I double checked my hospital bag for the millionth time and we, along with my sister-in-law Tia, were on our way! We arrived at the hospital shortly after 8:00am and registered. I was sent upstairs to labour & delivery. I remember receiving the induction drugs at around 11:30am but after that my timeline gets a bit, well, fuzzy. It took a few hours for the contractions to start but once they got started it was pretty wild! I spent the better portion of the afternoon absolutely starving when I was finally told "well of course you can eat! What made you think that you couldn't?". After scarfing down a wrap from the cafeteria I felt quite a bit better, apart from the increasingly frequent contractions. I was able to use the tub that evening and remember having to get out several times as I was extremely sick to my stomach from the induction drugs. After my bath(s) I was given some morphine and was able to get some rest. I woke up around 3:00am (I think) when my water broke. It was the most bizarre feeling! I remember feeling a rush and then everything was soaked. I was quickly scuttled out of bed and into the washroom to change while the nurses changed my bed. I was moved into a different room where at about 6:00am the anaesthesiologist arrived to administer my epidural. I was pretty sure it was 11:00am when this happened but Scott tells me otherwise. I'm inclined to trust his timeline a little more than mine! The epidural was GLORIOUS! I know plenty of people that want to experience a natural labour, and more power to them, but not this kid - I was like a junkie, begging for more! Once the epidural began to take effect I was finally able to get some decent sleep. At about 1:00pm I was (FINALLY) fully dilated and it was "time to push" as my doctor said. I was taken down the hall to an O.R. where a few of the nurses were ready to rock. They got everything all squared away and it was time to get down to business. I pushed my heart out for over an hour when Dr. M asked if I would like some help. Help involved a pair of forceps and an excruciating amount of pain, but at 2:49pm Dominick made his entrance into the world! I got to hold him for just a moment and Scott and I both cried - he tried to tell me he wouldn't but I knew otherwise. I felt my water break again and realized I still had more work to do! There were two of them after all. The doctors and nurses looked panicked and said that we needed to get this done ASAP as Grayson's heart rate had dropped significantly. At 2:59pm Grayson was born. He truly was my "gray son". He had been born breach and wasn't breathing. I watched as they carried my limp, ashen little baby out of sight and I swear my heart stopped beating. I held my breath for what felt like an eternity until I heard those first cries. I have never been so scared in my life! It was so relieved when I was able to hold him! Our little family was only together for a few moments before Scott and Deliah (one of the wonderful nurses) had to take the boys away to be fed. After they left I had a fairly serious hemorrhage and needed to have several clots removed by hand. I won't go into detail but it felt like the doctor was grabbing at my brain. The pain was unreal but the anaesthesiologist was called back to re-do my epidural and help relieve some of the pain. When I was finally done in the O.R. I was taken back to my room where Scott and the boys were waiting for me.
I was monitored in labour and delivery for several hours before being moved upstairs to postpartum in the evening. We spent the next two days in the hospital. I was very weak from the blood loss incurred during the hemorrhage and required a blood transfusion. Scott spent two terrible nights sleeping on the floor but refused to go home and get a good nights sleep as he didn't want to leave us alone. We learned all about feeding, counting wet and poopy diapers, and by the time Easter Sunday rolled around we were itching to get out of the hospital. We waited for hours before we finally got the all-clear from the attending OB-GYN. Once we had all of the instructions for what I needed to do when we got home we got all decked out in our Rider gear and hit the road for home!We were more than a little overwhelmed when we got home and all of the dust settled. Thankfully Scott was able to take 3 weeks off work to stay home and help me get the routine down. The only minor (ha!) mishap occurred on his second day back to work when I accidentally set the kitchen on fire, but that is a story for another entry!
I have marveled at our boys over the past year and I'm sure I'll continue to do so in the years to come. The year has gone very quickly! I'm reminded of a song called "Turn Around". The lyrics are as follows:
Where are you going, my little one, little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young boy going out of my door
Where are you going, my little one, little one
Little league and hockey sticks, where have you gone?
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young man with babes of your own
They've learned so much and have changed in more ways than I can even begin to describe. I fall more in love with them every day! I only wish I could slow time down and keep them as my tiny little boys forever! It has been a year of many changes for us, but the one thing that hasn't changed is my undying love for them. So, Happy Birthday to my beautiful boys! In the words of Robert Munsch..."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my babies you'll be".
xoxo Mommy
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