Baby Easton is here

Forgive me for taking so long to post about Easton's birth. We are so happy to have him here! I was two days past my due date (August 10th) so we had an induction scheduled for Friday August 12th at 3a.m.! The nurses started me on pitocin and we waited for the action to begin. Around 10a.m. my OB came in and broke my water, hoping that that would get the ball rolling. I was dilated to 3cm when I came in that morning. So in all likelihood, I very well could have given birth naturally that weekend. Once the pitocin started kicking in, I started feeling the contractions very distinctly. All throughout my pregnancy, I would feel cramping (like during that time of the month) and it would last all day. So I never knew what contractions really felt like until I was put on pitocin. As the day went on, the contractions started getting stronger. I luckily had my sister Stacey (who is a nurse), my mom, and David there all day to help me get through it. My mom had to constant remind me to breathe and count once the contractions came.

I was advised to get the epidural early before the contractions got so unbearable. So the anethesiologist came in, not too long after my OB broke my water. I was seated on my bed hunched over and the anesthesiologist asked me if I had scoliosis, I said no. This should have been the first indicator that I was not position well. She poked me several times with the needle and each time I cried out in pain (I was bawling during the epidural). They told me to tell them if I felt the pain to the left or right and each time I was poked, I told them which side. Finally after about 4 pokes, the anethesiologist repositioned me and got the needle in where it should be-no pain. Getting the epidural was aweful for me, but in the end I was glad I had it. I also got the max number of lidocaine shots throughout the rest of the day, because I kept feeling pain kicking in. After the last dose of meds possible, my legs went completely numb.

Around 4p.m. they asked me to start pushing once each contraction started. I would have to take a deep breathe, hold it, and push for about 10 seconds....and repeat this cycle 3-4 times on each contraction. Because I couldn't feel my legs, my mom, sister, and David took turns holding my legs up on each push. Pushing lasted two hours and meanwhile, I was getting oxygen and feeling so tired that I felt like my body was going to literally pass out on the table. At 6:24p.m., little Easton was born. My body was too weak to hold him or even keep my eyes open-and yet a nurse came in and made him try to nurse! I am not exactly sure what happend for about 3 hours after the birth because I was too tired and too drugged up! Here are a few pictures of our little guy...I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but being a new mother has been completely overwhelming to me. Dealing with hormones, postpartum blues, and lack of sleep has really thrown things for a loop. I love that I have a precious newborn, but thoughts of having a little person so dependent on me has been difficult. It has also been hard not being able to get out as much as I used to and being home all day! I am so used to being on the go all the time. David got to take a little over a week off to be home with us, and now that he has gone back to work, the days have been lonely. I am so grateful to have wonderful parents, family members (immediate and extended) who have helped me get through this time of change.

I have also had difficulty wanting anything to eat. I rarely feel hungry and when I eat, just about everything makes me want to throw up. This is a HUGE change for me, because I used to eat and want to eat ALL the time. Not sure if this is due to hormone changes or lack of sleeping-but hopefully my body decides it loves food, because this is the time when I am supposed to be eating more and not less!