Now that the birth announcement is out of the way, I suppose it's time for the story.
If you'll indulge me for a moment, I'll go all the way back to the very beginning and say that Lane and I are both very thankful that everything has gone so smoothly. We had been married for about six years when we finally decided to procreate, and we had spent quite a while contemplating whether or not it was right decision for us. Mostly, I was worried about Lane and the possible complications of pregnancy, though I can't deny that a part of me selfishly went, "Hey, I won't be the one getting all the toys, anymore!"
After doing our homework, we ultimately decided that the risks were minimal and that this would be better than any other toy I could possibly imagine. We were right about both.
Lane carried well through her entire pregnancy, despite my concerns. In fact, she carried so well that Piper seemed to have no intention of coming out at all. On her due date, our doctor advised us that it would be best for her not to go past 41 weeks, so this is where our story really begins: we scheduled an appointment for the induction on the 3rd (40 weeks and 6 days), hoping that Lane would go into labor before then.
Wed, October 3rd, 2012, 8:00 PM:
We received a call from the hospital saying that they had a room ready for us, so we went and got settled. The Labor and Delivery room at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is big-- really big, and has a homey quality to it: wood cabinets, a matching entertainment center, and matching carts replace the antiseptic feeling stainless steel of most hospital rooms. There's a chair sleeper sofa in one corner and a wooden rocking chair underneath the window in the other. Despite all of this, there's still enough empty space to make it feel like a suite (as long as there aren't a dozen people standing in it, but we'll get to that later).
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| Lane in the LDR |
Without going into great detail, the way the process was set up for us was this: we spend the night on the 3rd, and they give Lane some medication to get her ready to be induced. On the morning of the 4th, they give her an injection of Pitocin (a synthetic hormone used to induce labor). At that point, labor was supposed to last until somewhere between noon and midnight on the 4th.
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 1:00 AM:
At this point, Lane is starting to feel contractions. They gave her the initial medication just a couple of hours ago and told us that, sometimes, labor will actually begin even before the Pitocin is administered. Apparently, she fell into that minority. We spend some time changing positions, sitting up in the bed, sitting in the rocking chair, standing, and just breathing through them. Pretty much from the start, they're two minutes apart and about 30 seconds long.
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 5:00 AM:
The contractions are starting to come stronger, and I'm starting to get concerned about their intensity. The doctors had recommended that Lane get an epidural due to some other factors, and we both agree that it's time to start talking to the anesthesiologist. As expected, it takes about an hour to get everything done-- complications explained, consent forms signed, site prepped, and epidural administered. Within about 15 minutes, she's no longer feeling the contractions, but she can still feel her legs and even move them a little. Considering how many hours we've both been up, her relief is palpable. She can finally relax in the bed and even let her eyes close for a few minutes, though she has to remain constantly hooked up to the monitors, now.
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 6:30 AM:
The epidural has only been in for about 15 minutes, and there are some irregularities with Piper's heart rate. Whenever a contraction is starting to subside, the baby's heart rate dips (from a pretty steady 130 bpm to around 110 bpm). The nurses suspect that it's the external monitor's fault and get the on call doctor (Dr. Friall), who ruptures Lane's water to attach the internal monitors (and in the process, discovers that there's meconium-- it's not uncommon for the baby to have her first bowel movement in the womb, but it's worth knowing so they can get her properly cleaned up after delivery).
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 7:00 AM:
Piper's heart rate has gotten worse, not better, after installing the more reliable internal monitors. It now dips from 130 bpm to around 95 bpm. The room has started to fill-- there are now three nurses and two doctors. We finally realize that it's also shift change time for the hospital. While staring at the monitor, doctors Friall and Brickler discuss the options with each other. I dutifully ensure that everyone is aware of Lane's medical history, and Dr. Bricker decides to put Lane in an oxygen mask and prep her for surgery. If the baby's heart rate hasn't stabilized in 15 minutes, she's going to have a cesarean section.
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 7:15 AM:
The oxygen helped a little, but not enough. Piper's heart rate is between 140 bpm and 115 bpm and looks a little like a sine wave that mirrors the contraction strength graph. Thankfully, Lane's condition is still completely stable. She's tolerating the labor extremely well, so they're not concerned that the surgery will be too hard on her. Lane is wheeled into the operating room, and I'm given a gown, hat, and booties so I can sit with her in the O.R.
