Birth Story of the Rory G

I wrote this about 12 hours after the C-section. There are spelling and grammatical errors


5:00am I am already awake and shut off the alarm before it goes off. I wake up Marc. It is a surreal feeling gathering up the hospital bag knowing that when we come back we would be three. We were told to be at the hospital at 6:30am . I am admitted and the Cervidel (drug used to open your cervix ) is inserted. I have to wait 12 hours and am put on an IV . This is difficult because it limits my ability to walk around . I not allowed to drink or eat anything only ice chips. I was in mild discomfort and having contractions throughout the day. At 7:00pm the doctor came and took the cervedil out and checked my progress. None. He said . Kate you need a C-section. I started to cry hysterically and Marc tried to question him aggressively (as those of you know Marc well can imagine) . And the doctor said “You need to trust my judgement!” So the doctor went to his apartment 9 blocks away to have dinner and would come back at 10:00pm for the C-section. Toward the last few hours on the cervidel I had been in more and more pain and I thought once they took the cervidel out the pain would stop. As soon as the doctor left I started to have more and more pain . Marc went to tell the nurse but it was right in the shift change. He came back and I started to really feel pain . He went back but the new nurse did not seem to believe anything was really going on and said she would be in to check on me shortly. After 1 hour at around 9:00pm Marc went out and did he best Shirley McClain (Terms of Endearment) impersonation. She came in took one look at the monitor and said :”Oh my God you are in active labor, This never happens.” She ran to call my doctor and told him she would just have a resident check me . Well he didn’t really believe I was in active labor and said that he would be there shortly to confirm it. All I kept thinking was how long does it take to walk 9 blocks !!! He came in and said “Well Kate you are in active labor , I know how important a natural birth is to you, lets see where this takes us” He broke my water as I recited Hail Marys and the Prayer to Saint Anthony. Somewhere in the mists of this I found out my doctor was a Republican and thought George Bush was doing a good job. I just kept thinking a Republican is going to deliver my baby , if only I had known sooner LOL. My contractions started coming fast 1 minute apart lasting 2 minutes . I could not get a hold of them . All the books I read said they ramped up to this point not started here. Wasn’t this transition (The last stage of labor) How long can this go on. The doctor ordered the epidermal because it was to intense. I tried the lamaze breathing HEE HEE HO my ass ! The epidural only really took on the left side , So I really still had the pain just on the right.. 12:00am 3 centimeters not bad for 4 hours . Doctor would check me again at 3 am . I labored through the next 3 hours . The Nurse said at the pace of my contractions I should have the baby easily by noon. Ok I thought I can do this . I am going to do this ! 3:30am doctor came and checked . Kate you have made so progress you are still at 3 , your baby is to high and it is time for the C-section . What ?! Marc was angry “she has been in active labor for hours we have to give her a chance!” What about Pitocin ? (This is a drug used to induce labor) The doctor just calmly looked at Marc and said her contraction are as hard and quick as they are going to get they can’t get any closer together or stronger , her uterus is exhausted her blood pressure is failing . Marc was trying to be my advocate but I just looked over at him exhausted and said I can’t do it honey I am sorry. It was a sad sad moment . They prepped me for surgery and I started to have a panic attack I have never really had any surgery done . I remember saying to the nurse I don’t think I can do this I am too weak. They separated Marc and I as I was wheeled in the the OR . I remember telling the doctor that I was a belly dancer on the weekends and don’t ruin my career. He asked if I was serious ! No ! I make inappropriate jokes to get me through . That is my MO. In the operating room someone asked what kind of insurance to I have . UMMM !! Hello I pre-registered at this Hospital like 3 months ago you have me strapped down like Jesus on the cross and our asking me what kind of insurance I have? I wish I would have been more with to say “Oh I don’t have any HAHAHHA” but by this time I was numb with a spinal block. Not to feel your legs is horrible but as a runner it was one of the worst things I could imagine. So before they let Marc in they told me that in 10 minutes I would meet my baby and the whole procedure would take 1 hour 15 minutes. Because the nurse said my doctor is anal and that he stitches everything ., Normally a C-section takes 30 minutes not him . But hey I would rather have that . So Marc walks in and they begin. There is a sheet in front of us so we can’t see anything . I ask Marc what time is it and he tell me 4:27am on his watch . Marc tries to keep my mind off things by telling me stories, How we met ? , First time in Maine together, the cabin, Then I ask him what time is it ? 4:34am and I say “We are going to meet our daughter in 3 minutes . And he said “What are you talking about?” I said “The nurse told me 10 minutes in she would be born.” All he said was “Oh my God” He was so happy. Then my doctor shouted “You are about to give birth “ (This was really nice to say because it makes you feel like it doesn’t matter about C-section) I felt a lot of pulling and tugging and then Marc and I heard her cry . And he and I clinked our foreheads together and started crying ourselves hard. I kept asking to see her but they keep telling me not yet. The nurse was reassuring but I knew something was wrong . She had mucus in her lungs and I could hear them pounding on her back . I was so out of it and Marc could not see anything and they would not let him move from were he was. Finally after 20 minutes they let us see her . She was beautiful . 8 /9 on apar . They asked Marc to take her out of the room while they finished me up.

