September 14th
11:50am
6 lbs. 9 oz.
Her birth story...
My due date was Wednesday, Sept. 21st and I hoped to go into labor on my own. But I found myself growing impatient and worried she would be born on Jack's birthday, so at my 38 week appointment I set up an induction for the following week. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30am on Wednesday the 14th ready to have our baby girl. Dr. Larsen broke my water at 8:06 and the nurse started administering pitocin at 8:35, I was at 2cm. By 10:10, I had only progressed to 4cm and I was feeling frustrated. She was my fifth baby and it felt like things weren't moving quick enough, patience is not my strength. The contractions were strong and Brad always says I wait too long to get an epidural, so at 10:45 I finally conceded it was time. Now I was dilated to 6cm. Finally, things were moving along.
At about 11:40 the nurse came to check me again, she asked me to roll to the one side, then the other. A few more nurses came in. One asked Brad to grab the oxygen mask off the wall, "I don't need it" he said. But she instructed him to put it on me, "I don't need it" I said. Then I realize they're all looking down at me..."Do you see the cord?" "No, do you?" What was happening? Now they're all yelling to get the charge nurse and Dr. Larsen here ASAP. Within a minute or two, Dr. Larsen was in the room and just a minute or two after that our baby was delivered at 11:50. She came out covered in blood, a sure sign of a placental abruption. Apparently, her heart rate had dropped severely and they worried the cord was wrapped around her neck. The cord wasn't an issue, but my placenta had detached from my uterus, either partially or completely, and she was deprived of oxygen. It also caused severe bleeding. Had I not already been in labor in the hospital the outcome could have been very different. Lucky for us, she was delivered easily and we're both healthy and happy.
Our sweet baby girl seems teeny, although she's half a pound bigger than Tessa was. She's got a ton of hair and the most beautiful cry. She was able to stay skin to skin with me for a few hours and I loved it. We finally had my mom bring the kids over after school at about 4:30, then Brad's parents and Tracey came in the evening. It truly was a great day. I've probably said this a hundred times, but I really have enjoyed my time in the hospital with each of our babies. I've been blessed with easy labors and healthy babies and I'm actually already a little bit sad to know that I won't be having this experience again. These are some of my most sacred and joyful memories. Brad and I are proud parents and oh so grateful to have another little one join our family.
Now, a couple funny things from our stay in the hospital...
During labor the nurse brought in a form asking about some of our preferences. This was a new form since last time and completely hysterical, like really we laughed for a good long time about some of the stuff on there. "I prefer phrases such as "comfort level" and not the word "pain"." "I prefer phrases such as "breathe the baby down", rather than the word "pushing"." "Please discuss my options for taking my placenta home."
We knew we wanted to name her Iley, but we still hadn't agreed on the spelling... Islie, Ilee, Iley. So the nurses all weighed in on the discussion. And when one put her name tag on the bassinet after returning from the nursery, I was won over. Brad joked that I just needed to see it written in beautiful handwriting.
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