Baby Ryder is HERE!!!!!!!!

As if you all didn't know that already ;) Ryder was born April 7, 2010 at 4:45pm. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 20.5 inches long with a head that spanned almost 14 inches (maybe a good thing he was c-section???). So I'll tell our story below, in case you havent heard yet.

We got to the hospital at 730am and I was admitted to the hospital and was settled into our room. The nurse started the medication called Pitocin, which stimulates uterine contractions to get the labor going. My doctor came at 830 to break my water and around that time is when my contractions started being noticable, but I was still only at 2cm and 70% effaced. So Joe was by my side through every contraction--what an amazing guy he was that day, almost brings tears to my eyes (okay, it DOES bring tears to my eyes...). As the morning went on, my contractions got stronger and more painful and I was not having fun at all, if you can imagine. Around noon I decided it was ridiculous to be in so much pain if I could have the epidural at anytime I wanted, so we called anesthesia and I got my epidural---by the way, very weird sensation to be able to move your legs only a tiny bit but not be able to feel anything really. It's like the dentist x100000. Around this same time, Ryder's heart rate dropped into the 80's and stayed there. the nurse came in and put oxygen on me and was turning me side to side to try to get Ryder's heart rate to come back up, but it wouldnt so she shut off the pitocin drip and it did then. So she left it off for 45 min and then turned it back on at half strength from before. Ryder did okay for about an hour and then two nurses came back in the room--a little more panicked at this time, but trying not to show it---and they put the oxygen back on me and were turning me side to side while another nurse paged my doctor (who was across the street in the clinic). They turned the pitocin off and I knew it was bad when my doctor came running into our room breathless because she had sprinted over here. She monitored me for a little while and then told me this would be a long process because I was only dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced after being on the pitocin all morning and his heart rate was tolerating the pitocin. So after over an hour, they turned the pitocin on at 1ml and hour (which is basically NOTHING at all). At this time it is about 3pm. So I sat there doing nothing and joe and I were watching tv and I was dozing on and off. At 420pm, four nurses rush into the room all talking fast about what each one was doing. One nurse put oxygen on me, one nurse man handled me onto my other side while dropping the head of the bed lower than my feet to try to get Ryder's heart rate up (at this time, his heart rate was sustained in the 60's and not coming up--they wanted him 120s to 140s). One nurse was rushing in all these supplies which I could tell were sterile for surgery and one was calling the lab to get a "stat type and screen" which checks your blood type. Ryder's heart rate was still not coming up so the nurses gathered around the bed while we waited for Dr. Cremer to get to my room and they told me they wanted to get me on "all fours". ummmmm I HAVE AN EPIDURAL!!!!! and without hesitation, they literally flipped me over on one smooth motion and a big brute of a nurse got behind me and lifted at my hips so my butt was high in the air and put my face down into the pillow. Do you have the visual yet?? It's a good one, isn't it?

so my doctor comes storming into the room and says were going for an emergency cesarean section and that everything would be "okay". Yet another nurse sent joe to the bathroom to change into scrubs so he could come into the OR. The only funny moment of this whole process was when joe came out of the bathroom with a scrubs, a hat, a mask everything on but was holding on to the shoe covers. When the nurse asked him why he hadn't put them on, he responded that he didnt know what they were for and he thought they were elbow pads!!!!!!!!! I LOVE it :) I actually laughed through my big, scared tears at that time.

So it was like a tv show, where they were rushing me down the hall to the OR while I was signed the consent forms and joe was holding my hand telling me we'll be okay. I got to the OR and they put me on the table, prepped me for surgery, used my epidural to give me a higher spinal block (which I will get to in a moment....) and they brought Joe in while they were doing the surgery. It was such a whirlwind and the adrenaline was so high in the room. I was crying but joe was by my head the whole time talking to me and calming me down. it was the most intense and scary thing that's every happened to me, I'm sure Joe too. At one point during the c section, I heard a nurse ask Dr. Cremer if they needed to cut me wider because Ryder was so big, they couldnt get me out. I was literally bouncing on the table as they were trying to yank him out of me. Luckily they didnt have to cut wider...they just used the vacuum to get him out---see facebook for photos of his poor cone head :( So for a time line here--->the nurses rushed into our room at 420 when his heart rate was really low, I was on the OR table at 430, and Ryder was born at 4:45. It was amazing how fast they worked, the whole staff was great. Ryders apgar scores were 9's both time (scale of 9 out of 10), which is amazing.

I was so overwhelmed at this time because there was a big sheet infront of my face so I couldnt see anything obviously. so I could hear ryder crying and joe was taken from me to go take pictures since I couldnt see him and to cut his cord. It was so frustrating and upsetting to me because it was not how I pictured my first birth to be. Even though Joe was amazing through the process and I couldnt have asked for more, at that moment when they were stitching me up and I was behind the sheet while everyone else was doing their own thing, I never felt so alone. It was sad. But on a brighter note, I was also so happy and relieved that Ryder was healthy and everything went well in the end.

so back to the spinal block story. The anesthesiologist said I should be numb from the nipples down. Well I first started to feel my fingers go numb, then my hands and pretty soon I couldnt feel or move my arms at all. so the anesthesiologist said, "don't give her anymore block!!" well a few minutes later, they asked me a question and I opened my mouth to answer...and I COULDNT TALK!! nothing came out. It was pretty scary. at that time, they shut off the meds for the block completely and they looked a little freaked out. It ended up being fine, but I could tell they were nervous and when I mentioned later in the recovery room to the nurse that I couldn't feed Ryder when she asked me if I wanted to because I couldnt move my arms, her eyes got as big as tea saucers! Like I said, it all ended up to be fine, but yikes, huh?!?

Sorry this is getting so long...almost done! So after the recovery room, we went up to the postpartum floor where my parents, joe's parents, joe's brother and his wife and my brother were all waiting for us. It was very emotional, but I was feeling so blessed to have such a great support system and loving family. I couldnt have gotten through such an emotional time without them, especially my fantastic husband. It's now Sunday and we got home yesterday. I am still really sore and I have to have joe get mad at me and tell me to stop trying to do so much because I am hurting badly by the end of the day for sure. It's been quite the crazy process and joe and I still can't believe that this beautiful, perfect baby is ours and he's finally here!!! it's so fun, amazing, stressful but I am so glad we are at this point. Joe and I are learning every day so much about him and we are working as a team to get through this crazy time! But we love it :)

Here are a few pictures of our little Ryder: