The Story of Ryker Coming Into the World

This has been a crazy last couple of weeks to say the least. On Sunday, December 20th I got a really bad migraine. I didn't think much of it (other than being annoyed by it) until Christmas Eve when it was still there and I was talking to my friend Angela who suggested the headache could be a sign of something worse, like high blood pressure or the beginning of preeclampsia. So I tested my blood pressure and found that it was way high and then my mom pushed on my shin and I was pitting badly. My leg actually felt like play dough, and the indent stayed for a while. So, I called the hospital and they told me to come in immediately. After running a bunch of tests on me, the on-call doctor determined I was border line, but that perhaps with bedrest, everything would get better enough that I could make it full term on my pregnancy.

So, starting Christmas Eve, I went on bedrest. I literally did nothing more than lay around and watch movies and read a book with the exception of getting up to eat meals. Thanks to my mom's blood pressure monitor, I continued to monitor my blood pressure throughout the holiday weekend, and unfortunately, it didn't come down. So at my doctor appointment Monday morning when my blood pressure was still high and my headache was still there, the doctor decided it would be best to induce me. So I went across the parking lot to the hospital and began the process of getting hooked up to IVs. Once I was hooked up to Magnesium Sulfate to help my blood pressure, and a few other things, the doctor came in and broke my water at 10:45am on Monday, 12/28, and shortly after the strong contractions began.

I only lasted 4 hours before I asked for an epidural. The initial set up did not go so well. Once it was in and they started the dose, my blood pressure dropped dangerously low, and I honestly felt the worst I had ever felt in my life. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I couldn't breath. They had to put ephedrine in my IV to get my blood pressure stabilized, but once I was stable, I felt fine.

When I first went into the hospital I was only dilated to a 2 and 4 hours after being induced I was only at a 4. Then I stayed at a 4 for the next 7 hours when I was finally to a 6. One hour later I was fully dilated and the nurse said she was going to let the contractions do some more work before I started pushing. By then my epidural was starting to wear off, so they started to redose me, and my blood pressure started dropping quickly and I began going through everything all over again so I asked to stop. I decided I would rather feel the pain then feel like I was dying from the epidural. The next hour and a half were the hardest of the labor. I started vomiting (which was the worse part) and then I was burning up so much that poor Adam had to just dab my face with cold wash cloths for the next 30 minutes until my temperature came down. Finally, about 2 hours later I was ready to push.

By then my epidural was almost completely worn off, so I could feel the super strong contractions and the urge to push. There was just enough of it left to take the edge off, but I still felt a lot. Thankfully, I only had to push for 50 minutes and then my sweet little Ryker was born.

The few seconds it took for him to cry seemed like the longest seconds in the world. I was so grateful when I heard him take his first cry that I had to cry a little myself. Then the overwhelming feeling of love when they put him on me, was incredible. Nine months of waiting, and years of hoping and praying to get pregnant with him, were all worth it the minute he was here. And of course, he was the cutest newborn ever!

Now that we're home, our world is turned all around, but in a good way (yet a very sleepless one). I can't believe he's already 2 weeks old! I really need to get a camera so I can document everything.

That's all for now, but I'm sure there will be sooooo much more to tell about him in the near future. Now I just wonder where I'll find the time and energy to document it all. :)