Sunday was destined to be the day. On Friday at my doctor appointment Johannsen sent in the paperwork to schedule my induction. She said that sometime between 7 and 10am the hospital nurse would call me to come in. I was happy to know the time was coming. 
She got me into a gown and got my IV in... and by the way she was truly awesome at the IV! She numbed my arm and it hardly hurt at all! YAY! The doctor who was on call, Dr. Bohmke, came in to see how I was doing. We joked about how my "induction" was obviously going to be very easy. She asked if I wanted an epidural. I said I really had wanted to try not too but was having second thoughts. She said that on the plus side of not having one was that I would probably deliver very soon. But on the plus side of having one was that it may delay labor long enough to give the antibiotics time to get in my system to combat the strep-b. She by no means talked me into it, but I decided to have the epidural anyway. Maybe I wimped out but I just wanted to be calm and enjoy the experience and not freak out Belle because I was in so much pain. And since I was strep-b positive that gave me an out to get one and not feel too guilty about it. :)
So we had gotten to the room by 7:30, by 7:45 I had gotten my IV, had the antibiotics flowing, and had my epidural. Belle and my mom waited outside while I had the epidural. It went fine. The doctor who did it (Dr. Hanns) apparently is one of their bests. It didn't even pinch like it did last time. Dr. Bohmke checked my cervix and I was already at 8cm. She was convinced that there was a good chance she'd still end up delivering me even with the epidural. She said she wasn't going to check me very often because she didn't want to risk my water breaking. Again wanting to make sure to delay delivery for the antibiotics (apparently 4 hours is the magic number... they want the drugs going for 4 hours if possible to ensure that myself and baby would be okay). My water did break the last time she checked me when I was at 10cm. Johannsen was already at the office and coming down soon. Dr. Bohmke, said that Johannsen had called to see how I was doing and was shocked to hear that I was already pretty much fully complete!
Meanwhile, Belle had put on her scrubs and had won over my nurse completely. I really can't sing Jalina's praises enough. She not only took great care of me but she was so wonderful with Belle. She gave her a mask and hair net to go with her outfit and let her put a real stethoscope around her neck, and the special feet covers too. She then took her around to show her off to all the other nurses. My mom followed and took video of it. Belle being Belle worked her charisma and was a big hit... and here I thought I was supposed to be the center of attention! :) I'm kidding... I loved that she was so included and made to feel comfortable. I think it really helped her feel secure with what was going on with me.
Arround 9 something Johannsen came in and talked to us and joked that this was a really easy induction and how she figured she'd have more time before needing to be there.
Finally I started to feel the pressure to want to push. I had asked for a mirror to view the birth, they got that set up and set up the bed for the birth. Johannsen came in and Jaline called in another nurse to assist. Belle told my mom she wanted to leave so they went out into the hall. But then right before I started to push Belle changed her mind and told my mom emphatically that she wanted to be in the room. My mom told her that they couldn't be going in and out so she needed to be sure. Belle insisted she had to be in the room for the birth. So the came back in and went back into a corner of the room to watch. It was a nice spot for them, out of the way, near the door if they needed to get out quick, able to see but not be 'front and center'. Belle I heard asking me a few times if I was okay while I pushed and I assured her I was in between pushes. She stayed for the entire thing and even came and got a better look once. She was amazing and I was so glad to have her there.
The birth came very quickly. Three pushes was all it took to deliver Moya. It was amazing to watch! I literally was laughing the entire time it was so cool. I've seen births before but never my own. I really had wished I'd have thought to ask for a mirror with Belle, and am so glad I thought to do so this time. At first being able to see made me hesitant to push because I was looking at her head coming out and thinking "okay that has to hurt!" it didn't hurt to badly because of the epidural, but I couldn't help but think that if I pushed it would start to hurt. But after the first push I just ignored that instinct to hold back. It was so incredible to see her come out. And like I said it happened so fast. Her head came out and then an arm that sent some amniotic fluid flying that got Brad square in the chest. :) But then one more push and there she was! I was laughing and crying all at once. They laid her on my chest and my first thought I have to admit was "good lord she's heavy!" I looked at her and saw how beautiful she was while Brad cut the cord. 
