Ava is here!!!

I've been gone for a while caring for my beautiful daughter!! She is a great baby!

Here's the story.

Sunday May 16, 2010:
Shane and I drove to the hospital and got checked in around eight that night. The nurses were really nice and explained everything to me and made me feel somewhat better but I was still extremely nervous. The IV hurt so bad, the tried to put it in my arm and I guess my vein rolled and so she had to put it in my hand. That night they induced me with cytotech, I think that's what it's called. It's a really small pill that they put around the cervix to thin it out. They gave me three doses of that and my contractions started the next morning. The pitocin drip was started around nine or so and I was dilated to about two or three centimeters. I got the epidural before my pain started and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be horrible but the IV hurt worse than the epidural. The nurse told me that before I got it and I didn't believe her but she was right! I loved my nurses at College Station Medical, they were helpful and awesome! I stayed dilated at a two or three until about three in the afternoon. My doctor wanted to do a c-section then but the nurse really thought she could help stretch some more and hopefully that would help me get closer to my goal of a vaginal birth. I had a previous surgery done a few years ago and had some scar tissue at my cervix and that was the problem. I dilated a little bit more but never got past six centimeters. The epidural was wearing off at around nine that night and I was really hurting from the pressure and plus the nurses stretched and stretched to get me to dilate more and my body just wouldn't do it. I was exhausted and said let's just do a c-section. I was so scared that I was going to die. I had been on pitocin all day and the nurse told me that there could be a chance I may need a blood transfusion because I could loose too much blood. That made me panic a lot! I always think of the worst possible thing that could happen and then I'm always relieved when everything turns out ok! They rolled me back at around eleven o'clock and I was really nervous and couldn't wait for them to let Shane in the operating room with me. I didn't enjoy being by myself in the operating room. I was freezing and I didn't want them explaining anything to me because I was so panic stricken. Shane came in and held my hand and I felt much better. So they started to cut into me and it tickled a little when they were tugging around and then I felt this awful pain. I thought they were really doing some damage to me! Ava's head was a little bit in the birth canal and they had to push it up through my abdomen and I wasn't numb in the birth canal. I just remember squeezing Shane's hand and saying it hurts and then I was put to sleep. Shane said that when the doctor pulled Ava out she let out this big scream and then they cut her cord. Shane said I was awake when they pulled her out but I don't remember. They wheeled her to the nursery and they cleaned her up and measured her and weighed her. The family got to see her but Shane told everyone that he wanted me to old her first. I remember waking up and they were finishing stitching me up and the nurse came over and told me that Ava was happy and healthy and Shane was with her. They wheeled me back into this small recovery room and then Shane came in. I was so cold from the medicine and was shaking so bad my incision hurt! The nurse came in with Ava and she was so alert and she was looking around! The nurse handed her to me and Shane and I were in complete awe of her! I just couldn't believe how beautiful and awake she was. I have never felt that kind of love before. The nursery nurse came in and helped with the first feeding. It wasn't awkward like I thought it was going to be. It was completely natural and she already knew what to do. Feedings were every two to three hours and since my milk hadn't come in yet, it was very stressful because she was hungry and there wasn't enough colostrum to fill her little tummy. I felt like I wasn't doing anything for her and I was a horrible mother because I couldn't calm her down. I didn't like sending her back to the nursery when she was crying. I just felt like the nurse staff would think that I didn't know how to calm her down on my own and that I was passing her off to them because I couldn't handle her. Which looking back now, I definitely think that I had the baby blues. I was so emotional and couldn't control the tears, it was extremely frustrated. Ava had jaundice and had to stay a little bit longer than normal but once my milk came in she was released to go home. I was so scared to take her home but I wanted to get out of the hospital so bad!! We were there for six days. When we were discharged, Shane's mom came with us. Shane took Ava in his truck and I rode with Idoma home. We got home and Idoma watched Ava while I got some much needed rest. It was stressful coming home but somehow we made it!

Ava is almost three weeks old and she is such a good baby. She gets really upset about having gas she can't burp up, but Mylicon is the answer! That stuff is like liquid gold. At birth she was 6lbs 8oz, 20.5 inches long and her discharge weight was 5lbs 14oz. Her 2 weeks doctor appointment she was 6lbs 14 oz and 20 3/4 inches long so she's a growing girl! I will post more in the following weeks with more pictures!!!

Love,
Shane, Jackie and Ava