Birth Story
December 6th: My mom came to town for the birth. Her work was having a Christmas party that night here in San Diego, so it worked out well for her to come down then. I went to the party with her, because what else was I going to do on a Friday night when I'm 9 months pregnant? After the party she said, "Ok, now you can have this baby."
December 8th: I went to church and since I was still pregnant I worked in the cafe. I was technically on maternity leave already, but Sundays are crazy busy, and I thought maybe if I kept moving, I would walk this baby out of me. People couldn't believe I was working when I was so pregnant, and they were shocked that I was working when I told them I was due the next day.
December 9th: Due Date!!! I woke up excited that today was my due date. My excitement quickly turned to grouchiness. Where was my baby? Why was I not going into labor? Today was the day they told me. Today was the day I had told everyone I was due. Today was the day I had been using to plan my whole life for 9 months. Today was THE DAY!!! Chris, my mom, and I ran errands and hung out, but I was just grumpy all day. I was tired of being pregnant, I wanted to meet my baby, and did I mention it was my due date?!
December 10th: I had my "I'm passed my due date" doctor's appointment. I saw the Nurse Practitioner for this appointment. She said that I was 1cm dilated, and that it could happen anytime or it could be another week. She stripped my membranes, scheduled my induction for the next week just in case baby didn't show on her own, and she sent me on my way. I was so sad. I really didn't want to be induced, but the idea of waiting another full week was very overwhelming to me. I was uncomfortable, tired, and done being pregnant. Plus, I had family set to come into town that week, and if she didn't come, those plans were doing to be all thrown off. Luckily my dad came in town that night. We went to dinner, and it helped to keep me occupied while we waited.
December 11th: I woke up with still no change. We just all lounged around the house waiting for baby girl. Mom had been teaching me to crochet, so I spent the morning making some boot cuffs. After I finished the boot cuffs, I realized I had nothing left to do but have this baby. So I contacted a friend of mine who does prenatal massage. I pretty much begged her to come over that day to see if she could hit some pressure points to help induce labor. She agreed and was at my house a few hours later. She gave me one of the best massages I've ever had while in the comfort of my own bed. (Thanks, Joy)! After my massage, mom and I decided to go get more yarn for crocheting, so we headed to Michael's about an hour or so after my massage. In Michael's I started getting cramps that felt like menstruel cramps or gas bubbles, and I just wasn't feeling very good. So we got our yarn and headed home. I thought the cramps could be contractions, but they weren't constant, and they didn't increase or decrease in severity, so I couldn't really time them. Eventually I started to notice that they were coming in waves, so I started timing them, but they were very inconsistent. I called the nurse hotline (since it was after hours) and asked what I should do. She got my info and said she'd talk to the doctor on call and call me back. She called back and said that since I was past my due date, I should go ahead and go to the hospital in the next couple of hours to get checked out. So mom made dinner, I took a shower, and we finished packing up. The contractions were definitely contractions now, coming and going, but they still weren't very painful or consistent. After dinner, mom, Chris, and I loaded up and headed to the hospital. On the way, my contractions started getting a bit more painful but still bearable. I went to triage, and they hooked me up to the monitor to watch my contractions. After a bit, they checked to see how dilated I was. I thought for sure I was like 5cm. Nope. Still only 1cm and my contractions were still all over the place. So, they sent me home at 9:30pm. She said that I might be back the next day or the contractions could go away and it could be another week. (Not what I wanted to hear. This was not time for a reality check. I wanted them to tell me that this baby was coming soon - not that I was going to have to wait another week). My contractions continued to get worse as we drove me. When we got home, I told Chris I just wanted to go to bed. I crawled in bed and tried to fall asleep, but every time I'd fall asleep, I'd get another contraction. Chris was timing them for me, and although they had increased in intensity, the timing was still all over the place. Finally, at about midnight (after 2+ hours of this), I asked Chris how far apart my contractions were, and he said 2-4 minutes. I asked him to call the nurse at triage. I remember one of the questions she asked him was, "If I was offered pain medicine, would I take it?" I think I may have yelled, "YES!" She said that I could come back in and get checked out again. This time, I didn't happily walk to my car with my stuff. I practically ran there in between a contraction. I sat in the back seat with my mom so I could grip the headrest of the front seat. We got to a stoplight just outside the hospital and hit a red light. (I'd like to have a few words with whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a stoplight right outside a labor and delivery ward). But since it was the middle of the night and my husband loves me (or maybe was scared of me at this point), he ran the light. I just remember seeing it, and saying, "Thank you, baby!"
December 12th: It was about 12:30am when we arrived back at the hospital. They asked if I wanted to give another urine sample or just go straight to the bed to be checked. I picked the latter. The pain was becoming unbearable. I was having trouble focusing, and I could barely walk. The same nurse that checked me the first time came in to check me again. She wasn't rude, but I could tell that she was thinking, "Oh girlfriend, I'm just gonna have to send you home again." Then she saw me have a contraction, and the look on her face changed. I think she knew at that moment that I was for real this time. She checked me and seemed shocked when she realized I was 4.5cm dilated. (Yes, I went from 1cm to 4.5cm in 3 hours. I was not messing around). She said they would admit me, and it would be about an hour before I could get an epidural. I was so happy to be admitted, but I didn't know if I could make it another hour. They were pretty quick with getting me a room, and by 2am, I had my epidural. Let me tell you, my whole demeanor changed after that happy juice was tapped into me. I went from crazy lady in a ton of pain, to happy mama ready to have a baby. It was like an instant switch. I had been so nervous to get an epidural while contracting. I just didn't know how I was supposed to hold still while I was in so much pain. Nobody told me that they give you a shot of pre-happy juice to take the edge off before the epidural. I couldn't believe the difference I felt. They need to keep that stuff in triage. It was awesome! It took most of the pain away, and I was able to be perfectly still for the epidural. Chris was so bummed though because he wanted to see them put in the epidural. Unfortunately, they made him sit about 5 feet away from my bed and face me so he couldn't see anything.
