Mr. T's Birth Story

Friday morning- last official belly shot

Let me start by saying that despite the way this labor started, I would not change a single thing about the delivery of Mr. T.  It was amazing!! Here is the story.........

I never thought I would be pregnant all the way to my due date and frankly, neither did my midwives.  The last two weeks I had several appointments and each time I was told, "any day now".  As a person with anxiety, this was not a good thing to tell me.  Despite my desire to let things happen as they are meant to, the wondering of "when will the time be" was just too much for my anxiety.  This lead us to make the decision to have an induction if I was still pregnant on Friday, July 8th.

In an attempt to not make it to Friday we did everything we could think of to get things started. The midwife stripped my membranes, I took castor oil, and I walked and walked and walked.  I don't recommend the castor oil.  It was so uncomfortable and didn't cause me to have a single contraction. Another induction method I tried was acupuncture.

According to my acupuncturist, it takes any where from 1 to 4 treatments to put a woman in labor (with the caveat that you have already started to dilate and efface).  Since we decided to start this on Wednesday, the most we were going to get was 3 treatments.  The first treatment caused some mild contractions/cramping afterward.  The second caused some strong contractions during and after the treatment, but stalled a couple hours later.  The final treatment only gave me the mild contractions/cramping afterward.  Even though it didn't put me into labor, I am convinced that it helped prepare my body for labor and I would highly recommend it.

Stylin' in the hospital gown

The actual induction was supposed to take place at 9:30 in the morning.  Unfortunately, a whole lot of babies decided that the 8th was a great day to be born and we were told that our induction was delayed until at least the afternoon.  I can't even begin to tell you how disappointing this was for us.  We all headed home (because I was at acupuncture and heading to the hospital when we found out) with our heads hanging low.  I couldn't even talk about it.  I sat on the couch and moped.

Thankfully, we got the phone call around 2:30pm stating that they were ready for us!!  We got to the hospital a little after 3pm and after some waiting around, got settled into our labor and delivery room.  Both the nurse and the midwife came in, talked with us about the induction plan, and we got things started about 5:15pm (pitocin started).  When we began I was 3cm (could stretch to a 4cm), 70% effaced, and the baby was at -2 station. 

I really wanted to make sure things went quickly so as soon as I could, I began walking.  It took a little bit for the contractions to get going.  At first it was just constant cramping (and didn't register on the monitor), but slowly they changed and began to come and go and form into "real contractions". 

At about 8:30pm they decided to break my water.  My stats hadn't changed much, but I was dilated to 5cm and having contractions that were under 3 minutes apart.

I did not expect what happened next.  I thought I would have to continue walking in order for things to progress so as soon as I got cleaned up, I headed for the hall.  I had several contractions before I actually got there and they definitely were getting stronger.  However, I only made it 2 doors down before they really came on strong and seemed like they were on top of each other.   I had to stop moving at each contraction and just try and focus on breathing. I asked if I could get into the tub at this point, but sadly it wasn't available.  Even though I was disappointed, it was a good thing because things moved pretty quickly from here. 

I honestly lost track of time at this point (as did my husband).  The contractions were right on top of each other and all I could focus on was surviving each one.  My husband was reminding me to breath and my midwife positioned herself behind me and put pressure on my hips (in and downward).  I was fascinated how much the hip pressure relieved the pain of each contraction...of course that only worked for so long.  Eventually nothing seemed to make it better and I was BEGGING for an epidural.

When the anesthesiologist got there, I had no idea how I was going to sit still while she put it in.  I could barely keep myself standing during each contraction, I couldn't imagine having to sit (because I had so much low pressure, sitting was really uncomfortable) and having to be still while I sat there.  Somehow I did it though and life got a lot easier (the did turn off the pitocin during at this time so that helped make the contractions a lot less painful).

At this point it was about 10pm and the midwife decided to check me and see how I was doing.  The smile that came across her face was priceless.  I had made it, without the epidural, all the way to 8cm dilated, almost fully effaced and 0 station.  Making it as long as I could without the epidural was a  huge goal of mine and I was thrilled that I made it that far.  The midwife needed to deliver another baby so we settled in for a short nap while I continued to progress closer to "pushing time".

