Friday night, May 4, we went to the hospital to once again try induction. I felt much better about it this time, but was still nervous we'd be sent home in the morning. The night is a bit of a blur to me, but I believe it was around 2am that I started having good, strong, regular contractions. I wanted to make sure this was the real deal, so I held off on getting an epidural. Took another drug instead which didn't really help with the pain, but I was able to relax in between contractions.
A few (?) hours later it appeared that this was for real and we weren't going to be sent home, so I went ahead and got the epidural. Ahhhh..... It was probably a couple hours after that that the doctor decided to break my water. (For those of you who don't want gory details, skip this part...) He could tell there was alot of fluid and didn't want it to "gush" as that could cause problems with the umbilical cord and positioning, etc. so he just pricked it instead. The nurse just could not get over how much fluid there was. I think after they saw that they realized why he had been so hard to track on the monitor - room enough for two, crazy amount of fluid - he was just having a good ol' time swimming around in there! The nurse that we spent the most time with told me to let her know someday if he becomes captain of the swim team. :)
The doctor knew at this point that Levi wasn't positioned correctly, and was hoping that by breaking my water and keeping labor moving that he would adjust. After a couple more hours Levi was still trying to come shoulder first. The doctor tried to move him externally, but it wasn't going to happen, so he told us I was going to need a c-section. Wow. Was not mentally prepared for that one! The doctor said it would be about 30 - 45 minutes, but then Levi's heart rate started dropping so they began moving pretty quick. They had to get monitors, IV's, etc. unplugged and transport me down a few floors to an operating room.
We got down there and Mike had to wait outside the room for a bit while they got things ready. It's kind of surreal to go from being in labor thinking I'm close to delivering my baby normally, to being in the midst of the buzz of surgery prep all within a few minutes. Anesthesiologist talking me through everything (he was the only one on my side of the curtain - besides Mike - and was really great through the whole thing), a couple doctors and a few nurses getting things set up. I'll admit I was kind of freaking out inside, just praying over and over that everything would be okay. But, at the end when they were wheeling me out the doctor commented on how calm, cool, and collected I was. :)
It felt like forever when they brought Mike in and got started. They asked if he wanted to watch, and he didn't hesitate one second on that one - nope! They had to work a bit to get Levi out, I could tell it was taking more effort than normal. But, they got him out, quick showed him to me, then went to take care of him. He looked alot like Logan when he came out - purple, limp, and not crying. I was just waiting and waiting to hear him cry, it took a bit, but that was one of the sweetest noises I've ever heard! I did lose quite a bit of blood because they tore an artery trying to get him out, but that didn't end up being a serious issue.
They didn't have a scale down in the OR, and I was SO curious to find out what he weighed! Mike went back upstairs with Levi and the nurse while they stitched me up and got me to the recovery room. I had to stay there for a bit and the whole time I'm just thinking, "I'm fine, I'm fine, just get me upstairs so I can see my baby!" Finally they brought me upstairs and as they're wheeling me back into my room Mike asks how much I think Levi weighs. I figured he was 10 lbs, and when Mike said 11lbs 2oz I could hardly believe it!
After a little while my parents, Mike's parents, and Caleb and Logan came for a visit. Caleb and Logan didn't seem too out of sorts about it. Logan walked in saying something about bringing Baby Levi a balloon, Caleb had a bit of a wondering look on his face for just a bit, but then they took a few minutes to say 'hi' and check him out, then they were busy playing with the balloons they brought Levi. :)
Once again, we had a great experience at the hospital. The nurses are all awesome - very kind, caring, and never seem too busy. Some of them we spent quite a bit of time with and we enjoyed visiting with them, hope they didn't get too sick of us. :)
We're so thankful that Levi is here and healthy, even though the Lord had a different plan than we did!
How do you drop tears on a blog? We thank God for his protection and provision for you and Levi. I know God is good, no matter what, but how grateful we are for this exciting outcome! He's a honey...
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