Part 1:Labor/Delivery/ Birth Story
(Let me start off by saying, I had the most beautiful
birth plan this time around. Anyone who knows me, knows I
love a good plan. 😉 That being said, I have become much more
flexible with each kiddo that has come along, so ultimately the goal was always
a safe and healthy baby---and Mama. My plan included a wonderful doula by my
side, dim lighting, quiet worship music playing, lots of walking. I knew what I wanted and didn’t want in my
labor and delivery and I was so looking forward to bringing this precious girl
into the world.)
So this crazy story starts the
day after Christmas. At this point I had
been feeling pretty crummy for about 5 days, I had been diagnosed with
influenza B and Nora (5) and Emmett (3) had
also came down with the flu. Little
Emmett had scary high fevers, and we spent most of the day trying to keep him safe from
those high temps. Mark had stayed home from
work to help take care of all of us. He
also planned to stay home the following day. (Thank goodness)
I sent Mark downstairs around 9 pm
on the 26th to get some rest. We were
trying to quarantine him and Owen so that hopefully they would not get
sick, too. My main focus at this point was to get everyone healthy before having this baby! Around 9:30pm I really started to
feel worse, and was kind of at the end of my rope with feeling so badly. The constant, violent coughing was about all
I could take, and my contractions had really started to pick up.
I was chatting with my parents
and sister in a group FB message and told them no matter what I was driving
myself to the hospital in Omaha the next morning and SOMEONE was going to help
me feel better. (this crazy, hormonal pregnant lady had had enough! ha) I didn’t feel like I could leave Mark at home with the
kids being so sick, until I had someone there to help him. I explained what was going on and they
insisted I get to town that night, and not wait until morning. Before I knew it they had come up with a plan
to get me to Omaha and have someone come help Mark with the sick kiddos.
We met my mom and sister on the
side of Highway 34 around 11pm. I jumped
into my sisters car to get to the hospital and my mom went on home with Mark to
be a nurse to my poor sick kids. (I felt absolutely awful leaving
them when they were feeling so yucky.)
At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. I was still thinking that I would get IV
fluids, and maybe some medicine and come home the next day to continue on with the
last 3 weeks of my pregnancy.
My sister and I got to the
hospital around midnight. We were taken
straight up to labor and delivery where some very nice nurses took such good
care of me. It was a long and sleepless
night. My heartrate and blood pressure
were all over the place which set alarms off, and I also had a fever. Baby
girls heartrate was also all over the place, which was concerning for all of us.
During the night she and I both seemed to stabilize and the nurses were
confident my contractions were not productive and I would go home later that day.
I woke up from a couple hours of sleep around 5:45am feeling
surprisingly rested. I told Jenny I felt
like a new woman after fluids, and a little rest. (God was preparing me for what was to come.) At around 6 am my water broke. I was just lying in bed. Jenny was sleeping. I knew Mark was at home sleeping, too. I
remember feeling surprisingly calm. I
didn’t wake my sister, or call Mark right away.
I spent some time praying, then sent Mark a text.
The doctor rounded not too much
after that. Instead of talking about
discharge instructions, we were talking about birth plans…...by the way, mine
was out the window!! None of this was
what I planned or even could have imagined. Oh, and my amazing doula
also had come down with influenza, and wasn't able to make it. 😟 It
felt like things were happening so fast and I was still trying to catch up and
wrap my brain around it all. We were having a baby….today.
Mark arrived at the hospital by around
8:30 a.m. I was so relieved to see
him. My sister may have been even more
relieved!! HA! Bless her, she was so
wonderful and probably saw and experienced more than she wanted to during her
time with me in the hospital. She was
there to give me drinks of water ALL NIGHT LONG, to help me to the bathroom, to
bring me fresh wash cloths, and help me reposition, all while remaining calm and encouraging me. I am so thankful for her.
Not long after Mark arrived,
Jenny headed home to get some much needed rest.
Mark and I began a long day of laboring.
Remember how I said I wanted to walk a lot to get labor moving?? Well, strange thing….they don’t let Influenza
infected people wander the halls to labor. 😆
So, I was limited to walking around my small delivery room. Not ideal,
but Mark and I did have a laugh as I walked circles in this little room. Labor progressed with some help from Pitocin and
little Lydia Lou made her entrance at 6:48pm.
She was perfect. The nurses put a
mask on me and laid her on my chest.
Again, not how I pictured it, but we were so grateful she was here and
healthy. At this point I had no idea
what was in store for us, or just what a miracle it was that she was here
safely.
More on that to come in my next
post…..
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