Isaac Mark Blood
5/15/20 7:58pm
6 lb 9 oz
18.5 inches
Due to the Covid-19 shutdowns, the OB/GYN satellite office that I usually go to was shut down and I had to drive 30-40 minutes to the main office up in town. I saw a different doctor every week for my last few appointments, which was an interesting experience. One doctor that I saw a couple times was very concerned that my belly was measuring small, but that also happened with Elliot so I wasn't worried. The week of my due date, the doctor that I happened to see for my Monday appointment started talking about how we would schedule an induction the following week if I hadn't gone into labor yet. Driving all the way up seemed very inconvenient, so I asked if I could just call to schedule an induction without having to drive all the way up again. She said that there was a spot open for an induction on Friday morning (the day before my due date) that she could schedule me for since I was already dilated to a 3 and looking like I was about ready to pop. I jumped all over that- it would be shortly after my mom got here and 5/15/20 is a really cool birthday.
I had a ton of contractions for the 2-3 weeks before my due date. I really do think that I would have gone into labor if I had just gone on a long walk, but I took it easy to keep Isaac in until my mom got here. I did have people lined up to watch Elliot and Annie if we had to make a hospital run before my mom got here, but with all the pandemic stuff going on it was just so much simpler to have my mom be the babysitter.
We woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday and called the hospital to confirm that we were good to go for our 7:30 am appointment. They said they were busy and we ended up going in at noon, so we had a weirdly leisurely morning. We got to the hospital around noon and got hooked up to the IV by 12:45. My nurse was super nice and warmed up my IV bag for me- that has historically been one of the worst parts for me because the IV made me shake all over and have a hard time sitting still for the epidural. The IV could also be administered slower because I was being induced.
The nurse started the Pitocin at 1:45 and things started RACING along. In less than half an hour, my contractions were only 3 minutes apart. My nurse noticed on the chart that Isaac's heart beat would go down as I was coming off of each contraction. She turned off the pitocin to make sure things didn't get too wild before the epidural came. The doctor decided not to turn the pitocin back on because I was still progressing without it and the heartbeat thing was a little worrying. I probably would have had the baby in a crazy short time if they had kept going with the pitocin, but I agree that it was better to let my body take it's time getting him out.
Aaron and I got to pass the afternoon watching The Expanse and Better Call Saul on my iPad. Being hooked up to everything wasn't exactly comfortably but I wasn't in any pain. If anything the epidural was a little too effective- I couldn't move my left leg at all and it kept sliding off the pillow I had it propped up on. But just to make sure I appreciated having a working epidural, a lady came in who was already dilated to a 9 when she arrived and her screams did wonders to make me appreciate that my worst complaint was tingly feelings in my legs and feet.
I was dilated to a 6 at 5:00 and a 7 and 6:00. The nurses had a shift change and the new nurse said she would come and check on me around 8:00. at 7:50 I started to feel a different kind of pressure. I didn't want to be dramatic and call in the nurse when she was supposed to be coming in a few minutes anyway, but I did decide to push the call button. I'm glad I did because she took one look under the blanket and said "OH THERE IS HIS HEAD" and then started urgently dialing the doctor. Nurses came hurrying to convert the bed to pushing mode. It took 3 or 4 pushes and then Isaac slid right out!
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| My little Isaac at a few seconds old |
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| Per usual, he cried for a few seconds then calmed right down |
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| We sent this picture home. Annie freaked out because she thought Isaac only had one foot. |
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| There is nothing quite like the feeling of a new baby on my chest. |
Overall, Isaac was by far the easiest late pregnancy, easiest birth, and easiest first month. He's just rocking this being a baby thing. We love this little guy so much!