I did tear a little so Johannsen had to stitch me up while I cuddled Moya. Apparently her upper arm came out first instead of her lower one so I tore close to my urethra which scored me a catheter for the next 24+ hours. After I was all cleaned up they weighed Moya. We all put in our final guesses and I said that judging by how she felt on my chest there was no way I thought she could be under 10 pounds. Sure enough... 10 pounds 4.4 ounces!
Her weight also meant she'd have to be tested for low blood sugar. Any baby over 9 pounds gets this. Apparently big babies burn more calories then they can take in. Moya's was low, 33 if I remember correctly. They had me start nursing her but said her best bet would be to supplement with formula as well as breastfeeding to get her more calories. The danger they said was that low blood sugar could affect her brain. So we agreed to the formula.
Belle then got to hold her little sister which was super sweet to see. Being an only child it was very bizzar for me to see my daughter with her sister. Bizzar in a good and very touching way however.
After a couple hours they moved us to the recovery room; room 480. Our first nurse there was Liz who was very sweet and compassionate. We also got visits from the Pediatrician there who talked with us about Moya's blood sugar. She said if they could get three good readings in a row then she would put her in the clear. If not then they'd need to move her to NICU with an IV. :( It took awhile to get her blood sugar to go up and stay up but eventually she got there. We did formula and I pumped and fed her that as well (we did that because nursing is harder work for babies and thus meant burning more calories which we didn't want her to do).
Belle and Gaga stayed until the evening and then decided to head home for the night. This was hard for both me and Belle. I wanted her to stay but knew she'd not be at all comfortable there over night. She also wanted to stay but I could tell she was tired too. It was hard to say good night to her. But it was good she left because that night was in and out nurses in our room.
The next day, Monday, I was able to get my IV out and the catheter. It was nice to be tube free. We also got the professional photos taken of her which turned out nice.
We did get a scare while the photographers where there. After they were done I had let Moya rest on a pillow in my lap. She had been really unhappy with all the moving around for the photos so I was just giving her a second peace before I moved her again. What I didn't see was that her head was too far forward. She let out this terrible cry and I picked her up and we noticed she was blue! Brad went and grabbed two nurses who instantly picked Moya right out of my arms
to examine her. I was panicked. I felt horrible for having not been more careful with her position. But she was instantly crying which meant she was breathing so I knew that was a good sign. They looked and listened to her and said she sounded fine now but they called the pediatrician to come and double check. But she was fine. 
Later Gaga and Belle came to visit and I got to cuddle both my girls. :) She stayed for awhile but they went home again for the evening. Later that night however my mom called and told me Belle had been throwing up. She had come down with some stomach flu. I wanted so bad to be able to be home to be with her, but obviously couldn't. My first experience being a mom of two. Brad and I decided that in the morning Brad would buss back home to be with Belle so my mom could come and pick Moya and me up.
My daytime nurse, Denise, was awesome and helped me while Brad was gone. We watched some of the inauguration on TV together.
Gaga arrived around noon. I had to have her bring me a new outfit for Moya because the one I had originally brought to bring her home with was new born size which didn't fit this big ole baby! :) So we dressed her and got her in her car seat and headed home. 
Moya's Birth Photos
My only sorta regret was that another induction would mean I'd never know what it felt like to go into labor on my own. Well apparently Moya heard my lamenting this. Saturday night we all went to bed and I did not sleep well. This isn't really unusual for me so I didn't think much of it even though I was getting up ever hour or two to go the bathroom and felt in pain everywhere. Then around 4:30am I got up and felt like I was having horrible diarrhea cramps. I did have the runs a little so at first I just thought that was the problem. I decided to just stay up and deal with it. I went to the bathroom a few times but the pain didn't go away even after the runs stopped. I decided I'd try timing them to see if there was a pattern. Every 3 or 4 minutes with the pain lasting about 30 to 40 seconds. It was about then that I realized that this wasn't a bad poop experience but labor!
I got dressed and ready between bouts of clutching the counter in utter pain. Around 5:30 I woke Brad and told him what was going on and that if he wanted to shower before we go he better do it now and do it fast. He jumped up and did just that after making sure I'd be ok.
At 5:45 I decided I should put a call in to my doctor, but right at that moment the nurse from the hospital called me to tell me they were ready for me to come in for a 7:30am induction! I told her that I was just about to call my doctor because I was in labor. She said for us to just come on in then!
