Zander is Here!

On July 27th,2010 I went to my local hospital with contractions every 4-6 minutes and some bloody show. Once at the hospital they were concerned that my water had broken and I had a possible placenta abruption. They decided that it was necessary to transfer me via ambulance to a larger hospital and hour away that has a larger ICN and a maternal fetal medicine team. Once here the bleeding continued but they were able to stop the contractions and gave me steroid shots to mature Alexzander‘s lungs just in case. The following weekend I began contracting regularly again and need once again to intervene to stop my labor.
On August 6th my water broke, so they started me on IV antibiotics, then everything stopped, there was no more bleeding, all contractions stopped. This was totally new for me, with the others my water broke and I was holding my baby 6 hours later.
On Monday August 16th I realized around 2 pm that I had been contracting regularly every 5 minutes apart and began to time my contractions I told the doctors who hooked me up to the contraction monitor to confirm it. They decided to check my cervix, it had not changed since I the last time they had stopped my labor. I went to bed that night a little uncomfortable, but otherwise OK. I woke up on the 17th still contracting regularly, they had spaced out to around 10 minutes apart, but had become a little stronger. I stayed on bed most of the day. I was pretty tired. Josh got here around 3pm so I decided to get in the shower. As I stepped into the shower I contracted, they began picking up quickly and gaining intensity. Around 4pm the Dr. decided to check my cervix, I was 6cm. I tried to stay moving but the contractions were to intense after the Dr. checked me. Around 5pm I began to feel more pressure and the contractions were to strong for me to stand through them. I decided to get into bed and my nurse informed me that when I started to feel even slightly pushy, we would head to the OR to deliver, just in case any intervention was needed, its also the closest, most direct route to the ICN. Almost as soon as she was done telling me I was ready to go. They checked me again when we got in to the OR around 5:45pm I was fully dilated with only a small lip on my cervix. I felt like at that point I really needed to push, it was completely involuntary and was happening whether I wanted it to or not. After 4 or 5 good pushes my body realized that Alexzander was sunny side up and while I was still contracting my urge to push disappeared. Since Alexzander’s heart rate was decelerating during contractions it was time to get him out so they started a pitocin drip to make my contractions stronger again. With 2 good contractions, at 6:23pm he was out. Forehead first.
The ICN nurses and Drs brought him into a separate room off of the OR to examine him. His APGAR 8 at one minute and 9 at 5 minutes so they let me hold him for a little about 10 minutes while My Drs. Examined my placenta and made sure that everything was OK with me. Then they whisked him off to the ICN . Alexzander weighed 5lbs 2oz and was 17 inches long! A very big boy for his age. He is jaundiced and despite the lights the levels are still rising, which they did expect with the bruising. Otherwise he is breathing room air, maintaining his body weight, and he has even nursed for a total 20 minutes today. My milk is coming in, I forgot how hard it is to wake up every three hours to pump though. 

He was due on the 6th and growing quickly. on the 4th he weighed 8lbs 9oz! i cant wait to see how big he is at his 2 month check up. he doesn't look at all like a preemie, he is chunky happy and healthy.