We Are Home

** I have been trying for 3 days now to get this updatedd but everytime I add pictures, the internet locks up. So ... the blog info is a day or two old. **

Well, we are home with a NAMED BABY - YEAH!

Introducing Maxwell Reed Bartholomew:

I felt so bad for Mason ... he worked for a couple of hours doing an update for everyone then somehow lost it when trying to add in a slideshow. He was really bummed. So I guess I will start from the beginning:

I went into the hospital on Wednesday night (Dec. 17th) to begin the induction. As I had made very clear, I did not want to be induced but I was done being pregnant and Thursday the 18th was my due date. My doctor said we could have given Max a couple more days before pursuing an induction, but I didn't want it to creep into Christmas and Mason's birthday! I was just really struggling with wrapping my brain around WHY I was having to be induced. Tyler and Isabella were early, why was Max taking so long? WHY was I still pregnant - your body is suppose to know and give you the perfect timing for baby's arrival so who was I to say "Ok, let's do it now!". I just felt like there had to be SOME reason why Max hadn't come yet and my interfering was bothering me. Well obviously, I swallowed these feelings and went in for the induction!!

The first several hours were boring. It was just getting me settled in and hooking me up to my first round of anti-biotics which had to be in for 4 hours before any labor medicine could start. So Mason got me checked in and then went home to be with the kids. As all you moms know, the night really sucked!! With the two monitors hooked up to my tummy that would move everytime I had to switch positions or go pee (which between the two was every hour), I didn't get much rest. I was happy to see the sun come up!! I think it was around 3 am that I got my second round of antibiotics and they started me on Cidatek (spelling?). This medicine was suppose to just soften my cervix and get things "ideal" for starting the pitocin later. I think pitocin was started sometime mid morning.

Things progressed VERY slowly. In fact I didn't think Max was going to come despite the medicine!! When arriving at the hospital I was dilated to a 2 1/2. By mid-morning, I was only a 3!!! So they pushed me to a 3 1/2. The contractions started and were strong. But by lunch I was still a 3 1/2... so the pushed me to a 4. I got my epidural around 1pm ~ YEAH!

By 5 pm I was fighting the tears. I really wanted this baby out by noon and we were way past that deadline and STILL sitting at a 4 1/2. I wanted to see Tyler and Isabella. I wanted to meet the baby. Then more pain began. It was very low and in the middle and painful, despite the epidural. The nurse noticed that with every contraction, Max's heartrate would drop. They thought Max's head was pushing on my cervix which they said was good because he would help me dilate faster. I asked how long his little body could tolerate that and the nurse told me he was ok for a short time. I started to mentally prepare myself for the Dr. to come in and tell me I was having a c-section since I hadn't really done much dilating on my own that day.

At 5:15 I was an 8 (yes, 4 1/2 to and 8 in 15 minutes!!). YEAH- progress! But now Max's heartrate was staying low and not coming back up. The nurse and Dr. began to think something was wrong and thought that Max's head was smashing the umbilical cord. So at 5:30 I was an 8 1/2 and they filled my uterus with Saline to hopefully "float" Max into a new position so he wouldn't be smashing the umbilical cord. That did not work and I was suddenly overcome with a panic attack. So while I had oxygen on me, Mason was fanning me with a notebook, I was trying my dammest to control my breathing and calm down, the Dr. said he would be back in 30 minutes to see if I was ready to push. 5-10 minutes later, the nurse called the Dr. back in. The Dr. sat on the bed with me and did a cervix check and said, very sternly, that it was time to get the baby out and then he hesitated and said "yea, she is full". I guess he meant fully dilated but by his face, we do not think I was. He told me to push while he was still sitting on the bed and I thought that was weird but I did as told. I pushed through that contraction then he got up and broke the bed away and got everything "properly" ready. He told the nurses to get the vacuum and I remember thinking "NO - I pushed the other two out in record time, I don't need a vacuum, no, no no" .... I didn't say anything though of course. Mason knew at this point they were really concerned about Max but luckily I had no clue.

So anyways, next contraction, I push. I push a little more. I hear the nurse ask right away if the Dr. wanted the vacuum and he said "No, she is a really good pusher, a really good pusher". I was very proud of myself! So back to pushing!.... Within 10 minutes from the start of pushing, out came Max.

This is where I learned there WAS a problem. The umbilical cord was wrapped around Max's head not once, but TWICE! And to complicate things more, there was a huge knot in the umbilical cord. So when he got into the birth canal, his heart rate was not rebounding well because the cord was being pulled tighter on the knot and also around his neck. The Dr. pointed out that this is exactly why we have babies in hospitals, NOT at home. He said Max was a little miracle that it all went well. Apparently they were prepared for the worst ~ glad I didn't know about it!

But I guess I got my answer to WHY I was induced and didn't go into labor on my own! With how fast my body jumps into gear (once it finally decides to make it's move that is!!), if I had been at home with Max's heartrate plummeting like that, he may not have made it. God has a reason for everything and I REALLY need to learn to relax and stop questioning everything and simply trust in Him.

After that, we got to hold Max for an hour or so and then Mason left to go get the kids and I was moved to my post-partum room. Things got really bad for me after that with clots and blood and contractions and lots of crying .... oh, the crying. But it is something I would gather many of you don't care to hear about so I will spare you! Just know that I am ok now and all is well! :)

We got home Saturday night, had your typical rough first and second night, having an emotional first day at home with him - love those hormones! , but adjusting.

Here are pictures captured from the past few days!