Tonight, as I sit here, struggling to come to terms with the fact that my teeny, tiny 5 pound preemie is turning one TOMORROW, I thought it would be a perfect time to finally write about his birth story. Mostly so I can bawl my eyes out while looking at all of the photos of my perfect little boy coming into the world. Also a little because I realized it's something I never wrote about A YEAR AGO (cue tears) when he was born. I seriously cannot believe it's been a whole year. I can remember every single detail like it was last week. Seriously, this is some sick joke, right? He's not actually a year old, right? No? Ugh... One day I'll accept it. Not right now.
So here we go. Wilson's birth story.
So here we go. Wilson's birth story.
So, after spending 4 days in the hospital because of my preeclampsia, and about 23235342 different plans, the doctors sent me home on "bed rest" to try to cook that baby until 37 weeks. They sent me home on Thursday. I went to the hospital for tests every other day for the next week and they continued to send me home. Finally, the following Thursday, I called Labor and Delivery telling them I had had an excrutiating headache for the past 3 days. Since this was a sympton of severe preeclampsia, I figured they'd want me to come in immediately. Nope. The nurse on the phone acted like I was silly for calling. So, I hung up, bawled my eyes out, and drove to Walmart for headache medicine. When I pulled in a parking space, I got a call from Labor and Delivery. It was the nurse I had spoken to earlier telling me to pack my bag, eat a big meal, and get to the hospital as soon as possible because I was having this baby. FINALLY! I drove home, ate a bunch of food, and drove myself to the hospital. When I got there, my blood pressure was 150/95. They put me in a triage room with the lights off and told me to lay down, close my eyes, and try to relax. When they came back to check my blood pressure again, it was 175/105. The midwife came in and told me I had to be put on anti-seizure medication because my preeclampsia had reached the "severe" level. The techs had to insert my IV into my wrist in the dark, using the flashlight on their iphone becuase the midwife wanted to keep the room as dark as possible to help my headache. Once my IV was in, they moved me to my room. That's when Drew arrived. He had been at work, but they sent him to be with me once he found out I was at the hospital.
Once in the room, they started my IV of Magnesium Sulfate. I had been researching preeclampsia for the past 6ish months, so I had read ALLLLL about this stuff. I knew it was going to make me feel like I was dying and basically wish I could just die, so I was understandably scared. Holy Cow. I am not kidding when I tell you that the first hour of the magnesium was the worst hour of my whole life. (And I've stabbed a knife through my hand soooo....) It felt like my organs had caught on fire. It was like the worst hangover you've ever had, combined with the most miserable flu. Can't imagine what that would be like? Good. I hope no one I know ever has to go through it. After about an hour, though, the feeling of being on fire and needing to puke started to go away and I was feeling a little more normal.
Skip all of the boring, weird parts where the midwives checked to see where Wilson was and started the whole induction process. Let's go straight to the part where I started to feel contractions for the first time. My nurse and midwife suggested I get the epidural before they induced me, but I really wanted to feel what it was like to be in labor. That sounds weird, but it's just something I wanted to experience. They told me I'd probably want the epidural within an hour of being induced, but I made it 7. :) But once those contractions started, I was more than ready for the anesthesiologist to come in and give me that epidural! 2 of my friends had had babies just a few months earlier, and they told me horror stories about getting their epidurals, so I was completely terrified. BUT... I was a freaking champ. Once that was in, it was smooth sailing.
I tried to sleep all night, but I was just way too excited. It's such a weird feeling being in labor. Knowing that your baby is RIGHT THERE, ready to be born, but having no idea when you'll actually get to hold him. The anticipation was killing me and I just could not get any sleep. (It also didn't help that I had to be on my side with a peanut ball between my knees and my nurse had to check my vitals every 30 minutes.)
So the night dragged on and on and I just wanted to hold my baby!
In the morning, my VERY FAVORITE nurse from the week before came in and I was so happy to know she would be the one delivering Wilson. She was a saint and deserves some kind of award. (I bawled my eyes out the whole way home from the hospital saying that I wished I could have said goodbye to her.)
