Thumbs-upThursday is here at BSOD ❤

Today's beautiful belly picture comes from bff Joy.  

Joy's bump is actually carrying her niece or nephew!

I ♥ surrogacy

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Today's friend of the show is Jodie Adamson of "Skinies"

Skinies turns any shirt into a nursing shirt AND slims your tummy for EASY and beautiful nursing!

http://www.skinies.com/

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Today's featured birth story is a surgical delivery story:

Michelle's birth of Zachary

           On Friday, December 10, I lost my plug but had no other signs of labor.  My family doctor had scheduled me for induction on Monday, December 13 due to baby size, swelling, and high blood pressure.  The OB, however, refused to assist my doctor, which was mandatory due to my previous cesarean section.  I had a non-stress test (NST) done on Monday Dec. 13 and Zachary was perfect passing all the tests.  They were still convinced he was over l0lbs.  I saw the OB on Tuesday, Dec. 14; he examined me and said that he would induce me in a week.  This concerned me because if I had a C-section, then I would end up in the hospital over Christmas.  I finally managed to compromise with the OB to induce no later than Monday, December 20.

          On Friday, December 17 I had a small bloody show at 10:30 a.m.  I had called the doctor to get my induction info for Monday and by the time she called back, I had a huge bloody show and was swelling.  She suggested I go for an NST to be sure baby was okay, and he was.  She also suggested bringing my bag (secretly I really think she knew I had given her that tiny excuse needed to induce me THAT day, although she never really said that!)  So at 2:00 p.m. we arranged care for our other children, and Peter and I were off to the hospital.  At this point there were no contractions, just the lost plug, bloody show, 0% effaced and about 3cm dilated.  My doctor saw me after the NST and suggested we monitor the baby with external monitors.  Well, it seems I was having contractions every 10 minutes and didn't have a clue!  After two hours and still having contractions, the doctor decided to break my water and get this wonderful miracle on its way.

          There was a huge amount of meconium in the amniotic fluid which could be a concern with Zachary's lungs.  My water was broken at 4:00 p.m. and it gushed until 7:00 p.m.  The Pitocin drip was started to try to even out the contractions.  I walked around for a bit, and then sent Peter home to take clothes to the kids and come back since not much was happening.  Well, while he was gone for the hour, I began moaning.  I became 75% effaced and 7cm dilated.  I decided I needed drugs!  The hospital was extremely short staffed so I rode some of this out alone, which was okay with me.  Bad enough that I had bumped myself ahead of the other six moms awaiting induction!

          Everyone was back in the room and the epidural was inserted.  The contractions became stronger and after a couple hours the epidural was not helping and needed to be topped off again.  Around 10:00 p.m. I was checked again and was 100% effaced and 10cm dilated.  I began pushing.  It was not successful.  The easiest way I can describe it is this:  My pelvis is a shape sorter; Zachary's head is the shape, both ovals...his head was turned and the oval shape was sideways against the oval pelvis space.  He was too high up to reach and the only option was to use forceps or the vacuum but there was a 75% chance of damage to Zachary and/or permanent damage to my uterus... just not an option to us.  The doctors are obligated to tell you all the options though.  The use of the Pitocin caused Zachary's heart rate to drop to 94 and my blood pressure to shoot up to 175/something.  We stopped it, but that also stopped and/or slowed the contractions.

          It seems the C-section was my only option now, and surprisingly I was okay with it.  I would still be home for Christmas.  Peter, on the other hand, was devastated and headed for the bathroom, for which I would find out later, was a good cry.  He has only ever cried twice for the birth of our other two children.  So off we roll to the operating room.  I was checked for numbness, curtain goes up and belly is prepped.  Peter broke my heart crying quietly through the whole thing while I cracked jokes to try and lighten the mood.  After all, I knew what to expect.  I had already been here.

          Zachary was born with one big OOMPH!  He was shown to me only for a split second, and taken to the baby bed.  Suddenly I became alarmed.  There was no crying.  They did tell me that they may have to suction his lungs because of all the meconium in the amniotic fluid, and I could see that's what they were doing.  A good five minutes passed, I was told he was breathing but for a new mom, I needed to hear that cry.  Finally he screamed, and I cried.  He was fine.  His Apgars were 6 and 9.  Everyone had guessed his weigh and the anesthesiologist guessed it right on.  I was able to give Zachary a kiss and Peter stayed with him and also watched them close me up.

          The worst part of the delivery was the uncontrollable shakes I had from the epidural; this was new to me and I didn't like it.  Next I was off to recovery where I was covered with a heated blanket.  I tried nursing Zachary but he was very sleepy.  Peter, Zachary, and I were taken to our room where Peter stayed the night.  I stayed up all night watching my beautiful miracle sleep.  The next day Peter brought the kids to meet their new brother - love at first sight!

          I was up and walking a bit, surprising considering I was flat on my back for two days after my previous C-section.  Because of my C-section, the milk supply had not come in; it takes awhile longer sometimes.  I became frustrated not being able to nurse and feed my baby.  He screamed, and I cried.  One of the nurses pushed to start him on formula; the doctor did not agree.  The other moms in the room had their babies but they were all in NICU, eight weeks early and four weeks early.  I felt bad keeping them up at night with Zachary unhappy, but they were all very understanding.  Zachary was not getting any thick nutritious milk other than the colostrum but it was making me very upset.  I also could not sleep so the doctor's decided that if I had 24-hour care that I could go home.  The catheter and IV were removed on Day two then Day three I went home, ironically on my planned induction day!  I cried the second day home with my milk not being in fully.  Once I used Purelan on my sore nipples, and when the morphine wore off, my milk came in full force; happy days were ahead.  I could concentrate on my recovery.