Ok folks...here goes the story. I feel as though I've told the important bits multiple times over facebook already, but I guess things get lost in the mix.
Mom, correct me if any of this is incorrect...the days all blended together, as well as the amount of times she was sent home!
Friday, December 4, Jody and Nigel were asked to come to the hospital for an ultrasound. Jody understood that if baby was decidedly large, they were going to C-section that day. Nigel understood they'd induce her if baby was large. Turns out one doc (Jody's) figured they should get him out, but the head obstetrician figured he could wait a bit and let Jody go into labour naturally. The ultrasound showed baby was about 7lb 10oz - 7lb 11oz at that point. The OB said that's not abnormal because they "have tiny Asian women who come in here and push out 8lb babies all the time". In other words, he wasn't concerned. They were sent home and told to call Saturday morning.
Jody thought they were to go in on Saturday, so in they went...and they were sent home again...as I figured. Nobody thought it was worth it to induce her. She was told on Saturday that she should come back Sunday and they might induce her.
Sunday rolled around and Jody and Nigel headed back in early to get things checked out after she woke up and noticed her water was broken around 6am (could've been broken a couple hours, she figured). Monitors showed she was in the early stages of labour, so the doc wouldn't induce her and she was sent home. I went from the hospital to church half asleep. Jody and Nigel joined us for lunch after church and Jody was ok, but obviously uncomfortable. Jody stayed the afternoon and "napped" in the guest room..Nigel went home. Sunday evening (midnight-ish) comes and Nigel is sleeping, dead to the world, and Jody is suffering some really bad back labour. She calls mom crying asking mom to go over so someone awake is there with her. Mom spent the night Sunday night and went to the hospital with them on Monday morning, where they finally admitted her and she started active labour.
Mid-morning on Monday, mom whipped home, woke me up and we left for the hospital figuring things were going to progress quickly. They didn't. Jody had very, very uncomfortable back labour almost the whole time, yet wasn't dilating past 4-5cm for hours. Baby and mom were both stable, though, and morphine was ordered. After the morphine was administered, Jody was still uncomfortable and the only difference was that she was extremely drowsy. Awhile later they gave her fentanyl. It also did nothing to help with her pain. Jody was in and out of "consciousness" for a number of hours. Eventually the epidural was ordered, administered, and we had our Jody back! She was in great spirits, though tired, and even mentioned that her tummy was itchy! We hadn't heard that all day! She also was able to realize how hungry and thirsty she was, but wasn't able to eat anything once doc had it in his mind that they might do surgery. The poor girl!
Shortly after the epidural, we noticed baby's heart rate increase significantly...up into the 170s, and within a couple minutes (when doc was out of the room on a phone call), the heart rate went up to the mid 180s! It was determined at that point that a c-section was going to happen for sure. She'd dilated to 6-7cm by this point (post epidural), but it wasn't quickly enough for the doc and baby's head was still facing up. So we were at the point that doc wasn't happy with her progress, baby's head was up, and baby's heart rate was up indicating possible infection setting in because of the amount of time that had passed since her water broke. From the time Jody's water broke to this point was about 36 hours. In my mind, that's completely unfair and abnormal. It's one thing to want to let her labour naturally, but when her water broke Sunday morning I think it should've been a max of 12 hours after that they'd induce!!
Just before 9pm on Monday night, Jody was wheeled into the OR with 2 grandmas and an auntie waiting in anticipation on the other side of the doors. 
Gavin Peter Guest was born at 21:21 on Monday, December 7th and weighed 9lbs 8oz!! He was 20 and 3/4 inches long and after mommy held him for a few seconds, he was whisked from the OR to the NICU...right past the waiting grandmas and auntie...we looked like the paparazzi :) 
He was also born with a microform cleft (this isn't Gavin, but this is similar to what his lip looks like...just on the opposite side) 
that managed to heal itself in the womb. Apparently that is very rare...go Gavin!! The doctors have no concerns about it. His breathing was too rapid for comfort, which is why they took him to the NICU...but once they got there and got his breathing under control, they also noticed his blood sugar levels to be very low. 
(they wheeled Jody in there post-recovery to check him out)
He was put on an IV of sugar water to help regulate that, as well as now feeding him formula to help wean him off his meds. Apparently blood sugar issues are common in newborns, but I'd never heard of it. They originally said 24-48 hours in there, but as of today, it's been almost twice that.
Jody has been doing well, but has been very tired...rightfully so...and she is quite swollen from all the fluids they pumped her with, and they finally removed her catheter and her IV fluids and meds yesterday. She is also sore from the surgery, but is surviving. She was discharged today without her son, but will hopefully have him in her arms soon. Nigel has had to go back to work the day after Gavin was born, and I stayed at the hospital with her all day, every day. She enjoyed a few visitors (thanks guys!) yesterday, and we're working on finding someone to stay with her at home during the next couple days while Nigel is at work. I have unfortunately come down with a cold or something, so we don't want her catching a cough. Having an incision and a cough would not be a good thing...so I'm staying away. It's really tough though!!
As far as I've last heard, they were hoping to remove his IVs either tonight or tomorrow and see how he does, and he should be home in a couple days! They have also lowered his meds from 18ml/hour to 4ml/hour and he seems to be regulating his blood sugars ok!! I might be lucky enough to get to hold him once before I move home at 6am on Sunday morning.
I'll be back for a baby steal at Christmas with my husband!! :)
Here are the pictures of his first couple days and all of these are through a window with no flash, so pardon the out of focus-ness :)
Gavin's 2nd day - first 24 hours:
Gavin's 3rd day:
Since Jody was discharged today, I worked overnight, and I've managed to come down with a cold, I didn't go to the hospital at all today. There will be no more pictures until Christmas...unless he comes home before I leave on Sunday!
~K~
