The Dr Appointment – Tuesday morning we arrived at the doctor hopeful that something had changed – it hadn’t. Leah still was not dialated and at the end of the appointment, the doctor said we were going to stick to the schedule of checking in this Sunday for inducement on Monday. Just as we were set to leave, he said he wanted to check her blood pressure one more time because it looked a little high. He instructed us to go talk to his nurse Nancy and he would be right in. Nancy then told us to get ready because we are going to the hospital. It was odd because 30 seconds earlier, the doctor told us Sunday. We were beside ourselves – the doctor came in and said “you received your wish; this is your lucky day.” So we went home, showered quickly, got our bag and other things together and headed to the hospital.
The Hospital – Day One - We arrived around 12:30 and check into our room. At this point, Leah was still not dialated. The nurses told us the plan – at 1:00 PM (this is Tuesday) Leah would be given a dose of Cervadil to soften her cervix. This is a 12 hour deal. At 1:30 am they would check her for progress and at 2:30 they would give her the Putocin to induce labor. Leah was suffering from what we thought were strong contractions throughout the early evening. At 9:30 we walked around the delivery area and stopped to look at the newborns. At 10, Leah was given an Ambian to help her sleep and she passed out. I was watching some Florida/Tennessee action on ESPN. I turned the TV off around 11:30 and tried to sleep. I was awakened at midnight to one of the nurses coming in to check on Leah. About 15 minutes later, her contractions got progressively worse. The nurse was telling us that this was a good thing, but if you could have seen Leah, you’d disagree. At 1:30 am they checked her out and she was dialated 2 centimeters, but the pain was becoming unbearable. For the next two hours, I sat here and watched Leah go through the worst pain that I could ever imagine – every minute the contractions were hitting. She was breathing so hard and writhing in pain, to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore. She was SO TOUGH. I looked at her and thought to myself, “If this were me, I’d have tapped out by now.” At 3:10 – I wrote this email to my mother and mother in law:
“It’s 3:10 am, Leah had awful contractions every minute since 12:30. I’m talking screaming in pain. At 3, her water broke and she is 2 cm dialated. They are now putting in the epidural…FINALLY! She slept from 10:10 to 12. I’ve gotten 30 minutes. My respect for women has jumped 100%. Her pain threshold is unreal. I’ll call you when we get up, if we ever get to sleep that is! Leah is so tough.
After the epidural was put it, she was a new woman and out like a light. That stuff is magical. Anyone who doesn’t take it is CRAZY. We both slept on and off from 4-6. Leah woke me up once to get the nurse and then she threw up on the floor. I allegedly got up to help, though details are foggy to me. I was awakened to find out that Leah is now 8 cm dialated and we are looking good for a late morning birth.
The Day – So we waited, and waited, and waited, for Leah to be ready. Most of the morning, her cervix still wasn’t ready. I called my mom and mother in law all morning to tell them I’d call when she was ready. Well they couldn’t wait and they arrived at 9:30. Finally at noon, Leah was ready. So at 12:30, she started the pushing. The first hour was tough and Leah ran out of gas. So she took a 45 minute break to relax and get some sleep. Keep in mind, she was fighting horrible contractions all night and was on about 2 hours sleep. So we started again; the nurse holding one leg, me holding the other. I’m telling you this – I have a new found respect for the female gender and their toughness. I could never do what Leah did the last 24 hours. But back to the birth. So around 3, the doctor came in and said the baby was stuck at the bottom and he was going to use a vacuum to help get him out. That didn’t work, so without Leah knowing, he went to the forceps. At 3:33, Andrew Robert Dery emerged from his mother’s womb.
I have to tell you, everyone and their mother who has a kid told me that the birth of your child is the most amazing experience of your life. I have to concur. Watching my son come out – words cannot express how unbelievable it was. The emotions just rushed over me and I began to weep. There he was, my son. He came out with a full head of Black hair, just like his father. He is a healthy 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 20.5 inches long. He has been a good boy so far in the six hours I have known him. To see the excitement on my in laws and my mother’s face was amazing. When I came down to get Stacey and my mom; my mom and I shared an embraced that I will never forget - So much emotion in missing dad so much. It just hit us both.
Leah wasn’t doing too hot though. The delivery was pretty rough on her and caused a lot of extra bleeding. Her blood pressure was extremely high, so instead of moving us into the post-partum section, Leah was put in triage and monitored closely. The doctor told us she was at risk of having a seizure. This freaked me out. I obviously have major issues with hospitals after what we went through with my father and the Cleveland Clinic. Hearing that she was at risk of a seizure that could cause major damage was stunning. So for a couple of hours I was freaking out. Leah was pretty out of it on pain medication. Stacey and Leah told me to go home and get some sleep and shower, since I was running on fumes. I didn’t want to leave Leah, but she convinced me she needed me strong for tomorrow, so now I’m home. I’ll be back at 6 am tomorrow. I’m happy to report that I spoke with Leah and Stacey and Leah is much improved. He BP is down to 150/87 which is a drastic improvement and she says she is feeling much better. We are still hopeful that we can come home Friday and begin our lives as a family – Leah, Todd, Andrew, and Casey the dog!
