Ella has arrived! In fact, she's almost a week old as I'm typing this! I can't believe her first week has already gone by...I'm loving every minute of having her so far...and I truly mean that. She's just a wonderful baby so far. Just a little peaceful peanut. I could eat her up! :)
As for the birth story- After no signs or indications of labor at all (besides 2-3cm dilation..which I had for over a week with no change) I decided to go in on 2-13-13 to be checked again and see if I had progressed and to decide if they should break my water to get things moving. My plan was to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and there are some risks if your baby goes too far past their due date. There are also extra risks when the mother is induced (both with the VBAC success rate and chances of uterine rupture). We arrived at the hospital at 9am that Wednesday morning and they checked me into a room. I was found to STILL be 2-3cm dilated. So no real progress over the prior week and 1/2. Baby was comfy in there. I was hooked up to heart (for baby and myself) monitors and a contraction monitor and they watched what was going on for a bit before deciding what to do. Well, in the first hour of monitoring I guess the baby's heart rate declined because suddenly 2 nurses ran in and yelled at me to get on my side and they threw an oxygen mask on my face. Then baby settled back to normal. I've watched a lot of TLC Baby Story in the past (when I actually had time to watch tv..so few years ago) and I know that baby heart rates decel pretty regularly (at least on the show). So I wasn't too worried. Anyways, I'll try not to make this story ridiculously long and detailed. To move along, the baby's heart rate did that a few more times, but overall was okay. However, they did not feel that they could just break my water without risk to the baby's health (due to the heart decels). So it was decided that they would try Pitocin (a drug to start contractions). Once going on this drug (given through an IV in my arm) I was no longer able to be under the care of the midwives and was moved to the doctor's care. The doctor there that day happened to be Dr. Stephen Hebert--who happened to be the attending physician there on 5/16/11 and did my C-secton for the boys! He was really great and down-to-earth and I was happy to be under his care. So around 12:15pm they started the Pitocin drip to see if I would start having any contractions. Fast forward 3 hours...I had had a few contractions here and there but nothing regular and nothing painful. The nurses kept "upping" my dosage to see how I would do. I know they were starting slow because they had no idea how I would react to the drug. Finally, around 3:30-ish I started having some contractions to write home about. They were a bit more uncomfortable...but still nothing too painful. I could handle them by just closing my eyes and breathing. I was pretty excited that it seemed like something was finally happening after sitting there in that hospital bed strapped to IV's and monitors all day. Anyways, the next hour is somewhat of a blur. I guess the baby's heart rate declined rapidly again...the nurse frantically called for Dr. Hebert. He rushed in and found I was still on 4cm dilated (no way! that's it?!). He decided to break my water to get things moving. He said if that didn't get labor going then I was definitely going to be having a C-section to get the baby out as she obviously wasn't handling life in the womb too great anymore. So he broke my water. This was about 4pm. That's when all hell broke loose! Suddenly the contractions were ridiculous and painful. I asked for the epidural peeps to get there asap! I did not have an epidural for Chloë's birth and I didn't feel the need to repeat that fun event! :) However, yet again, it wasn't up to me how this delivery was going to go! The epidural people were in another woman's room so I had to wait for them. Meanwhile, the baby's heart rate apparently got worse because suddenly my room was a whirlwind of frantic activity. Everyone was yelling at me "lay on your right side!" "lay on your left side"...trying to get me in a position that didn't distress the baby anymore and that would stabilize her heart. It was VERY hard to keep moving in different positions when I had oxygen on my face, a heart monitor on my right hand and then an IV in my left arm. Finally, they made me get on all fours on the bed. It was horrible to deal with contractions in that position. Dr. Hebert decided enough was enough and that I needed to be rushed to the operating room and be prepared for an emergency C-section. He told me to be prepared to be put under because they needed to get the baby out ASAP. In a quick rush I my bed was wheeled down the hall (with me still on all fours!...nice! At least I had a gown on). I just hope there was no tour of the Labor & Delivery ward for expectant parents going on as they rushed me by (because let me tell you, I had NO clue what was going on around me ...nor did I care in the least...contractions will do that to you. All I cared about was getting through the next painful contractions and finding someone to give me some pain relief!). So I was rushed into the OR and the nurses and doctors threw on their scrubs. NICU pediatricians arrived and everyone prepared to do the emergency C-section. I mentally prepared to be knocked out and thought of waking up in a fog after the surgery and meeting Ella then. I didn't love the idea, but the contractions were so painful I was more than ready to be knocked out. Then...the heart rate started to look OK again! The epidural people came and were able to put an epidural in place...though they had to do it with me laying on my side since the baby's heart rate seemed to be okay in that position...something they don't usually do, apparently. Then, mid-epidural-being-put-in-my-back, the heart rate declined yet again. Dr. Hebert yelled at the epidural people to hurry up and gave them 30 seconds to finish as he had decided it was time for the emergency C-section. Then the heart stabilized again, they found out I was 10 cm dilated and he said I can either push this baby out right away or get knocked out. So with a team of 5-10 people in the room and Myke in scrubs (he finally got to come in), out came baby Ella! Cord wrapped both around her neck and her torso (the reason for her heart decelerations) but she started crying immediately as they unwrapped it. She was totally fine and healthy! Born at 5:02pm. The epidural kicked in just time for the placenta to come out after (TMI?). Anyways, it was a whirlwind hour from 4pm-5pm of sudden & intense labor! But she's perfect!
Ella Maureen Hines
2/13/13
5:02pm
6lb 14oz
19 3/4 inches
Family visitors the following afternoon:
Valentine's Day Visitors- Chloë & Gramma
First family picture of the 6 of us!
Pop & Mom-Mom meet Ella
Chloë & Owen meeting Ella
(Eli wasn't so sure about her...and still isn't!)
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