The epidural made me feel really woozy.  My nose felt funny and I couldn't keep my eyes open without getting dizzy.  I mentioned something to the nurse, but she was weary about reducing it too soon.  After a little while longer I decided that I couldn't deal with the strength any longer and it was interfering with my ability to rest and causing some anxiety.  They gave me some oxygen at this point to help calm me down, which helped a lot.  When the anesthesiologist returned (around 11pm) she discovered that it really was too high for me.  I had no temperature sensitivity all the way up to my breasts!  She backed it down (from a 14 to a 6?) and we began to wait for me to regain some feeling.

The midwife took this opportunity to have my nurse check me again.  I think the nurse's exact words were, "if he was any lower, he would be crowning".  We still wanted to wait till I could feel some more (and for the midwife to get done with the other birth) so we continued the waiting game.

The midwife returned to our room about 11:45pm and I began to push at 12:07am on July 9th.  Pushing was a completely different experience this time around.  There was no pressure to push for "x" amount of time.  There was no counting, no pressure to keep pushing, no shouting (or loud encouragement that I perceived as shouting).  It was just my midwife, the nurse and my husband encouraging me to push during each contraction in a relaxed and calm way.  I stopped when I couldn't push any more and as I took my breath, the midwife told me whether or not I should push again. 

Although I couldn't feel the contractions, I could feel the pressure (it was mostly on my left) and the midwife massaging the perineum.  After a few contractions I really felt a lot of pressure on the left.  She told me the baby was crowning and she guided my hand so I could feel his head.  I pushed through a couple more contractions and I felt a little pop as his head came out.  The midwife confirmed that his head was out and that I could push even though I wasn't having a contraction.  I think I only pushed a couple more times and the next thing I knew the midwife was telling me to grab my son.  It didn't quite register at first...what was she asking of me? But then I reached down, someone helped me grab him and then I pulled him up onto my stomach....I had just delivered my own son! 

As I had him on my belly the nurse cleaned him up and helped me take off the gown so we could be skin to skin.  There was no rush to take him away (not that I thought there would be) and they waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before having my husband cut it.  It was amazing! 

When it was finally time to weigh and measure Mr. T we were all shocked to learn that this little bundle of joy (that delivered way easier than his brother) weighed almost 2 pounds more than his brother did and only was 1/4 inch taller.  I have no idea where he is hiding the weight.  I speculate that it is in his hands and feet...they are gigantic!  He doesn't seem chunky at all, but barely fits into the newborn diaper and newborn pants are almost too short.  Wherever he is hiding it, he is just plain adorable and we love him!!

So there you go...the official birth story.  What do you think??

Baby #2: Week 39 and 4 days (an update)

I think the midwife appointment this morning went well.  I am still dilated to 3 (can stretch to a 4) and everything seems "ready to go".

We talked for a while about where I am physically and mentally.  The midwife I saw today has been doing this for 27 years.  She said that she gave up predicting when babies will come a long time ago, but could see why the other midwives thought it would be soon based on my dilation, effacement, and how soft the cervix is at this point.  Even though he is engaged in the pelvis, he is still higher but she said with second pregnancies this is really normal. 

As far as the mental stuff...well once again I am reminded that I made the right decision by switching to a midwife.  Her patience with me was really reassuring.  I didn't feel rushed and she had a way of making me feel at ease with all the decisions we made by the end of the appointment.  My anxiety and obsessive thinking has really taken over (yes, I will eventually post the entry about all of that) and she seemed to understand that right now talking through it, telling me to get over it, or to stop thinking about when labor will happen wasn't going to make things change for me, that a lot of this is chemical and will be dealt with when I meet with my psychiatrist. 

Based on this conversation, she initially suggested an induction (apparently depression and anxiety disorders that are causing problems with pregnant mothers are frequently the medical reason for inducing at the end of a pregnancy in order to avoid making things worse postpartum).  She thinks that I will need very little Pitocin to get things started and then hopefully we would be able to stop the Pitocin and let things go naturally.  She wasn't even sure that they would have to break my water because I am so close to that point naturally.

I asked her about stripping the membranes as a first step and she agreed that it would be the least intrusive way to encourage things along (and isn't considered an induction).  So we decided to have her strip the membranes today.  She also suggested some castor oil and an enema...although I can't say that I am too excited about that idea. At any rate, if the stripping doesn't work, we are working on setting an induction date for Friday.

It is nice to finally have an end date. I am hoping that the stripping of membranes work, but if not that will be okay too.  We have a plan now and I always feel better when there is a plan. 

I appreciate all the support that I have been getting here and on Facebook.  It means a lot to me to know that there are so many amazing women cheering me on.

