It all started on the eve of Halloween where I felt the pain of real contractions. I went to bed around 9:30 that night and just couldn't fall asleep because my stomach was aching. As time went on that night my pain kept getting stronger and I was moaning and groaning. I tried not to wake Quentin up and I somewhat succeeded. Before we went to bed he suggested that I call the doctor and ask him what is wrong with me but I said that I would be okay. Well, I wasn't feeling too okay in the morning. My pain continued and I realized that they might be contractions. I told Quentin and he was asked me what he can do to distract my mind from the pain. I told him there really wasn't anything he could do. He went and got UNO for us to play. It did help somewhat. Afternoon came and I was still having these contractions not knowing they were serious. Quentin finally convinced me that we should talk to the doctor. So he texted him and the doctor said to come into the office to see how strong my contractions were. We got dressed and drove to the office.
I get into a room and the doctor comes in, checks to see if I was dilated or not. His face got all serious and said that I was in labor and that my cervix or uterus or something (I forgot) is paper thin and that we need to go to the hospital now. He said that my labor wasn't progressing because the baby was breach. I got a little nervous. We made our way to the hospital, checked in, and met the doctor in the labor and delivery area. I was assigned a room, got dressed in the robe the hospital makes you wear, and then was flooded with nurses. They were dressed up as the cast of Peter Pan for Halloween. That made me laugh a little and feel less nervous. I was laying in bed having one nurse stick me with an IV, another nurse asking me a bunch of questions, and another nurse getting things ready for the doctors. I was distracted from my pain because I had to answer a bunch of questions AND I was getting poked at and that hurt.
My doctor comes into the room with another doctor. They did an ultrasound on my stomach to see what they needed to do and then poured a bunch of cold greasy stuff on my stomach. They talked to each other, coordinating what to do and then they started pushing on my stomach trying to turn the baby around so it's head would be pointing downward and I could push it out. Man, I tell you what! That was the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life! I would not want to go through that again! But I did. They had to do it twice more because the first time they didn't succeed. I cried and cried and the nurses were massaging my legs and telling me that I was doing good and that it would be over soon. I was thinking, "HA! Not soon enough!" Quentin was there the whole time kissing my forehead and holding my hand. I am grateful that he was there to calm me down a little.They decided that the cord was probably around my baby's neck and that is why they couldn't turn the baby around. So I had two options. 1.) Have the baby breach and have serious risks to both the baby and me or 2.) Have a Cesarean birth for the baby. The C-section had less risks and I looked at Quentin. We decided to have the Cesarean.
So they made preparations while I got to be with Quentin for a little bit. I told him that I really didn't want to have a C-section and he said that he knows but it is the only way now and that it is going to happen. I was crying still because of the left over pain and because I was nervous and scared to have surgery.
I had to sign a couple papers saying that I agreed to have the surgery and to have a spinal tap.
They push my bed over to the surgery room and right when my bed entered the surgery room I got SUPER scared. Quentin had to wait outside while they numb me and prepare their equipment and stuff. The room was really cold and bright. They got me some warm blankets because I was shaking really bad. They sat me up and gave me the spinal tap to make me numb from the chest down. They had to try a couple times because I am a small person and they couldn't find the place they needed to stick me. It didn't hurt when they stuck the needle in. It did feel weird though to feel the numbing medicine go through and work immediately. They laid me down and said that the dad could come in. They put a sheet covering in front of me so I wouldn't see them cutting me open and my guts being outside of my body. They asked us if it was a boy or girl and we told them we didn't know. They got all excited and shouted, "A surprise baby! We love those! We don't get many of those." I am glad that I made them happy...
They asked me if I could feel anything and I said no but that I know that they are touching me. One of the surgery people took a Popsicle stick and broke it in half then stabbed my shoulder with it. She told me to remember what that felt like and then she proceeded to stab my belly and legs. I told that I couldn't feel the same stabbing pain but I knew that she was stabbing me. She told the doctors that I was reading to be operated on. Quentin was standing next to me, smiling. The anesthesiologist provided a chair for Quentin just in case he got queasy. I then hear one of the doctors say, "Okay, lets start cutting." I look at Quentin and thought to myself, "I really didn't need to hear them say that." I guess Quentin knew what I was thinking and then started talking to me to distract my mind. A nurse lady talked to me too. Quentin watched the whole operation and didn't even look like he was getting sick. I think he enjoyed looking at me getting manhandled. I was very proud of him.
After about seven, eight minutes I hear a baby crying and then everyone rushing to get it and clean it up. They then called out that it was a boy! I thought, "YAY! I got a boy! Now can I please see my baby?!" They brought him over so that I could see him. Quentin had to hold him because I was strapped down and still shaking. One of the ladies there asked us if we had a name and I said that we chose Oliver Niel. They then said that they like the name Oliver.
I was overwhelmed with joy and I couldn't take my eyes off of Oliver. Quentin's face was filled with happiness and joy also. They told us that Oliver weighed 6 pounds and was 19 inches long and that he was born around 4:30 in the afternoon. Then they had to put me back together and Quentin followed Oliver to the nursery. I'm glad the doctors didn't really talk while they were putting my guts back inside of me. I could feel them tugging at me fiercely but was grateful that I couldn't feel the real pain that it would have been. After the doctors were done I was transferred to another bed and I laughed a little inside because they had to move me to the other bed because I was numb. I am sorry if I broke someone's back because I weighed so much. Okay, I didn't weigh that much.
