Rule #158: Every Birth has a Story

Throughout my pregnancy I had always felt that she wouldn't make it to her due date. (I hoped that my feeling would be right) Luckily I was.

On June 19th I went to my doctor for a regular check up. I wasn't feeling very well. I thought maybe I was dehydrated or something. I was mildly swollen, but given that this was summertime we weren't that surprised. I wasn't swollen in my face, nor did I have pitting edema. Just mild, pregnancy swelling. My blood pressure was 98/60. A typical blood pressure for me.I was dilated to 4 cm and 80%.

I went to work that night, thinking about our friend party we had scheduled for sat June 22nd. I was hoping history would repeat itself for a third time and I would go into labor during the party. :) Shortly after lunch (at midnight) my head began to hurt. A lot. Luckily my assignment that night was light, so I was able to sit in a rocking chair and rest. I put cold packs on my forehead and at the base of my skull. Anything to relieve the pressure/pain. I wondered whether I was getting a migraine. I had been a long time since I had one, but I still have had them before. It wouldn't have been completely unheard of. Just unfortunate.

A few hours went by and I was dying. My head hurt so bad, and I felt terrible. I had been having contractions for a few days, but now I was noticing that every time I had a contraction my head felt like it was going to explode! And the contractions we coming every 30-40 minutes. I decided to take my blood pressure and it was 147/84! Way too high for me!

I left work around 4:30 and called my doctor. I wasn't sure if I should go to the hospital or try and sleep it off. That's what I normally do when I have a migraine, is sleep it off. But since I was having head exploding contractions, I thought it might be a good idea to go to the hospital. She agreed.

I called my mom on my way home (to pick up Alex) and she met me at my house to watch the boys while Alex and I drove off into the night. It's the first time we didn't drive to the hospital at 1 in the morning, but 5:30 is still pretty early and traffic was light.

We got to the hospital at 6 am. My blood pressure was now 156/95. I was miserable. I was still contracting, and I was still only 4cm and 80%. My doctor came in and said that I was likely experiencing the early stages of preeclampsia. I didn't have enough of the symptoms to diagnosis it as such, but she thought that's where I was headed. She asked if I'd like to have the baby that day, since delivering was the only real "cure" for my blood pressure problems. I readily agreed.

They started me on pitocin. I had never planned on being induced, but frankly didn't care anymore. It was my third baby, I was already contracting and dilated. This would just speed up the inevitable and I would feel better soon. :)

Pitocin contractions are not fun. Just saying. They started my epidural less than an our later, and that was amazing. I hadn't dilated anymore during that hour while on pitocin and I was a little discouraged. They started my epidural, my blood pressure came back down to a normal level and I felt SO much better! I could finally relax!

Keep in mind I had been working all night. So I hadn't gotten any sleep. I tried to get some sleep while I waited for my body to do it's thing. I only slept for 45 minutes till I felt some serious pressure. Sure enough I was ready to have this baby!

I only pushed for one contraction. It was amazing. Alex was so surprised it was all over so quickly! At 12:00 exactly Aurora Beth came into our lives, quietly. Very much a testament to her personality now. She spit out a little amniotic fluid immediately after she was born, and had breathed in just a little. Her lungs were a tad course sounding. She needed to cry out the fluid, but she didn't really want to. Even with the nurses bugging her she barely fussed. She is still like that.

She nursed immediately and was a pro at it from the beginning. I felt better, my head wasn't exploding anymore. I was on the high that the birth of my child gives me. I had so much energy, my lack of sleep didn't matter anymore.  

Alex and I were left alone to marvel in the gift of our daughter. After a while we shared to good news with family and friends.

Evan was so excited to meet his little sister. He wanted to hold her immediately and has wanted to hold her every day since. :) Graham did NOT want to hold her, and would just look at her from afar. That is no longer the case. He is up in her business all day, every day. But at least he loves her.

Rory is the best baby I've ever known. She is sweet and cuddly. She is super chill, and just goes with the flow of the family. She has enough opinions that I am comforted and she verbalizes/coos far earlier than my boys did at this age. She's a doll and we love having her in our family.