The Bell Family

PART I

THIS IS TOTALLY GONNA BE A LONG ONE!

Here's Steve and I...before life as we knew it changed for the better. It really is so hard to put into words just how amazing it is to finally meet this little person who was a product of your making. Even harder to fully understand how from the moment you lay eyes on your child, this insane amount of love overwhelms you and threatens to take a wreaking ball to the dam that's holding your emotions in check. Even now, as I write this post, my eyes are spilling over with tears of joy (and a few tears of holy crap, I'm a mom, we are parents....please give us the strength to give this child all he needs and bless that he won't cut down the neighbors tree or run his bike through the garage wall)

Steve and Ken spent almost an entire day snapping pics of me and the belly so that I have something to look at months from now (as I'm struggling to not look pregnant) and remember those 9 months of pregnancy. He's still got a few hours of photo shop to complete on them, removing about 15-20 lbs from my face, neck, arms, and left pinky toe. (Hey, they are my pics, I can choose to remember pregnancy in any delusional manner I see fit). Even though they will be late, I'll post a few to the blog whenever they are done. It's kinda the downside of being married to a photographer. He's amazingly gifted, but I can't even tell you how many empty frames we have around the house. We get the pictures taken, but never get around to having them edited or printed :)

I've been crazy fortunate to have my mom here for the last month. The week before I was due, we shopped till my Michelin man feet could handle no more. She totally pampered me with foot rubs, shared my addiction for Grey's Anatomy (thank you Netflix), fixed all my meals, cleaned the house and visited with me till wee hours in the morning. She even helped me make cookies for the nurses so that I could bribe them into overlooking my chicken nerves and sweetening them up with sugar :)

July 4th, the day we were "scheduled" to deliver, I walked into the hospital in all my swollen glory. The nurse took me to my room and attempted to begin an IV, but after two attempts of fishing around in my hand and arm, decided to bring in a different nurse to give it a shot. Then began the Pitocin drip. I'd heard horror stories about Pitocin. That is doesn't ease you into labor, but rather hits you like a pissed off billy goat. Luckily, it did no such thing and took its sweet time easing me into contractions.

The doc came in after about 3 hours of labor, checked me (only dilated to a 2 but 80% effaced) and decided to break my water. I nearly kicked her off my bed! There is just something so wrong about someone shoving their hand into you and then knitting your cervix a hat with a crochet hook....or so it felt. Her hope was that breaking my water would help me dilate.

Labor seemed to be progressing great. I was totally amazed at my ability to handle the pain. I thought for sure I'd be begging for an epidural at the first hint of pain, but I made it for several hours before the pain got to the point that it made me cry....then I was begging! They gave me a shot of Stadol to take the edge off until the anesthesiologist could get there. That stuff worked great...but man did I feel HIGH! Steve and my mom were laughing at my comments of how the ceiling tiles looked like faces!

Then the anesthesiologist arrived and administered the epidural...didn't hurt as bad as I thought that it would in comparison to the pain I was feeling. I actually had some time to rest and visit with family for a bit. Then the pain began to be stronger than the epidural and HOLY MOLY I wanted to die! They gave me a boost to tide me over, but it only lasted an hour before a surge of pain hit me again.

I ended up having the epidural removed and reinserted. But, my body did not react well to the dosage and I began convulsing. It felt like how you get the intense shakes when you are really cold. I tried controlling it but the more I tried, the more my muscles began to ache. It got so bad that I gave my self motion sickness from all the shaking and my mom and Steve tried with all their might to hold me up as I dry heaved what little stomach acid was in me.

The shaking continued for several hours. But, my labor was not progressing. Each time they increased the Pitocin drip, Wyatt's heart rate would drop. If they lowered the drip, his heart rate would return to normal, but my labor wouldn't progress. After about 12 hours, I had only dilated to a 3. They didn't want to risk infection, so I was prepped for a C-section. They gave me a shot of something that was to reduce the nausea and then asked me to drink a shot of stomach bile....yep, that's exactly what it tasted like! I think that stayed down for about 20 seconds before I yelled...I'M GONNA PUKE! I CAN'T KEEP IT DOWN! I was totally freaked out that I was going to drown in my own puke so I projectile vomited almost across the whole room! They told me to turn my head and vomit in this little pink bucket...but I doubt much of it made it to the bucket the poor nurse was holding.

Here's me, getting wheeled in for surgery....PERTY! lol I remember the anesthesiologist telling me that I would be shaking through the whole surgery....which made me beg to be put under. The doctor told me it was for the best if I wasn't put under and to try to relax. I remember the pressure of the incision, but the kicker was when she went to pull the head out. It felt like a sumo wrestler was sitting on my chest. All of the sudden, breathing became difficult and I began to panic. I guess that I began to move around so the doctor gave the go ahead to the anesthesiologist to give me something to make me relax....and the rest is a bit hazy from there.

Then little Wyatt James Bell arrived at 2:53am on July 5th, 2009. He had his umbilical cord wrapped around his shoulder, chest and legs, so that explained why I was not progressing properly. There would be no way that he could have been born vaginally, as he would have ripped the placenta out with him...so we were blessed that he arrived healthy and safe. He weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 19 inches. There was a moment when I remember seeing just the eyes of my baby, and the nurse asking if I would like to kiss him.

The next thing I remember, I woke up in triage sweating bullets and another nurse telling me that I need to nurse my baby...all the while I was completely unable to keep my eyes open. I made it through the transition to my recovery room and spent the next couple of days hobbling to and from the restroom, attempting multiple times to breast feed my baby - with no luck, and ITCHING. OH THE ITCHING! I'd never heard that another side effect of an epidural is ITCHING. I took a cold wash cloth and would rub my face with it anytime that it itched (which was ALL THE TIME) and by the next morning, I'd rubbed it raw! I had major chapped face!

Wyatt was slightly jaundice, so he was placed on the billy blanket for a day and a half. He looked like a little glow worm! He didn't like it much, and was glad when he didn't have to wear it any longer. :)

By day 2, the doctor came to remove my bandage (more like rip the flesh from my abdomen) and put me on an antibiotic drip to cover any infections that may occur.

By day 3, the munchkin and me were approved to go home! We were SO ready to go home. Not that sleep was anywhere in my immediate future, but the thought of a hot shower sounded so wonderful!

Part 2 to come...