My mom came up stairs while I was on the phone and I told her this was it! She and Brad ran around getting everything ready. I kept trying to get things together but my contractions kept getting in the way. Belle woke up from a dream around 6:30. Bless her heart she was in a good mood and excited when we told her the baby was coming. By 7am I was starting to feel desperate to get to the hospital. We got in the car and headed out. Luckily being so early and on a Sunday morning there was hardly anyone on the road. Gaga sped a little too :) so we got there a little before 7:30. 
My mom dropped Brad and I off at the entrance and then her and Belle went to park the car. Brad tried to find me a wheelchair but none could be found so I had to hoof it. It wasn't that far to the elevators but my contractions just were right on top of each other so it felt like I had to walk a mile. But we made it. We got to the 5th floor and found a nurse who took us to our room... we didn't even have to stop by triage. Our room was number 553. We then met the nurse who would be with us through the delivery. Her name was Jalina and she was just amazingly wonderful.
She got me into a gown and got my IV in... and by the way she was truly awesome at the IV! She numbed my arm and it hardly hurt at all! YAY! The doctor who was on call, Dr. Bohmke, came in to see how I was doing. We joked about how my "induction" was obviously going to be very easy. She asked if I wanted an epidural. I said I really had wanted to try not too but was having second thoughts. She said that on the plus side of not having one was that I would probably deliver very soon. But on the plus side of having one was that it may delay labor long enough to give the antibiotics time to get in my system to combat the strep-b. She by no means talked me into it, but I decided to have the epidural anyway. Maybe I wimped out but I just wanted to be calm and enjoy the experience and not freak out Belle because I was in so much pain. And since I was strep-b positive that gave me an out to get one and not feel too guilty about it. :)
So we had gotten to the room by 7:30, by 7:45 I had gotten my IV, had the antibiotics flowing, and had my epidural. Belle and my mom waited outside while I had the epidural. It went fine. The doctor who did it (Dr. Hanns) apparently is one of their bests. It didn't even pinch like it did last time. Dr. Bohmke checked my cervix and I was already at 8cm. She was convinced that there was a good chance she'd still end up delivering me even with the epidural. She said she wasn't going to check me very often because she didn't want to risk my water breaking. Again wanting to make sure to delay delivery for the antibiotics (apparently 4 hours is the magic number... they want the drugs going for 4 hours if possible to ensure that myself and baby would be okay). My water did break the last time she checked me when I was at 10cm. Johannsen was already at the office and coming down soon. Dr. Bohmke, said that Johannsen had called to see how I was doing and was shocked to hear that I was already pretty much fully complete!
Meanwhile, Belle had put on her scrubs and had won over my nurse completely. I really can't sing Jalina's praises enough. She not only took great care of me but she was so wonderful with Belle. She gave her a mask and hair net to go with her outfit and let her put a real stethoscope around her neck, and the special feet covers too. She then took her around to show her off to all the other nurses. My mom followed and took video of it. Belle being Belle worked her charisma and was a big hit... and here I thought I was supposed to be the center of attention! :) I'm kidding... I loved that she was so included and made to feel comfortable. I think it really helped her feel secure with what was going on with me. Arround 9 something Johannsen came in and talked to us and joked that this was a really easy induction and how she figured she'd have more time before needing to be there.
Finally I started to feel the pressure to want to push. I had asked for a mirror to view the birth, they got that set up and set up the bed for the birth. Johannsen came in and Jaline called in another nurse to assist. Belle told my mom she wanted to leave so they went out into the hall. But then right before I started to push Belle changed her mind and told my mom emphatically that she wanted to be in the room. My mom told her that they couldn't be going in and out so she needed to be sure. Belle insisted she had to be in the room for the birth. So the came back in and went back into a corner of the room to watch. It was a nice spot for them, out of the way, near the door if they needed to get out quick, able to see but not be 'front and center'. Belle I heard asking me a few times if I was okay while I pushed and I assured her I was in between pushes. She stayed for the entire thing and even came and got a better look once. She was amazing and I was so glad to have her there.
