Cora Kathleen (part 2)

You'll forgive me if I'm a little distracted by this angel baby...So where was I, oh yes! On our way to the hospital on Tuesday morning!

So the Geek and I drove to the hospital and by this time it was nearly noon, him a little frazzled and me a little nervous because we had waited nearly 3 hours to head out. But we stopped for food for him since it would be a long day and I decided to eat too. (Yes, yes, I've heard this was stupid, but honestly I thought my labor would start on it's own and I'd need the energy since I planned to labor naturally thanks to my fabulous doctor)

We arrived and checked in and were ushered back to OB triage to confirm our story of 'water breaking.' I love how they don't believe you! A blue strip later and I was shuffled off to a Labor and Delivery room to get ready to deliver. Some monitoring later told them that I was not having any contractions and in fact, if my water was not broken, I'd be going back home! But since I had eaten at noon, we had to wait to begin inducing labor. Silly me.

Telling friends it has begun!

6pm -I got a chip of Cytotech to get my cervix to soften up - strapped in to monitors and belts and BP cuff.

Just a little bit of hormones

12am - Started on Pitocin drip and now can only go pee in a bedpan. Yick!
I was up and down all night and they kept losing the baby on the monitor and I was nearly being cut in half by the belts to keep the monitors on! Not a lot of sleep and I'm pretty upset that I am basically having the antithesis of my birth plan. I cried a lot and could not get comfy since every time I moved the lost the baby's hearbeat and every time I dozed off, the wretched blood pressure cuff goes off!

8am - I'm at 1 cm and my OB comes in and we talk about an internal monitor for both me and the babe, and with the addition of possibly the most amazing L&D nurse (Bonnie!), I actually get to labor much like I wanted to in my birth plan. Stand up, sit down, lie down, manage contractions with breathing and position. They check me periodically and I'm hopeful that all this labor is opening my cervix, but at 1pm I'm barely at 2cm.

1pm - I am open to an epidural at this point, but my doc is concerned that the baby isn't dropping at all after 5 hrs of hard labor. We discuss a C-Section and I am open to it, but scared too. Who wants to be cut open!? I think what scared me the most was I hadn't done any reading on it, and once I agreed to it, the flood of activity and people to get me ready was the human powered freight train! AND I'm still having contractions through all the shaving, consenting, prepping, cleaning up our room to move, putting in a new IV etc! I'm off to the OR before I know it and actually and having a contraction while the are doing the epidural which felt fast and furious. I cried and breathed as they held still so I wouldn't jerk around while the needle went in. The numbness was instant and I had to lie down fast. Needless to say, I was pretty shaken up by the time they let the Geek in. The anesthesiologist, Rhonda, was so kind wiping my tears away.

The Geek sat by my head, found my strapped down hand as I was pushed and pulled around. (inside me!) I heard the doc say, "Oh, that's why you wouldn't drop down!" then I heard the baby cry and saw her briefly as the Geek joined her at the warming bed. Pink and crying. A great sign. She was fine, just needed a little breathing treatment.

Fresh into the world

Mama and baby

Papa and baby

Family

As much as I whined and complained about how this (birthing process) wasn't what I wanted, God had a different idea. The chord was around her neck 3 times. If she had gotten too much bigger she would have dropped on her own and gone into distress and as a nurse friend of mine said, 'That is how you lose last trimester babies.' If she had been able to drop during all of my contractions, the same thing could have happened. Instead of an epidural C-Section, I would have had to have an emergency one and be put completely under. As it was, it was just as it should have been to give us the healthiest possible baby and healthiest me too.

The most beautiful girl I've ever seen!

So welcome to the world Cora Kathleen, born October 29th, 2008. 4lbs 10.5 oz, 17.5 inches long and a beautiful miraculous gift.

Check this link for more photos as the days go on! Baby Cora