Introducing Davis Christopher Rusch
Born November 20, 2012
at 9:30 am
Weighing in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces
19 inches long
Proud parents are Chris and Tina Rusch
We are in love!
On Tuesday, November 20th, 2012, Davis Christopher Rusch was born into the world. It was a wonderful experience Here is the story.
The week before, I had my weekly doctor's appointment with Dr. Grover. We knew that it was the week before I was due, and I was planning on my last day of work being the following Friday. I had a permanent sub all lined up to start work on Monday, and everything was figured out. Dr. Grover said that she wanted to see me on Monday instead of Tuesday, to see where my cervix was and if she wanted to induce me on Tuesday before going out of town. Of course, I agreed! :)
The next weekend, I felt like I wasn't feeling as much kicking as I usually did. I was feeling him kick every now and then, but just not as much. I told Chris, and he agreed. I thought it might be because I was busy getting Thanksgiving dinner ready for Sunday, and figured I had a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I wouldn't worry much about it.
On Monday, when I went to see the doctor, I told the nurse about my concerns. She said to tell the doctor, which I did. The doctor said that it probably wasn't a problem, but she wanted me to go have a non-stress test that day, just to be sure. Chris came to the appointment with me, and asked if I wanted him to stay. I felt like something might happen, so I said yes. We went to lunch and then went to have the test done. During lunch, we talked about the things that we wanted to do with the rest of our day, which seems funny to me now.
After lunch, we walked over to the hospital and went to get the non-stress test. The people in the Maternal Fetal Medicine unit are so nice--we have been there a few times already. Anyway, they started the test and said that I did not have enough fluid with Davis and probably needed to deliver. The lady called Dr. Grover, who said that we needed to go to labor and delivery RIGHT THEN!
I asked if we could go home first and the answer was a definite NO! So we went to labor and delivery. I called Mom and told her that I was going to have a baby TODAY, and she started packing her bags!
I finally got checked in around 3:00. We asked the nurse if Chris could go home and get my stuff, and she said that it was an excellent time to do so. I was Group B Strep positive, so they started me on an IV on penicillin, and watched the baby's heartbeat. At 7:00ish, Dr. Grover came and put a balloon in my cervix to help it dilate past a 1, which is what it was at my appointment. I guess that shaved about 12 hours off of the labor portion of the fun. The nurses were very impressed that she was able to put the balloon in, because my cervix was not all that big. I was also started on pitocin, and that made my contractions start going every 3-5 minutes.
After a little while, I tried to sleep, which didn't work that well with contractions going every 3-5 minutes. Finally, around 5 or 5:30, I asked for the drugs! I tell you what, an epidural is awesome!! I could finally sleep for a couple of hours! Between 7:30 and 8:00, Dr. Grover came back in and broke my water. She said that there was not much fluid to be had, which of course was the reason that I was there in the first place. I started to feel like I could feel the contractions through my epidural, and told the nurse at about 8:15. She was going to put some more fluid in me, because the baby's heart rate was not doing well. When she looked, she was shocked. I was already a 10! She said that it was time to deliver the baby.
Dr. Grover came in at about 8:30 and was fairly impressed too! We started the pushing, and the whole time, Dr. Grover was watching the baby's heart rate like a hawk. It was really the greatest experience ever--the only people there were me, Chris, the doctor, and the nurse. I had pushed for almost an hour, and Dr. Grover said that she was going to use forceps, because she was not happy with his heart rate. It was not stabilizing as fast as it had at the beginning. So, she told me that for the next push, she would use the forceps, and, at 9:30, Davis Christopher Rusch was born. His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice, but Dr. Grover removed it quickly and suctioned out Davis's lungs. It was a wonderful experience to hear him cry for the first time!
When he first came out, Dr. Grover expressed that she was surprised that he was so small. When they put him on the scales, he was 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 19 inches long! That is a lot smaller than we thought he would be too!
Davis seems to be the best baby ever. On his first night home, we had to wake him up to eat! He seems to be very easygoing, and overall, a very pleasant baby. We love him so much and are glad to have him in our family! After a lot of work with the in vitro, this little miracle has finally joined us! I feel like Heavenly Father watched us during the entire labor and delivery process, and I felt calm the entire time, because I really felt like he was meant to be here at this time.
We have had a lot of family visit us since then. Of course, Mom was waiting outside for him to be born and let us know that she was there when we were ready. Davis's uncles in the area also came to see us as soon as they could. He is a very blessed baby boy who is so welcomed into this world! We are excited to have our little Thanksgiving miracle join us just in time for the holidays!
