No words

As I'm sure you already know, if you are reading this, Archer Gregory Richards made his debut after much anticipation on Monday, February 28th at 10:45 am. He is actually my smallest baby, at 7 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long.







This pregnancy has been so different from my first two babies, so much so that I was convinced it was going to be a little girl. EVERYTHING was different. From the things I wanted to eat (blander foods for the most part, cereal and so forth with the occasional indulgence in loaded cheese fries thrown in for good measure!), to how much weight I gained (not much at all in comparison!) Archer has been full of surprises. So, of course Archer chose to march to the beat of his own drum when he entered the world as well. Here is the birth story...

Sunday morning: Things are a little tense at home (boys squabbling, me being grumpy and overdue, Zach not dealing well with my grumpiness) so I decided we needed a scene change. We decided to go visit my parents, and I would hang out there while Zach went to hit some golf balls, then he would return for dinner and maybe we could all go for a walk since it was unseasonably lovely out that day. We got to their house around noon, and sometime between 1:30 and 2 I noticed I was leaking fluid. Nothing was gushing out, but it couldn't be called dripping either. I had never had my water break on its own before, so I wasn't even sure what to make of this. My mom and I decided to take the boys on a walk right then, to see if maybe I could get some contractions going if this was indeed the start of my water breaking.

We made it about two blocks before my pants were no longer fit to be viewed by the other people out and about. This was definitely my water breaking. I called Zach who was just finishing up anyway and he headed over to pick me up. Since I wasn't having any contractions that were regular or close (or even painful!) we went back to our house to get all of our stuff (my bag, Riley, Declan and Archer's bags, and of course the computer and camera) then headed to Hershey Med. They confirmed that it was my water breaking and admitted me, although I was still just 2 cm dialated (as I was on my appointment on Friday). This is not shocking. I am the slowest dialater...I can push my babies out with no tearing and make it look easy, but getting there is never a quick process for me. So we went for walks and time passed and nothing changed. The monitor was downright embarrasing- it was like a breezy nothing happening. A contraction every five minutes that barely blipped on the screen, and then not another one for like twenty minutes. I mean seriously. Eventually, I got started on some pitocin. Even though they increased it gradually every forty five minutes or so, it still didn't even hurt until after midnight. And by hurt, I mean mildly uncomfortable. I got an epidural anyway, sometime shortly after that to avoid what happened with Declan's delivery (when the anesth. didn't come back in time and I was left to deliver without it) since I knew it had to start hurting eventually!

My contractions were still pretty lame. They were 2 minutes apart, but still not very intense. I took a nap, watched episode after episode of NCIS (thanks USA for the marathon!) At 5ish, I am only dialated to 4 cm. Yup.

A little bit after that, things finally started happening. Two hours later I was at 5 1/2 and two hours after that I was at 9. It finally started to seem like there would be an actual baby coming along. Half hour after that it was full and complete and time to meet Archer. Now this next line may be hard for some of you to read... but I think I deserve some ease during my delivery. Four sets of pushes later and Archer was here!

His breathing sounded a little like grunts, so even though he got great Apgar (or however you spell that) scores, he had to go hang out in the regular nursery so they could keep an eye on him for 2-4 hours. The doctor there was just about to return him to me, but his x ray came back with a little spot on his lung. (* see below for medical definition). So then he went upstairs to the NICU, where he will be for a few days. The problem he has is something that can go away on its own in 3-4 days or they can fix it if it doesn't. So he should be ok, but it is still hard to not have him in the room with me or be able to hold him right now. And I know he won't be able to go home with us tomorrow, which is going to be very hard.

Looking forward to seeing my other babies come visit me today- I miss them like crazy, but they are also in great hands with my mom and dad.


*Here is the official medical term for what Archer has:
Pneumothorax
•Pneumothorax is a lung problem in babies that can have a wide range of severity. It is a condition in which air leaks from the lungs into a place outside of the lungs. Pneumothorax can happen for no apparent reason or can be secondary to other lung diseases or mechanical ventilation. A baby who has needed resuscitation or a more fragile premature infant may be at risk for pneumothorax. A baby with this condition may have difficulty breathing and need additional oxygen. A neonatologist (baby doctor) may also decide to remove the excess air by entering the chest with a small needle and syringe or leaving an air collection system in place until the leak heals


Read more: Lung Problems in Babies | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5169327_lung-problems-babies.html#ixzz1FLlPQmJo