gown up) while hooked up to monitors is not the place I wanted to be when the next big contraction hit!

Once I got back to my bed I had an overwhelming sense of the shakes, like I was cold. Suddenly, I remembered “the shakes” being talked about in baby class as a sign of something…but what?! Neither Max nor I could recall at what stage the shakes came in or what they meant. At the next opportunity I told the nurse who in turn got me a blanket. We asked her what the shakes meant and she sort of dismissed it, thinking I indeed was cold because I had just gotten up and moved around. Remember, the last she checked I was at 4 centimeters.

Contractions were getting very intense. At one point I was sitting on the edge of the bed, Max in front of me helping me through each one, and I thought to myself, Im probably only 6 or 7 centimeters at this point. I don’t think I can do this, Im going to need the epidural. Then, a doozie of a contraction hit. But this one was different, this one left me feeling as if I needed to push. Max and I were alone in the room when I told him what I felt. We just looked at each other like, what the heck do we do now?! When the nurse came back in, I told her what I felt and she looked at me, in slight disbelief. Another contraction hit and yes, I definitely felt the urge to push! So the nurse said, let me just check you real quick… After doing so, she calmly stepped back, removed her gloves and said, you feel like you need to push because…you need to push! You’re about 9 and a half almost 10 centimeters! What?! What happened to 5, 6, 7, and 8?! She quickly left to go call the doctor, leaving me with instruction to NOT push until the doctor arrived. So for the next several minutes I crossed my legs and did whatever I could to not push. Thankfully, the doctor’s office is only a few minutes away from the hospital so she arrived rather quickly. Once we had word that she was in the building, the pushing began and ensued for about 30 minutes before little Riley Roger made his way into our world.

Daddy was convinced that Baby was going to be a girl, so imagine his elation when “she” turned out to be a “he”. Overcome with emotion is the best way I can describe his reaction, a true joy to see in the man that helped me through this wondrous journey. After he cut the cord, Daddy followed Riley over to the warmer where the nurse examined and bathed him. From the other side of the room, I watched as the two of them began their bonding while I completed the third stage of labor. To be continued...