Welcome Baby Micah

We arrived home today ... I'd been working on Micah's birth story and wanted to share it. Enjoy!

Micah's birth story--

Jamie and I got to the hospital at 7am. Blah blah'd through registration and all that. I got my IV put in by a very nice competent nurse who'd been paged to do it be/c the nurse to attend me remembered me from one of my false labor sagas (she was the nice kind one who only tried one time before Attila the Hun came in if you'd followed the previous story). At 8:15 my water was broke. Not nearly as bad as I remembered Mark's was. At 9:15 the pitocin was started and five minutes later I started having hard contractions. The next couple hours blurred but Jamie some how managed to keep the times written down for me. I tried to handle the contractions on my own. But I wasn't doing well. They were intense and coming strongly and coming quickly all too soon. I couldn't get relaxed or calm enough between them to handle the next ones. I begged for pain meds. I kept saying how sorry I was and how strong I didn't feel and how I wasn't doing a good job. My nurse-- AMAZING NURSE-- kept telling me I was doing good, it was fine, all this... she was so nice. At some point the anesthesiologist came in to do the epidural and he was very patient even though I was really struggling. We finally got that in at 11:00 and my heart rate droppppppped. He was standing by with meds though and gave me a shot of something in the IV to bring it back up right away. This was scary. I could see it written on my mom's face that she was scared. However the meds worked and all seemed well. At this point though I think we thought "okay, we can relax now" but we quickly found out that the baby didn't like the contractions anymore. I was doing so much better. The epidural worked fast and my contractions were happening without me realizing them. However, the baby was not doing well. And the nurse started with the "try this side" and we'd roll me to one side thing. She came back. "The baby isn't liking the contractions, try this side" we rolled to another side. she came back "I need you on oxygen. The baby needs more oxygen." I felt it. Bad things were happening. The baby's heart rate got slower and slower. The beeping got slower. The nurse action got more intense. The look on my mom's face got darker and darker.

Jamie was in the lobby sitting with his dad for a minute and my mom called him and told him to come back that things weren't looking good. I knew that with Mark I needed to be on oxygen but it was LATER in the laboring process. Much later. Something felt wrong. The baby's heart rate beeping got slower and slower... The nurse came in again. "Kate, Kendra's on the way, she's going to talk to you. We're going to have to do a c-section." I cried. I knew it was okay, I knew that the most important thing was this baby's safety. but I cried. I knew that could only mean that it was really bad. I was explained that (as with Matthew) each time I was having a contraction, after the contraction, the baby's heart beat was dropping. and it was dropping low. It got as low as 90 or lower at some points. Kendra came in. she took one look at the monitor and her face fell and I knew that there was no more "trying" that we were going to surgery. She rubbed me and told me I was so strong and doing fine but that the baby was just not having it and we needed a healthy baby. And I knew she was right. All that mattered really was that at the end of the day, we had a healthy baby. In a matter of minutes (an hour after getting the epidural) Jamie was handed his blue garb to put on and we were wheeled down the hall at noon. Instead of like with Matthew's traumatic OR experience, this was much better. They said for Jamie to wait on a bench while they got me set up in the OR and I didn't need to scream for him. I knew what was happening.

Kendra never left my side. I was shaved and prepped and she held my hand through it all. A blue screen was placed in front of me. Jamie was allowed back in. I started feeling some tugging at my tummy and then I heard it. The most perfect sound. Life. A baby crying. I remember my eyes flied wide open. I'd already asked the doctor to please not announce if it was a boy or girl... and Jamie who'd known all along was able to again tell me who was born. I made eye contact with him after hearing that sweet cry and he said "It's Micah." I remember I said "Micah? a boy? Micah?" and he said "Yes. It's a boy. It's Micah." with a big smile. Micah Henry was born at 12:48pm. Thank you God for allowing such a sweet moment to pass between me and Jamie that I can treasure and remember. A few seconds of a crying baby passed and they told Jamie to stand up, he took Micah's first picture in this world from across the blue curtain. Jamie sat back down and the anesthesiologist said to pass him the camera. He disappeared beyond the blue wall and was able to capture some really neat first pictures that we'd have never gotten otherwise. What a kind and caring man he was! I kept searching the blue wall side to side wondering where my baby was. Kendra let go of my hand at some point to go see him. Someone finally brought him to Jamie and held him close to me. The kind anesthesiologist took a picture of me seeing Micah for the first time and kissing him. Jamie got to hold him a few minutes before Micah was taken away and Jamie was issued out of the OR. Kendra continued to hold my hand while I was put back together. I don't remember going to the recovery room but I remember waking up there around 1:45. I asked how long we'd have to be in that room. That room was horrible. I couldn't see anyone I wanted to see. I couldn't see my baby, I didn't see my husband, I didn't see my mom. Just my nurse. My nice nurse trying to be supportive. She said "about an hour, hun." I watched the clock. I'd close my eyes and two minutes would pass. I'd close my eyes again and ten would. I'd close my eyes again and only five... oh the longest forty five minutes I ever spent! Finally though, she said, "let me call up there and we'll see what room they want you in." At 2:30pm I being checked over and we were starting to wheel out of the horrible waiting room. At 2:45 I was in my recovery room upstairs. My mom and Jamie's dad were both there to welcome me. Jamie and Micah came in a few minutes later. At 3:30 we were successfully nursing for the first time. Micah was an eating champ.

As far as Micah is concerned, he did well from this point on. My left leg was pretty much numb though for the next 24+ hours. I think it was a combination of the nerve/hip issues I was having before delivery and the epidural. This made me getting out of the bed more difficult than the standard ABC check list of what to do after a c-section. And I annoyed a few nurses be/c of the delay but... eventually, we got moving slowly. I finally got my shower 48 hours after having Micah and things looked much better at that point. Micah had his circumcision Saturday in the pm and we were discharged Sunday morning. Back at home around 11am Sunday. Mark welcomed us clapping and cheering us "Yay Mommy! and Daddy! and MICAH!!! YAY!!!!" Matthew and Mark both were excited about seeing Micah again and getting to "keep" him. God is so good. I'm so thankful we made it through--- all safely and healthy. I have a lit longer recovery to go through than I wanted but all in all, I'm really pleased. My boys are just perfect.

Pictures will follow later.