Blakely's birth story: Part 1

My friend Tracy inspired me to write out B's birth story.  Her son is a few months older than Blakely, and she is about to have her second baby as well!  She didn't start blogging until Landon was a few months old, so she never told his birth story- so she wrote it out this week.  Well, I was blogging when B was born, but I never got around to writing out the whole detailed story.  And in my old age, I am really starting to forget things- so I better do it while I still remember!!!

It is quite a dramatic story, so I figured I will do it in installments.  Here goes with Part 1...

So around 32 weeks at my regular checkup appointment my belly was measuring about 6 weeks behind- so the doc sent me in for an ultrasound.  B's stomach was measuring abnormally small, so doc sent me to a specialist- a perinatologist (doc for babies in the womb.)  So I got another ultrasound and they said she wasn't growing properly so they'd check back two weeks later and if she hadn't show enough progress then they'd go ahead and get her out.  It was the LOOOOOONGEST two weeks of my life.  I was also put on bed rest, which was even worse.  So I pretty much just sat on my rear thinking and worrying about our baby. 

Finally it was time to go to the ultrasound- I was a little over 35 weeks, and she hadn't grown enough, so he said, "Well, get ready cause I think you'll have this baby today or tomorrow."  woah. 

So I went in for my regularly scheduled checkup that same day and I was so glad that everyone was in high spirits.  All the nurses and my doc didn't act alarmed- they only acted excited that I was getting to have my baby so soon!  It was a nice change since I was freaking out.

So the next evening (the longest 24 hours of my life...) We were scheduled to be induced.  So I spent the next evening and day after that pretty much just pacing the house, having hourly breakdowns, calling my mom over and over for her to tell me everything was going to be ok, and googling WAYYYY too many things. 

We got antsy, and went ahead down to KC (where my hospital is) late afternoon- I wasn't scheduled to check in until 8pm.  We packed our own dinner- but I wasn't feeling it, so we went for Chick-fila instead.  Then we had a Newborn Care class that we had already signed up for at our hospital at 7.  It was funny cause everyone went around the room and said their due date- and when it got to us, we got to say, "actually, we will be leaving the class early to go have our baby."  :)

So we headed to our room, and got all hooked up- and began the induction process.  They gave me some pill thingy to get things going, then an ambien so I'd sleep that night- wonderful.  I started having contractions around midnight, but thanks to that magic pill I could pretty much sleep through them.  And they really weren't too bad.  Then in the morning they checked me and I had dialated to a whopping 1/2 cm.  So they started my pitocin around 7am.  The doc came in at 8ish, and I still hadn't dialated anymore, so he broke my water.  Woah nelly.  Thus began the most excruciating pain of my life.  I guess cause my body wasn't ready for labor, and the pitocin, and water breaking, my contractions were on top of each other- literally no break in between.  I was writhing.  And shaking uncontrollably.  So our lovely plan to try to go natural went out the window and I begged for whatever drugs they were willing to give me.  So they gave me whatever narcotics they have, and basically I was still in just as much pain but I also felt drunk.  Not that I know what that's like....

So a few more hours went by, and I was finally to a 3 1/2ish and my doc said I could get the epidural.  I was previously so scared of the needle, but it could have been 10 feet long and had to go through my eyeball and I would have gladly signed up. 

Well, the lovely thing only took to half my body, and I got to feel the whole process of a catheter- ew.  Not to mention she put it in the wrong place the first time- I didn't even want to know what that meant or how it happened....so after trying to reset the epidural- that not working, and doing the process all over again, I was pain free- AND I could have cut off my right leg and not felt a thing. 

I had a super sweet med student there for all of this, and I wasn't super excited about letting her do much pre-epidural, but once I got the good drugs I gave her free reign.  So long as I couldn't feel it, I was all about her getting in some good practice.  She was a sweetheart- Stephanie. 

So then labor was actually pleasant.  I got to hang out with my parents and Stephen, and laugh and enjoy myself.  I was at a 5 around 3:30, then at about 3:45 I started feeling my contractions.  Nothing terrible, just some serious pressure.  So I told my nurse I felt like I needed to push, and she doubtfully went ahead and checked me and low and behold I was ready to push! 


So she called the doc in and the whole fam- yep, mom and dad were in the room.  I would have died if you had told me I would be ok with that before I was in labor, but at the time it just wasn't weird at all.  I think it was great that they got to be in the room.  I could see my mom's face the whole time and it was hilarious.  My dad sortof lurked behind a curtain cause he was a little too unsure to come any closer- can't blame him.  So about 15 minutes later, sweet Stephanie caught Blakely and she was here- 4lbs 9oz. 16 3/4 inches long.  She was puny.