My amazing son Samuel Asher arrived early Saturday morning!
Labor was induced at 37 weeks, 5 days due to dangerously high blood pressure. Everything went very well despite the fact that I was hooked up to every IV imaginable and had to be given magnesium sulfate and was catherized (for 24 hours after the birth even): 11 hours labor--took me 8 hours to get from 1 cm to 5 cm, and then only two hours to go from 5 to 10; pushed him out in 20 minutes.
Although I was hoping to avoid it, I did opt to get an epidural because I was flat on my back the whole time due to the restrictions because of my blood pressure. I thought I was going to feel bad about doing it, but nope--it was the right thing for me to do in my situation. As it turned out, though, the epidural didn't "take"; it just took the edge off enough to help me relax enough to get to 10 cm (still feeling most of it), but then it stopped working altogether by the end. Really, that was a good thing because I was able to feel everything and work with the contractions in the end.
I've had a rough immediate postpartum because my BP was still dangerously high and I never--in four days--was able to sleep at the hospital. I was extremely delirious and having panic attacks when I came home on Monday. I got some help, though, and am feeling a bit better.
But the bottom line is that my son is the most amazingly beautiful person I could ever imagine. I can't even believe he is ours! Wow!
Pictures to come!
Labor was induced at 37 weeks, 5 days due to dangerously high blood pressure. Everything went very well despite the fact that I was hooked up to every IV imaginable and had to be given magnesium sulfate and was catherized (for 24 hours after the birth even): 11 hours labor--took me 8 hours to get from 1 cm to 5 cm, and then only two hours to go from 5 to 10; pushed him out in 20 minutes.
Although I was hoping to avoid it, I did opt to get an epidural because I was flat on my back the whole time due to the restrictions because of my blood pressure. I thought I was going to feel bad about doing it, but nope--it was the right thing for me to do in my situation. As it turned out, though, the epidural didn't "take"; it just took the edge off enough to help me relax enough to get to 10 cm (still feeling most of it), but then it stopped working altogether by the end. Really, that was a good thing because I was able to feel everything and work with the contractions in the end.
I've had a rough immediate postpartum because my BP was still dangerously high and I never--in four days--was able to sleep at the hospital. I was extremely delirious and having panic attacks when I came home on Monday. I got some help, though, and am feeling a bit better.
But the bottom line is that my son is the most amazingly beautiful person I could ever imagine. I can't even believe he is ours! Wow!
Pictures to come!
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