Thursday, June 7, 2012

C's Birth Story



Born May 31, 2012 at 12:40am, 6lbs 15ounces and 20 Inches Long, Baby Girl C came into the world and I fell in love all over again.

     On Wednesday afternoon I headed up to meet my besties on a patio for Milkshakes!  I had been anxious all day, cleaning the house until it was perfect and organizing and finishing the Nursery.  I had no idea that I would go into labour that evening, but apparently my body did.  I remember thinking, after I had finished up my big To-Do list, that I now feel completely ready to go into labour.  We sat on the Patio and drank our delicious milkshakes and did some catching up then we headed home, joking that the milkshake might just do the trick, since I'd been in early labour for about a week.  About 5 minutes after dropping my BFF off, I was driving down Main Street on my way home, and my water broke.  I felt a balloon pop inside of me and a huge gush of water and before I knew it the seat of my Dads car was soaked.  I frantically reached for my phone.  I probably should have pulled over first, but I made it home alive in the end and needed to call P right away.  He was at band practice and answered my call before the first ring was over.  I told him my water broke and he needed to meet me at home, THIS IS IT!

     I got home and made my way up to our bedroom and just stood there with a towel around me.  I took some deep breaths and tried to mentally prepare myself for what I was about to go through.  When P got home we decided we would wait until my contractions were at their worst before we headed in to the hospital.  I lasted a whole 20 minutes before screaming my way to the car.  The entire 10 minute car ride was a blur of excruciating pain and when I got to the hospital the nurse took me to a room right away.  I figured I was probably scaring the other labouring Moms with my screaming.  The Nurse checked me and I was at 4cm, I had already been at 3cm the week before.  I remember thinking to myself that it wasn't possible that I had only progressed 1 cm with that much pain.  I couldn't sit down or lie down on my back and I started to panic and told the nurse that I needed the epidural yesterday.  She was amazing.  She helped me TRY to breathe and got the anesthesiologist to the room very quickly.

     As they prepped my epidural, I laboured on.  My contractions were relentless and on top of each other giving me no time to center myself in between.  About an hour later, they gave me an IV and numbed my back and administered my epidural.  I have never in my life been so grateful for the lady who gave me the drugs.  I thanked her 10 times over and lied down and relaxed finally.  I continued to contract for another 20 minutes, pain free, when the nurse checked me and I was already 8 cm dilated.  If you're keeping up, that's 4 cm in one hour!! No wonder I wanted to off myself. :)

     The nurse called the doctor in, who was not my OB/GYN, but at that point I really didn't care, and she told me I was 9 cm dilated and it was time to start pushing.  Everything was happening so fast and my Mom hadn't made it to the hospital yet, since we told her it would probably be another couple hours of labour.  I started pushing and was told that our baby's heart rate wasn't recovering, since I had overlapping contractions.  I was told we would have to use a Vacuum to get her out as quickly as possible.  I pushed for not even 30 pain free minutes, when the doctor said "look down, here is your baby".

     When I saw my Baby Girl for the first time, she wasn't moving or crying.  They quickly took her over to the pediatric team. After about two of the longest minutes of my life, I heard my baby cry for the first time.  I was sobbing and shaking as they placed her on my chest and had her Daddy cut the umbilical cord.  That was the happiest and most memorable moment of my entire life and probably the rest of my life.  The whole labour and delivery was and is still pretty blurry, but those first few seconds where I got to look into C's beautiful bright eyes, are and forever will be crystal clear in my mind.  She is perfect.  Everything I'd hoped for.  She has my nose and chin, and her Dad's beautiful eyes.  We are truly the luckiest parents to be given a perfect little gift.  Words can't really explain the feeling I have when I stare at her pretty face.... and I do ...for hours every day.  Being a parent has so far been the most rewarding experience in my life.  And my reward for birthing this little angel... WINE! finally :D