Birth Story- LONG!

Carly's birth did not go the way I had imagined. Not the way that I planned. Not the way I wanted. In a way I feel jipped on the birth process, the baby coming out, watching her enter the world, pulling her to my belly,  letting Dad cut her cord.

I have a lot of up and down emotions, but in the end I remember that she is alive, she healthy and she is a very happy, easy, content baby and she is all OURS, forever. And that is ALL that matters.

Anyways, it all started last Thursday (a week ago tomorrow) I woke up around 5:30 am and noticed I was slowly leaking a clear fluid. It felt like I was peeing myself but it clearly wasn't pee. I mentioned it to Nick and said said lets go to the hospital. I was sure that it would be a waste and we would be sent home. It was such a slow trickle I thought it was just normal fluids that has thinned out as the doctor had told me a week before at my normal weekly appointment.

At 7:30 we showed up at Labor and Delivery. I had called before leaving the house and they told me to come in to get checked. Its better to be safe rather than sorry.

The docs hooked me up to the monitors, baby was great, I was having no contractions. They checked my cervix,  I was still only 3 cm as I had been for the past 3 weeks. They swabbed me to test the fluid to see if it was amniotic. The test came back slightly positive so the doctor thought I had a small high tear that was leaking fluid very slow.

 Because of this, my water didn't officially break, but if it was a small tear in the membranes, I could risk infection. So the option to induce right then was given to us and we took it right away.

I was 38 weeks and 5 days, and healthy and the ultrasound showed a healthy baby ready to be born. 

At 10 am pitocin was started. I dilated to 4 cm. Once I hit the 4 cm I could feel the contractions but they were not painful. 

 At 12:45 I had got up to use the bathroom once more before the contractions got too painful and as soon I hit the bathroom, no question about it... my water broke. It was like in the movies. A huge gush of clear water all over my legs and the floor. A sign things were on the move!

At 1:11 pm the pain had really begun. The Dad had to convince Mom to ask finally for the epidural. So I did. Before it was administered, the doctor checked me and I was a whopping 6 cm! I made it all the way to 6 cm without pain medication. Go me!

The pain got really intense as the epidural was being given at 5 pm...thank God I decided to ask for it when I did. 

Here is where it got scary and difficult. Most of this I do not remember, I'm going by what Nick has told me happened.

At 5:45 pm I passed out because my blood pressure dropped in reaction to having too much epidural. ( My body has a very, I mean very extremely low tolerance for any type of medications. We told the anesthesiologist this, but no doctor every really believes just how low I mean) He administered 10 (whatever volume they use for this) which is what a normal person gets for labor. 

They stopped the epidural and pitocin for about an hour to give the baby and myself a break. 

I was still 6 cm. 

They restarted it about 7:30 pm.

My blood pressure dropped again, and I nearly was passed out completely again. The baby's heart rate had dropped from the 140's to the 40's to the 30's and for a second even to zero. 

At that point, the doctor made the decision to take me back for an emergency c-section. 

I was in shock. I was out of it. I didnt totally get what she meant until they started wheeling me back.

Skipping ahead a little, the baby was born at 9:10 pm. We heard her cry about a minute later and I could turn to my right and see her on the scale. It was then that we were told the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice.

A tiny 6 pounds 4 oz and 19 1/4" long.

Thank you God for the doctor who made the hard choice for the c section. 

Its not only physically hard but also emotionally hard.

But, 

we have this baby that was so worth every second.

Kayla checking out her sister on going home day.

Time for Mom and baby sister to go home!

Not liking Dad buckling her.

Kayla not happy that her baby is crying.

Dad putting her in the car seat.

Caden checking her out in the elevator.

Going home.

Kayla and baby waiting for Dad to bring the car up.

Walking to the car.

Tired, swollen Mom's first day home.

Getting in the car.