Flashback Friday: Labor Stories Part 2

22 months after we brought our son into the world, we eagerly welcomed his little sister.

I came home from a MOPS meeting a week before my due date noticing on and off contractions.  I remember walking up the stairs and telling my husband I was having light contractions.  I then burst into tears because we hadn’t yet vacuumed the car and I didn’t want to bring the baby home in a dirty car.  (yes, parish that thought, because no child of mine would ride around in a dirty vehicle)

By the next morning the contractions had stopped, but I was still panicked about the car, so my husband went to the gas station and cleaned the car before our early morning doctor appointment.  (Yes, he really is that wonderful)!

At the appointment we confirmed that I wasn’t in labor, but I was 2 cm dilated.  My Dr. told me to come to the hospital early the next morning (if I didn’t go into labor before then) and tell them that I was having on and off contractions, they would admit me and they could then induce me.  After the lack of professionalism I experienced from the Dr. at my son’s birth, we switched to a small practice with one doctor.  I felt like “just a number” with the last practice so I thought having just one doctor would be more personal.  The disadvantage of a small, private practice, is that the doctor is the only doctor on duty and he was very eager to push inducing (my suspicion is b/c that makes his life easier).  But, instead of scheduling an official induction, he slipped me through the back door by having me just come in early the next morning. 

So, early that Friday morning my husband and I came to the hospital.  I felt like such an idiot at triage when they hooked me up to the monitors and there were NO CONTRACTIONS.  The nurses said they’d call my doctor but they all looked at me like I was an idiot and I’d be going home.    But after talking to the doctor they came in with a look of disbelief and said I was being admitted.

A short while later I was put on a Petocin drip and the contractions started.  They then broke my water and I ordered the epidural.  At first the epidural seemed to be working fine but then I noticed that something wasn’t right.  I was feeling a lot more than I remembered feeling with my son.  I was told it was all good.  Then I started feeling really light headed, we paged the nurse and my blood pressure had dipped really low.  I remember being very scared and holding Scott’s hand and looking into his eyes as he and the nurse talked me through it (while she pushed a bunch of buttons on the machines I was hooked up to).  They got my blood pressure back up, things felt normal, but I was feeling a lot of pain.  Turns out I was entering transition and my epidural had fallen out.  The nurse got the anesthesiologist back and when I sat up for him to put it in again, I felt “the urge to push.”  The nurse encouraged me to hang on, they got the epidural back in and after the anesthesiologist left I started pushing.  Not long after we were holding our baby girl!!  I believe the entire process from when they hooked me up to the IV’s to when we were holding our baby girl was around 6 hrs. 

We couldn’t believe how tiny she was.  At 7lbs 5 oz and 19 inches long, was an entire 2lbs and 2 inches smaller than her brother was when he was born.  We’d never held a baby so small and we just kept gushing over how little she was.  Turns out that when you have a smaller baby, the recovery is a whole lot easier.  I couldn’t believe it when I was able to get up and walk the next morning and even shower and put on clothes.

Lesson Learned:  Putting on real clothes instead of the hospital gown, instantly makes you look and feel better.   I kept getting all these compliments on how great I looked and I really believe it was because I was wearing “real” (actually maternity) clothes. 

We had a little scare where one of the nurses thought she heard a heart murmur during one of her check ups.  This happened about 24 hrs after she was born.  We had debated going home that evening b/c they were expecting a snow storm that night, but decided instead to stay an extra night so that if they wanted to run any additional tests on her, we’d already be at the hospital and wouldn’t have to worry about the snow. It was also nice to have some precious alone time with our daughter before bringing her home and suddenly having our time split between 2 kids clamoring for our attention.   The next morning we awoke to a blanket of beautiful snow outside our hospital window.  Our pediatrician was unable to make it into the hospital, but the on call pediatrician checked her out and ran some tests and everything was normal with her heart.   

As we drove her home, the trees were covered in that beautiful wet snow that makes everything look like a winter wonderland.  My husband remarked that from now on whenever we see the snow on the trees like that we’d think of the morning we brought our baby girl home for the first time.  And he was right, we do. 

I love my little girl and the joy she’s brought into our life.  I have also loved watching her relationship with her brother blossom from the very beginning.  They truly are great buddies and it was love at first sight for him.

  

Check back next week for birth story number 3, and it’s probably only about a month till I’ll be able to post about birth story number 4!  (can you believe it’s getting that close?) 

For more flashback fun, check out Alicia’s blog.