Ryker Jake Bird
September 24, 2009
11:23 a.m.
8 lbs. 5 oz. 21" long
It was quite the experience to get him here! It's kind of a long story, but hang in there! There are some great pictures! =)
The clock on the wall says 6:40. This is Wednesday, September 23, 2009 @ 6:40 a.m. This is when I was started. I was only a 1+. Everyone said I was in for a long haul... but I had no idea that it was going to be as long as it was!
I wasn't far enough dilated to have Pitosen, you have to be a 3, so they had to give me these little pills to help me get there. These pills weren't taken orally! =( After 3 of them, they decided that I wasn't progressing fast enough. (Story of my life, or at least the next 30 hours!) They stuck a balloon in there and blew it up... Yep it hurt, a lot! This got me going though. I was finally a 4! (Only after 12 hours).
They started me on Pitosen. They call it Pit... Everyone says it's because it's the pits when you have to have it! I believe them! I decided to eat after that. They told me that as soon as I got the epidural, I wasn't allowed to eat, so I stuffed myself. =) I got up and walked around quite a bit, trying to move things along. That still didn't work! I finally had contractions bad enough to get the epidural. It really wasn't that bad! I heard all of these horror stories about it, but that's all they were. I had no problem with it! Actually, the blood pressure cuff hurt worse than any part of the epidural! ha ha! It took my blood pressure right when I was getting stuck. They say it should feel like a bee sting, but I didn't feel anything but my damn arm being squeezed to death! Sweet! There were no problems for Jake either. He didn't mind a thing! Nice!
I didn't really like the numbness. My legs flailed around uncontrollably. I've realized that I don't like to lose control! It sucked, but the alternative was just not an option for me! I found this out the hard way. A doctor came in and broke my water at about 1:00 a.m. The nurses did great all night with turning me. Every 15 minutes on the dot, they'd come in and turn me over like a rotisserie chicken. At about the 24 hour mark (6:00 a.m. Thursday), I wasn't turned quick enough and I got a "hot spot" in my epidural. All of the pain killer settled in to my right side, so I could feel everything on my left side. BOO! To top it off, I was having a back labor, so Ryker was sitting right on my sciatic nerve. OUCHY!!! I don't think I've felt any pain like this before! The kidney stone was the closest comparison, and that was a real close second! Just as a contraction would end, another one would start. I had to live through this for 40 minutes... I didn't think I was going to make it. Finally the medicine became more even throughout my lower half... I made it! WHEW!
Thursday, September 24th @ 10:00 a.m. I received a call from my doctor. He had been in at 8:00 that morning and I was only a 6.5. He said that the nurse told him that I hadn't progressed at all since then and little Ryker was trying to come faster than I was ready for. His poor little head was swelling and they were worried about skull fractures... Not good news! He asked me if it would be okay to do a C-Section. HELL YES!!! I was so worried about Ryker being safe, I didn't even think about myself. Who cared that they were going to cut me open? Get my little man out as quickly and safely as possible! I wanted him here already, so the worry could be over! (Who knew that the worry would never stop? Ha ha!) We were immediately prepared for the C-Section.
Jake was so amazing through it all! I don't think I would have survived without him! He kept everything so calm and cool! He was so relaxed on the outside. I'm sure he was freaking out on the inside, but he never showed one sign of that to me! It really helped with all that was going on. He stayed positive and right by my side the whole time! (Except when he had to go get his red bulls and food! ha ha!) I took this picture right before we went in to the operating room.
