Well, I haven't blogged for such a long time! I guess I was waiting for something amazing to happen, and lo and behold the most amazing thing has happened. I had my baby!
Liam Andrew Mosher was born July 3 after me being in labour for almost 38 hours. Here is his birth story!
Monday morning Jon and I went to the Hospital for me to be induced. They started my Pitocen at 9 am and then Jon and I waited and waited and waited some more. At 1:30 pm, Dr. Hall came to the hospital and broke my water- nastiest feeling ever by the way!!!! After the breaking of the water Jon and I continued to wait and wait and wait, but to no avail. Finally nighttime had fallen and the hospital decided to stop my Pitocen for the night. I was given a sleeping pill at about 2 am Tuesday morning and fell asleep. At 6 am, they came in and checked my vitals and started up my Pitocen again. Then after 27 hours of labour they came in and talked to me about because I'd been in labour for so long but wasn't dilating fast enough for them I should get an epidural because then I would be able to relax through the contractions and if I had to get a C-Section I would have to get the epidural anyway. So after a discussion with Jon, we decided for me to get the epidural, much to my disappointment, because I'd wanted to do it unmedicated. Then they came in and gave me my epidural and I finally started dilating at a pace that they wanted- which still wasn't very fast... In between this and about 10 pm. I got a fever, so because my water had been broken so long and I hadn't dilated far enough yet, there was risk for infection for our precious baby. So I was put on antibiotics and then my fever soon went away. Finally at 10 pm they told me that I was dilated far enough to be ready to push soon but that the baby was still farther up than they wanted, so every time my body felt the urge to push, I would push just a little bit in hopes that it would help him down. Then at 10:30 Dr. Hall had gotten to the hospital and I had three practice pushes and then it was time to push for real. I got to about 9 pushes and Dr. Hall had to cut the cord from around Liam's neck before he was even out. Then three more pushes and Liam came out, but he wasn't breathing due to the cord being wrapped around his neck so tight. The nurses called the code and then all of a sudden there was about 11 or 12 people in the room all having a job to do on Liam. It took three minutes of chest compressions for him to start breathing and finally after what seemed like forever my baby gave out a little cry. He was then taken to the NICU for observations and Jon had followed him to see what they were doing to him. And my mother stayed with me while I finished up with the placenta delivery.
The next little bit is kind of a blur for me because I don't remember hardly any of it. I remember bits and pieces but most of everything is from what I've heard from Jon and my mum. I remember Jon coming in and saying that they wanted me to go to the NICU so that I could feed Liam. I remember sitting up on the side of the bed and then I remember throwing up, and then being laid back down. Then my next real coherent memory is being on a gurney being wheeled into the NICU to see my baby. Apparently in between this time, I had blacked out and was drifting in and out of consciousness. And they had tried to get me up another time and I had made it to the wheelchair but then my mother said I went completely white and that she had to catch me before I fell out of the chair, and that I couldn't even hold my head up. Then Jon had come back in and called for help and another nurse had come in and put alcohol swabs in front of my nose to revive me, and then they put me on my bed again.
Then we were in the NICU and I was able to hold my baby, he was perfect. He had Jon's chin and face and he had my hair colour. I just couldn't believe that Jon and I had created this perfect little body for one of God's children. After I had some time with my baby I was taken to my recovery room and I was given a little box lunch that after almost three days of not eating I more than happily chowed down. Then on Thursday we had gone to the NICU and they told us that Liam would not be discharged with me because they wanted to observe him a bit longer after his rocky start. I was devastated. I went to my room and just cried and cried and cried. After awhile a social worker came in and talked to me about how this really was a horrible thing but that it really was for the best. Then they offered to let me board at the hospital so that I could be close to my baby. She started looking for a room that I could board in and left me alone to think over the decision. I went to the NICU and changed him and fed him and was just snuggling with him and I prayed that I would know what the right decision was when it came to this. I had just finished my prayer, when I overheard the mother in the next little bit over whose baby was in an incubator mention that her daughter was five months old that day. That was the answer to my prayer. I knew that my baby wasn't as sick as that little child, and I knew that if that mother could be strong enough to leave her baby there day after day for five months I could leave my baby there for a couple of days. It was a very hard night for me to leave the hospital without my baby. It came time for me to be discharged and we got all of Jon's and my things and they got me a wheelchair and we were on our way down to leave. Jon and I stopped at the NICU to say our goodbye to Liam, and then we went downstairs and then got in the car and went home. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. It is a horrible feeling leaving the hospital after carrying your child for nine months and then not be able to bring him home with you.
We went to my parents house first so that I could soak in their big tub for a bit, and so mum made me some food and I just soaked in the tub. Because of all of the saline that they had in me for two days I was pretty bloated, my ankles were non-existent and my legs were huge! Even my arms and hands and fingers were swollen. I felt humongous, but I got in the tub and soaked for a bit and then I took a shower and managed to wash my hair, then after all was said and done Jon drove us home to our house. And we laid down and went to sleep. I woke up earlier the next day and when the realization hit of everything that had happened I just cried and cried. Since Jon had gotten less sleep than I, I called my mother to come pick me up to go to the hospital and I let Jon sleep and I went up there by myself. He met me up there a bit later and then we got lunch and stayed until it was time for shift change then we went home for the two hours.
Saturday came and we were able to bring home our baby!! We brought him home and immediately he pooped all over his coming home outfit, so we changed his diaper and then changed his outfit. We had changed him, fed him and burped him and that was usually when we would put him back in his little bassinet in the hospital and go back to our room, and so I laid him down in his crib and then went out to the living room to sit with Jon; I then realized that he was home and we were no longer in the NICU, and so I went and picked up my baby and took him back out to the living room and just snuggled with him. It's a pretty awesome thing to snuggle with your baby.
Liam is such a good little baby, he's pretty content unless he's hungry, then he gets a bit fussy. He sleeps through the night- yes you read right! He sleeps from midnight to about six every night. He is a very good eater, whenever it's time to eat he will eat a ton, and he loves to be snuggled with. Jon and I are very glad that Heavenly Father trusts us enough to send us such a precious baby. We weren't planning on having a baby for awhile, but He obviously had other plans. And honestly, now that Liam is here we wouldn't have it any other way. There is such a feeling of completeness to our little family now, it's strange to say but Liam fills a hole in our lives that we didn't even know was there until he filled it. And as scary as it is to be a mommy, I am so thrilled to have the opportunity. It will definitely take some learning and teaching and I really am scared to death but I am so excited. And to see Jon with our baby is probably one of the most attractive sights EVER!! We figure it's evolutions way of making us want more babies. And we will, a couple of years down the road.
