Malakai Ray Knight was born on February 25th at 2:55 pm. Today, he is one month old and the absolute love of my life (besides Drew, of course). This past month has flown by. He's grown so much just in this short time. Today, at the doctor, she told us he's gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks....GOOD GRACIOUS! lol He's a growing boy. That's for sure. :)
So, going back to birth day....My doctor wanted to induce me because of my high blood pressure. So on Wednesday the 24th at 6 am we were ready to go have a baby! We called the hospital to make sure we could come in and get things started. They told us to wait 2 hours and call back. The computer system had shut down and they were running around trying to get everything straight so they didn't want me coming into all that which I was thankful for. Buy now we have 2 more hours of waiting. I was very pregnant, uncomfortable, but most of all....just ready to have this baby! So what did we do? We went to IHOP, of course! LOL Kristi (who had taken the day of work to help me) went to breakfast with us. We sat and ate waiting for 2 hours to pass. When the time came I called the hospital and again was told to call back a little later. SERIOUSLY?!?! Get this baby out of me! lol So now what? Let's go watch Lost. We missed it the night before cause we went to bed early thinking we were going to have a baby the next day. That didn't seem to be the case at this point. Now it is noon and we REALLY have nothing to do. So we take a nap. Well.....Drew took a nap...I laid there staring at the ceiling and slept for, maybe, 30 mins.
Finally, at 2pm we get the call to go to the hospital BUT there are absolutely no beds open. Apparently everyone and their mother was having a baby that day. After sitting in the waiting area for an hour we went to triage where I got my preliminary tests done. We were there for 2 hours. During this time I was having contractions, but they were still 8-10 mins apart and not that strong. I was 3cm dilated.
And then there was hope! The nurse came in and said that there was a room available!!! I didn't have to go back home!!!! And this room was awesome! Anne Arundel Medical Center is awesome. We were in the biggest birthing suite which was made and dedicated for Pat Sajak (Wheel of Fortune!). We felt kind of special. LOL
At 7pm they started the Pitocin and within 5 mins the contractions came! They were not lying when they said Pitocin contractions are intense. WOW! At this point, it was apparent that I was not having this baby today. I made it to 2:30am and I couldn't take it anymore. They were going to give me some drugs (not an epidural) to help dull the pain, but they were concerned about the baby's heart rate dropping so epidural it is!!! Just as fast at the Pitocin started the epidural kicked in! MAN it was great!!! I actually slept for 3 hours. :)
The next morning they increased the dose of Pitocin to get things moving and it sure did. By 11am I was 6cm dilated and this is when they broke my water. Drew had left to go to dialysis which was really hard. For me, cause I didn't want to be alone, but even more for him. I knew he wanted to be there for every moment. At 1pm I was 8cm dilated and getting more and more nervous about actually having this baby. Then, around 2:15, they checked me again and it was GO TIME!!!
Kristi, who was flying from work to get to the hospital, barely got there in time. I had been pushing for 10 mins when she got there, and 23 mins later Malakai was born. :) Pushing, although it was somewhat painful even with the epidural, was more exhausting than anything else. There were a few times I thought I was going to pass out. It was great to have Dottie and Kristi in the room with us. The nurses thought they were HILARIOUS! lol Dottie bombarded them with questions before they even had a chance to talk to me. The room was full of laughter (including my doctor) while I was pushing and I couldn't think of any better way for Kai to come into the world then to the sounds of happiness and joy.
Looking at him for the first time...I was overwhelmed. I didn't cry at first. I couldn't believe I actually just gave birth; that he was finally here. I sat there with a look of shock on my face. Drew, on the other hand, had to be told to calm down. He was hyperventilating. LOL He was just so excited. It wasn't until they brought him back, all wrapped up, looking into my eyes, that it really hit me. This is my son. My flesh and blood! And then the tears flowed and didn't stop till the next day. :)
We brought him home the first night and were promptly back in the hospital the next day. Although he was eating, Kai wasn't getting enough when he was breastfeeding which resulted in him becoming dehydrated. He had a fever of 100.6 which is very high for a newborn. After multiple tests to make sure it wasn't anything else more serious, 2 more days in the hospital and worrying like I never knew I could, we brought him home for the second time. This time it stuck and he has been happy and growing ever since.
It has been a crazy time of not sleeping and a crash course in parenting, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world! :) And look how cute!!!