Baby #2: Week 39

July 2, 2011

How far along: 39 weeks

Baby's size: Watermelon (Month 9: weeks 37-Delivery)

Symptoms (otherwise known as Mommy C's Weekly Complaints): 

•  The same old symptoms.  You don't need me to list them once again.
  

Total Weight Gain:
Gained another pound.
Total weight gain= +12 pounds  

Maternity clothes:yes

Best moment this week: My mom got here!
  
Movement: Yup.  He moves from lying on his side to having his back facing out. 

Food cravings:  Not a whole lot.  I alternate between being really hungry all the time (and eating whatever I can find) to being so nauseous that I don't want to eat anything.

Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: 
Lots of normal signs that signal that it might be sometime soon, but soon could be any day or a week from now.  I have lots of cramping and some contractions.   Yesterday when I saw the midwife she said I was still at about 3 cm dilated, but now 80% effaced.  She saw some bloody show as well.  When will I go into labor? I have no effin' clue.


What I miss: Being not pregnant.  I know, I know. I will miss being pregnant soon after my son is born, but frankly right now I am just done.


What I'm looking forward to:  Delivering this baby!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  not a wise women, just done being a pregnant woman. 

Milestones: My mom made it here!

Emotions:I have a post written about all of this, just haven't posted it yet.  Stay tuned.

Exercise:
Boot Camp:  DONE  (even though I miss it!!)
Pregnancy Water Aerobics: DONE
Total exercise time:  done

Here's to hoping that next week I don't have a pregnancy post!

Baby #2: Week 38

 

June 25, 2011

How far along: 38 weeks

Baby's size: Watermelon (Month 9: weeks 37-Delivery)

Symptoms (otherwise known as Mommy C's Weekly Complaints): 

• A LOT of low pressure  
• Baby #2s position is pushing on a nerve causing sharp, shooting pains in my upper thigh/groin (not sciatica- more in the front) when I am walking (not all the time thank goodness!)
• Sore hips -although the foam pad seems to be helping a lot.
• Fewer braxton hicks and cramping this week compared to last, but I have had a few painful contractions as well (just enough for me to think, "could this be it?" and then they stop).
• General uncomfortableness

Total Weight Gain:
Total weight gain= +11 pounds  

Maternity clothes:yes

Best moment this week:  I learned that there was an actual change happening with my cervix.   This made me grateful that I didn't go through all that pain last week for nothing. 
  
Movement: Yes, on Thursday I swear he was doing gymnastics in my uterus.  Then on Friday I had a bit of a scare when I hadn't felt him all morning and when I laid down to try and do kick counts I only got a couple in an hour.  I called the midwife to find out if I should be expecting decreased movement as I approach the end of the pregnancy and she informed me that I should still be getting 10 kicks in 2 hours.  So I drank some juice and stopped trying to multi-task and sure enough, in the second hour he woke up and started moving. 

Food cravings:  Fruit - so glad that strawberries are in season!

Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: 
This past week was so much calmer than the week before.  I decreased my activity a ton thanks to my husband and sending Superman to daycare on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings (in addition to his full day on Monday).    

However, on Monday the midwife said I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  Then on Tuesday I lost the rest of my mucus plug (I had been losing smaller amounts of it the week prior.  Sorry if this is TMI.).  I have also had a few contractions that were actually painful, but they never became regular or continued for very long. 

I am torn on whether or not to have the midwife check me on Monday.  I am grateful that this little guy has decided to stay in a little longer and I am not sure I want to stir things up.  So we shall see...

What I miss:  Being able to go about my normal routine.  I also really miss going to Boot Camp.  


What I'm looking forward to:  Tuesday when my mom gets here!!!!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): Listen to your body.

Milestones: Made it another week!  I am shooting for July 2nd now because we think it would be cool for Superman and Baby #2 to be exactly 18 months apart.

Emotions: I am going to write a full post regarding the change in my emotions this week.  However, I will share that I have been much more quick to tears...I almost starting crying today when my husband went and got cash so I could have a lemonade at the Farmer's Market this morning.  I think I have said, "stupid hormones" to more people than I can count this week as an explanation for the tears. 

Exercise:
Boot Camp:  OFFICIALLY DONE  (even though I miss it!!)

Pregnancy Water Aerobics: Monday (1 hour each)  -I am not sure if I am done with this or not.  I could only do about 15 minutes of the actual workout before the braxton hicks started up again.  I spent the remainder of the class floating and enjoying weightlessness.  I imagine if I go, I will likely just go to float.


