Speedy Delivery

Hey Ya'll

I have a little bit of nap time going on- my husband and two girls are napping.  This works for me, cuz I can't nap on demand, so I asked my husband to take his turn so that I can take mine when I actually feel ready to nap.

I thought I would write down the whole birth story and give you some pictures, sound good?  Good!

So you have some perspective I should explain that with my first's birth story I was in "labor" for about about 16 hours- quick summary- I woke up at 5:00 AM to contractions 1 minute long, 5 minutes apart and counted that through the hour...we spent a few more hours at home.  Went to the hospital, was put in maternal observation for a few hours.  Submitted to labor and delivery around 11:30am had Etta @ 8:55 ish pm.

Get ready for a long post, but hopefully interesting.

Let me first explain that with Lydia's last checkup at my midwife's office, I wasn't dilated at all.  Which I felt meant, that I probably wouldn't be going early this time like I had with Etta.  I wasn't to upset about it, in fact I had totally accepted it (also so I wouldn't be disappointed at the wait).

Besides, we were moving on projects and nesting hard core around my house, and I feel SO happy about what we were able to accomplish.  And I was still sorta in that mode, since I figured I had time we could just keep going.  I don't know about you but hardly anything gets done after they get home for a while (for me anyway).

Lets start with Saturday Feb 12th we were just working on the house, installing the baseboards and randoms.  I also was really in the mood to eat out, and Olive Garden salad sounded really good- sounds good right now too!   We went for lunch.  While there, I had 3 or 4 contractions over the hour or so.  This got me on the move to get home and wrap up loose ends, make sure the house was totally child safe so our babysitters would have an easy time with Etta.  I was getting all excited and then they just stopped.  I have never had Braxton Hicks with either of my pregnancies, so I just passed them off for Braxton hicks, was bummed a little and went on with the day.

That night at 2:00am Sunday morning I woke up to a big contraction that lasted a minute or two long.  I tried going back to sleep but within about 15 minutes later I had another.  From that point I didn't sleep I just watched the clock waiting for the "Golden- 1 min long, every 5 min for an hour contraction rule".

At 5:00  they were getting closer, but still sporadic in time between- and they really hurt.  It woke Justin up with my breathing and so I asked him sorta half heartedly, "I guess you better get up and set out breakfast for Etta and do a few other random things...  but don't call the babysitter yet, cuz I am not sure I am even in labor yet"

So, he did those honey do-s, meanwhile I laid in bed watching for the timing to get right, afraid to call the babysitter in the middle of the night thinking I wasn't really in labor.  But now the contractions really hurt and were about every 5 -7 -4 -2 random minutes apart but closer together.  So, I got up and told him to call, while I got dressed- hoping I wasn't one of those poor girls that gets sent home cuz they aren't really in labor.

Justin called and guess what, she didn't answer, and that is when I began to panic!!  I think it was the moment I realized I was REALLY in labor.  My other girlfriend who was in line to watch was out of town til that afternoon.  Instead, I had Justin call another sweet lady from church who I had casually mentioned to last Sunday that I might call if we were in a jam.   And so he called Theresa. I could call her Mother Theresa and I wouldn't be far off, she is just so sweet.

Justin talked to her husband at first, who was kind-of confused by the hour and being woken up and I had to laugh (after when all was well and good) cuz his reply was that "She(Theresa) couldn't substitute in church that day..."  I teach some teenagers in Sunday school.  Luckily she asked who was on the phone and upon hearing it was us, took the phone and said she could be right over.  Within the half hour she was there.

At this point I was sitting in the van, crying and SCREAMING in pain.   We took off, and I was a really starting to worry cuz I knew I was at least as bad as I was when I got my epidural the first time, and at the point I was dilated to like a five or six.  So, I was thinking "Well I am at least that far along, so we have GOT to get in there so I can get my epidural before I get any further".

Well, we got to the hospital, Justin dropped me off at the emergency entrance and the guard wheeled me in.  A nurse came down within a few minutes and started asking me how far along I was and began whelling me to the elevator.  I answered and tried not to scream through the pain- I hate to bother people, or sound like a wimp or anything like that.  (I know I sound like an idiot saying that- but these are the things going through my head as a healthy adult who shouldn't be complaining... anyway).

We get in the elevator and she takes me up to Labor and Delivery.  I am so relived, I don't want to waste time in "Maternal Observation".  Well she opens the door, walks in, then, turns around and starts back toward Maternal Observation.

I really wanted to SCREAM - NO YOU IDIOT.... but I just sat there with terror in my heart  that I wasn't going to get my beloved epidural... but as she came up to the maternal observation door, she mumbled, to an unseen, by me, co-worker "She is driving me nuts".. turned back around and returned me to Labor and Delivery.  I would have been even happier if I wasn't screaming through my contractions at the moment...

They get me in the room and the flutter began... about 10 nurses, two getting in the I.V., couching me to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth..., asking me how far along I was,  on and on.  Justin arrived soon after, so he could help field a few questions thank heaven cuz I really wasn't in the mood to chat.

