Well, here it is, my last pregnancy journal entry, since I'm no longer pregnant and now a mommy.  Here is the lowdown on my labor, delivery and recovery.  I'm not holding back here, so I'd advise that this might not make good reading material while you enjoy a tuna sandwich for lunch.

On Dec. 20, I woke up to news of an MTA strike, so I opted to call the office and tell my manager that I wouldn't be coming in.  Harold was sleeping in and still trying to decide whether or not he'd attempt to make it into the office once the HOV restrictions lifted to enter Manhattan.  Around 11:00ish, I used the bathroom, tried to rouse Harold, then plopped down on the couch to watch TV - and I felt like I had peed my pants just a little, which was strange since I'd just used the bathroom.  I went back to the bathroom to find that my panties were indeed wet, although the liquid was clear tinged with blood, not urine.  Amniotic fluid!  I couldn't believe it... a freakin' week early... my mother's instinct had been SO off!

I called the doctor's office, and the nurse consulted with my OB and then told me to come in by 1:00pm.  So, Harold and I started getting ready, and we headed out after he ate a quick McDonald's lunch.  Stupid me should've eaten something, but I thought they'd send me home to labor comfortably.  The doctor confirmed that I had broken my water, and she sent me to the hospital to get started on Pitocin.  She said since my water had broken, they'd want the labor to go ahead and progress while being monitored at the hospital, which is different than if I'd just had contractions at home.  Shoot.  She said I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced and sent me on my way.

(I must stress here how so very important it is to have a good hospital experience.  I think if you're going to deliver a baby and spend hours upon hours with hospital staff, it's vital to have the best care and most comforting experience possible.  Really research hospitals well, ladies!  I had heard great things about St. Barnabas, as it's purported to be one of the best hospitals in NJ, and boy, I have to say that my hospital experience was amazing from start to finish.  Every single person I encountered along the way was efficient, warm and nothing short of amazing.  If I could, I would recommend all my friends from VA come all the way to NJ to have their future babies here!)

At the hospital, we headed to the PET unit, and since I'd pre-registered already, the admissions process was a breeze.  When I got my cervix checked, the intern said I was 3 cm dilated.  Whoa - in just half an hour??  My OB didn't believe it, either, so she asked that someone else check me.  So I got 3 cervical checks in 45 minutes - not fun at all.  But I was definitely 3 cm dilated.  They sent me up to Labor & Delivery, and they got me started on Pitocin.  The L&D room we were in was humongous and quite comfy... the nursing staff was great, too.  We had a lot of fun chatting and joking with them as I labored for the next NINE hours. 

I wasn't trying to be a hero, but I did try to hold off getting the epidural.  Contractions are not so much painful as they are extremely uncomfortable, but they sure do knock the breath out of you when they are intense.  I was kind of afraid to get the actual epidural administered, because I've heard that it can be extremely painful... it wasn't too bad, some strange sensations.  But once it set in, it was wonnnnnderful... no more pain with the cervical checks or contractions.  But then I started experiencing a different kind of discomfort that epidural couldn't help... rectal pressure.  As the baby prepares for birth, his head presses on the rectum, which causes some really uncomfortable feelings on the rectum.  Because epidurals only take away pain, not pressure, I felt every one with each contraction.  The nurses burst out laughing when I got angry and demanded to know why I'd never heard of this rectal pressure, only contractions!

At 10:30pm, I was fully dilated and they started prepping me to push.  We were getting all ready to have a 12/20/05 baby!  Then the doctor came in to check me... and he said that the baby was 'sunny side up.'  Basically, the back of his head should be facing out as he comes through the birth canal, but his face was facing out.  He said it was possible to still deliver vaginally but said it just makes things harder... plus, the baby hadn't dropped at all and was still very high up.  So, I gave it a go for 45 minutes.  I was soooo exhausted, but I was a trooper, and the nurses praised me saying they could tell I was pushing with all my might - they should know, since they had their fingers up my cervix with each push!  The baby never dropped at all, so it seemed like he just wasn't ready to come out.  The doctor came back in and said with all the factors involved, it didn't seem like I'd have luck pushing the baby out any time soon and apologetically said a c-section would be a better option.  Honestly, I felt like I'd won the lottery... I just couldn't push a minute longer, and I wanted this baby OUT.

They got Harold into scrubs and had him wait outside of the OR while they prepped for the surgery.  I'll be honest here.  I was so tuckered out, I was literally passed out for most of the ordeal.  I kept waking up whenever Harold or someone else spoke to me.  Harold said the c-section took less time than it took the medical staff to prep the OR.  Suddenly, I saw them pressing on my stomach (which I knew meant they were pushing the baby out), and then I heard, 'It's a boy!'  I saw them carry the baby to the warmer, and all I noticed was how big his feet were.  They called time of birth to be 12:21 am, which was so funny, since he was also born on 12/21/05!  Randomly, I also remember the doctor complimenting my healthy uterus and the nurse being astounded that there was so little blood when the baby came out.  They sent Harold with the baby while they stitched me up, and I continued passing out unless someone spoke to me. 

I was sent to a recovery area for a couple of hours, and I felt like an awful mother for not having Harold bring the baby to me, but I seriously could not keep my eyes open.  By now, it was well past 1:00am, and I just needed sleep.  Around 4:00am or so, I did have the presence of mind to ask the nurse if there were any private rooms available... and lucky us, there was ONE left.  Another side note here - if you can, DEFINITELY spend the money on getting a private room.  The private rooms at St. Barnabas are amazing... the staff jokingly refer to them as Hotel St. Barnabas, and even the orderly who wheeled me up to the room called the Executive Pavilion the 'penthouse.'  When we got there, we got to spend some time with Oliver, and then the nurse took him back to the nursery and we finally got some shut-eye around 6:30am.  (By the way, I had to wait 12 hours after surgery to eat anything, so I went 27 hours without food... arghhh.)

After that, my recovery was quick and easy.  I'm not kidding.  The doctors and nurses were amazed at how well I recovered.  The standard hospital stay after a c-section is 4 days, and my doctor offered to let me go home on my second day!  After delivering a baby, it is extremely hard to pee and poop... and you also have to deal with some crazy blood flow.  I did great with all three (one advantage of c-section is less post-partum blood, because they suck a lot of it out), and Motrin was enough to keep my pain from the stitches at bay.  In fact, I kept forgetting to take the ibuprofen, because the pain wasn't so bad - it was really the worst at night when I was inactive for a long time.

So, we came home as a family on Christmas eve, and we're now trying to settle into a routine.  I'm feeling great, and the baby seems comfortable for the most part.  He goes through a fussy period in the evening, and that's when my angelic baby boy turns into Mr. Cranky McFussy (my nickname for this alter ego).  He also likes to scream his head off as we go through the trials of breastfeeding... not fun.  Harold has been amazing since we've been home... making me mi yuk gook and sitting with me during each feeding session to offer his support and help.  My parents are en route to our house, and my mom will be staying for a couple of weeks.  But I'm still sad about Harold going back to work tomorrow... he's been the perfect partner these past few days.  I have felt a little of the baby blues here and there, but nothing vitamins and exercise can't cure (Tom Cruise joke, people).

Well, that's about it.  Look for postings and pictures of Baby Oliver on my Queen Jean blog!  Thanks for reading.