December 11, 2008

A day that will forever change our family. Ethan Asher Winger was born at 5:05pm weighing 8 pounds 15ounces and 21 1/2 inches long.

To back up a little......The birth story.....(WARNING: some of this may be TMI or too graphic, sorry)

I was scheduled to be induced, we checked in the hospital at 5:30pm on Wednesday (December 10th). Around 6:15pm as I was being hooked up to the monitors and answering all sorts of questions, I decided I needed to run to the restroom before they put in my iv. So off I went, while walking back to the bed, I realized either I was still peeing or my water just broke b/c something was running down my leg. So I quickly tell the nurse what my suspicion was and she just couldn't believe it. She did a quick test to check and see if I had amniotic fluid "down there" and sure enough I did. This of course changed everything b/c now instead of being induced, I was in labor. The contractions immediately started, they really weren't bad. We called family to tell the interesting news and there I sat surprised and excited b/c wow, things were really moving now. At this point I was dilated 2cm with contractions roughly 6 minutes apart. Around 11:30pm the contractions started to get much stronger, so I asked for the epidural. This is where things go a little crazy. The anesthesiologist injects me with the numbing shot, which HURT, but it was a very quick thing, it burned really bad for maybe 5-10seconds and that was it. I didn't even feel him put in the actual needle to insert the epidural catheter. Well he accidentally nicked a blood vessel while putting the first one in and had to do it again. He gets the second one in and they lay me back on the bed, completely flat. At this point I begin to feel extremely nauseous (a common side effect) he gave me the med to help subside the nausea, but it was too late. I threw up, but since I was laying flat, it stayed in my throat and I began to choke. I was trying everything I could to breath and sit up but it just seemed as though everything stopped, I truly thought I was going to die at that moment, I could not breath and I could not figure out how to get un-choked. I began clawing at my mouth trying to get the throw up out and just staring at the nurse to get her to help, she began telling me to breath through my nose and out of my mouth and just kept repeating it and finally I was able to get air. I remember seeing the anesthesiologist face and he looked scared. He was truly at a loss of what to do. I finally got calmed down and the epidural kicked in. For the rest of the night I mostly rested, not sleeping, but I wasn't in pain anymore. During this time, they also put me on pitocin (to get me dilating) b/c I was not moving from the 2cm mark.

When the nurse shift changed the next morning my new nurse (Arnette) came in to check everything. She then proceeded to tell me the epidural had not been exactly done right and she was not pleased with basically anything the nurse had done during the night shift. I began to get very upset b/c I did not want to go through the epidural thing again. I was still only dilated 2cm and my contractions were 6 minutes apart. So not much had changed from before the epidural. My blood pressure was also on the rise, throughout this whole ordeal, and typically it drops when certain meds are given, but I was doing the opposite. We then went through the day on Thursday with her checking every few hours to see how far I had dilated. My first epidural stopped working around 9am or so Thursday morning, the new anesthesiologist came in and gave me some sort of boost shot, which made me throw up again. But it kicked back in and there was no pain. By 12:45pm I was dilated to 5cm with contractions 2-4 minutes apart. They were now concerned with Ethan's heart rate b/c it was at a steady pace and it should be rising and falling with contractions, etc. I was placed on oxygen to try and get some reaction out of him, but there was very little change. Again around 3pm my epidural wore off, they came in to give another boost shot and I threw up AGAIN! At 4 the nurse came in to check to see if I was dilated and I was still at 5-6cm with contractions 1 minute apart. By this point they could tell Ethan was starting to get a little stressed and for whatever reason I was not responding to the meds as I should. So, my doctor then explained her reasons for why she felt a C-Section would be best and we agreed to it. I asked "Will it take place some time tonight?" and she said "it's in 15 minutes."

WHOA! Now is where the craziness began. My nurse went into high stepping mode, they had Nathan changed into the appropriate hospital gear with in seconds they had the anesthesiologist and other nurses in my room getting me ready. I really didn't have time to exactly process everything, but I was scared.

The first half of the C-Section was fine, I just laid there waiting until they said he was delivered. They finally told Nathan to take the first picture and then off to the little warmer Ethan went to get cleaned up, but Ethan was not crying.........why was he not crying.....why could I not hear him and why were things suddenly very tense in the OR. Poor Nathan had to witness our beautiful little boy turn blue and hear what the nurses were saying, they immediately called for respiratory specialists. Praise the Lord Ethan started breathing on his own and crying. What an amazing thing to hear come from your child. My doctor then told me there was a knot in the umbilical cord, it wasn't tight, but it could have been a very bad thing. Again, thank you God for keeping Ethan safe.

At this point they had cleaned Ethan up enough and showed him to me. But during this time, I realized I could feel my toes again, and huh, is that feeling in my legs too......that's not supposed to happen. I start to panic, b/c after the legs get feeling, my abdomen is next. I start telling the anesthesiologist I can feel stuff, he then begins to pump me full of pain meds and as much numbing meds as he could, but it was too late. I had to just lay there and bare it and wait for the new stuff to kick in. It's kind of weird, but I know that I was in pain at that time, but I do not remember it.

Here's my awesome surgery hat, this is me in recovery.......what I look like on drugs. :)

God watched over us throughout this time and kept us safe. I praise Him for bringing Ethan into our life and for blessing us beyond what we deserve.

Going home................