HI everyone! I wanted to pop in and let you know how things are going. Our lives have been enveloped with our precious addition to the family, our baby girl. She was born February 15th at 3:12am. I was trying to hold out for a Valentine’s baby but I opted out. 🙂
There are several people that asked why they did not know I was in the hospital or why I had not updated my Facebook that I was going to the hospital to have this baby. I decided not to because it was too difficult and stressful of a time to do it.
So when was my due date? It was February 9th and here it was February 14th and I was looking at being induced. The due date had always been an issue and I was not sure when this baby would arrive, especially if she decided to come naturally (more on that later). I had my first ultrasound before we left from Michigan which I was told has to be the most accurate reading for a due date. When I got to Pennsylvania I had two more ultrasounds, one at the 20th week and another at the 36th week because I was showing placenta previa.
After I had those ultrasounds my due date changed from February 9th to the 20th. Um that is a difference! I did not want to wait another 2.5 weeks for my baby or even be surprised by a baby. It was QUITE frustrating to get the midwives at the clinic to finally decide that they initially read my first ultrasound incorrectly. I was due on February 9th and I was told at my 36 week appointment which really was my 38 week. Good thing we were prepared but for some reason it freaked me out. Not a good thing when my blood pressure was reading pretty high the last three appointments.
I knew everything about this pregnancy was going to be different. I knew it with my symptoms and with how I was feeling day to day. I had a lot more nausea my third trimester and I also had to deal with extreme itching. No, it was not the normal itching because of hormones or dryness, but after a few blood tests it was discovered I had cholestasis. NO FUN KIDS!!
Intense itching all over my body! You get to look up what that is because I am tired of having to think I had to deal with it. I love the fact I carried my precious daughter but I was NOT happy I had to itch for almost a month before it was quite relieved by labor and delivery. Once it was confirmed that I had this condition, it was decided that since I was 5 days overdue, that I should be induced.
Here I was in a new state and I had decided I wanted to TRY to have a natural childbirth at a birth center. I had all my appointments with different midwives from the birth center and continued to like each and every midwife I met. When the time came I would get the miwife on-call which hopefully would be one that I had already met. Unfortunately I landed a midwife I had not met yet since there were about 15 in the whole group. I enjoyed meeting her and chatting with her a bit before I went to the hospital but it was all new.
Anyway, here is was Valentine’s Day, and I was 5 days overdue, and I was called by a midwife letting me know that the last blood test confirmed I had cholestasis and that I come to the hospital and be induced. Hopes were all crushed. I had to go to the HOSPITAL. There was a SMALL chance that the baby could be stillborn because of this condition but they still wanted to take all precautions so I had to be induced.
My hospital bag was packed and I gave the midwife a time when I would be at the hospital and I left things prepared at home. All that was even more of a mess too. My husband was going out of town THAT day for a conference in Texas but luckily my mother had arrived a few days earlier so she was able to keep my Julianne. So who was going to be my support person through labor and delivery?
This was quite last minute and well it turned out that my support person ended up being my neighbor who I had known for only 6 months. We had been able to get to know each other through different outings and dinner get-togethers, but somehow I felt like she would be able to help me. Did she know what she was signing up for? Granted I could have gone to the hospital by myself and had the midwife be my support person but after everything happened later, I hardly think I would have had the support I needed.
It was quite difficult having to be in a new city with hardly knowing anyone and having to know who is going to be there to help you. If I had realized how my condition had progressed I could have planned my induction BEFORE my husband left but such is life. My mother was in town and that was the most important thing for me at that time.
I was supposed to arrive at 3pm at the hospital but because I was a nervous wreck I arrived almost 2 hours later. My neighbor drove me and she dropped me off while she parked. She was planning to stay the whole night and next day if needed be so she was settling in. I met the midwife who promptly told me to change into my sexy hospital gown. HA!
Something different I was doing this time was NOT going through pitocin first. I was told I could try Cervidil, a medication to get contractions going naturally in the cervix. I was game with that. It could take 12 hours to take effect and if it did not then pitocin was the next step. I was SO not looking forward to a long labor since my first one lasted 17 hours. Ugh. I was not ready for that.