Total exercise time:  not enough to really count.

Till next week!

Baby #2: Week 37

June 18, 2011

How far along: 37 weeks

Baby's size: Watermelon (Month 9: weeks 37-Delivery)

Symptoms (otherwise known as Mommy C's Weekly Complaints): 
This was a tough week.  In fact on Thursday there was a part of me that thought I wasn't going to make it to this weekend still pregnant.  

• A LOT of low pressure  
• Sore hips - I finally bought a foam pad that is big enough for my side of the bed.  This allows me to sleep on my side with slightly less hip pain....just wish it was more than slightly less.
• Cramping and Braxton hicks 
• General uncomfortableness

Total Weight Gain:
Total weight gain= +11 pounds  

Maternity clothes:yes

Best moment this week: We had an ultrasound on Monday and got to see our boy again (and actually confirm that he is still a boy).  They estimated his current weight at 7 pounds 1 ounce which had me worried at first.  Then I looked back at the ultrasound we had with Superman at the same point.  They estimated his weight at the time to be 7 pounds 2 ounces and he was born 2 weeks later at 7 pounds 14 ounces.
  
Movement: Yes, less kicks though and more full body movements.

Food cravings:  Watermelon!  I think it is funny that the baby is as big as a watermelon and that is what I am craving. :)

Gender: Still a...  BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Um, Yes?  
(Rather than just list how I have been feeling, I am going to write it out.  These are the things that I think I will forget in the years to come (since I have already forgotten what it was like with S) and I would like to have record of it.) 
     Tuesday night I began to have trouble walking without having a ton of low pressure.  I also began to get really emotional over everything.  Wednesday I woke up with some mild cramping (like period cramps), but it went away shortly after waking up.  I tried to go to boot camp, but between the low pressure, my emotions, and eventual contractions, I left in tears.  I was fine, just needed some rest.  Wednesday night, thanks to Isabelle's suggestion on the Facebook wall, I went to water aerobics and I felt really good while doing them.  It is nice to feel weightless when you have so much pressure the rest of the day. 
     Thursday I woke up again with the mild cramping, but they didn't go away.  I called the midwife after 2 hours and spoke to the nurse.  We ruled out any infection that might cause the cramps.  I explained that I was also having really low pressure and feeling like I had to go #2 all the time (sorry TMI) even though I didn't.  I got the feeling from her that she thought maybe I was in early labor, but wasn't ready to tell me that.  She told me I could call back and make an appointment to be checked out if I felt worse later.  The cramps basically stayed with me all day, although I noticed them less if I was distracted so I tried to stay distracted.  Unfortunately, that backfired on me and made them worse later.  So I laid low the rest of the day and decided if I still had the cramps in the morning, I would go to the doctor.
     Friday I woke up and the cramps were gone.  I brought S to an indoor playground/cafe in town and we played for about an hour, but then the cramps came back.  So we went home and I rested while S napped.  It was such a nice day out, but the warmth was just too much for me in the afternoon.  I felt nauseous and cramping.  So instead of playing outside all afternoon like I had planned, S and I hid out inside.  I felt awful that I couldn't bring him outside, but I knew that I would only be worse off if we went out.  Eventually I decided that my cramps and nausea were too much so I filled our giant tub in the master bathroom and S and I took a bath together.  It was wonderful!  He got to play and have a great time and it really helped me feel better.
     Yesterday was my wedding anniversary so my husband and I went out to dinner dessert.  Sitting upright appears to be difficult for me and a trigger for the cramping and contractions.  We made due though and had a great night.  Unfortunately, I woke up around 2 am last night with more cramps, contractions, and nausea.  It is frustrating for me that just the act of going out to dinner and dessert was too much for my body to handle.  
     I am now dealing with the guilt of what this means for Superman and the week ahead.  My husband tries to remind me that I stopped working at 37 weeks with S and so I shouldn't feel bad, but I had been feeling so good for so long that I really had hoped that I would stay that way till my water broke.  I guess I was being a bit naive.   

What I miss:  Feeling like I can do anything.  I will probably sound like a broken record here, but I really thought I was going to feel good till the end this time around.  

What I'm looking forward to: Next Tuesday when my mom gets here. 

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): That our bodies have a way of telling us when to slow down and when you don't listen, it just speaks louder to you. 

Milestones: Made it to full term! 

