So, along with having a baby in the month of August, I also switched jobs (careers, actually). I was so incredibly sad to say goodbye to my favorite people ever at Rollins & Petersen Orthodontics, but it was a huge blessing in our lives for me to be hired by Gilbert Public Schools as a sign language interpreter. It had better hours, summers off, more money, and health insurance benefits, all of which were quite important since we had our little boy on the way. I started at GPS on August 10 and just 13 days later, gave birth to the most precious baby. Here is the story (if you don't already know it):
So, my body broke out in a crazy rash just a few days before Colby was born. It was the most uncomfortable thing and didn't know if I could have lasted until Colby came on his own. After a hospital visit on Saturday, August 20 to see what the mysterious rash was, we left with no answers since all the blood work results came back normal. I did, however, receive a steroid shot to the booty, which seemed to help a bit. Dr. Beck (the doctor on call that weekend) said that I would need to be induced on Monday though, since we had no idea what this rash was or what was causing it. They had to wait until I was 39 weeks and 1 day. Plus, Dr. Tutt (my actual doctor) would be back Monday to see me and deliver our baby.
Monday morning, August 22, we were supposed to check in the hospital at 3:30am, but of course the rooms were full. We had both already taken work off so we sat around, very impatiently, for the hospital to call with a free room. That never happened, so we went to lunch and Target for some last minute things to keep ourselves busy. Finally, we went to Dr. Tutt's office to see if there was anything they could do to help us. At this point, the rash was unbearable. I was itchy all over and couldn't handle it anymore. Dr. Tutt wasn't in, but the front office girls suggested we just show up at the hospital and wait till they got us a room. So, we did!
We showed up at Banner Gateway around 3:00pm. Shockingly, they got us back in a labor and delivery room about an hour later and started me on pitocin. Because I wasn't progressing, they took me off pitocin and started me on cervidal. I was supposed to be on that for 12 hours, so I tried to relax and get some sleep before the big day. The next morning, Tuesday, August 23, they started me back on pitocin around 11:00am. They also got an epidural started for me. It worked for a little while, but eventually wore off (or as the nurses said, the needle moved, and I wasn't getting any medicine). They ordered ANOTHER epidural for me and again, it wore off. They said they've never seen anything like this before, where 2 epidurals moved and didn't work. So, needless to say, I was feeling a lot of the contractions and was very uncomfortable. Dr. Tutt kept coming in and checking on me, but things were moving very slow. They also told me that the baby was face up and had me start switching laying on my sides to get him to flip. I've never been in so much pain in my life and so exhausted since I hadn't eaten all day.
As it was getting later and things were just not progressing, Dr. Tutt finally made the call at about 9:15pm that we needed to schedule a c-section. I was completely terrified because this is exactly what I was afraid of. I did not want a c-section, but we didn't really have a choice, since I had already been in labor for about 30 hours. I was feeling every contraction as they prepped for surgery. It was the scariest experience of my life as I watched nurses and doctors rush all around me to get things in order and wheel me into the OR. Tyler had left to get scrubs on and fill our family in on what was happening. They had all been waiting in the lobby of the hospital for most of the day waiting to meet our baby. It was about 9:30pm when everyone was ready to go for the c-section.
At 9:51pm, our precious Colby Tyler Johnson was born by emergency c-section, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 and 1/4 inches long. Dr. Tutt said that Colby was extremely stuck in my pelvic bone and his bruised face showed that. He also said that even if things had progressed fully, Colby wouldn't have come on his own because my pelvic bone is too narrow to deliver. And we would have had to do a c-section anyway. I'm so grateful for modern medicine and a doctor who knew exactly what to do and when to say enough is enough. Although this was one of the scariest experiences in my life, it was also one of the most spiritual and life-changing experiences. Colby has changed our lives in so many amazing ways.
After his bath - They had to wash his hair several times because he had SO much of it.
With Dr. Tutt
Mom holding Colby for the 1st time. It had been a long 2 days. I look pretty exhausted! And drugged!