I was then transferred to a room where I would be for the remainder of my stay at the hospital. The nurses that were assigned to me this time weren't as much fun as the first ones I had. After a while Quentin and Oliver entered my room where we got to be alone for a little while. I couldn't eat anything but they said that I could drink water. And man did I drink like crazy! Quentin spent the night there and then left in the morning to go to work. We didn't get much sleep that night because nurses kept coming in and checking up on me and stuff. I got to spend the entire day with Oliver. I swear, I could not take my eyes off of him, he looked so peaceful, quite, and so handsome. A lactation lady came in and taught me how to breastfeed him. Nurses kept coming in and interrupting my time with Oliver and also whenever Quentin came to visit. One of the days that I stayed there Quentin's boss and coworker came to visit me and Oliver and gave us congrats.
Thursday(the day after Halloween) the nurses told me to take a shower and to remove the "marshmallow" bandage off of my incision. I obeyed them. After my shower I started feeling like I was going to faint and so I sat down on the toilet and pulled a red cord sending a signal to the nurses that I wasn't okay. They rushed in and asked Quentin if I was alright and he didn't have a clue what was going on. They came into the bathroom and started helping me come back. They were spraying this stuff that smelled awful but it made me conscious. They then asked me my name and the name of my newborn child. Two nurses helped me into a wheelchair and I was carried into my bed. They gave me water and then asked me if I was alright. I said yes and then they left the room. Quentin looked at me with concern. I told him what happened and said that next time my shower will be a quick one so the heat doesn't effect me too much. That was pretty much all the excitement that happened.
I stayed at the hospital for three days. I left on Friday. It took us about three hours to be discharged because they had to look at the baby and "teach" me things. The things they taught me were pretty much common sense and I couldn't believe that some people are that dumb. Quentin packed our things up and I got dressed in my normal clothes. It hurt to wear them because it pushed up against my incision. They then brought Oliver in and told Quentin and I that he lost 10% of his birth weight and that he has some jaundice. They told me that my milk wasn't enough for him and that after I breastfeed him that I should feed him formula to top off his feeding time to satisfy him. Quentin and I really didn't want to feed our child formula but decided that it might be best for him so he could get better. A nurse wheel chaired me out while Quentin carried Oliver in his car seat out of the hospital. The nurse told me to take it easy for two weeks and then to not do anything extreme for three months. She told Quentin to treat me like the Queen of Sheba and to help me out as much as possible. The car ride was bumpy and it kind of hurt me. It felt so good to be home and to not be interrupted by a bunch of nurses. It was good to just sit down and sit with my beautiful baby boy and husband.
Its funny, Quentin and I teased about having a Halloween baby and look at what we got. A Halloween baby! I wonder how his birthday parties are going to turn out. Just so you know, Halloween is my favorite holiday so I will be having lots of fun with Oliver's birthday. It feels so good to be a mommy even though it is a lot of work. But it is work that I don't mind doing. Oliver is such a blessing in our lives and now that he is here, I don't know how we lived without him. He completes our family. I love getting to know his little spirit and to be with him all day and all night. I like having "skin to skin" time with him because he gets to listen to my heart and he somehow comforts me when he is laying on my chest. I love his smile and the little things that he does with his lips. I love it when he is awake and I get to see his beautiful observant eyes. His little cries are adorable. I love it when is tiny hand is wrapped around my finger.I love watching him breathe. I like singing church songs to him and I think he enjoys it too. Oliver jumps at everything even his own hiccups which is super cute. He drowns in most of his newborn clothes, I think he is more a premature size. He is such a good baby! He only cries when he is hungry or when he is trying to poop something serious. He lets us sleep up to three hours at a time during the night. I am so in love with this kid! I can't really explain how I feel. It is just amazing!
Quentin is doing well. He is being such a good daddy and husband. He literally helps me with everything. He gets the cereal down for me so I don't have to stretch and open my wound up. He helps me walk to the bedroom. He changes a bunch of Oliver's diapers. Quentin reads to Oliver and me. He holds Oliver when my arms get tired of nursing him. Quentin is such a big help and I am glad that I have him as my husband. Quentin is so sweet around Oliver. He will be talking to him and I will interrupt thinking he is talking to me and he will tell me that I am not a part of this conversation. It makes me laugh. I love seeing my two boys together. I am grateful to have Quentin around that he works at home. I don't know if I could do it by myself. I love my life right now! God has blessed me abundantly. I keep thinking life can't get any better but it keeps getting better.
We went to the doctor's office to have a well baby check and the doctor said that he has gained his weight back and more. He is now 6 pounds 1 ounce and his jaundice is mostly gone. He is a healthy baby. I am grateful to have a healthy child and that I don't have to worry about him and his weight.
Here are some pictures:
Daddy wearing his "Halloween" costume outside of the surgery room.
Sweet sweet Oliver
Our first family photo. I look drugged. I have a temperature sticker on my forehead.
Oliver with his eyes wide open for the first time.
My two men taking a nap.
Having some Father and son time.
Isn't that the cutest little ear you ever did see?
Tried to get his smile but I was a little to late. He is kind of smiling.
This is his serious face he makes when he is sleeping. It is so cute.
I certainly got a treat on Halloween. I bought a lot of candy to give out to trick o' treaters but I was in the hospital. So now I have all this candy and I can't return it. That was the only downside to being in the hospital. I almost wanted Quentin to leave me and to go home and give out candy to little kids, but I wanted him at the hospital with me. I guess I will have to eat all this candy. I wonder how long it will take me and Quentin...