Emotions:  I am so emotional!  I am currently blaming it on hormones and the fact that I feel so lousy.  I want to be excited that I am going to meet this little guy soon, but am worried that he will come sooner than he should.  I know that he is technically full term now, but I have to believe that another week or two will be better for him...even if it is a struggle for me.  

Exercise:
Boot Camp: Tuesday (1 hour 15 minutes) and about 20 minutes on Wednesday----OFFICIALLY DONE 
I have put my boot camp membership on hold and will not try to work out again till 6 weeks postpartum.  

Pregnancy Water Aerobics: Wednesday (1 hour each) 
Total exercise time:  2 hour 35 minutes--For this week the only "exercise" I am doing is going to water aerobics and then I am still going to be cautious about how much I do....then next week I may reconsider once my mom gets to town. :)

Till next week!

The More You Know...L&D Edition (Part 2)

Now that you know how Superman's birth went, let me tell you how I think it could have gone differently.

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What happened:  I was hooked up to fetal monitoring as soon as I was admitted.

Why I didn't like it: This meant that I was stuck by the monitors the whole time.  I had been able to walk around before I was admitted, but once I had the monitors on, I couldn't.  Walking is supposed to help with dilation and since I wasn't dilating, I feel like I missed out on a helpful strategy. 

What I would like to see happen this time: I want intermittent monitoring so that I can move around, walk, whatever feels right.

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What happened: I couldn't use the tub. The doctor said that I couldn't use it since my water had already broken and there was an increased chance of infection....which isn't true according to the midwife I met with on Monday.  I was allowed to take off the fetal monitoring straps to go into the shower for a little bit though. 

Why I didn't like it:  I think I may be part fish.  I love the water and am so much more relaxed when I am in it.  The shower felt good, especially when my husband put the sprayer on the part of my body where the contraction was, but I don't think it was the same as the bath at all. 

What I would like to see happen this time:  If available, I would like to be in the tub for much of the labor.  Thankfully I have been given permission to stay at home (even once my water has broken, as long as it is clear) until my contractions pick up.  I plan on using our giant tub during this time.  Then once I am at the hospital, I know that the midwives will let me use the tub, as long as it is free. 

*************

What happened: I got an epidural too early.  I figured there was no reason to be uncomfortable.  If I was eventually going to get one, why not do it as soon as the pain got a little bit much.

Why I didn't like it:  I was only about 3 cm dilated at the time.  The epidural slows things down so I then had to have pitocin to speed things up.   I believe (based on information told to me from a lactation consultant) that the pitocin delayed my milk coming in.  It is merely a speculation, but my gut says that this is correct. 

What I would like to see happen this time: I want help to relieve the pain of contractions without medication.  I am pretty sure I still want the epidural, but I want to wait as long as possible to avoid the need for pitocin.  We were given a bunch of techniques to help with the pain during our prenatal classes with Superman and I am hoping that some of them help.  The midwife will also be there to help make suggestions. 

*************

What happened: I started pushing when they told me I was 10 cm.  I didn't have the urge to push, but they told me if I wanted to start pushing, I could. 

Why I didn't like it:  There are a couple parts wrong with this.  First, my epidural may have been interfering with my ability to know when to push.  Second, I think I wasn't really fully dilated.  Many women dilate to greater than 10cm and it is more important to wait till you get the urge to push.  Basically I did a whole lot of pushing for no good reason.  That would be like me pushing now, 3 weeks before my due date- it doesn't do anything. 

What I would like to see happen this time: I want to wait till I get the urge to push.  I am hoping to utilize the epidural in such a way that I can still feel the contractions and get the urge to push.  I don't know how realistic this is, but I do know that it is possible. 

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You would think that I might have this very long and detailed birth plan given the fact that I want this birth to go differently than it did with Superman.  Interestingly, my birth plan is going to be pretty simple...with even less on it than I had with Superman. 

Why you ask?  Because last time I had a doctor delivering my baby.  This time I have a midwife.  I made this change just recently thanks to the recommendation of my ob.  She is going to be on vacation around the time when I am likely to deliver so despite the fact that she and I are on the same page (she wasn't the one that delivered S), many of the other doctors in the same office aren't.  Fortunately, there is a team of midwives in the same office.  They meet each week and coordinate regarding the patients that are close to delivering so that I won't hear one piece of information from one midwife and then hear something different from another.  This also means that a whole lot of the things that I want to see happen during labor are standard practice for them already! 

