Meet Oliver Michael Jones

After exactly 41 weeks of waiting, my precious son, Oliver Michael, is finally here! Doug and I are over the moon with our baby boy and are already bonding well and creating good routines at home- as many know that newborns can be quite a handful at first. I wanted to share my labor story, as well as what all has been going on since Oliver's birth.

So last Monday, March 4th, I was scheduled to be induced at Memorial Hermann in the The Woodlands at 6:00am. Doug and I went to bed pretty early the night before, but of course I didn't really sleep. We woke up at 4:30am, and I received a phone call from the hospital telling me to come in at 6:30am. We took our time getting everything in the car that we would need, and stopped by a Denny's to eat breakfast. Doug scarfed down his food, however, I was too nervous to eat and had maybe 3 bites- which turned out to be a great thing, since you are not supposed to have any food or sugary drink your system 8 hours prior to being induced.

We made it to the hospital on time and checked into our room quickly. I met my labor nurse, Tonya, who was amazing, honest, and very attentive. She listened to my desires for a natural birth, walked us through how the morning would go, and got us all settled in. At about 7:30am, my doctor came in to check my cervix and go over the plan for the day. I was dilated to 1cm and 50% effaced, which was enough to break my water. However, I was still too closed to try and get labor started on my own, so a slow drip of pitocin was started to jump start the process. For the first two hours, I was doing great- walking around, bouncing on my birthing ball (a big exercise ball), watching movies and joking around with my husband and Tonya. Around 9am, I wanted to get checked and playfully joked with my nurse that it would be awesome if I was at 6cm- she just laughed, and said, "Oh honey, that big grin on your face is NOT the face of a 6." Sure enough, I was not. I had not progressed at all and still at 1cm. My pitocin drip was increased, and my smiley face gradually became one of concentration and pain. I was able to handle it though, and focused on taking deep breathes as I continued to bounce on the ball. At around 11am, my doctor came back in to check on me. I was barely 2cm dilated and 80% effaced- it was some progress, but definitely not where I should be. My doctor attempted to stretch my cervix and turn the baby, as he seemed to be coming down slightly crooked. This was horribly uncomfortable, but just the beginning of the pain that was to come. The doctor told me that I was to stay in bed and lay on my sides, alternating every 10-15 minutes in order to encourage the baby to straighten out. My pitocin drip was increased again, and both the doctor and nurse spoke to me about getting an epidural since my pain was increasing, but my progress was not. It was suggested that I don't wait until I couldn't bear it to request the epi, as there were many c-sections going on that day, and the anesthesiologists would be very busy. After about 10 minutes, trying to cope with the contractions while in bed, I caved and requested the medicine. I was told that it would take about 20-40 minutes to receive it, as there were two c-sections in progress. While I waited, the pain became harder and harder to cope with, and the breaks between contractions would range from 2 minutes ti 30 seconds. By this time, my parents had arrived, and my mom was in my room doing her best to help and not cry, while watching me in so much pain. I was having difficulty breathing through the contractions, and walking to the bathroom and back was brutal, as I would shake and have to have both my husband and my mom help me walk. The 20-40 minute wait time turned into two and a half hours- and my nurse was furious. I just kept repeating over and over again, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and focused on the fact that medicine was coming. 

The anesthesiologist came in my room around 1:30pm to give me the epidural. I flinched when she inserted the numbing needle, but luckily, she didn't hit anything that would do damage. Once the IV was placed for the drip, my pain from the contractions vanished almost instantly. My body, however, was having a hard time coping with the medicine, and my blood pressure dropped scarily low. The nurse put an oxygen mask on me and had me lay on my right side. Oliver's heart rate began to drop as well, and I was told to focus on taking nice big, deep breathes. After about 30 minutes, Doug and my mom were allowed to come back in the room (they had to leave while the epi was inserted). The look on Doug's face was one that I hadn't seen all morning. He was scared, and would jump up every time the monitors went off to alert the nurse to mine and Ollie's dropping levels. After about 45 minutes or so, mine and Ollie's levels went back to where they should be, and I was able to go back to watching movies and just patiently waiting for my labor to progress. Around 3pm, my nurse checked my cervix again and I was still at 2cm. She also tried to feel where Ollie's head was and began to question whether he was in fact head down. Tonya thought it was best to get a second opinion and went out to get another nurse. Both of them couldn't tell what position he was in, so they brought in an old ultra sound machine to check it out. It wasn't completely clear, but seemed like his head was down, just in a weird position. My doctor was called shortly after to be informed of my nonexistent progress, and Tonya came back in to tell me that he would probably suggest a c-section since I wasn't progressing, and was running out of time because my water had been broken. Both Doug and I talked about it, and we felt whatever was needed to do to get our son out safely, we would do. We had enough scares this morning with my dropping levels, and I actually had to wear the oxygen mask a few more times before my doctor arrived at 4:30pm to go over the plan with us. So, when the doctor came in, he expressed that he felt it was best for me to have a c-section. He said I wasn't dilating because my baby wasn't dropping, and at this point, he didn't see any signs that I would progress on my own soon enough. He had one c-section to do, and then I would be wheeled in. Doug was given scrubs to put over his clothes, and I was prepped for surgery. 

