Introducing Kate Marie

For all our worries we were rewarded.  On November 10, 2010 our daughter, Kate Marie was born.  She came into this world healthy and sturdy - we couldn't be happier.

Her birth story:

Monday:  On the 8th I had a pre-op appointment scheduled at the hospital in case the baby hadn't turned in time and I had to have a c-section. Luckily she had turned!  I went to the appointment anyway and they did an ultrasound to confirm and make sure everything was looking good.  Since she looked good, they sent me home and I was to call in the morning to get an appointment to come in the next day.

Tuesday:  Because of the gestational diabetes they didn't want me to go longer than 40 weeks - which was Tuesday, Nov 9th.  I was hoping to negotiate another day, but I lost.  It is hard to argue with a team of doctors when they start listing the possible (however small) risks the baby has due to the diabetes, especially late in the pregnancy.  I called Jan at work and said they were going to induce me.  He left and got to the hospital around noon.

They gave me a fourth of a pill.  In all the reading I have done never did I read about some labor inducing pill.  But, that's what I got.  It is actually heartburn medication that has the added side effect of inducing labor.  Nice.  Anyway, they gave me the pill and hooked me up to the baby monitoring machines.  Nothing happened.  I was allowed to walk around, go visit my sister-in-law and 2 day old nephew who were rooming across the hall and get something to eat.  I went back four hours later for a half a pill (actually the full dosage), they hooked me up to baby monitoring machines.  Nothin'.  I started getting nervous that after all this nothing-ness I would be ending up with a c-section the next day.  I had heard all these "I was induced and in labor for four days and in the end I had a c-section" horror stories.  Talk about the worst of both worlds.

Tuesday evening I was visiting with my sister-in-law and then went back to my room about at about 10.  Thirty minutes later I started having contractions.  They came regularly all night and about 2am I went down to  L&D for them to check me out.  Since this was my second birth I was nervous things might start happening fast, but I didn't want to call Jan unless it was necessary.  They examined me, but things were still in the beginning stages, so I went back to bed and didn't sleep.

Wednesday:  I called Jan early in the morning to let him know that I was finally having contractions and we waited together while I was hooked up to the baby heart monitor machine.  (not sure what it is called in English - CTG as well?)  What I found somewhat frustrating was that my contractions were not registering on the contraction measuring machine.  Like I had no proof of all this pain.  They gave me another half dose of induction medicine and I was finally starting to dilate.  At one point I was lying there and the midwife called for the doctor and started rushing around getting supplies.  I was barely aware at first what was happening, but I noticed my doctor come in.  She very calmly watched the heartbeat and said the baby must have been sitting/standing/dancing on the umbilical cord, which had made her heartbeat drop.  During those 90 seconds I thought I was going to end up with the c-section after all.

We didn't do much that morning except wait.  I was allowed to go back to my room and I was supposed to come back to L&D around noon.  I went back down around 11:30 and they put me in a delivery room.  Once we got there things progressed much quicker than I thought they were going to.  I was having very strong contractions and since I pushed with Blaise for so long (1.5ish - 2ish hours) without meds I really wanted to avoid that again.  I asked for the epi and I was only a few centimeters dilated.  They called the anesthesiologist and he was there pretty quickly.  This part took forever!  The doctor was super nice and told me in between contractions that his son was born in Portland, Oregon.  He tried doing the epi with me lying on my side because the baby wasn't liking me sitting.  That didn't work, so we he did it quickly with me sitting.  Poor guy got called back a million times because I could still feel those crazy contractions.  Finally he offered me something else, but the midwife shook her head "no" and I was also sick of being stuck everywhere.  After all this ta-do I was fully dilated and soon started pushing.  I think I only pushed about 3 times and with the added help of them breaking my water and an episiotomy, and Kate was born at 1:50pm.  If I had known how quickly it was going to be over I would have skipped the whole epidural, but I was finally nice and numb for them to sew me up!

There were some spots on the placenta that needed to be checked out.  The doctor brought in a large syringe of milk and injected it into the cord and it filled the placenta.  They were able to tell there weren't any holes in because none of the milk came out.

Kate's numbers were really good:  9/10/10 and she nursed right away (after she and I both got cleaned up).  I was able to stay in the delivery room with her and sleep a little bit while Jan hurried home to get my Mom and Blaise.  I was back in my room around 4 or 5 just before Blaise and Grandma Rose came in to see Kate for the first time.