After my last appointment with one of the midwives I am actually excited about this labor.  I can't wait to see how things turn out this time.  While it may not go completely smoothly, I have no doubt that I will have fewer (if any) things that I will look back on and regret. 


So do you have any regrets from your labor and delivery of your child(ren)?   What do you want to see go differently with your next labor?  If things went really well, what (or who) do you credit for this? 

Can't wait to hear from you all!

The More You Know...L&D edition

I already know that this child's birth is going to be different than Superman's birth. It isn't so much that Superman's birth was horrible, but rather that it wasn't ideal.  I have learned about labor and delivery since then and I can see how a few changes could have made a lot of difference in how it went. 

I think it is helpful for me to share Superman's birth story first so that you can understand why I want to see things go differently this time around...so let's start there. 

Superman's Birth Story 

My water broke at around 7:30 in the morning January 1st.  I wasn't really having contractions yet, but when I called the hospital, they told me I should come in.  We took showers, packed the car, and then dropped the dogs off and got some McDonald's before we headed to the hospital arriving about 9am.

When I got there they confirmed that my water had broke (Duh!), but told me that I was only about 2cm dilated.  We walked laps around Labor and Delivery while we waited for our room to be ready.  By about 10am we were in the room.  I wanted to labor in the tub, but the doctor said that I couldn't because of the risk of infection (which is false, but I will go into that later).  Since I was also now hooked up to the IV and fetal monitoring, I was stuck in the room.  To help with the pain and encourage my cervix to dilate, I used the yoga ball and eventually tried the shower (for the pain).  Finally in the early afternoon my contractions started picking up and I decided that since I was planning on an epidural anyway, I might as well get one then before the pain got to be too bad. Unfortunately, it slowed the process down for me and a couple hours later they gave me pitocin to help me progress.  About an hour or two later I began to have some really severe pain in the lower left quadrant of my belly.  It appeared that I had a "window" in my epidural and we needed the anesthesiologist to fix the epidural.  He pulled it out a little bit and the pain went away.

Finally about 8pm they told me I was fully dilated to a 10 and could start pushing if I wanted to.  I (not knowing any better) said, "sure!" and I began the long, long effort to get Superman out.  I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn't think I was pushing correctly, but no one told me that so we just plugged along.  About an hour and a half to two hours into pushing the "window" came back.   It got so bad that I decided that I was done with pushing and gave up.  S had made zero progress towards being born at this point and I was told that his head was likely stuck on my pelvic bone.

The anesthesiologist came back and the doctor said that I had two options.  Turn up the epidural so I would be prepped for a c-section or try a narcotic.  He asked me if I thought I could push more if the pain wasn't there.  I told him that I thought so.  I can't remember exactly how it went, but basically he gave me 5 contractions to make some progress with Superman or I was going to need a c-section.

I don't know what that narcotic did exactly, but the pain went away, I could finally feel the pressure where I need to push, and S began to make slow, but steady progress.  Despite the fact that it took some time (2 more hours), I felt like I could run a marathon.  I couldn't get over how great I felt while pushing and excited that the end was near.  When he was close to being delivered, the doctor told me that the NICU staff was going to come in for the birth.  He was concerned that 4 hours of pushing had tired S out and they wanted to make sure he was okay (what they told me after he was born was that they were actually concerned that I hadn't been making progress because the cord was wrapped around S's neck. I was so relieved that this was NOT the case).  He told me that if all was well, Superman would be placed on my chest afterward, but if not they would need to take him.  Thank goodness he was fine.  At 12:05am, my husband cut the cord and S was placed on my stomach, where he stayed for the next hour and a half.

Superman did have a fever when he was born, but it was low enough that they weren't too worried.  When they finally gave him a bath, the fever broke, but at that point the pediatrician on-call was already told about the fever and a series of labs were ordered.  For the most part, this was not that horrible, except that they tested his sugar levels and they were low.  They were low again that morning so we were told that we needed to give him some formula to help get them back up.  Superman seemed to hate that stuff so he didn't drink much.  It caused me a lot of stress that morning that they were forcing me to give him formula.  However, in the end I was grateful to have some formula, because we ended up needing to use it to "top him off" on days 3 and 4 because my milk was delayed (did this with the help of a lactation consultant so that it did not impact my milk production- I do not recommend doing this without their help).

Now that you know the story, next up is all the lessons I learned and things I will do differently.  Stay tuned for that post next!!