The Day Before
So as you could probably guess from the last time I wrote on here this time last week was a pretty miserable one.. I was a mess all day, Alex was at work and my mum, bless her, was trying her best to cheer me up and get me out of the house but I was just way too stressed out to even try. We spent the day inside with Pride & Prejudice on TV and just trying not to focus on the fact that the baby just didnt want to be born.
I was at the end of my Pregnancy rope in tears when my amazing sister-in-law called me and answered my big question and my prayers. She is a nurse in the NICU and after seeing my last post called me immediately and explained a lot of things about going overdue and that induction can sometimes be the better option. After our conversation I had made up my mind. She offered to call Alex and tell him the same information. 10 minutes later Alex called me and told me to call the doctor and schedule my induction. I cant even describe the feeling of relief that came over me just knowing that the end was finally in sight. It felt right and looking back now there is no way I would change my decision.
My induction was scheduled for 4pm the following day.
Mum was amazing and got us a hotel room that night as an early Christmas present so that we could enjoy a date night alone for the last time. After getting the best sleep I'd had in weeks, we woke up the next morning, did some last minute grocery shopping, re-packed the hospital bag (for like the 20th time) and set off for the hospital.
12/04/14
4pm
Yeah, I'm huge
Once we arrived at the hospital I was incredibly nervous. They gave me a hospital gown, checked my cervix (only 1cm dilated but a little thinner) and inserted the balloon catheter at 4.15pm (I know the exact time because I was staring at the clock during the SUPER painful insertion). After that we all just kinda sat around, talked, watched a bit of TV, ate dinner (I wish I had eaten more because that was going to be my last meal for over 24 hours!) and just waited.
All gowned up with nowhere to go
My own private hospital suite
7pm
They started me on Pitocin. They just gave me small doses which increased every half an hour till they hit my max dose for the night.
Mum went home about 11pm and Alex got to sleep on a fold out couch.
My nurse that night, Nan, was amazing! She waited on me hand and foot, getting me water, helping me both in and out of bed through the night and then would tuck me in with pillows all around me so I was never flat on my back. I really need to take all the nurses something, they really helped me so much..
Just waiting for this balloon to start working..
Getting our practice in for the big moment while I still had my sense of humour intact haha
12/05/14 Allira's Birthday!
5am
They took my catheter out. Overnight the balloon was meant to dilate me to at least 4cm and would have fallen out by itself if it was more. They checked my cervix again- I was 2cm and still only 60% effaced! I was so discouraged!! They decided to up my dosage of pitocin anyway and see if that might help speed my body along.
The contractions started coming eventually and slowly got more painful but definitely bearable.
8am
Alex woke up about 7 and mum came back about 8. I gave them both the news and we realized we were in for a longgggg day...
They came in to check my cervix, I was at 3cm. Slow, but I was progressing and that made me so happy! The contractions were starting to get pretty bad..
10.30am
The nurses were checking in on me pretty frequently and could tell I was trying to fight through the pain. They knew I was trying to do this as naturally as possible but the nurse offered me a pain numbing medicine they would inject into my IV, I agreed. I have no idea what it was but it was amazing! I still felt contractions but I was so relaxed I didn't care. Mum and Alex said I was mumbling all kinds of stuff as I dozed in and out for the hour it lasted for. It must of been pretty strong!
12.30pm
I was squeezing hands by this stage.. my contractions were coming in bursts of 3, then I'd get a couple minutes of rest. I kept telling myself 'this pain is only temporary, and its one contraction closer to having this baby, I can do this'.
The nurse also noticed that the baby's heart rate was starting to drop with the contractions. They gave me an oxygen mask to see if that would help. After a while baby seemed to be doing better, so they took off the mask.
The nurse gave me another dose of that awesome pain medication, except it didn't have as good an effect as the first.. Doc and the nurse came in wanting to break my waters and checked my cervix again. I was at a 5-6cm mark. As she was checking, my waters broke by themselves. They said it had a green tinge which meant baby had taken her first bowel movement and that as soon as she was born they would have to take her straight away to make sure she hadn't swallowed any. They also stuck a contraction monitor inside my uterus to get a better reading of the contractions.
1.20pm
I asked for an epidural. Again, I only knew the specific time because I was focusing on the clock through the pain as best I could. I killed my mum and Alex's hands. It was the most intense pain I had ever felt in my life. I wasn't getting any down time between these awful contractions and they just kept getting worse! Alex couldn't stand seeing me in so much pain and cried. Once I saw him crying I started too and that's when I gave up. I couldn't go on for who knows how long this way. The nurse came in to check my cervix again- still a soft 6 but she said she felt the baby's head before she get to my cervix. I told her to get the anesthesiologist. I had met him the night before when he came in to introduce himself- just in case. I told him I was going to try do it naturally and he just laughed and said he'd see me again when I changed my mind. I thought he was funny and nice. This time I was dying from pain and he comes in and says "I told you so". I wanted to slap him. He sent my mum out of the room but said Alex could stay. I still don't know why he did that.. He kept trying to be funny as I was struggling through each contraction, but eventually I started to numb and instantly became a whole new Maygan. No more pain!! I love modern medicine!