Everything was going so smoothly! They did a poke test to make sure the 2 extra doses in my epidural were working. Yep, no feeling what-so-ever! I just sat there. The sheet between my face and my guts on the table was all I could see when I looked down. Jake sat right next to my head and stood up to see my insides on occasion. He said it was way cool. I'm glad he enjoyed it, and I just got to take his word for it! =) We were having a great time in the O.R. I had the oxygen tube in my nose and it made me sound like Willy Nelson, so I sang some of On the Road Again. We were all joking around, even the doctors. I asked them to give me a tummy tuck while they were down there. They just laughed and said they'd work on it. They told me that I had no belly fat. AWESOME!!! My macaroni and cheese, and chocolate milk diet worked! Ha Ha! I thought that was SUPER! Everything was going so well! Then, I felt someone push on my belly right between my rib cage, and then the feeling of something popping out of somewhere. Jake was standing up watching at this point. Then I heard the cutest cry I have ever heard! Jake looked down and said he's here, he's perfect, and he's definitely a boy! =) They popped him up over the sheet for me to see and Jake was right! He was perfect! Then, before I knew it, he was gone. Jake asked me if I would be okay while he went to help with Ryker. I, of course, said yes! Daddy, Son time was a must! =) A few minutes later, Jake was back with my handsome boy in his arms. They sat right next to me while I was being sewn up. I almost didn't realize that I could feel something on the other side of the sheet. I was too stoked about my baby boy! Then it got my attention. I could feel that! I told the anesthesiologist I felt it. He said that it was just pressure. I said NO, I can feel it! He gave me another dose of crap in my epidural. I could still feel it. Then another dose of crap. Still, I feel it!!! They kept telling me I was almost done. They were on the last layer. "I feel it" was all I could say... Then the pain took over. No more control, just pain! I barely remember rolling down the hall to my room. My mom told me later that she could hear me coming. The poor ladies in the rooms around mine. I'll bet it scared the crap out of them! Ah, who cares? I didn't! I heard someone tell Jake to get the baby in the room and that was the only time he could carry him without having him in the crib. I barely remember the nurses kicking out Jake's mom, grandma, and sister, and telling my mom to talk to me. I barely remember her trying to help me find a happy place. I definitely remember someone laying Ryker next to my face. He was so cute! My perfect boy looking just like his daddy! I barely remember Jake next to me holding my hand. If there was any sign of him being freaked out, that would have been the time to see it, but I can't remember it. I remember asking him to take the pain away. I barely remember hearing my dad on the other end of a phone someone was holding for me. He wasn't doing too well! I think I asked him to take my pain away too, but I'm not sure. I remember him calling me his baby girl and telling me that he would take my pain away if he could. I tried to tell him that I was okay, but I can't remember if I could get the words out. I remember someone saying to give me more of something. I remember my head was going crazy and the pain was still taking control. I wanted to give up! Then it stopped. I'm not sure when, or how, but it stopped. Jake said it took 3 hours. I thought it was more like 300 hours! The pain from the hot spot didn't even touch this pain! The morphine they were giving me finally caught the pain, and I slept.
This was taken the day after he was born.
Jake decided not to let visitors come up to see us that night, except for our parents. He kept visitors to a minimum the whole time we were in the hospital. After everything we did to get Ryker here, he wanted to be selfish with him. No problems for me! My cousin, Amy, was the first visitor we had the next day. She loved baby Ryker! Then Jake's grandma Maggie, and Holly. Matt, Amber and Berlyn came later that afternoon. Berlyn was so cute with him! It took her a minute to realize that my belly's name wasn't Ryker anymore, and Ryker was the baby we were holding. She held him and kissed him and just loved him to pieces! She even made me and Amber tear up! It was awesome! Junior, Erica, and Landon came that night along with Lex, Denice, Kaylee, Kendra Mikayla and Colleen. They each took turns holding Ryker.
Mikayla and Kendra absolutely loved Ryker! Mikayla was so worried about me, but when she got to the hospital and made sure I was okay, she felt a lot better! My mom and dad came up that night to sit with me while Jake went home and showered and got more clothes. I had to laugh at Jake when he got back to the hospital. He just missed his little man too much. He said it's like nothing he's ever felt before! He never thought he could miss something that much and in that way. He was only gone for a couple hours. =) He's such a great daddy!
Ryker wouldn't really latch on until Friday night at about 10. My mom helped me and we finally got him to latch the right way. Luckily we didn't have to finger feed him any more. That was a pain, and the poor little guy wasn't getting much that way. When he finally latched on, he stayed there for about 45 minutes! He was a happy boy after that!
Ryker sleeping with mama right after a big breakfast!
We came home on Sunday. It was great to be home! Because I had the C-Section, I really wasn't able to move much. I found it easier to sleep in my chair in the nursery than in my bed. Ryker was fine with that. He loves his crib and really isn't a big fan of the pack-n-play. Good thing we didn't make him sleep in the pack-n-play in our room. I don't think he would be sleeping as well as he is now if we did. He sleeps through the night most nights giving me a good 7-9 hours of sleep. It's been great! I'm so lucky to have such a sweet little boy! I just love him so much!
This is Ryker's first nap in his crib.
Poor Jake had to sleep on the dinky couch. I told him to pull out the hide-a-bed, but he wouldn't. I didn't hear him complain once! =)
Daddy loves to snuggle his little man! This is the cure for Jake's morning grouchies!
This is right after breakfast one morning. The sun was shining through the window on Ryker's face just perfectly. I had to take a picture. He's my little angel!
I was bored one day, so I had a photo shoot with Ryker in my favorite outfit. My cousin Amy gave this to him. He looks super cute in it! I would have been sad when he grew out of it, but my friend Erica gave me this same outfit in the next size up! Woo Hoo! =)
Ryker loves his swing!
This is one of my favorite pictures! I was just messing around with my iphone! =)
Ryker's WHAT THE HELL face! =)
My handsome little man in his camo. He's all ready to go hunting! He was exactly 3 weeks old this day. I can't believe how time flies! He's getting too big! I just have to sit back, relax and enjoy every second with my baby boy!
I am so lucky to have Jake and Ryker in my life! Not sure what I'd ever do without them.