Like I said, about .6 seconds after the epidural, I felt amazing. Mom and Chris got settled into the room and we went to sleep. The nurses continued to check on me and monitor the baby throughout the night. Things seemed to be progressing well, but I had no idea how long labor would last, so I tried to get as much sleep as possible. At about 4 or 5am they checked me, and I was 6.5cm. So another 2 cm in just about 3 hours. Then at 6:30am, the nurse checked me again and said I was 9.5cm. My mom practically jumped out of her chair at the news and had to clarify that she heard the nurse right. My mom immediately called my dad (who was staying at our house), and told him to come to the hospital. The nurse prepped the room for delivery, and then the nurse's shift changed. I waited for about another hour, then my doctor came in. I was very surprised to see my doctor was going to deliver my baby. She just happened to be the doctor on call that day, and I was pleasantly surprised. She said things were looking good and told the nurse to call her about 5 minutes before delivery.
My nurse who was leaving for the day told me that it can take first time moms up to 3 hours of pushing to deliver the baby, but not to get discouraged and just keep going. After she left, my mom looked at me and said through a smile, "It's not going to take you 3 hours to get this baby out." (She knows me so well). My new nurse said I was going to start pushing. Now I had only seen labor and delivery from the movies and a few educational YouTube videos, so I was a little surprised to find out that I was starting the delivery process without my doctor being there. But apparently the nurses (and moms to be) do all the hard work then the doctor comes in for the glory moment. Whatever, I guess she is the one with the degrees. But I digress.
I looked at the clock right when I started pushing, and it was 7:55am. Pushing was easier than I expected. I couldn't really feel a whole lot (praise The Lord for epidurals), but apparently I'm good at pushing (according to my mom and the nurse). I wasn't sure if they were just being encouraging or if I really was doing good, but I guess I really was doing well because about 30 minutes later, the nurse said she needed to call the doctor in. I was actually surprised at how enjoyable the pushing process was. (Did I mention I had an epidural)? We were talking and laughing between pushes. I think we were just giddy to meet our girl. The doctor came in and got all set up. She set up the tarpy bag thing that catches all the gunk, and my mom jokingly asked if that was in case she dropped the baby. The doctor smiled and said, "I've only dropped one." (I laughed, but I think it freaked my mom out a bit). So I pushed. After a few pushes, my mom looks at me and says, "Her heads out!" I looked at her, smiled, and said, "Oh, I know!" The next push would bring out her shoulders. In my head, I figured that would be just as hard, if not harder, than the head, so I gave it my hardest push, and her whole body came sliding out. I think it surprised the doctor a bit because she fumbled her onto my chest. (We almost had drop number two of this doctor's career).
The moment that baby was put on my chest, I started balling. She was the most beautiful thing in the world and I couldn't believe she was here and she was ours. I couldn't stop crying because I was so overwhelmed with joy and love (and probably hormones). I finally stopped crying and told my mom that her grand baby's name is Adelyn. I explained that since my middle name is Delyn, we thought it was very appropriate to name her Adelyn. We still hadn't decided on a middle name, but for now, Adelyn was in my arms. I started balling like a baby again. My doctor (who was stitching me up) asked if they were tears of joy. I laughed and told her they were.
After I got all stitched up, they let my dad in the room to meet her, then he left for the airport to pick up my sister who had just flown into town. Addi and I cuddled for awhile, and we tried feeding for a bit. They weighed and measured her, did they're tests, and then Chris got to hold her. It was so sweet to see my husband holding his baby girl in his arms for the first time. You could just see how much he loved her.
A bit later, my dad and sister arrived. Then Chris' parents made it in from Sacramento. (They had left at 2am when Chris called them right after I'd been admitted). Soon they moved me to my recovery room, and we got settled in. The rest of the family went to lunch, and it was the first time I was alone with Miss Addi. She was asleep, and I needed to be, but every time I'd start to doze off, I'd startle awake to check on her and make sure she was still breathing (because apparently babies can't breathe unless you are watching the rise and fall of their chest). Friends came to visit, and family came and went. I remember it was a really long night with very little sleep. The next day, I was ready to go home. Once Addi had her tests, we saw a lactation consultant, and we both got cleared to leave, we headed home. I was a little baffled that they would let me just leave with this precious little one. She was here. We were taking her home. She was ours.
About 6 weeks after she was born, I went back to work. One day I while at work, I looked at my phone that had her picture on the lock screen. I just smiled and thought, "We made that and she's all ours." Now really, God made her and she's his, but you know what I mean. We get to have her and raise her. God has entrusted her to us, and we are so blessed to be her mommy and daddy.
Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful girl of ours. We are in awe of your creation and your love. If I love her this much, I can only imagine how much you love me. Thank you for this precious gift. Our Adelyn Ruth.
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