4pm
I continued to feel contractions but it was such a tiny cramp that I hardly noticed they were there. I napped a little where I could. My doctor came in at around 4 to check how I was going. She checked my cervix again, still no progress!! She also said she could feel the baby's head. Both her and the nurse expressed concern that the baby was actually face up instead of down and that's what was causing my crazy clustered contractions. The doctor decided to try feel where her head was (I am SO glad I had the epidural in place for that!!) and said that she was in an awkward position and that she was worried it wouldn't be safe for either baby or me to deliver vaginally as planned. Straight after that baby's heart rate dropped to the 60's. That's REALLY bad for a baby! Her heartbeat was usually around 135 beats per minute. They stuck me on oxygen again straight away and made me breathe through it. It was THE scariest thing I've ever been through in my life. I thought I had lost her.
They eventually got her heart rate back up and stuck in a monitor that was more sensitive to her heartbeat. The doctor then told me we could continue the way we were in hopes I could deliver the way I wanted, even though it may still be a while and would cause more damage as the baby was face up and if needs be have an emergency c-section or I could go in right now and have one done and have it with a lot less risks. I started crying, this was NOT turning out to be the birthing experience I had imagined and expected all my life! I quickly looked at Alex who was sitting on my left holding my hand. I felt so bad for him. He was just sitting there so helpless through all of this and I didn't want to put either of us through anymore than we needed to. And there was NO way I wanted my baby's heart rate to drop that way EVER again. I agreed to the Cesarean. Next thing I knew they were dressing Alex up for surgery and wheeling me down the hall.
They gave me more of the epidural, only up higher so I couldn't feel from my waist down, Thank goodness for that! I don't know if it was from shock or the medicine but I was shivering so bad. Like uncontrollably. I was so scared. They put up this big blue screen in front of my so I wouldn't be able to see anything and Alex sat next to me. I'm so glad he did! He didn't get to see Allira 'be born' but he helped me cope with the procedure by telling me stories of his rebellious teen years. They had her out in like 6 minutes and Alex went to see her. I layed there talking to the surgeon for a bit who had been up by my head too just telling me when to expect pressure and everything while they were getting her out. He was really nice, seriously I am SO thankful for all the staff in this hospital!
They began stitching me up while the baby was being cleaned off and handed to her dad.
Baby Allira Cope was born at 5.49pm, weighing 7lbs 11oz, 19 inches long and was the chubbiest little baby!
We have no idea why they stuck a blue beanie on her haha oh well
Alex brought her over to meet me for the first time :)
Im so glad the nurse took these photos for us!
Can you see her poor cone-head? It's so bad from being stuck in my pelvis for so long trying unsuccessfully to come out! Poor precious star-gazing baby..
Baby on her way to the nursery (grandma's first glance) Look at those cheeks!
Once I was all stitched up (the whole process took exactly 58 minutes, the surgeon told me haha) I was taken back to my room where I had to wait to see my baby. They were keeping her in the nursery because her breathing was way too fast, it's meant to be 30-60 breaths a minute but hers was up in the 80's. I was still shaking really bad, still in shock and now becoming very emotional because I still hadnt even held my baby yet! A couple hours went by and I think my nurse felt really bad for me because they decided to wheel me into the nursery in my bed to see her! I was so grateful!
Showing me her fast breathing being monitored.
Daddy got a little emotional <3
Look at that chub!!
10.20pm
I finally get to hold my baby!! They brought her in to breastfeed for the first time before they whisked her off for her first bath with her daddy. Mum had unfortunately already gone home to sleep but she got her first cuddles the next day!!
We also got another surprise that morning, my dad and sisters had driven down from Utah through the night to be here! They left on Tuesday night so we had a full 3 days of cuddles and outings together :)
Alex and I had our first celebratory meal that the hospital provides for you right before release, complete with a white table cloth and flowers! I wish I had taken a photo of it!
The past week has been amazing, tiring, wonderful, filled with trials and most of all rewarding. Even though I didn't get my dream birthing experience I know every decision I made was the right one and I wouldn't change a thing. I have a precious healthy beautiful baby girl and that is all that matters!!
Here is baby Allira at 1 week old.
I'm a mum guys!!!! :)
And I love my little family <3
