After six years of waiting we have finally been blessed with a baby girl. She was worth the wait. James is so in love that it actually makes me jealous. When he calls her his baby girl and my ears perk up thinking he's talking to me, I get a little disappointed. But I have to say that it is the sweetest thing to see this wild, crazy, always wrestling daddy become a softy, already talking about her wedding day :)
The boys are obsessed with her. It has way surpassed my expectations of how they'd react. It's adorable. They all want to hold her any time she is in sight and are so curious about all the little things she does and has.
Getting her here was a little scary. I haven't talked about it because I just wanted her here safely before I brought it up. When I was about 22 weeks or so they discovered she had what is called an umbilical cord varix which is basically like a varicose vein on the umbilical cord. The day I found out I was gently told, "You're at higher risk of having a still born." My heart sank. Feeling that she'd be okay, but fearing that she wouldn't tore my heart apart. Finally getting our girl and now I'm being told she may not be joining our family after all. I started going in for weekly ultrasounds and she looked perfect every time, though the vein continued to grow and raise concern, so I was asked to come in for ultrasounds twice a week in addition to my normal appointments. The doctor is an hour away, so it made life interesting each week hauling all three boys in and out of appts and trying to get them to be still and quiet while I was checked out. Overall they did well.
My doctor has never seen this complication before and after doing her research on it she decided that we had better get baby girl out as soon as she was able to come. So we set an induction date for 37 weeks gestation. I was terrified and heartbroken because I did not want to be induced and I had the best birth with Deklan and was hoping for something similar this time around. However, whatever got my baby girl here was what I was voting for.
Finally the day came: June 30th (37.3 weeks) They told us to be there at 6am (remember we live an hour away, so that was an early morning!) They didn't get us in a room until 6:40am. Then they strapped me to the monitors, drew blood and we waited. I was at a 1 and a half. Finally they started pitocin at 8:25am. It was all fun and games for the first couple hours and I wondered if this was really going to work. I was told with it being my fourth and how fast my labors go naturally that I could expect 2-4 hours after they started pitocin. I didn't see that happening.. After about 2 hours and only making it to a 2, I consented to the doctor breaking my water (I did not want that originally, but baby girl had to come out today one way or another, so I just gave up all control.)
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| Started on pitocin waiting for baby girl. Sure, all smiles, right? |
Soon after things intensified dramatically and I was trying to escape to another world to fight the pain. I told them I felt like I needed to use the restroom, so she checked me first. I told her I was in so much pain I had a feeling she wouldn't let me use the restroom. That's when she told me I was a 4. HA! I turned to her and not very nicely shouted, "A FOUR?! That's all?!!" That's when my concentration faded and I got angry. I never get angry or mean during labor, but this was a different story.
I went to the bathroom crying, came out moaning and had a heart to heart with James asking him if he felt like things would be okay if I got an epidural. He answered way too slowly and not the answer I wanted so I got even more angry. I was checked and was told I was at a 6 now only twenty minutes after being a 4, but I still wasn't satisfied. I air punched James a couple of times (sorry love), and then began screaming for an epidural and telling them to get that guy in there NOW! (I find this funny now, but mostly incredibly embarrassing, but I'm still including it in the story because I am not as tough as people thought based on my previous deliveries and I just want to be honest.)
Anyways, James was still adamant that I didn't need an epidural and could do this. I was still screaming so the nurse came in, checked me again (it had only been ten minutes since I was checked and at a 6.) I was at an 8. Then she offered a drug in the IV which I consented to and kept screaming for the epidural. As she was putting the drug in the IV I had a heckuva contraction and told her I was pushing and this baby was coming. It had been less than five minutes from being checked at an 8. She yelled at me to stop pushing which I ignored and she half got gloves on and yelled out for help and for someone to get my doctor. Then I had a baby.
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2:17pm, 7lbs 8oz, 19in
(I have big babies. Had she been 40 weeks she probably would've been another 9pounder!) |
My doctor came in right after she was born. Brynlee was not crying, but was moving. She was totally blue and they cut that cord immediately against James' request and then rushed her to the other side of the room. I didn't even get to hold her right away :(
She was fine and they finally brought her to me. Our hospital stay was against my will, but it really wasn't that bad. The nursing staff was very nice and left me alone for the most part since it was my fourth baby. Brynlee was "referred" in her left ear during her hearing screening, meaning she didn't pass, but didn't mean she couldn't hear; just that she needed a more extensive test. We'll get that in a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty sure it's not an issue. She is tongue tied, but hasn't been an issue nursing, so we're not doing anything about that at this point either.
We got home early evening on July 1st and are so happy to have our whole family together. We're happy to have my mom here to help with the boys as well so James could be with me and get air punched and yelled at ;)
Overall I hate pitocin. I hate IV's and those darn monitors that slip and beep if you move even slightly. And I hate staying at hospitals. BUT... baby girl is here and she's healthy and she's mine!!!
She looks just like Ezra and James that it is too weird. I kept calling her "sweet boy" for the first day. I guess it's still so weird to me to have a baby girl. James won't change her diapers because he's nervous. I'm giving him a grace period right now, but that won't last forever. Mean time we are all in love with this sleeping beauty and so happy to have her join our family!
An update about introducing her to the boys will hopefully come tomorrow. They have been so sweet with her that it deserves it's own post ;) And I promise to have better pictures of her!
