The Birth Story follows....some details may be TMI for some people :-) Sorry!
We went into the hospital Sunday evening in preparation for induction. Arriving at 11pm, we got checked in, taken to our labor & delivery room, and started the process. Unfortunatly, I found out quickly that with an induction, a lot of my original plans for laboring were pretty much thrown out the window. I had to stay hooked up to monitors and an IV, which meant I wasn't able to labor in the tub (not that the even put me in a room with one, but such is life) or walk around much. Our night nurse was really sweet and helpful. I got the first dose of Cervadil around 12am and the second dose at 4. That medicine was to soften the cervix in preparation for induction. I was measuring 3cm at 4am, and feeling some decent contractions, but nothing too major.
At 8am, they hooked me up to the Pitocin, which is the actual induction medicine. Still contracting but still able to handle it. The doctor arrived around 10:30 to break my water and at that point I was 4cm. After breaking my water, the contractions kicked it up a few notches and pretty much didn't come and go anymore-just stayed there! Around 11:30am I started getting really uncomfortable and decided that it was more important to enjoy the process of bringing my child into this world than to focus on the pain and requested the epidural. The process of putting it in took nearly 45 minutes due to my scoliosis and the amount of scar tissue on my spine from it. They ended up calling the head honcho of anesthesia to come put it in and even he had trouble. Finally it took and I was a much happier camper.
Around 2pm I decided to take a nap as I hadn't dilated anymore. Everyone left the room to get some lunch, socialize, etc. and I rolled onto my side for a snooze. Instantly, I felt some major pain in my right side, which the nurse thought was a hot spot that couldn't get the epi because of my spine. I guess motherly instinct kicked in for Mama because something told her to come back into the room to check on me. After rolling around to see if we could move the epi medicine, it was determined that the epi had instead worn off! I was feeling the full-on contractions by this point, and apparently my body decided to kick this labor into high gear. I went from 4-9 cm dilated within 15 minutes! OUCHIES!! Kirk and Mama were wonderful in helping me to keep calm (or at least as calm as I could). I guess you could say I got to try major labor without the medicine...I commend the women who can do it without the meds-I am thankful I decided to take the epi!
After what felt like forever, they were able to redose the epidural and I felt a little bit of relief. Unfortunately, that nap never happened because it was time to push! But wait-where was the doctor? Oh-he's still in a c-section, you say?! TOO BAD-I'm pushing!!! Doc arrived in time and within about 30 minutes of pushing, Amelia Jane entered this world!
Kirk and both of our mothers were present for the birth and they all got to hold her for the first 30 minutes or so of her life. I did get her on my chest right after she was born, but she had swallowed a good bit of fluid and with it being such a quick dilation and birth, she didn't spend enough time in the birth canal to squeeze it all out. They had to take her over to the baby table and get her suctioned out pretty quickly. I had to wait as the doctor was having some trouble getting me all finished up (I will save you those details). It felt like forever but I was finally reunited with my little girl and could not have been more excited!
We spend Monday night at the hospital and were able to come home Tuesday evening. Amelia has been such a great little baby since the moment she was born. She doesn't fuss much, eats like a champ (we are strictly breastfeeding-she has had no foreign objects in her mouth at all!! YAY!), loves to snuggle, and when she is awake is the most alert kiddo! She has big, bright eyes and loves to look around the world, as well as at the person holding her and anyone around her.
We go back and forth about who she looks more like. I think she looks just like her Daddy, but at times I see my baby pictures in her. She has a FULL head of dark brown hair and is able to wear clippie hairbows already (yes, I am putting bows in her hair)! Mama says she looks like me when I was little but at the same time looks like Kirk now. She has long legs and big feet, which I am told are the Leverret feet (Kirk's mama's side of the family).
OK, enough reading....enjoy some pictures of our sweet baby girl!
0 comments:
Post a Comment