"I'm the decider"

In the past week this seems to be Rory's motto. No she does not support Bush's plan to send 20,000 more troops . (By the way his plan is actually to send 21,500 , but who is counting , certainly not him) Rory seems to be in a very fussy stage. In fact as I type Marc is jogging in place with her in the baby Bjorn. She has been up since 7am and it is 8pm now. Not crying the whole time but enough of it . We do all the 5 S's from "Happiest Baby on the Block DVD' and this works until 10 minutes after we think we have her to sleep and put her in either bassinet, rocker , carseat we have tried it all. I feel like it started when her schedule became messed up this morning. Our power suddenly went out (again) I looked outside and Con ED was there. I went to the basement apartment where our landlords live and there was landlord's dad. They all know I have a newborn and have been working on the power for about 3 months now. The power goes out about once a week sometimes for the day . So this being the coldest day of the year I was upset. He acted as if he should not have either let me know and said it would be back on in a few minutes and acted as him I was just a crazy new mom. So after 1 hour and the temp dropping 7 degrees. I went back downstairs . No one was there so now I throw on my shoes to go outside. Con Ed is pulling away and I am chasing him down the street. Wait ! Wait ! I still dont have power ! The Con Ed guy says he turned on all the breakers but agrees to come back and take a look. She we go back in . he asks me if I have a key to the basement apartment . Umm NO! Oh then I can't do anything . So now I had to find me landlord. All the while Rory is screaming. It takes a while but the landlord comes back and acts like it is the electricians fault. So the temp in our apartment was at 55 degrees by the time the heat went on. I really hate this place . I want to move but the thought of packing up everything and moving yet again is unthinkable. Oh and it is not just this one thing . It has been this way since we moved in August. when it rains water comes in the windows , drafts through the house , recycling issues where they blamed us for a ticket but we recycle correctly and it was there shit that got the ticket. They paid it but blamed us and said that next time we would have to pay. And they wrote a nasty letter and then dug through our trash on recycling day to make sure we did it right ! They had not moved in yet and we put to potted mums on the front steps outside and were told we could not do that . They still had not moved in downstairs and we put up Christmas lights and where told by the mother in law that her daughter (she is landlords wife) was devastated because she wanted to put up the lights . BUT NO ONE BUT US LivE HERE! they moved in when we were in the hospital after Christmas. Wow this blog turned in to a huge Bitch session thanks for listening.

2nd week home

Rory turned 3 weeks yesterday !! She is changing so much everyday. It is really amazing. I will post the birth story soon.

Running is going slow , ran about 24 miles this week. The great fun was running on the track during a interval practice 2 miles in a 7:45 pace. I still have about 10-15 pounds (Depends on what time of year) to lose which is a bit depressing . and Breastfeeding is A LOT harder then I thought. I think i am to selfish to breastfeed but I am doing it one day at a time.

1st week home

12/31 Rory comes home. Kate walks 1/2 mile. We all watch the ball drop with Anderson Cooper.

1/1/06 Rory feeding well. Kate walks 1 1/2 miles

1/2/06 Kate walks 2 1/2 miles .

1/3/06 Rory goes to pediatrician gained all birth weight back. Kate walks 2 1/2 miles , 20 crunches , 20 side to side exercises.

1/4/06 Kate walks 10 minutes run 1 min x 5

1/5/06 Rory and Kate get A+ from lactation consultant . Kate walks 1 1/2 miles (may have pushed it day before)

1/6/06 Kate walks 1 1/2 miles runs 2 minutes (not confident enough yet)

1/7/06 Kate RUNS 1 1/4 mile (slow) then walked 1 mile and ran any another 1/4 mile . YEAH!!!