At about 5:20pm, I was transferred to the OR and 4 nurses, 2 doctors, and a very funny anesthesiologist began getting everything ready to start the cesarean. After they did what needed to be done (no need to go into detail), Doug was guided around the sheet to my head to wait for the sound of our sweet baby's cry. My doctor had already made the incision, and as he peaked inside, he immediately said, "Oh man, I am so sorry! Your little guy was breech this whole time! He was never head down." It was an instant reaction for me to retort with, "And how long have you been in practice?" which made all the staff in the room laugh. Just a few seconds later, we heard Oliver's sweet cry, and at 5:48pm our son was officially born weighing 7lbs 14 oz and measuring 21 inches long. He came out so perfect, with a head full of hair, bright greenish blue eyes, and beautiful smooth pink skin. Doug went straight over to the weighing area to watch all the nurses clean him up, weigh him, measure him, and make sure everything looked good. Oliver had been pumped with tons of fluid while I was in labor, and that was the first thing he wanted out- so there was a nice long shot of pee sprayed all over the glass. Doug brought him over to me so I could see him, and I couldn't help but cry with joy. Doug took him back to our room, while I was stitched up. 

Back in our room, we watched our baby nurse, Amy, bathe Oliver and I was taken care of by my new nurse, Ami, with meds to help shrink my uterus. I was taken off the epidural drip, so that I would be able to get up and walk in a few hours, and placed on another large bag of pitocin (that scared me because I didn't want to go through my morning pains again, but after the baby is born, the drug actually helps the uterus to shrink without pain). After Ollie's bath, the nurses brought him over to me to do kangaroo time, or skin-to-skin, and nurse him. He latched right on and fed for about 20 minutes on each side. I was so happy with how great he was, and how well I was providing for him. After he was nursed and happy, our family and friends came in to check him out, and it was a huge love fest. So many tears, awes, and coos. And just so you know, my doctor came to see me a good 4-5 more times to apologize before we left the hospital three days later- it was a nice slice of humble pie for his arrogant personality.

Gramma Myers & Ollie 

Gramma Myers, Nonna, Doug, & Ollie 

Gigi & Ollie

 

Paw Paw & Ollie

Uncle J & Ollie

Andi & Ollie- she was the first non-family member  to hold him because she was the closest to guess his birthdate

Here's a video of Doug changing his very first diaper EVER :)

My little family of three stayed in the hospital for the next 72 hours, and we were quite spoiled with the best nurses- receiving a new one every 12 hours. Every night, from about 11pm-6am the hospital provided a nursery so we could sleep, and they would bring Ollie in when it was time for him to eat. I had visits from the staff pediatrician daily, and met with a few lactation consultants on how to best feed my son. When it came time to leave on Thursday, we were a mix of emotions- part of me craved my own bed and familiar area, and the other part knew I would miss all this treatment we got at the hospital. It was a bit scary to know that we would be leaving all the experts and it would be just the two of us trying to care for our son back at home. The same day that we were leaving, I had a visit with a pediatrician who spoke with me about Ollie's weight loss. Babies lose on average 5-10% of their birth weight within the first 3 days, and Ollie was at 9.75%. I instantly broke down and started crying, feeling like I was failing him. Lactation and my nurses for the day came in to speak with me and reassure me that c-section babies lose more because their weight at birth isn't really their true weight because of all the fluid we are both pumped with while in labor. Lactation reminded me that both me and Ollie were doing wonderfully with feeding, and to just focus on taking care of myself and keeping up with our routine of feeding every 2-3 hours. We started to pack up everything to go home around 2:30pm. Doug had brought the car up front, loaded it up, and just as he came back to get me and Ollie, I had him in my arms, feeding him, and low and behold, my milk had come in! All my tears from earlier about feeling like a failure went away, as this was a lot sooner than anyone thought I would be getting it in.

Doug and I made it home around 5pm, and quickly settled in. The first night was the hardest- we couldn't seem to get Ollie swaddled tight enough, and he woke up 6 times, leaving us both absolutely exhausted the next morning. Around 5am Friday morning, we decided to slip him into a "Swaddle Me" outfit, and sure enough, he slept straight through the rest of the morning no problem. I had to actually wake him up and keep him awake at 8:30am to eat. We saw our pediatrician that morning, and Ollie was doing amazing. His circumcision and umbilical cord were healing really well, and the doctor told us that both should be fine by Monday. We learned throughout the day that our little boy loves his swing, and napped very well in it. My mom came over and helped us clean up around the house, do laundry, dishes, and allowed me to catch up on some sleep. Doug was able to go grocery shopping and run a few errands, and we were both praying that the night would go smoother. By 11pm, I suggested that we put Ollie in his swing to sleep for the night, instead of swaddling him and laying him in the pack-n-play. Thankfully, it worked, and we were all able to sleep for about 8 hours total from 11pm to 10am, with 4 breaks for feeding and changing diapers. At one point in the early morning hours, I noticed that Doug wasn't in bed anymore. I called out to him, and he answered me from the floor in front of Ollie's swing. Apparently after the last feeding, our baby was still a little fussy, and Doug stayed down with him to soothe him with a pacifier on and off for about 20 minutes, and then just resolved to sleep on the floor. He slept down there from 5am to 7:30am with a pillow and a blanket. If that doesn't shout "Father of the Year," I don't know what does. 

I just want to say, while my birth plan of going natural went a bit awry, I don't even care now that my son is here. Yes, I labored for nothing in the morning, and had to endure excruciating pain. I should have had the c-section right away, but I believe it only brought me closer to my husband and Christ. Both were my rock, and I'm so thankful for all the events that lead up to my son being born. Christ continues to carry us through this tough and blessed time. He's there for us in the moments when we are frustrated and stressed, as well as the times when we can't stop staring out our beautiful child, praising Him for this amazing blessing. 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows"

{James  1:17}