The birth came very quickly. Three pushes was all it took to deliver Moya. It was amazing to watch! I literally was laughing the entire time it was so cool. I've seen births before but never my own. I really had wished I'd have thought to ask for a mirror with Belle, and am so glad I thought to do so this time. At first being able to see made me hesitant to push because I was looking at her head coming out and thinking "okay that has to hurt!" it didn't hurt to badly because of the epidural, but I couldn't help but think that if I pushed it would start to hurt. But after the first push I just ignored that instinct to hold back. It was so incredible to see her come out. And like I said it happened so fast. Her head came out and then an arm that sent some amniotic fluid flying that got Brad square in the chest. :) But then one more push and there she was! I was laughing and crying all at once. They laid her on my chest and my first thought I have to admit was "good lord she's heavy!" I looked at her and saw how beautiful she was while Brad cut the cord. 
I did tear a little so Johannsen had to stitch me up while I cuddled Moya. Apparently her upper arm came out first instead of her lower one so I tore close to my urethra which scored me a catheter for the next 24+ hours. After I was all cleaned up they weighed Moya. We all put in our final guesses and I said that judging by how she felt on my chest there was no way I thought she could be under 10 pounds. Sure enough... 10 pounds 4.4 ounces! 
Her weight also meant she'd have to be tested for low blood sugar. Any baby over 9 pounds gets this. Apparently big babies burn more calories then they can take in. Moya's was low, 33 if I remember correctly. They had me start nursing her but said her best bet would be to supplement with formula as well as breastfeeding to get her more calories. The danger they said was that low blood sugar could affect her brain. So we agreed to the formula.
Belle then got to hold her little sister which was super sweet to see. Being an only child it was very bizzar for me to see my daughter with her sister. Bizzar in a good and very touching way however.
I then got to order some food which was so welcome since I had not had breakfast and was starving. Jaline had brought me a cranberry-apple drink that was sooooo good after having nothing but ice chips.
After a couple hours they moved us to the recovery room; room 480. Our first nurse there was Liz who was very sweet and compassionate. We also got visits from the Pediatrician there who talked with us about Moya's blood sugar. She said if they could get three good readings in a row then she would put her in the clear. If not then they'd need to move her to NICU with an IV. :( It took awhile to get her blood sugar to go up and stay up but eventually she got there. We did formula and I pumped and fed her that as well (we did that because nursing is harder work for babies and thus meant burning more calories which we didn't want her to do). Belle and Gaga stayed until the evening and then decided to head home for the night. This was hard for both me and Belle. I wanted her to stay but knew she'd not be at all comfortable there over night. She also wanted to stay but I could tell she was tired too. It was hard to say good night to her. But it was good she left because that night was in and out nurses in our room.
The next day, Monday, I was able to get my IV out and the catheter. It was nice to be tube free. We also got the professional photos taken of her which turned out nice.
We did get a scare while the photographers where there. After they were done I had let Moya rest on a pillow in my lap. She had been really unhappy with all the moving around for the photos so I was just giving her a second peace before I moved her again. What I didn't see was that her head was too far forward. She let out this terrible cry and I picked her up and we noticed she was blue! Brad went and grabbed two nurses who instantly picked Moya right out of my arms
to examine her. I was panicked. I felt horrible for having not been more careful with her position. But she was instantly crying which meant she was breathing so I knew that was a good sign. They looked and listened to her and said she sounded fine now but they called the pediatrician to come and double check. But she was fine. 
Later Gaga and Belle came to visit and I got to cuddle both my girls. :) She stayed for awhile but they went home again for the evening. Later that night however my mom called and told me Belle had been throwing up. She had come down with some stomach flu. I wanted so bad to be able to be home to be with her, but obviously couldn't. My first experience being a mom of two. Brad and I decided that in the morning Brad would buss back home to be with Belle so my mom could come and pick Moya and me up. My daytime nurse, Denise, was awesome and helped me while Brad was gone. We watched some of the inauguration on TV together.
Gaga arrived around noon. I had to have her bring me a new outfit for Moya because the one I had originally brought to bring her home with was new born size which didn't fit this big ole baby! :) So we dressed her and got her in her car seat and headed home. 
The entire experience was just absolutely perfect. I loved every moment of it and am so happy to see my new baby girl here in my arms... although looking at her I still have no idea how she fit in my belly. I just love her to bits and can't wait to see her and her big sister grow and play together. 
Moya's Birth Photos
1 comment:
What a great birth story and experience for you and the family. Way to go having a mostly unmediated birth! I mean once you are to 8cm you're almost done:) You rock!!! Mary LOVES the Moya videos. She keeps wanting to see, "Baby." Hope that you are recovering well.
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