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 7:46 AM:
Piper's official time of birth. The NICU nurses take her over to the incubator in the room and attend to her because she's having problems breathing. They intubate her, get all the meconium out of her lungs that they can, do her initial
Apgar scores at 1, 5, and 10 minutes, and then take her to the NICU. We find out later that her scores were 1, 4, and 7. After getting Lane stitched up, we both go to the recovery room and wait anxiously for news of how she's doing.
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| Lane and Piper in the O.R. |
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 8:45 AM:
Dr. Truman from the NICU visits us in the recovery room to let us know that Piper is recovering quickly, but that she's going to have to spend a couple of days in the NICU for observation and to make sure she doesn't have a form of pneumonia caused by meconium in the lungs. Lane is recovering well. She's already asking for ice water, and despite being just out of surgery and sleep deprived, she's alert and talking to the doctor and nurses about Piper. I'm allowed to go back and see her, but Lane will have to wait a couple of hours until she's out of recovery to be wheeled through the NICU. After that, the next time Lane be allowed to see her won't be until she's able to sit up in a wheel chair so I can push her down there.
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| Piper in the NICU incubator |
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| Lane's first time holding Piper |
Thu, October 4th, 2012, 2:00 PM:
Lane has finally been discharged from Labor and Delivery and moved up to the postpartum floor. As we wheel by, she hits the "new baby" bell that rings throughout the Labor and Delivery area (as well as the lobby) to let everyone know that there's a new arrival.
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| Lane pressing the new baby bell in the Labor and Delivery area |
Over the next day, we spend the time visiting with family and friends, recovering, and visiting Piper in the NICU. All of the nurses are incredibly encouraging and helpful, and though we're disappointed that we can't have her in the room with us, we know she's in good hands and appreciate the fact that we can go visit her any time we want to. They even made her a special sign with her name on it!
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| The NICU nurses made Piper a special sign |
Piper has been steadily improving, and the x-rays testing for pneumonia came back negative. Their plan is to slowly reduce the amount of oxygen she's receiving to room air and then remove it completely, keeping an eye on her vitals. If all is okay, she can leave the NICU on the 5th. That night, we get a little bit of sleep for the first time since the Wednesday morning, though it's difficult, since Lane is still being checked pretty regularly by the nurses to make sure she's still recovering.
Fri, October 5th, 2012:
We spent the entire day going back and forth to the NICU. Lane began breast feeding, so we're expected to be there at least every 3 hours. The nurses help us with diaper changes, breast feeding, bottle feeding, holding her, and burping her. With them there to teach us, it gives us the confidence that we need to realize that we aren't entirely inept at handling an infant. Finally, at about 11:30pm, Piper gets a clean bill of health, and she arrives in our room. We get even less sleep that night. Lane still can't twist or bend very much, and Piper needs to be fed every couple of hours, so we spend pretty much all night taking care of her. Eyelids... so... heavy...
Sat, October 6th, 2012:
Our first day with our daughter! At least, our first day where we're responsible for ensuring her well-being (or, at least, it feels that way-- the nurses give us enough space to figure out how to take care of her on our own). Lane is up and walking, so we take little trips around the room and down the hallways for exercise. Piper's bassinet comes equipped with wheels and a push bar, so we're a mobile family unit. She gets her hearing test done, and the nurse says it's one of the best results she's ever seen (okay, so maybe she says that to everyone, but it made us feel better). The family came by and got to hold her, too, though somehow I only ended up with snapshots of the proud grandpas.
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| Marty holding Piper for the first time |
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| Tony holding Piper for the first time |
Sun, October 7th, 2012:
Piper's officially 3 days old, in excellent health, and Lane is, too. Both have been discharged from the hospital, and it's our first venture out into the real world. Looking back, the entire experience feels surreal and isolated. It actually reminds me of that "cut off" feeling that you get on a cruise ship, like there wasn't actually an outside to go out into for a few days. They brought our food to us in our room, we had scheduled events pretty much all day long, and everyone was very attentive to our needs. It actually hit me walking down the hallway, taking our bags down the car, that I felt like the floor was tilting a little and I had sea legs. Granted, they may have just been the sleep deprivation.
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| Lane and Piper, ready for the trip home |
Now, we're back home. We're still not getting a lot of sleep, but we're learning how to keep her needs met so we can get a few hours at a time. Everything is going well, so stay tuned for more updates!
