Monday, November 2, 2015

Becoming Mama

The last post that I wrote before disappearing for a few months was a 40 week pregnancy update post. I re-read it last night and all the memories of being 40 weeks pregnant came flooding back to me. I remember being so anxious to meet my little girl, worried about what labor was going to be like, tired of being so huge,  and exhausted because I couldnʻt sleep because I was too busy thinking too much about all those other things. I wanted her out right then and there so that I could stop expecting and start being mama.

Well, baby girl was born less than 24 hours after I posted that! We had gone in for my 40 week check up that day knowing that it was very possible (even likely) that baby would be baking for another week or 2. I didnʻt think that I could handle that. I met with the midwife that day fully prepared to ask her to sweep my membranes. My sister told me that she had them do that during her first pregnancy and my niece was born the next day. Well, I ended up not having to at all.

My blood pressure was high. The midwife was nervous that I was in the beginning stages of preeclampsia. I had been tested for it a few weeks earlier, but the doctor wasnʻt worried so they didnʻt do anything about it then. In all honesty, my blood pressure was probably high because I was so stressed out about whether or not it was time for baby to come. But, since high blood pressure runs in my family, it was better to be safe than sorry. The midwife decided to send me in to labor and delivery where they could better assess my situation and decide what to do from there.

So off we went to the hospital!
hospital Tasia, obviously thrilled to be hooked up to all sorts of machines.

At the hospital, they monitored my blood pressure for a couple of hours before they decided to induce me. They started with Prepidil to help things move along, then moved to Pitocin after a few hours. Honestly, by this point I had lost all track of time. All I really remember is that my water broke at about 6:00pm while I was using the bathroom.

I got an epidural at about 10:30/11:00 at night.

Because babyʻs heartbeat was cutting in and out during contractions, my nurse stayed in my room practically all night.

Thankfully, Josh and I got a little bit sleep...even if it was just a few minutes here and there.

At 7:00 the next morning, the doctors and midwives decided that I was ready to push. After about half an hour or so of pushing, our daughter was born. She was 7 lbs 10oz and she was 19.25 inches long. She was perfect. She still is perfect.

THESE. They helped sooo much!

Honestly, labor and delivery didnʻt go as I had planned. I had wanted to labor in the labor tub but since they had to monitor me and baby the whole time, I couldnʻt do that. I had wanted to give birth naturally--no drugs, but because the contractions came fast and HARD I decided that the pain was too much for me and I got the epidural.  I had wanted to go in to labor naturally but because of the risk of preeclampsia, it was much safer to get the medical help that my body needed (also, she would probably still be chilling in their right now if she could be, haha). I thought that labor would last much, much longer because I was induced but it ended up being quick and (fairly) easy.

I thought a lot of things about how it would all go down. Iʻm the kind of person who needs to know every last detail of the plan before even agreeing to something. But I guess when it comes to bringing a child into the world and then raising that child, you canʻt know every last detail of the plan. You agree to the unknown. I canʻt complain though. My unknown brought me this:

Lilia was born on July 22, 2015 at 7:45 am weighing 7lbs and 10oz at 19.25 inches long

P.S. I feel like I need to mention how much of a champ Josh was during the whole L&D process. Even though he was tired, nervous, and worried about me he was absolutely amazing. He stayed next to me, holding my hand the entire time. He was the one who walked me to the bathroom (when I was able to walk around) and rubbed my back as I was showering. He was the restocker of essential oils in the diffuser. He talked to everyone on the phone when I couldnʻt. When it was time to push and I felt like I couldnʻt do it, he kept insisting that I could. He was the first to see Lilia and he cried when he cut the cord. I couldnʻt have asked for a better delivery couch or a better daddy to my girl.

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