Fast forward through the morning (all day) sickness, trips to the ER and an all around uncomfortable pregnancy (where was that honeymoon phase everyone kept talking about?)
and....
Larson Charles Doleman entered the world on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:42 pm. He weighed 6 lbs, 12 oz and was 18.9 inches long. After he stubbornly refused to come on his own, I was induced that morning at Willis Knighton Hospital in Bossier. He was due on the 16th, one day after my birthday, but after waiting 5 more days the doc decided to evict him. I can't say I didn't agree with her.
We arrived at the hospital at 1 am. I was so nervous I could barely get any sleep before we left. Once I crossed the threshold of my room I was poked and prodded in more places I thought were possible. The nurses hooked me up to the monitors and there I lay. The nurses noticed I was actually contracting on my own. But after each contraction, the baby's heart rate would plummet. I was supposed to be given a medication to help me dilate, but the nurses feared this would complicate the labor.
Around 7 my doctor came in and noticed that I'd dilated to 2 cm. Realize that I was not dilated at all the previous morning. I was excited. The contractions weren't painful and I was feeling pretty good.
Then they gave me the Pitocin. WHAT?! That stuff kicked in hard! I don't know how long it was before the anesthesiologist arrived, but she was a Godsend. Jason left the room while they gave me the epidural. When he returned he had this look of shock on his face. He said when he left I was in pain and uncomfortable. When he came back I was a totally different person, smiling and looking happy. Larson's heart rate was still dropping after the contractions, so they put an internal monitor on the baby. After a few hours they didn't like the results, so they put me on oxygen and had me switch sides periodically.
During the afternoon my friend Moe stopped by to visit. She hung out with me when Jason took a lunch break. It was good to have the company since I was getting a bit nervous.
When the nurses came back, they said it was time to push. I couldn't believe it. It seemed so easy. I couldn't feel a thing. Jason, Moe and the nurses were great coaches. Moe was snapping photos for us. And then the nurses noticed that Larson wasn't coming down like he should. I was checked again and I was only at 5 cm. FIVE! So, back down I went for a few more hours. Moe had to go back to work, but said she'd come back later to see how things were going.
After a while the epidural was wearing off and I could feel everything....including the back labor. "How on Earth do women do this naturally?!," I thought. The doctor came in and I heard her say, "Martine I know you didn't want a c-section...." She said the labor was not progressing as it should. I'd been stuck at 5 cm for hours. I could wait and see, but she recommended a c-section since I'd probably end up having one anyway. GRRR!
So, they began prepping me for a c-section. Jason had to leave and get ready. They wheeled me to the operating room and gave me more meds. My arms were strapped down. The only thought running through my mind was, "They're going to cut me while I'm awake. They're going to cut me while I'm awake...." I made sure they gave me enough to not feel anything. I asked the doctor how will they know if I have enough and she said she'd already began cutting.
The room was spinning and my hearing was muffled. I don't remember my first child being born. I don't remember hearing him cry. I remember seeing Jason on my right. Then he was gone. Then he returned with our son in his arms. And then he was gone again.
Jason was waiting for me in Recovery with Moe. She had arrived just as they were prepping me for the c-section. She took some photos of Larson and showed them to me. I couldn't hold him at first because I was so shaky from the meds. They finally placed him in my arms and I got a good look at him. He was beautiful. I was a Mom.
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