Here it was 5:30pm on Valentine’s Day and the medication was administered. My neighbor kept me entertained with great conversation, magazines, food discussions and more. By 7pm I had a church friend come by and visit and it was like a girls night out at the hospital. The nurse came in several times asking where the party was. We were laughing and having great discussion. I apparently was going through contractions. My friend would tell me if I noticed a difference because she could tell my the monitor that I was having them. I said I felt them but they did not hurt.
My church friend left at 10:30pm just as my contractions were getting a little more intense. The big contractions started then and by midnight they were a lot more intense. The med took effect really at 10pm so I asked the nurse to check and see if I had dilated. I had dilated to 5cm and she removed the medication. She indicated that the contractions COULD stop but they could also continue to progress on their own. I totally did not like that either. I was thinking my body would say, “fake out” and turn off all contractions, but they kept coming. The midwife gave a few quick pointers to my neighbor to help me through contractions since I was NOT taking any pain medications. I also shared with her a few things I had done with the first pregnancy that would help remind me about my breathing.
I labored from midnight to 3am with intense contractions. I alternated standing, lying down, bouncing on the yoga ball and sitting. I hardly saw the midwife but when I did she told me I was doing a great job. I started getting light headed into 1am or 2am and nothing alerted the staff but I was told I could lie down which I did. I lied down on my side for an hour. The midwife came back to tell me she was going to be in and out because she was with another patient next door who was getting an epidural. She had been at the hospital already 18 hours with no sign of a baby. Who needs support from a midwife when you are getting a epidural?? I am the one laboring without pain meds and I need all the support over here. That was one down for that midwife.
By 3am I had had it, with lying down my my right side. I decided I wanted to switch to the right side but I somehow could not switch over. These darn contractions were coming one after the other and they were painful. My friend was trying to help me flip over but I needed to breathe through the contractions. As I was trying to flip over I decided I was just going to face the bed and hold on to the rails. THAT was painful! I decided to stay there for a bit which was only for 3 contractions and all of a sudden I felt like pushing. My water decided to break at that very moment.
My friend wondered who threw the water balloon because it was HUGE! It was hilarious in retrospect. I thought that the nurses should know that had happened because I had not seen anyone in the room for a while. Yes, there was no nurse in sight! I thought and had heard that the baby does not always arrive after the water breaks so I was not holding my breath. I still decided to wanted to get in a position to have the baby just in case but somehow I could not because I was in pain and I was trying to breath through every contraction and all I wanted to then was just push. Oh my goodness, pushing.
I was having this baby within minutes of my water breaking and THERE WAS NOONE ELSE IN THE ROOM EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY FRIEND!!! Yes it was that crazy, I got a squat position trying to get on my back but I did not make it folks. I just kept screaming and pushing and in 3 pushes, the baby was delivered by itself onto the bed with no nurse to catch her. My friend was trying to alert a nurse to come in but she wanted to stay with me and help through my contractions. As soon as the baby was delivered there were SEVEN nurses in the room and everyone was scurrying around and getting things prepped.
Everyone seemed amazed that this baby had been born so quickly and guess how heavy she was? 9 pounds and 4 ounces. Yes, folks. When the body asked to deliver this baby the body did as it nautrally was going to do. I was NOT going to wait for any nurse or midwife.
Oh yes. I had no midwife to deliver this baby. She has been taking a 20 minute nap or rest because she had been dizzy. She was also 7 months pregnant. Supposedly she had told the nurses to keep a watch on me. They were watching their foots for all I know. I delivered this baby all by myself with God’s help because I thankful was on that bed. It has been a bit of a traumatic experience but I am working through it and thanking God for how safely this baby came into the world. I am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL!
Our baby girl Kathleen was born on February 15th at 3:12am and we let the world know. I was on a high until I napped at 8am. I am thankful it is all over but I know even now that the process will again be different the next time around. I am just happy that we are all safely home.