To all of you who called and sent emails, I appreciate the sentiments. I am so proud to be a father and to go through the gambit of emotions the way I did today. This is a day I will never forget and cherish the rest of my life. My son, Andrew Robert Dery was brought into this world. He is named after the two most influential men of my life – My grandfather Arthur and my father, the great Robert “Bobby D” himself. I know somewhere, they are smiling tonight.
The Hospital – Day One - We arrived around 12:30 and check into our room. At this point, Leah was still not dialated. The nurses told us the plan – at 1:00 PM (this is Tuesday) Leah would be given a dose of Cervadil to soften her cervix. This is a 12 hour deal. At 1:30 am they would check her for progress and at 2:30 they would give her the Putocin to induce labor. Leah was suffering from what we thought were strong contractions throughout the early evening. At 9:30 we walked around the delivery area and stopped to look at the newborns. At 10, Leah was given an Ambian to help her sleep and she passed out. I was watching some Florida/Tennessee action on ESPN. I turned the TV off around 11:30 and tried to sleep. I was awakened at midnight to one of the nurses coming in to check on Leah. About 15 minutes later, her contractions got progressively worse. The nurse was telling us that this was a good thing, but if you could have seen Leah, you’d disagree. At 1:30 am they checked her out and she was dialated 2 centimeters, but the pain was becoming unbearable. For the next two hours, I sat here and watched Leah go through the worst pain that I could ever imagine – every minute the contractions were hitting. She was breathing so hard and writhing in pain, to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore. She was SO TOUGH. I looked at her and thought to myself, “If this were me, I’d have tapped out by now.” At 3:10 – I wrote this email to my mother and mother in law:
“It’s 3:10 am, Leah had awful contractions every minute since 12:30. I’m talking screaming in pain. At 3, her water broke and she is 2 cm dialated. They are now putting in the epidural…FINALLY! She slept from 10:10 to 12. I’ve gotten 30 minutes. My respect for women has jumped 100%. Her pain threshold is unreal. I’ll call you when we get up, if we ever get to sleep that is! Leah is so tough.
After the epidural was put it, she was a new woman and out like a light. That stuff is magical. Anyone who doesn’t take it is CRAZY. We both slept on and off from 4-6. Leah woke me up once to get the nurse and then she threw up on the floor. I allegedly got up to help, though details are foggy to me. I was awakened to find out that Leah is now 8 cm dialated and we are looking good for a late morning birth.
The Day – So we waited, and waited, and waited, for Leah to be ready. Most of the morning, her cervix still wasn’t ready. I called my mom and mother in law all morning to tell them I’d call when she was ready. Well they couldn’t wait and they arrived at 9:30. Finally at noon, Leah was ready. So at 12:30, she started the pushing. The first hour was tough and Leah ran out of gas. So she took a 45 minute break to relax and get some sleep. Keep in mind, she was fighting horrible contractions all night and was on about 2 hours sleep. So we started again; the nurse holding one leg, me holding the other. I’m telling you this – I have a new found respect for the female gender and their toughness. I could never do what Leah did the last 24 hours. But back to the birth. So around 3, the doctor came in and said the baby was stuck at the bottom and he was going to use a vacuum to help get him out. That didn’t work, so without Leah knowing, he went to the forceps. At 3:33, Andrew Robert Dery emerged from his mother’s womb.
I have to tell you, everyone and their mother who has a kid told me that the birth of your child is the most amazing experience of your life. I have to concur. Watching my son come out – words cannot express how unbelievable it was. The emotions just rushed over me and I began to weep. There he was, my son. He came out with a full head of Black hair, just like his father. He is a healthy 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 20.5 inches long. He has been a good boy so far in the six hours I have known him. To see the excitement on my in laws and my mother’s face was amazing. When I came down to get Stacey and my mom; my mom and I shared an embraced that I will never forget - So much emotion in missing dad so much. It just hit us both.
Leah wasn’t doing too hot though. The delivery was pretty rough on her and caused a lot of extra bleeding. Her blood pressure was extremely high, so instead of moving us into the post-partum section, Leah was put in triage and monitored closely. The doctor told us she was at risk of having a seizure. This freaked me out. I obviously have major issues with hospitals after what we went through with my father and the Cleveland Clinic. Hearing that she was at risk of a seizure that could cause major damage was stunning. So for a couple of hours I was freaking out. Leah was pretty out of it on pain medication. Stacey and Leah told me to go home and get some sleep and shower, since I was running on fumes. I didn’t want to leave Leah, but she convinced me she needed me strong for tomorrow, so now I’m home. I’ll be back at 6 am tomorrow. I’m happy to report that I spoke with Leah and Stacey and Leah is much improved. He BP is down to 150/87 which is a drastic improvement and she says she is feeling much better. We are still hopeful that we can come home Friday and begin our lives as a family – Leah, Todd, Andrew, and Casey the dog!
To all of you who called and sent emails, I appreciate the sentiments. I am so proud to be a father and to go through the gambit of emotions the way I did today. This is a day I will never forget and cherish the rest of my life. My son, Andrew Robert Dery was brought into this world. He is named after the two most influential men of my life – My grandfather Arthur and my father, the great Robert “Bobby D” himself. I know somewhere, they are smiling tonight.
3 comments:
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Scott and I are so excited for you guys and we can't wait to meet our nephew next weekend!!!
Congrats...your baby boy is absolutely gorgeous. Good luck and have fun!
Interesting to know.
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