I had had Anna 5 days before my due date and Chris 10 days... so I was totally expecting Lydia to be early, like Chris since the pregnancy was soo close to Chris'.
I had two weeks at like week 36 and 37 when I was MORE than ready to birth my Lydia!!! I actually ASKED what I could do to "bring on some labor"!! The midwives told me to squat to pick up toys and stay active...LOL!! NOT what I wanted to hear:)**pic of when I was 39 weeks preggo with Lydia:)
After hearing that... That's what I did! I walked with the kids, took them everywhere I went and listened to everyone say, "You are HUGE. When are you due?" I think my final answer was funny... I had Chris and Anna at Walmart and when they asked I said,"yesterday!" because I was.
The fun thing was that my mom had arranged her schedule to be "available" when Lydia came. So she stayed with us after the due date!! Brian and I got to go to my OB appt together and got a "kid-free" lunch after. The next evening while having mild contractions, we brought our hospital bags with us out to eat and a movie..... no Lydia:(
Since I had tried not to have too much medical intervention with the other births... I really didn't want to be induced with Lydia. While with the midwives we discussed the choices of having a stress test or being induced when I was past my due date! And I honestly felt better about just having the stress test..... BUT...
that last week Lydia really had changed her movements. She'd been pretty active in my belly, but after 40 weeks she had really slowed down and wasn't moving half as much.... she was still moving some and her heartbeats were fine... but I was worried!!! So we scheduled the induction for 3 days later.... hoping I'd go into labor first.
I remembered my mom's worried comments as we left for the hospital on "induction day". She said she was worried I might have to have a C-section. I remember my response back," A C-section wouldn't be the WORST case scenario... having a sick baby would be."
Once settled in the room and all the IVs and pitocin pumping into me, we waited. I actually worked on Lydia's baby book and finished MOST of it before my contractions were regular enough to be labor....
I remember the first part of labor felt like an intense urge to use the potty, we'd call the nurse who would try to get me unhooked to use the potty and then the urge would go away. After the 4th or 5th time we just started laughing, realizing it was contractions.... like I'd never felt before!!
After being 3 -4 cm dilated and contractions really taking over, a LDPR opened up (that's a room where you labor, deliver and then stay postpartum until you leave the hospital... usually a little bigger with room for Daddy to camp out.... love these rooms!!). My midwife asked if I wanted to have that room and I quickly said yes. But that meant that we had to pack up and move down two halls;) So we did.... I was walking in active labor pushing my little "pitocin pole" .... LOL!!
Once in the LDPR, my midwife thought it would be a good time to break my waters.... I was all for it!! Ready for my body to take over!! And it SOOOOO did!!!
But once the "waters" was broken we realized that Lydia was in meconium which is VERY dangerous! While her heartbeats were steady and labor was normal, the NICU was put in place for when she arrived.
Laboring I was having double the contractions with my body laboring and the pitocin making more contractions! Plus the knowledge that something could be wrong, labor was intense!!
I remember my midwife suggesting for me to find a position to be "comfortable". So I moved around in all sorts of positions, some she suggested, some that just sounded good to me. But I felt soo unsteady in every position. Finally I looked at her in desperation and said, "I just can't get comfortable!!" She sweetly put her hand on my shoulder and gently said,"Kelly, you are in transition. Laboring with pitocin and NO pain medication. There is NO position that is going to be pain-free!"
So I laid in the bed on my side and rested until I was completely dilated and ready to push. I don't remember it taking long to push her out. But I DO remember the instructions... Lydia was going to be put on my chest, but I was not to stimulate her or make her cry. That was to prevent any mecoinum from being aspirated by Lydia... which could cause illness and even brain damage. I kept her still on my chest until the umbilical cord was cut.
Then the NIC-U team came rushing in and whisked her to the "baby warmer" to clean out her mouth and check her over. The NIC-U team looked like a bunch of teenagers wearing white coats... they looked soo young!! But I remember looking over at them caring for Lydia and there was my little girl cooo-ing and trying to talk to them:)
RELIEF.... our little girl was fine!!!
Lydia was fine. Her Apgar scores were fine. And although I really, really, really didn't want to be induced and flooded with IVs, I felt like we had made the best decision for us and Lydia.
OH!! I should mention that I was cared for the whole time by my midwife.... one that I love and hope to see at the hospital with Nate:) But that there was another physician who checked in on us regularly after my "waters" were broken and the meconium found. The physician also came in later to check on me and she was soo encouraging!! Another plus to my practice!
***Not wanting to start a debate.... but Lydia's birth was a reason I wanted to go to a hospital with a NIC-U! I'm glad that Lydia didn't need intensive care but it was available to us at the hospital we were at. And who would have known that she even needed them to check her after I had had a very normal, no complications, no red flags, no high-risk pregnancy???
I can't find Lydia's birth pictures?????? So here is the closest thing I have.... a montage I made for her 1st birthday... the first couple of pictures are from the hospital and that first trip home.
3 comments:
I would have been worried about going over due date as well. Often times things are fine, but it can stress the baby. I'm glad you did the induction! My cousin was induced and ended up with a c-section and the baby was in meconium. Luckily everything was fine, but it's so scary!
I can't wait to hear how Nate's birth goes. Labor stories are so interesting to me.
Birth stories are so much fun to read--each one so unique and so special!
Our first was born with meconium, too; but like with your story, it didn't cause any problems in the end.
Isn't it exciting to think about the birth story you'll be creating in just a few months?! :)
i love reading these stories...thanks for sharing them! Glad everything worked out well with Lydia. Can't wait until we hear this upcoming birth story! ;) I'm sure you can't wait either! :)
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