Andrew's 1st Week

Just wanted to thank everyone who has come by during Andrew's first week in the world! I love you all and Sam and I are so grateful to have so much support and love!!!!!!!!

Andrew has shrunk a bit - he was 6lb 10oz at his Well baby check-up on Friday but he's found his appetite in the last 2 days so he should be gaining now. Not getting much sleep at night but he's racked out during the day. Hope to get that switched around soon.

Here are the pictures we've taken this week:

First time with Mommy

with Grandma

In the recovery room with Dad

with cousin Jenny, then Uncle Don, then Aunt Donna

First family photo at home

In Mommy's IV fluid filled arms

His scalp is red, not his hair! His hair is dark brown.

with Aunt Christie

meeting Grandpa

meeting G-Maw

The Story of Andrew

Andrew Thomas Palmer

born January 18, 2010

7lbs, 6oz 21" long

Sam and I went to the hospital at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, Jan 16th so I could be induced. As you can see from above, Andrew wasn't born til Monday, Jan 18th......

Here's the rundown (I"ll keep it brief)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

• Called hospital at 5 a.m. to confirm appt
• arrived at 8 a.m.
• examined and found to still be at 1 cm and 70% like I was at my last check up the previous Tuesday
• 9:30 received my first dose of Cervadil (tablet that softens the cervix over a period of 4 hours and in some cases can kick start labor....guess who was not "some case"?)
• 9:31 contractions start (not kidding - it took 1 minute)
• 3:00 still dilated to 1, 75% effaced
• 7:00 pm - dilated to 2, 80% effaced. Docs discuss what the next step should be and order me to roam the hallways for the next hour.
• 9:00 pm - met new doc and nurse (they rotate out every 12 hours)
• 10:00 pm Doc can't believe I'm still at 2 cm so she decides to insert a Foley Balloon to get me to 4 cm but upon exam finds my cervix out of position. Decide to go to Pitocin instead
• 10:45 start of Pitocin

Sunday, January 17

• 12:00 a.m. Pitocin has taken my contractions from a 3 pain level to an 8 but is not dilating me
• 2:00 a.m. finally given something for the pain that I swear hippies used at Woodstock. Slept off and on for the next 4 hours in a drug induced haze.
• 7:00 a.m. Doc and Nurse wished me well and handed my file off to medical staff #3
• 9:30 a.m. finally examined by newest Team who were (like everyone before them) shocked that I had been having active contractions for 24 hours but had only dilated 1 extra centimeter. Baffled that I had taken 2 full doses of Pitocin and 2 full doses of Cervawhatever and not progressed. Consider sending me home and trying again in a week
• 9:35 a.m. sob uncontrollably at the though of having to go through this all over again in a week and having to go home today with Andrew still in my belly
• 10:30 a.m. Nurse comes in and asks me if I want an epidural or my water broken first. ELATEMENT! Something was finally going to happen besides just pain!!!!
• 10:40 a.m. epidural (which Sam said I took like a champ)
• 10:45 a.m. catheter
• 10:47 a.m. 40 other tubes and monitors placed in various locations, all invasive....
• 10:50 a.m. Doc breaks my water (and can I just say "ew"?)
• 12:00 p.m. exam shows I'm at 3 c.m.
• 2 or 3 hours later, 4cm
• 7:00 p.m. the final Team trades of and thankfully, is the same doc/nurse combo that I had Saturday night, so they are familiar with the situation
• 7:30 check shows me at 6
• 9:00 check 7
• 9:30 10 and the epidural is upped bc OH. MY. GOD.
• 10:30 start pushing

MONDAY, JANUARY 18

• 12:15 a second doctor with a baby vacuum is added to the mix bc Andrew has his head sideways and has his hand near his face.
• 12:31 a.m. (40 hours to the minute) Andrew Thomas Palmer is born.

LONGEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE.

We spent the next 60 hours getting to know our son in the Mother/Baby unit of the hospital. Sam and my mom took turns staying with me over the last 2 days. We finally got to come home today at 12:30 - 100 hours after induction started. My hands, feet, and legs are swollen up like balloons due to 40 hours of IV drips. I can't even close my shoes around the tops of my feet. It was the longest, most intense weekend ever. I've joked that since my pregnancy was sooooooo easy compared to most of my friends' and family members' pregnancies that I would "get mine" when it came to labor and delivery but MAN was that ridiculous. 40 hours........FORTY HOURS!!!!

But anyway, now he's here and he's perfect and he's beautiful and he looks just like Sam and I am completely in love.

Will I ever do it again?

......................................

Hit me with your best shot!

.....of pitocin, that is. Yup Ladies and Gentlemen, the midwife has decided to induce me on Saturday unless Tot decides to come on his own before then. Andrew will be born at 39 weeks and 2 or 3 days, depending on how long labor lasts.




My bp was still high on Tuesday when I went in for my checkup (128/102 ~ so high that the alarms went off on the machine after it took my reading) and I've started to dilate and efface and he's head down, so Midwife decided there wasn't any reason to leave the Little One in there. Basically we're doing the whole "better safe than sorry" approach. Midwife says I have pregnancy induced hypertension and that it ought to go back to normal once I've given birth.

I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo relieved that we're inducing while Sam is here. He has training in Alabama soon and I was concerned that Andrew would decide to come then instead of when his Dad is available. I was afraid that not only would Sam miss the whole first year of his son's life, but the birth as well. Yes, you read that right. Remember a few months ago when I posted about how excited we were that Mister wasn't going to deploy? That his boss decided to hold him back from it so he could run the office here on post? Yeah..........throw THAT right out the window. Atleast it isn't a total shock. We knew it was always a possibility that he would end up having to go, we just hoped he would really get to stay behind like we were told. He leaves very very very soon but I won't post exactly when or where bc that would be a violation of OPSEC (http://www.strykernews.com/archives/2004/07/25/opsec_guidelines.html). I would ask that all of you please refrain from posting anything that says where he is/when he is going or coming back/etc on your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc, too. Please remember that Mister's job is of sensitive nature and by blabbing that kind of info across the internet, you put all 3 of us in danger. *steps down from her podium*

So anyways - we'll be parents this weekend!!!!!!!!!!! NO MORE PREGNANCY!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!