We welcomed our little bundle of joy this past Saturday, July 24th at 9:27 a.m. She was 20 1/2 inches long and weighed 8 lbs 9 oz at birth! She came a little earlier than mommy or daddy expected. Here is our labor/delivery story:
Last Friday I was scheduled to go to a doctors appointment at 3:00 p.m. for a non stress test, after seeing spots and being tested for preclampsia. So, after work on Friday, I headed to my clinic to be hooked up to a monitor for a half and hour so they could monitor her heart rate. After my test, the nurse came back in after talking to the doctor and said that after I was having a contraction (very little ones I couldn't even feel), Reese's heart rate would decrease for a few moments. Just to be on the safe side, they wanted to send me to St. Mary's (our hospital) for a longer test. There, I would be hooked up for at least an hour. So, I called Kyle and told him I was headed down and he was going to meet me down there. Little did I know at that time that I was going to be admitted. I thought I was just going down for a longer test.
When we got to the hospital, they hooked me up and away we went. Kyle and I sat in the room, making plans for that night. We were discussing where to go for dinner and what the plans for the weekend were going to be. Little did we know... :)
The nurse came back in with a doctor on call, and wanted to do an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid. My fluid levels were a little low, so they decided to check my cervix and see if I had dilated. When they checked me, I was a 4! So, with all the circumstances at hand, they told me I would not be going home, and that I would have a baby within the next day....WHAT?!?! I was totally unprepared for that news!!! In shock, all I said was "I haven't shaved my legs in two days and I don't have my hospital bag packed yet!!" Haha. I felt so unprepared and was not expecting this to be the way my baby was going to be born. But, plans change so I made a list and sent Kyle home to pick things up before labor really go going. They admitted me and got me settled into the birthing room around 6 p.m. Kyle ran home, and I made some phone calls to family.
Kyle returned around 7 p.m. and the nurse checked me again, and I was dilated to a 5. Still, the contractions did not hurt at all, and I barely even felt them. Kyle and I relaxed as much as possible and watched some tv to pass the time. The nurse came back in at 9 to check me and I was at a 6. Slowly progressing, and again, my contractions did not hurt at all! I thought to myself, "If this is how labor is, I can have 20 kids!!!" Little did I know things were going to change very soon :)
Around 10 p.m. the doctor came and said they were going to break my bag of waters to help speed the process along a little faster. So, at 10:30, my bag was broken, and I immediately had painful contractions. So this is what it really is all about I thought. They also started me on a small bit of Pitocin to help the contractions strengthen. By 12 a.m. I was in so much pain, I requested an epidural. The Pitocin was shut off, because they were making my contractions too painful and too fast. At 1 a.m. my epidural was administered and it was AMAZING. My body was completely relieved of all the pain. I was dilated to an 8, and was told to get a little rest. So, Kyle and I both slept from 1-3 a.m. They checked me at 3 and told me I was a 9 and to get a little more sleep as we would start pushing around 5 a.m. So, I slept from 3-5 and when I woke up, I was a 10. Time to push!
I began pushing at 5:30 a.m. and continued on...for the next FOUR HOURS!!! It was pretty rough. I was not only exhausted from pushing, but I began vomiting between every round of pushing, which was completely wiping me and all my energy out. Around 8 a.m. they gave me an anti-nausea shot, and it immediately went away. Now time to focus on pushing. She was stuck in the birth canal, and at 9 a.m., they gave me two options. Either a vacuum/forceps delivery or a c-section. There was no way I wanted a c-section, so we opted for the vacuum. With three pushes, little Reese arrived at 9:27 am, almost 4 hours after beginning to push.
The minute I laid eyes on her, all the pain and exhaustion went away. How precious she was!! The experience was amazing and surreal. I could not believe she was finally here. We both were in shock and amazement. What an awesome experience to share together. Kyle was fantastic through the whole thing. He was my support throughout the entire night and so strong through everything!
We spent the next few hours staring at her, figuring out who this new little person was, and who she looked like :) We moved over to our Family Suite, where we would spend the next two days learning how to breastfeed, change diapers, give baths, and cuddle constantly.
We came home on Monday afternoon and have been adjusting to life with a newborn. It is alot of hard, tiring work, but so worth every minute of it. Her bili reuben count is high, so she has been put on a Bili Light Blanket since Tuesday. We have another doctors appointment tomorrow to see when she can get it off. Her level was 18 yesterday, and they want to see her between 12-15. Let's hope it goes down tomorrow!
So, there ya have it. Little Reese has joined our family and we couldn't be happier that she is here!
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