apologies

i JUST got home, so this is as early a post as i could manage. i've been exhausted and haven't called as many people as i had planned.

BIRTH STORIES:
short version: Angela Grace Erdosy was born Wednesday, 6/20/2007, at 6:07 p.m., weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces, and measuring 20-1/2 inches long.

she has been in the NICU because she passed meconium before we went to be induced, and has had some respiratory problems. also, infants of diabetic mothers have lots of "possible" problems, or tend towards more, and need them all ruled out. she had some jaundice, but not enough to need a light. we hope she will come home Sunday. any prayers are very welcome!

long birth story: i was called at 5:30 a.m. Wed. to come for my induction. it took us a whole hour to get there, we weren't ready b/c we were trying to make Murphy's law work for us!

after admission paperwork, my OB for the day finally came and broke the water, which was stained throughout with meconium (first BM for baby). of course, i had met and interacted with everyone in the practice EXCEPT this doc. hooked into IV and epidural, and started on pitocin.

the pitocin never came up to a high level b/c i responded very quickly. i had to keep begging for more drugs. by 1:30 i was complete. we were hopeful of another quick delivery like #2 (17 minutes of second stage labor), and started off pushing with enthusiasm and energy just before 2 p.m.

we progressed slowly but consistently. doctor kept turning the epidural down so i could progress, and i'd have to fuss at him that i couldn't progress without pain relief. her head was a little off-center and we had to try side positions for pushing.

finally the epidural wore off YET again and the doctor wanted me to push anyway. i curled up in fetal position and yelled at him. DH says i only yelled for a few minutes before he figured out that i was being honest when i said "I CAN'T ANYMORE!" but it seemed like a very long time. he said, just a little more and she'll be here! and i replied "but you've BEEN saying that for HOURS!"

everything hurt beyond my tolerance - to lift a leg again to push was more than i could do. i had pushed really well while baby was on my sciatic nerve b/c it hurt LESS to push; it lifted her up. and i said to him, if she's so close, can't you get her with forceps? after a discussion, he decided i really could have more drugs, and we'd use a vacuum.

she was born over ONE contraction with this method. four hours after we started. it's really not doctor's fault - he had no experience with my previous deliveries, since we'd moved. i got really lucky with #2 and an OB who understood how to get me to progress.

so she's born! i decided kind of last minute (last week) to have a postpartum tubal ligation. i had to wait until the next day and just about went crazy from all the lines they left in. fasting from midnight until after all of the emergencies that kept cutting in line, i finally had the procedure and got back to my room at 3:30. so that was thursday. i was exhausted but i took a shower anyway b/c i had to be clean!

baby went straight from delivery room to NICU b/c of meconium and infant of diabetic; they had to monitor her sugars for 4 hours minimum. then they kept finding more things to keep her for. she was under an oxygen hood, so i couldn't hold her, couldn't nurse, seemed like forever. she's made good progress and i HAVE started to nurse today, even though she has nasal prong oxygen still. if she keeps improving, she'll be home sunday! was getting depressed with the picture and not holding my baby, but i'm much better with those nursing hormones!

one last thing: don't believe anyone who tells you a tubal ligation is minor; it HURTS!

and the first thing i did was come post my birth story. nobody can say i don't love you!