Madeline's birth story

It's taken me 5 days to open my computer for the first time.  :)  Bear with me as I try to get as much of this story out as I can in the 30 seconds I have before somebody needs me, lol.


So.

I woke up about 2am on Wednesday morning and was just restless.  Didn't feel great.  About 3am I started having some contractions.  They were 8 mins apart.  I timed them until a little before 5:30 when I decided to go ahead and get up and shower.  I went to the bathroom and wondered if my water had broken/sprung a leak.

Decided to go ahead and take a nice shower.  I love that I had time to shave and just feel really clean before tackling the day.  Got out, got dressed, did my hair, took my time.  Contractions had stopped.  I decided to lie down for half an hour and then get up to see how things were.  It was hard to tell, but I thought I might be leaking.  So, I called the hospital to see what they suggested and they said to come on in.

We went about our normal morning routine.  I packed the rest of my bag, got the girls breakfast and when Jen got there, we told her we were headed to the hospital to get checked out.  I was still pretty worried they were going to tell me my water hadn't broken and send me home.  Kyle got ready for work just in case it was a false alarm.

Kyle and I got to the hospital around 9am.  We waited for a while to register - but I think they let me jump the line some cause I didn't wait more than 10 mins ("Hi, I'm in labor"  apparently has it's perks)

We got to our room, got changed, and they did a swab to check for fluid.  My contractions picked up and were every 5 mins.  An hour later, they came back and confirmed that my water had broken and that we'd be having a baby today.  They hooked up my IVs and I worked on breathing through the contractions that were getting stronger.

Unfortunately, the contractions spaced back out to 10 mins apart, so they decided to hook me up to the pictocin to keep things moving in the right direction. Once your water breaks - you've got 24 hours to deliver, so they like to keep things going. They upped the pit every 30 mins and after the first hour, my contractions were getting to be pretty painful.  I could deal with them still, but it sucked.  I wonder how contractions differ on and off of pitocin.  I think the pit makes it worse.  Kyle started getting nervous and told me to go ahead and get the epi - but I was trying to hold out.  Y'know, there's that part of you that wants to see how much you can take?  I was kinda there.  I wanted to see.  But, it was really bothering Kyle to see me like that I guess.  So when the nurse suggested that I go ahead and get it if I wanted it - I said ok.

3pm. Epi man came in and did his thing.  I could still feel the contractions on my right side, so I had to lay on my side to see if the medicine would seep down.  It didn't, so the epi man came in and gave me a booster.  That worked.  Couldn't feel a THING.

They decided to check me for the first time.  Doc let me know that I was all of 3cm, which was utterly embarassing.  I was seriously bummed out about that and a little angry at my body who had been having contractions for a week with No Result.  Stupid body.  I really was annoyed, and resigned myself to settle in for a long afternoon.

 I took this time to text and update folks and then decided to try to rest.  As soon as I closed my eyes, I started feeling the contractions in my left side.  So, we tried laying on that side for a while.  The nurse said that my bladder might be full and that emptying it might help.  Fine with me.

So, she went to help with that and said "Oh. You might be about ready."  I was shocked.  SHOCKED.  It had only been a little over an hour since I got the epi and they measured me at 3cm. I was mentally prepared to wait for another 6-10 hours.

I heard the nurse say that they would call my OB, but that she wouldn't make it in time.  I was all "huh?  now?"    Yoda doctor came in and we joked how he said I would go into labor today...the day before he had told me I would go into labor the next day because my "face had changed"  He's a little mystic.   He went to check my progress and said (in his thick indian accent) "Well, de head is right there, she can push when she wants"

With Abby and E - I felt the pressure and had the urge to push despite the Epi - not so much this time.  I couldn't feel anything at all.

So, they got everything ready and the next thing I know, the nurse is giving me instructions on how to push- and I was still all "wait, you actually want me to push?  We're doing this now? Like, for real?"

So, I pushed for I think 4 or 5 rounds and out she came.

6.12.13 - 4:54pm - 8lbs 3oz - 20.5 inches - ten fingers, ten toes.

They put her right on my belly which was awesome - I'd never gotten to do that with A or E.  When they lifted her up, I saw she was a girl and was surprised.  They didn't announce it right away, so I asked "is it a girl?"  It was.

I cried, and stared at her and rubbed her slimy little head while Kyle got to cut the cord.  She was SCREAMING mad.  They took her to clean her up, and I waited for them to bring her over.

They let us chill in the room with her for a while.  I tried nursing - I dunno if it worked or not, but I tried.  Kyle and I talked about names and I told him "She came out mad.  I think she's a Madeline."  He found it to be a compelling argument and we had our name.

We stayed with her in the room for a while before they took her down to the nursery.  I stayed in the bed for another 3+ hours waiting for my epi to wear off enough to walk.  Even then, I nearly passed out when I got up - but we did make it down to recovery and Kyle helped me get settled in before he left for home around 9pm.

The hospital team loved the story that her temperament at birth was what decided her name.  We had no shortage of people commenting on how loud our little M was in the nursery.  Every time a nurse would bring her in, they would chuckle and say something like "Oh, this one isn't afraid to tell you when she needs something..."

The hospital stay was nice.  Once people found out it was my 3rd, they pretty much left me alone until I called for something.  I enjoyed the meals brought to me and the luxury of having a nursery at my disposal.  Madeline was great.

The girls did well meeting her.  Abby hasn't stopped doting on her since she first saw her.  E is a little more reserved.  She calls her Mad-Lion - and then roars.  We find that pretty funny...and appropriate.  She's been very sweet to her, and shows spurts of interests, but is also happy to go about her regularly scheduled programing.  On more than one occasion, we've found E being secretly sweet to Madeline.  She'll sing her a lullaby or kiss her - and if you catch her in the act and ask her "Oh, are you being sweet?" E will fervently deny it.  "NO.  I not." and then she'll walk off to do something else.

Our little Mad-Lion has actually been pretty chill since we got home.  It took her a good 2 days before we heard her initial trademark roar again.  She is a typical newborn - one who sleeps 22 hours a day and eats for the other 2 that are left.

Nursing has been going ok.  Ups and Downs already.  I'm pretty determined to make this work, so I'm trying to work through the pain and initial injuries in order to get back on a level playing field.  I'm trying to remember I need to eat and drink enough  - and so far my supply is good...so that's helpful.  Wish us luck on that front.  I've said it before - but it's amazing our species has survived as long as it has.

I have a lot more I want to record, but I've used up enough time as it is.  Hopefully I can get back on soon to get down all the little moments I want to remember.