After already being almost a week overdue, we were so happy that we were finally going to have the baby. It had already been a crazy week. Due to a huge ice storm in Kentucky/Indiana, our house was without power and water for about a week. Melissa's mom planned months prior to come out on Jan 29th, thinking that the baby would be here by then. Well, there was no baby...and also no power and water. We stayed with some of our friends, Steve and Christy, until our power came back on. Shortly after that, we were able to see the doctor, who scheduled Melissa to be induced on the 5th of February. Little did we know, the fun was just beginning.
Day 1: We checked into the hospital at 5:30am, as instructed. She was to be induced that day, and we were giddy with excitement over what we thought would be the arrival of our son. They started her on the pitocin shortly after she was checked in, and we were on our way...sort of. TWELVE hours later, she had not really progressed much at all. She was having contractions but just not really dilating. They took her off the pitocin (they don't like to keep you on it for more than 12 hours at a time) and decided to give her a break for a few hours. In the early hours of the next morning, they put her back on the pitocin. This time, they planned to up the dosage to see if it would really kick her into gear.
Day 2: We had now been at the hospital for 24 hours and were still naively optimistic at this point. The pitocin was really coming now, and the doctors recommended some positions that may be more helpful for progression. Yet, nearly half the day passed, and she still hadn't really budged. Finally, during the afternoon of Feb 6th,the doctor decided to break her water for her. The intent, in part was met. Her contractions really picked up in severity and frequency. Despite an epidural and a cocktail of pain killers, she seemed to be feeling everything, and that is very hard for a husband--especially when it's so drawn out. She did progress though--albeit slowly. It took all night and into the morning, and she was pretty much complete, in terms of dilation and effacement. HOWEVER, the little guy still wouldn't come. Finally, the doctor on staff at that point decided that this baby was not going to come naturally, so he said we should proceed with a c-section. Now, we had planned and hoped the entire time for a natural birth, but after all that had happened, a c-section sounded like a trip to Disneyworld. We both agreed, and in about an hour the operating room was prepared and all the necessary staff had arrived. Once she was on the operating table, the actual procedure lasted only about 5-10 min, which is a little bittersweet when I think about how the previous 48 hours were basically unnecessary. At 6:22am, our Noah Asher Stockhoff came into the world, and we discovered exactly why Melissa was having so much trouble getting him out. He was 9 lb 12 oz! It was one of the greatest moments of my life. We both love him more than we could ever imagine.
Overall, It was quite an experience--one that you look back on and feel grateful for what you gained from it but never want to go through again. We will have more kids in the future, but pray that they don't come in the same fashion that Noah did.
I'll continue to take and post pictures of our little man. Thanks for all your congratulations and good wishes!
Andy
Not loving the car seat at first.
...but he settled into it. This is his first time out of the hospital.
