The Start of Something New

Warning: This is the story of baby girl's birth. It is long. It is detailed. Don't continue reading if you don't want the dirty details!
Good luck reading. It's long. I don't expect anyone to finish. . . but it's here for those who have asked :)

This little girl was a surprise for us. Never unwanted, just unexpected. We had talked about being done having children. Pregnancy is really hard on me. I am very sick for nine months, and this time around was no exception. The only difference is I hadn't mentally prepared myself for the months of sickness to come.

I don't know if I was really more nauseous this time around, but I definitely had days of more violent sickness than I did with my other two. I also had two kiddos to take care of, that don't take naps any more, that made things fun. They were so good for me though, and helped take care of each other. They became best friends. They are inseparable now, and I love it!

At 18 weeks I developed pubic symphysis. My pubic bone separated further than it should have. I don't think I had ever experienced pain like it before. I could barely walk (literally some days I could not walk). The pain got worse over the months. I lived my days in constant pain, and nausea. Fun times.

I decided since this might be our last I wanted to do it naturally. I decided to birth at the Allen birthing center, and immediately fell in love with all three midwives. I was really excited about doing this naturally. Well maybe the word empowered is a better word than excited. . .

Now to the actual labor and birth. Monday (last week) I felt like I was getting the flu but not. I knew it meant labor would be coming sometime soon. Wednesday my lower back never stopped throbbing. I didn't get much sleep that night. Thursday I woke up and was restless. I wanted to get on my treadmill to see if I could start some contractions, but had no energy to do much of anything. Just restless. I hate that feeling. Wanting to be able to do something, but can't do anything.

Around two on Thursday I called a friend to let her know I thought I would be in labor sometime that night or tomorrow, just to put her on alert. I got off the phone with her and went to the bathroom. There was a big gush, my water broke. . . but when I stood up there was blood running down my legs. Not something I was expecting to see. I had to stay on the toilet at this point because it wasn't stopping. Called Mike to tell him to come home, and called the sitter to come right over. Seriously ten minutes had passed since I just got off the phone with her saying it would probably be later that night. . . I guess she got a little warning :)

We were finally able to get to the birthing center just after four. At the birthing center the midwife told me she thought the blood was just my bloody show mixed with my waters. It just seemed like a lot to me, but I went with it, because I didn't know any different. I was only dilated to a 3 and she wanted me to go on a walk for an hour to see if I could start contractions. Nothing. The midwife didn't want to send me home quite yet, even though I wanted to go home to labor. She wanted me to go get something to eat and meet back in an hour just to see if anything was happening.

As soon as we got in the car to go get food contractions hit. HARD. One on top of another. I didn't eat much :) She checked me again and said I was at a four and a half, and said maybe I could go lie down while they filled up the pool. (I wanted to labor in the pool, but definitely not birth in it. Kind of grossed me out (a lot) to think about delivering in a pool of water).

I never made it to the bed to rest. I stayed in the bathroom hunched over the counter waiting for the pool to fill up. It took just under an hour to get enough water in it for me to get in. So sometime around seven I got in the water. There really wasn't a stop and start to the contractions at this point. No breaks between. The water helped me calm down a little. . . I think. It was better than standing that's for sure.

An hour later I was starting to grunt and wanting (okay not wanting) to push. The midwife asked if I wanted to get out because she knew I didn't want to birth in the pool. I said I am NOT MOVING. She said okay well your baby girl is ready to come you just have to let her. I think I pushed two or three times and she was here. She was here. Quiet. She was alert and looking around, just didn't want to cry.

I moved to the bed to deliver the placenta. Next thing I know the midwife has a weird look on her face and said the cord fell off and was shredded. She said I think this is what was causing the bleeding. It's a miracle it didn't fall off before the baby was born. We have a miracle baby here. (She ended up having her stomach pumped at the birthing center because of the blood she swallowed, and I hear that got her crying)!

The placenta never came though. She said she had to get it out because I was bleeding. What happened next was worse than the actual labor. The midwife had to stick her arm inside of me and try to grab the placenta. We'll just say it took everything I had not to scream (I did do some yelling though!). Time seemed to go by so quick that I didn't realize it was ten and she said I think I need to get you to the hospital. She called a dr. they work with and asked if she could just bring me in, instead of calling the ambulance.

I remember walking to her car, giving her my wallet with insurance information and then contractions starting. Just as bad as the ones I had just experienced. One on top of another. No break in between. I remember thinking this isn't fair, I already had the baby. That and blood. I remember blood running down my legs.

They got me checked in really fast, and back into the labor and delivery operating room quickly. I scribbled something on papers that was supposed to look like my name, but I think it was just scribbles. Had an iv put in and a spinal block done, and the dr got to work doing the same thing the midwife had previously been doing. Thankfully this time I didn't feel as much. It was still painful, but not screaming pain.

I don't remember a whole lot after this point. Just being tired. Hearing the nurses and dr say how white I was turning, and seeing worried faces. My midwife stayed next to me and would talk to me, but I wouldn't respond. I just wanted to sleep. I do remember thinking you better pull through because Ainsley won't be happy if you don't come home.

At one point they started blood transfusions and I started moaning and trying not to cry. The dr. asked if he was hurting me. I kept trying to tell them my veins were going to explode. Something wasn't right with the transfusion, so they switched the needle to my other arm.

A couple hours later I was back in my room. The dr told me the bleeding had automatically stopped when he got the placenta out. He also let me know that I was the hardest he has worked on. Of course I was :)

Mike brought the baby over to the hospital to meet me. I got to hold her a few minutes and then Mike took her home. I tried to sleep. Like that happens in a hospital though.

I wanted to go home as soon as I could and the dr said we could see how things looked later in the morning. I don't think the nurses were expecting me to be able to go home, and kept reminding me of what I had just gone through.

Around lunch time Mike and the kids surprised me and came to visit. Not long after they got there the dr came in and said I was one tough woman and good to go home. I would be tired and dizzy for a few days, and I needed to load up on iron. I needed to take it easy for the next few weeks. You better believe I got out of that bed as fast as I could (which was pretty slow since I was so dizzy) and got dressed to go home.

And here we are today. I still have an almost debilitating migraine from the spinal block. My feet are swollen. I am tired and still pale. But I am home. Lying on the couch wishing I could get up, instead of just watching Mike do everything. But I am home and all of my kids are healthy! That's something to smile about!!

Pictures of the little lady will be coming sometime this week.