FINALLY, after 256 days of waiting, it was time to meet my sweet little boy. Right before 11:50 am, my nurse helped me with a "practice push". One push and she said, "STOP!" and told the tech to get the doctors and midwives. Since Wilson was a preemie and had been exposed to magnesium sulfate, he would need extra doctors in the room in case anything was wrong. One, two, three, SEVENTEEN people piled into the room and took their positions. At 11:51 am, the midwife told me to start pushing. 3 minutes and 3 pushes later, Wilson Andrew Shavlik was born!
Once in the room, they started my IV of Magnesium Sulfate. I had been researching preeclampsia for the past 6ish months, so I had read ALLLLL about this stuff. I knew it was going to make me feel like I was dying and basically wish I could just die, so I was understandably scared. Holy Cow. I am not kidding when I tell you that the first hour of the magnesium was the worst hour of my whole life. (And I've stabbed a knife through my hand soooo....) It felt like my organs had caught on fire. It was like the worst hangover you've ever had, combined with the most miserable flu. Can't imagine what that would be like? Good. I hope no one I know ever has to go through it. After about an hour, though, the feeling of being on fire and needing to puke started to go away and I was feeling a little more normal.
Skip all of the boring, weird parts where the midwives checked to see where Wilson was and started the whole induction process. Let's go straight to the part where I started to feel contractions for the first time. My nurse and midwife suggested I get the epidural before they induced me, but I really wanted to feel what it was like to be in labor. That sounds weird, but it's just something I wanted to experience. They told me I'd probably want the epidural within an hour of being induced, but I made it 7. :) But once those contractions started, I was more than ready for the anesthesiologist to come in and give me that epidural! 2 of my friends had had babies just a few months earlier, and they told me horror stories about getting their epidurals, so I was completely terrified. BUT... I was a freaking champ. Once that was in, it was smooth sailing.
I tried to sleep all night, but I was just way too excited. It's such a weird feeling being in labor. Knowing that your baby is RIGHT THERE, ready to be born, but having no idea when you'll actually get to hold him. The anticipation was killing me and I just could not get any sleep. (It also didn't help that I had to be on my side with a peanut ball between my knees and my nurse had to check my vitals every 30 minutes.)
So the night dragged on and on and I just wanted to hold my baby!
In the morning, my VERY FAVORITE nurse from the week before came in and I was so happy to know she would be the one delivering Wilson. She was a saint and deserves some kind of award. (I bawled my eyes out the whole way home from the hospital saying that I wished I could have said goodbye to her.)
FINALLY, after 256 days of waiting, it was time to meet my sweet little boy. Right before 11:50 am, my nurse helped me with a "practice push". One push and she said, "STOP!" and told the tech to get the doctors and midwives. Since Wilson was a preemie and had been exposed to magnesium sulfate, he would need extra doctors in the room in case anything was wrong. One, two, three, SEVENTEEN people piled into the room and took their positions. At 11:51 am, the midwife told me to start pushing. 3 minutes and 3 pushes later, Wilson Andrew Shavlik was born!
They whisked Wilson away to the warmer to check his vitals and make sure everything was the way it was supposed to be. Luckily, it was! They had him for 10 minutes and let me tell you, those 10 minutes seemed to drag on longer than the entire 20ish hours of labor I had just gone through. But finally, the midwife said, "I think it's Mom's turn now!" And it was.
I hoarded this 5 pound, 12 ounce bundle of joy for about an hour, and then it was Drew's turn!
Our wonderful photographer stuck around and took some more pictures of us loving on our new bundle and helped me sneak protein bars and animal crackers. Because I still had to be on the magnesium for another 24 hours, I wasn't allowed to eat any food. So I had to sneak it for another 12 hours after I gave birth. Have you ever tried running a marathon and then not eating or drinking anything for 12 hours after? I imagine that would be very simliar to giving birth and not eating for 12 hours after. Don't try it.
I am still so amazed, a year later, that I grew that little human. What a complete miracle he is. He's such an amazing, wonderful, funny, smart, loving, entertaining little guy. Being a mom has completely changed my life, but I'm not sure I even remember what life felt like before this day a year ago. While it doesn't seem possible that Wilson has been HERE, in our arms, for a year, it also feels like he's been in my heart forever. Like I've known him my whole life. He's truly everything I never knew I needed. I love that little man with every ounce of my being.
"And she loved a little boy with all of her heart- even more than she loved herself."
"And she loved a little boy with all of her heart- even more than she loved herself."