Madison Watch - Day 2

Well Madison we're still at the hospital.  It is now 12:40p on Friday August 31st.  We have been here since 8p August 29th.  I haven't spent this much time in a hospital since I was a sickly little kid.

So the cervadil didn't work and the pitocin drip yesterday didn't do much so the doctor decided to give your mom a break and take her off the pitocin for the evening and start things back at 3am.  We ordered dinner and watched a little TV before turning in to bed.  Another night on this horrible hospital chair bed thing.

This morning I woke up to see that your mom had been on pitocin for about 4 hours.  Mild contractions but still nothing to heavy.  Around 9ish the doctor showed up and decided to rupture the amniotic sac to speed things along.  Once that was done your mom's contractions definitely started increasing in strength!  Finally some progress!

Around noon she had finally dilated enough that they were comfortable with giving her the epidural.  Not a moment too soon might I add cause those contractions were really starting to hurt her.  I didn't like seeing her in that much pain and not being able to do anything about it.

So now here I sit while your mom naps updating you on the whole process.  My dad pointed out the irony that this weekend is LABOR Day weekend.  You are certainly putting the Labor into it.  Things are looking good though and after a day we are seeing progress so the hopes are that you'll be born tonight. 

Just in time too.  If you are born tomorrow then you have to wait an additional year to start school.  Bummer, right?

Love,
Dad

Greetings from the Hospital

Well Madison, here we are in the hospital waiting for you to be delivered.  We got to the hospital at around 8p last night.

After a bunch of paperwork and labwork we finally got down to business and your mom got the dose of cervadil to thin her cervix.

Here she is sporting the lovely birthing gown.

We spent the night letting the cervadil do its thing and woke up the next morning around 730a.  Dr. Karney showed up and did her initial check up and much to our surprise the cervadil had done nothing to start thinning the cervix.  Apparently you are quite the large baby.  You could be pushing the scales at 9-10 lbs.  Yowza!  Unfortunately this means there is a chance that your Mom will have to deliver by c section, which is something she didn't want to do.

After the check up the nurses started administering pitocin which should jump start contractions.  Your grandma Penny also showed up to hang out.  Now that the pitocin is going Meghan seems to be having contractions on a regular basis so hopefully we're that much closer to seeing you for the first time.

I'll update this blog when I have a chance but I'm pretty sure your Mom doesn't want me live blogging her labor...

Love,
Dad

Just Hanging Out At The Hospital

Here's your mom getting a fetal stress test on the Monday before you were to be born.  They monitored your heart rate and your mom for contractions.  We sat there for about a half hour before they got enough data to say that you were totally unstressed.

After that we went in for an ultrasound where they confirmed that you still had enough amniotic fluid around you and that you were still a girl (whew!).

With both those tests passed the greenlit us for an induction on Wednesday night (TONIGHT!).  Ready or not Madison you're coming out :)

Overdue

Well Madison it seems like you really like that womb your mother has made for you.  So much that you're now 3 days over due and showing no signs of wanting to come out.  Luckily modern medicine has the cure for that stubbornness - drug induced labor!

So the plan is for us to go to the hospital Wednesday night where they will give your mom a cervix thinner and a sedative.  She'll sleep the night away while I attempt to sleep the night away on the god awful chair/pullout bed thing they have in the rooms for dads.  In the morning they'll give Meghan some sort of suppository that'll get the whole show on the road.  If everything goes well you'll be born Thursday morning/afternoon.  Hopefully you have a nice short birth like all the kids on my side of the family.  We'll be in the hospital for another 2 nights and get home just in time for the Georgia season opener.

Don't worry, I have your pink Georgia baby hat ready for when you leave the hospital!

Text From Your Mother...

One More Day...in Theory

Alright Madison it's the day before your due date.

Every one - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends - are all on the edge of their seat waiting for me to send word that Meghan has gone into labor.  I've gotten several texts already wondering if you've started your journey to the outside word.  Unfortunately I have to tell everyone that so far there's been no sign that you're ready to come out.  No real contractions, no Braxton Hicks contractions, nothing.  The closest we get are some cramps that your mom has.

We're in this strange holding pattern.  We can't really go anywhere or do anything too time consuming cause your mom could start getting contractions at any time.  I really hope you come tonight or tomorrow cause other wise this is going to be a long boring weekend!  Plus we're both kinda looking forward to a little time off work and if you came this weekend I'd get a nice little extra long vacation cause I'd take next week off and get Labor Day off as well.

So come on! Get to it!  We can't wait to see your little baby face for the first time!

Come Out Already!

Ok Madison - we're down to the final week here and everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for your mother to go into labor.  Every day I get texts from my friends in Atlanta, "Is she in labor yet?".  Every morning I ask Meghan if she's had any contractions.  So far nothing!  Your mom went to her weekly checkup on Monday and you hadn't progressed at all.  AND you had turned so that your head was up on top again, facing the wrong way.

Meghan is very big now and uncomfortable all the time.  At the very least you could vacate the womb for her?

My parents come up to meet you for the first time a week from today.  I hope that we have a baby to show them!  The plan is that if you haven't be delivered naturally by Monday than we'll get a sonogram and if everything looks good Meghan will get induced by the end of the week.  In that scenario things get a little dicey for the visiting Georgia grandparents.

I know your technical due date is this Saturday but I just can't wait to meet you so why don't you come on out early?  Do it for dad?

Love
Dad