A nurse said she was going to check me... to my UTTER astonishment and horror, she said, she's complete.  Meaning I was completely dilated!  All I could do was ask if I could have an epidural and they were like no, sorry, you're going to have this baby right now.   To add to my disappointment,  it turned out my midwives had just switched being on call I missed it by like 5 minutes and the new one wasn't informed of anyone being there or even considering coming in, so she wasn't going to be there in time to deliver my baby.

I was still stuck on the no epidural thing and was asking repeatedly for some drugs- I am not usually a drug kinda girl, but seriously, I was hurting.

Right then I remembered that I had tested positive for a GBS or a type of strep test, that can effect the baby, and I told them.  And they realized they had to get n antibiotic started, and in my system before I could have this baby.

So they drugged me.  With stacol (no idea how to spell that or if that was the exact name) but all of a sudden I couldn't keep my eyes open, that was NOT what I had in mind for drugs, I should have asked for ibuprofen.  But I guess they decided as I stopped screaming and slipped into a hazy dream world of semi-consciousness - still very aware of the pain of the contractions but about nothing in between- that they could allow the time for the anti-boitics to really get into my system.  The biggest issue was they actually needed two doses of the antibiotic and couldn't administer the other for another 4 hours.

At this point they decided they could try giving me the epidural!

HALLELUJAH!

I felt like the heavens opened! (I didn't have the strep thing with Etta, I think I might have to thank heaven that I had it this time to help me get the epidural- but I will say that for sure when we know Lydia is perfectly safe from it)

I was so unstable from the drugs I could hardly move, but they said if I could sit cross legged and get the shot I could have i.  I tell you- there was nothing in the world that was going to stop me.

I forced myself through the haze and unsteadiness to sit up and curled over and waited, through 2 contractions, and then the administrator got cut really bad by some glass breaking and had to clean that up while I waited through another contraction, basically squatting and full dilated -I can tell you the pain of NOT pushing was worse than the contraction, I could hardly fight the urge to push that baby right out- that was the most pain I felt.  I didn't even feel the epidural being administered, I waited for it to hurt and she said she was already done.... I was in that much pain everywhere else.

They numbed me up good, my midwife was almost there and they thought I could have that baby in the next 20 or so minutes with my midwife!  Yea!  Because the time was going to be short they dosed me really high with epidural medication so that I would be numb in time.

Well, after 20 minutes I was totally asleep from the stacol junk and I couldn't even feel my lower half AT ALL, I had no feeling whatsoever that I was having contractions.  So, they let me sleep and try to make it to 10:30 when they could give me the second dose of anti-biotics.

For the next 2 and half hours I just flowed in and out of consciousness listening to the heartbeat monitor from the baby.  At 10:15, I realized that I couldn't hear the baby's heart beat.  It sounded like just mine really slow (comparatively) and steady, I tried sorta pushing the monitor in and around a bit but couldn't find it, and in about 20 seconds the nurse and midwife were running in the room saying I was going to have the baby right then.

What happened was Lydia's heart rate had dropped as she moved lower.   Lindsay, my wonderful midwife broke my water at this point and actually kind of reached in and tickled Lydia's head.   Lydia responded beautifully- her heart beat shot right back up and stayed up there where it was supposed to be, thank goodness.  They were able to just get the next anti-biotic set up and started too.

And, we started pushing, I was SO numb from my epidural that I still couldn't feel when I was having a contraction AT ALL.  I also had to sort of imagine what muscles I was using to push her out.  But the midwife helped me through it and in a half an hour we delivered a sunny side up (posterior positioned) baby.  The midwife said this is probably why we had to push as long.. But she finally came at 10:56 am.

8 lbs 8 oz

20 inches long and

VERY PINK!

The final result?  She is perfect.  

Look at that wrinkly hand!

I guess the labor wasn't technically so "speedy" after all, but the only reason for that extra 4-ish hours was a heavily drug induced window for the medicine to kick in, or she would have been born around 7:00 AM.  (so it would have been about 5 hours start to finish - yikes)

We moved over to my room and Justin went home around 2:00 to be with Etta.  He brought her back at about 6:30.  She ran to me to hug me (the midwife said it would be best to have my arms free and not have her spot taken up by the baby- so we were sure to have the baby in her little bassinette. )

Etta then looked over and saw Lydia and started very enthusiastically yelling and pointing at the  "Baby"  "Baby..."  and had to jump off the bed immediately to go investigate for herself.

(the reason I don't like pictures of me in the hospital and you won't be seeing anymore!)

It was a hard night in the hospital for me.  Mostly because I have never been away from Etta, and when I called Justin after Etta was in bed, I heard her wake up, start crying and screaming "Momma" from her bed, (this never happens, she always cries for "Daddy" [the name she uses for both of us, she only really calls me mommy after prompting].   So I sat and cried in my bed that I couldn't answer her call) but Justin comforted her and they got to pick me up the next afternoon.

Here is here little going away outfit, minus the tiny fake uggs I bought her, that are adorable, but since it has been 75 degrees outside, they were hardly needed!

I got home Monday at around 3:00 pm and have been so happy to be home.  

Welcome to the family Lydia!  

We are so excited to see you grow!