Introducing Sawyer John....
born Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 5:27pm
4 lbs 15ounces
&
18 inches long
The story:
Wednesday, January 13th I left Brock & Connor with babysitter and headed to my routine 34 week prenatal appointment. After three blood pressure checks, the OB/GYN informed me that I needed to head over to labor & delivery to be monitored due to high blood pressure.
This was all new to me, since usually I have LOW blood pressure. I honestly didn't think much would come of it, but i called my girlfriend, Sara Cox, and asked her if she wanted to meet me at L&D instead of Papa's Pizza for lunch! After close monitoring for about an hour, my OB/Gyn explained that with blood pressures ranging in the 180's/115's, I would need to be transferred to Springfield Hospital for close monitoring with a diagnosis of Pre-Eclampsia. The Corvallis hospital was unprepared to handle a 34 week delivery if it became necessary.
O how quickly things can change!
With my blood pressure dangerously high, Dr. Baldy (as he was affectionally known) felt that an immediate c-section the following morning would be best. I had multiple doses of medicine to bring down my BP and it was still sky-rocketing. After a few hours, a nurse realized by IV had failed. I truly felt that it had been blown for quite a while, as the BP meds on the trip down, burned under my skin as they were administered.
Once a new IV was in (via ultrasound w/ an anesthesiologist numbing my arm and finding a vein!!), the BP meds seemed to be working. My BP dropped a little, and the doctor was encouraged that I might be responding better than they originally thought.
NEW PLAN: Since my BP began responding to the medication, the new plan was to try to let baby cook another week. One week from Wednesday would meed 35 weeks and a much higher likely hood that he wouldn't have to stay long in the NICU.
My family & friends were such a huge blessing though all this time. Babysitters and rides to school & homework coaching & meals cooked etc etc. Johnny stayed with me initially, and then went back to work, leaving my mom, sister & inlaws & friends to juggle the other 5 kiddos. It was A LOT. And the did it so very graciously. I am forever indebted to them all!!!!
My hospital stay included 2 additional ultrasounds where we got a glimpse of the little boy affectionally known as "Brock's twin"!
We all wondered if he would truly look as much like Brock in real life, as he did in his U/S pics.
Finally January 20th arrived. The long awaited day. They had to squeeze me in so my u/s wasn't scheduled until 3pm.
and then it was bumped by 3 emergency c-sections.... to 5pm.
My mom was supposed to attend this c-section since Naomi attended both Brock & Connors. Unfortunately we learned that Sacred Heart at Riverbend had a "1 support-person" policy, and was heart-broken to tell my momma that she couldn't come.
I mentioned to Dr. Baldy that in Corvallis it was up to the anesthesiologist and he admitted, that technically here, it was too... but that no anesthesiologist had ever allowed an extra person in the OR. But he said I could def. ask.
Three minutes before we walked into the OR, I met the anesthesiologist. He was super kind & explained the procedure to me. Then he asked if I had any questions. I allowed the tears to well up in my eyes, as I explained that my mom was SUPPOSED to be at this c-section with me & that it was up to him if she could come. He looked a little surprised, and then said, SURE!
It was an answer to prayer!!!!!!
My mom was elated!!!! and I was so very, very grateful!!! Such a gift.
C-section deliveries are always a whirlwind. They are fast. They get you in there, get the spinal in, and boom... things begin to happen!
I requested a drape with a window so I could watch the procedure (I'm so fascinated by the whole thing!). Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to see anything besides the cute baby boy they lifted up a few minutes later. I was so grateful he came out screaming - such a good sign to us that his lungs were developed and that he was going to be okay.
They quickly whisked him away to be examined in the next room... and... just like that, Johnny & my mom were gone. All that time I thought she wanted to be with me... turns out... I was chopped liver compared to this little guy!!! :)
I could hear his wailing in the next room..... and soon learned that he was having a little bit of a hard time breathing, and would need to be on Oxygen.
My recovery was quite rough. As the spinal wore off, I was in horrific pain and my BP was skyrocketing. I spent the next several hours in the recovery room, and my nurse worked to bring my BP down and get me comfortable. I had several visitors who took one look at me and ran out of the room.. ha ha just kidding! But honestly, I looked pretty rough there for a while.
Finally around 10pm my nurse wheeled me down, in a hospital bed, to meet my son. It was a quick, "hi" & "bye" since I still needed to be monitored closely. Due to the BP, I was on magnesium and would be on that for the following 24 hours. They promised that the minute my magnesium was done, I'd be released to go be with my little Sawyer. It was a long 24 hours.
Finally at 6pm Thursday night, Johnny wheeled me down to officially meet my little man. It was so emotional. I just couldn't stop saying how beautiful and perfect and perfect and beautiful he was.
We were so in love. I didn't want to leave. Talk about being torn. Finally some time around midnight, Johnny wheeled me, exhausted, back to my hospital room.
I couldn't wait until the next morning, where I could hold him all day long....
I don't know how I held back the tears. I was heart-broken. I had held my baby for all of an hour in the previous day & a half. The nurse was stressed because his IV had blown and she didn't seem to have any compassion at all for this hormonal mama. After an hour or two of feeling like we were in the way, Johnny and I left the NICU and headed back to my room so I could pump and wait for my friend Sara to come visit me.
I'm cried when I was alone back in my room.
This just sucked.
I was so grateful that Sara was coming and that we could hang out and be distracted. When she arrived, Johnny & I told her all about how rude and insensitive Sawyer's nurse was, and she and I reluctantly headed back down to the NICU so she could meet Sawyer and we could, sit & look at him.
When we arrived, Sawyer's nurse had clearly had a change of heart. She took him from under the light and let me do skin to skin for "30-45 minutes" which turned into an hour and half, which turned into two hours. I. WAS. SO. GRATEFUL.
Talk about therapy for this Momma.
Sara thought for sure, that it must be a different nurse, she was so nice and gracious with us.
Ha ha!
(Sara was the queen of the camera... snapping pictures and documenting the moments for me! )
This is getting long..... the next two weeks were a blur and finally....
Sawyer began to eat on his own.... and we were able to go home... 2 1/2 week after delivery... and 3 & 1/2 weeks after being hospitalized in the first place!
Weighing in at a whopping 5lbs 4 ounces... he is such a tiny little guy... and we couldn't be more in love!!!!!
Twins: 5 years apart!
Next post: Meeting his sibling! & More pics!!
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