H's Birth Story

I don't know what my deal has been with this... my sweet H has been in my arms for 5 months and for some reason I keep putting off writing her birth story. But I finally got up the guts! So here it is...

My last two weeks of pregnancy were the worst of it. First stretch marks exploded on my belly. They started out crazy itchy then turned painful like someone was rubbing crushed glass on my belly. Hydrocortisone cream provided relief from that at the end of the week. Then at the beginning of the next week a PUPPS rash/hives popped up all over me like you wouldn't believe. It was bad. I was constantly itchy and it got worse at night. I couldn't sleep either of these weeks. I had itchy panic attacks, and couldn't move or leave the house because clothes made it worse. Essentially I was overdue and basically on bed-rest because of the itching. The only relief came through being in the swimming pool, but even that was short lived.At my Friday Sept 5 doctors appointment (I was 40 weeks 3 days at that point) he clearly saw how miserable I was. We made a plan that I would be induced the following Tuesday (when I turned 41 weeks). There is a rule at the hospital that without special permission first time moms cannot be induced before 41 weeks. My doctor said he would make some calls and try to plead my case of why I should be induced early. The stress I was under from lack of sleep and going insane scratching- especially with my anxiety- did not put baby or I in a good place. However he said it was a long shot, so I left expecting a Tuesday baby. Then at 4:25 that afternoon we got an amazing call from the doctors office saying that we were getting induced that night!



We took our time getting to the hospital. They didn't tell us a time when they called, they just said to head over. Since we weren't home when we got the call we finished what we were doing (we were paying a quick visit to our sis in law), got my "last meal"- turkey cranberry sandwich (minus the cheese) from Zupas, and then went home to get our stuff. Hubbs took a shower (something I wish I had done too), we took my last bump picture, and someone came over quick to see our townhouse (did I mention we are also in the process of moving and selling our contract)- we already had it scheduled. Then we were finally ready to get to the hospital! The hospital actually called 10 min before we left asking where I was! We grabbed my hospital bags that had been packed since week 34 or 36 (which we didn't even really use, and that were missing important things like socks for the husband- even though I had packed like 4 pairs for me!) and left to go have this baby!! We got to the hospital at 6 pm.

I was actually extremely calm going in to get induced. I was a little worried because induction doesn't get the best rap, and I would have much rather she come by herself. But driving over to the hospital and walking in I felt at peace. I was a little nervous because I knew that's how I was supposed to feel. But mostly I was just calm. It was very strange, and I didn't expect to feel that way. As much as I would have liked it all to happen naturally, I knew it was time, and I knew it was going to be rough.

My normal doctor wasn't on call that weekend, but I met the doctor that would be delivering baby at the front desk when we walked in (he happened to be sitting there). He was very nice and had a very calm demeanor. He was actually my second choice when I signed up for that practice!

I had THE BEST nurses during my hospital stay. Seriously they were amazing.


So they put the IV in, got me going on the pitocin pretty quickly and said I could have the epidural any time I wanted. I was 1.5 cm and 90% effaced when we started. So I talked to my husband, watched some tv, got up to pee, drank lots of sprite to help with my nausea, and played on my phone. Later the doctor came in to break my water. Craziest feeling ever!! It was seriously warm and a huge gush! And it kept gushing like crazy for the rest of the night! After they broke my water my contractions got strong fast! And I asked for the epidural!

The epidural guy came to give me the juice a little while later. By then I was shaking like crazy in between each contraction. My body was just going crazy and I couldn't control the shaking. I sat up with my legs over the side of the bed and was told to fold in half towards the ground and round my back and drop my shoulders. Crazy difficult with a Giganto belly and crazy shaking! I felt super nauseated and was SO scared! My sweet husband was there and the great nurse both telling me that I could do it! Later my sister's mother-in-law said that experience is like asking a full grapefruit to bend in half (it totally is!)

The epidural was weird and cold, but once I got it I felt so much better! They put in a catheter after the epidural since I couldn't get up and walk around. It was so strange because the amniotic fluid felt warm like I was peeing my pants, but I had a catheter so I knew I wasn't! Totally weird sensation! Getting the catheter and the rest of the cervical checks wasn't bad at all after the epidural! So much better than earlier!

My family all came and visited throughout the evening. My husband and dad gave me a priesthood blessing of comfort and strength. And Hubbs took naps on the couch.
I probably slept for maybe two hours that night. I remember I found fresh prince of Bel Air on TV so I watched a few episodes of that. Then when the infomercials were all that was on I watched Parks and Rec on Netflix on the iPad. I often listen to that show when I'm trying to sleep at home.

This is where things get fuzzy, and I'm not really sure what happened...

I must have fallen asleep at some point that night, but I don't think I got much sleep. Sometime in the early morning I started feeling pain again. Every contraction I felt an incredible pain and pressure on my tailbone... I also started being able to feel my legs again. I was pushing the button on the epidural as frequently as I could but nothing seemed to help. I told the nurse and she paged the anesthesiologist (who was asleep in the on-call room). He came and gave me another dose (?) of the epidural- I'm not sure how epidurals work but it was something like that... Then I felt quite a bit better, and my legs started to go wonderfully numb again!

Around 6 am (I believe?) the pain started again. I told the nurse, but the anesthesiologist said that they didn't want to give me another dose (?) and they just told me to keep pressing the epidural button as frequently as they would let me. My morning nurse was so great to me! She was an older nurse and was so friendly and helpful! By 7am she told me it was time to start pushing.

So Hubbs held one leg and the sweet nurse held the other. Each contraction she told me to push and I pushed with all my might! But after 3 hours of this we still weren't there yet. At some point (I don't remember if it was during the pushing or before) they had to put the fetal heart monitor on baby's head because they couldn't keep track of her heartbeat from the outside anymore.

During the last bit of pushing my room was filled with people. I found it kind of distracting to have so many people in there just chatting away like nothing was happening. Each contraction was torture!!! But they hurt less if I was pushing through them. The few times though that the nurse was busy with something else so I couldn't push were so upsetting! Eventually the doctor came in, a different nurse came to hold my leg (she was nice too,  but not as encouraging as the first), and I continued pushing with all I had...

After she was born and I was all covered up again, my sister Emily came and took pictures of the first time we got to hold our H. Those are my favorite pictures in the history of ever! We read her Guess How Much I Love You (which we had been reading to her in my belly) and sang Baby Beluga (which I had been singing to her while she was in my belly as well)... since I was too teary eyed to sing Baby Mine (which was "our" song to her). These pictures are the ones sprinkled throughout this post.


We had pushed for nearly 4 hours... every other nurse I had during our hospital stay was extra comforting once they found that out- haha!




The next couple days in the hospital were rough as well. I was exhausted and couldn't hardly move. Baby wouldn't eat so her blood sugar dropped so much they put her in the Level II Nursery (like a NICU but not quite as intense) at the hospital. While in the Level II they had to give her antibiotics (because I had a fever when she was finally born), she was put under a biliruben light, and she had iv's for her blood sugar. All while I, the exhausted mama I was, was bawling my eyes  out that I couldn't hold my baby, trying to pump tiny bits of colostrum to feed her, and being wheeled back and forth in a wheelchair by my husband.

I was released from the hospital on September 8th, but baby had to stay until the 9th... that was the hardest night of my life! Being home without my sweet babe!

But finally on September 9th we got to bring our sweet baby home. Her blood sugar had normalized, her biliruben levels were normal again, and she was eating 'better'... She was so teeny tiny! She had lost about 7 or 8 oz in the hospital after birth.



She is our little sweet as can be! We love you H!



Photo credit: My sister Emily Modest Goddess 

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