Tuesday the 27th was Rachel's 36 week OB visit. With the dicey weekend and a funny feeling in our guts, we just had a feeling things many move quicker than we had hoped. Rachel woke up Tuesday morning and her feet were swollen for the first time, and she was in a bit of a fog....
When we got to the docs office they did blood-work as usual and we waiting in the exam room. The door didn't even open and Rachel's OB doctor piped up.
"Well, we're having a baby today."
...............................................................................................wow.................................
We had prepped for that moment for months but nothing can truly prepare you for the moment the doc says it is happening today.
Rachel was having some blood pressure concerns and her platelet count was down more even from the weekend, and with the trend of the two, it was now doctor's orders to induce for the safety of Rachel and baby. We collected ourselves and headed downstairs to register at the hospital. Before we knew it, we were in our hospital room and they were beginning the process. Because of the health concerns, they ended up putting Rachel on this stuff called magnesium sulfate. It is necessary for higher risks related to the high blood pressure.
THIS SHIT WAS NASTY.
Within minutes Rachel was feeling like a dog after a roadkill bender. It was tough to see my wife not doing well, but I had a feeling it was going to get worse before it got better.
They hooked up an IV bag of pitocin, a synthetic hormone that acts like oxytocin which aids in the labor induction process. The other was a foli-catheter on her cervix to induce dilation. This process can take a fair amount of time so we figured we were in for the long haul. After Rachel was all hooked up and settled I took my opportunity to head to the office to fill out my paperwork for leave, get a few things for the stay and maybe grab a bite to eat. I no more than made it to the office and Rachel texted me. Her foli-catheter had fallen out already, meaning she was already 6cm dilated. I blasted through my timesheet and then hauled back to the hospital. Rachel was up and a little more perky but the mag was showing itself in her. She looked a little rough and it pained me to see her like that. Shortly after arriving the doc came back in with an update. It looked like because of her status with her platelet count, if she was going to get an epidural, she needed to do it now as long as the anesthetist signed off on it. There was no turning back so she gave the green light.
In short order what discomfort Rachel was already finding herself in was now fading away. She was able to drift into a deep snoring sleep for a much needed couple of hours before the pain started to come back.
Our nurse Sarah was showing me Rachel's contractions on the monitor and I was surprised by the frequency already. As they were starting to become more intense Rachel woke up and was not doing well at all. By now, Rachel was hooked up to six different machines. IVs, leg things, catheters...It was un-nerving. She was feeling far too much pain and something was not quite right. With each contraction, her blood pressure would spike and not come back down. This was a problem and the doc said we needed to get her epidural redone. It was taking forever to get an anesthetist in to help Rachel out, and we later found out the shit was hitting the fan in the ER and everyone was booked. They called through their book of on calls and finally found someone after an hour or so. It was sweet relief when he came in the door with his goods. With another quick procedure, Rachel was back to a functional human again. Upon inspection, we were told that her first epidural had actually slipped out and was seeping the meds down her back.....
Once this one was secured and in, Rachel again passed out in the bed for a good two hours. Despite all of the time and everything, we were still only sitting at 6cm like we had been for the last six or so hours. I decided it was best to join Rachel in the sleep department and hope that things were progressing properly so a C-section was not in the books.
When the doc came in at about 11:15pm to check progression, our oh-shit meter spiked again. Rachel was fully progressed and dilated!
It was not time to prep Rachel for pushing.
The first round of pushing was far more difficult than everyone had expected and not quite as productive as hoped. Rachel was already exhausted from the meds and the whole, you know, labor thing.....
The doc was not satisfied with the progress and wanted Rachel to shift and rest for just a little longer as there were some concerning decels (baby's heart rate) while pushing during contractions. Rachel was going to need some assistance at this point. Because of the decels, they were more concerned with the baby. With a much needed 45 minutes of sleep, Rachel was roused and we were prepped for round two. This time the doctor brought in the forceps to assist Rachel with her pushing. At one point I was helping Rachel with breathing and counting and between contractions I would help her get her oxygen mask back on. I may have gotten a little too in the moment because I pretty much tattooed the mask to her face few times. Rachel was in no condition to say anything but thankfully a nurse was there to reign be back a bit....oops.
It was surreal to watch my beloved wife in the final moments of her pregnancy. She is far stronger than I ever could have imagined, both physically and mentally. With two more hard fought pushes, my wife became the mother of our child.
Relief swept over Rachel as they carried our little boy over to the baby table. Relief was soon met by panic. There were no cries. There was only a limp purple baby on a table surrounded by three nurses and a doctor. That was the longest four minutes of our lives. I will never forget Rachel's face. I had never seen that one on her before and I know what true terror looks like on her. I finally piped up because no one was saying anything.
"So what is going on? Is he OK???"
The doctor in charge piped up; "Oh yeah he's fine. The mag makes him a little droopy. The bag is to help get his lungs started, but there is only 10% oxygen being used."
He was still a little loose in the arms, but we begun to hear faint whimpers from our minutes old son. His lungs were working, though little, he was doing acceptable. After about ten minutes or so, the doctor asked if Rachel was ready and would like to hold him. He was wrapped up and handed to Rachel. No respirator, no NICU, no significant interventions.
Thank the LORD!!!!
It was at that moment we knew who he was.
Luca Richard Livermore
He was just the tiniest little thing you could ever imagine. I will never forget the feeling of holding him for the first time. Within the hour, the docs came in and said some of his numbers (who knows which ones) were a little low and they were like to get him on an IV. It was nothing dire, but more precautionary due to his preemie status. I went with when we got his official weight of 4 pounds 11 ounces, and 18.5 inches long. He had the length, but definitely lacked the mass.
The next few days were an absolute blur. We had some issues with a sloppy nurse whom did not monitor his temp well enough even though Rachel's mommy radar was going off like a tornado siren. (she was later handed her ass by the baby doctor)
He was feeling well and his color was improving a little. Some time in the bili-lamp and some mommy time. Repeat.
Friday evening, we were finally released to bring our little peanut home!!!!!!!!!!!!
As we took our time to adjust, we reveled in every moment. This remains unbelievable for me, just has getting married took me years to get used to the idea, it will be a long time before this high wears off. We are a month in and I wouldn't trade a sleepless night for anything.
Stay Tuned
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