Friday, January 21, 2011

Halsey's Birth Story- the longest post ever!

This is one of the longest post I'll ever make but I want to remember every single detail!

It all started on Monday, December 20th. I went in for my 40 week OB appointment and she asked me if I would want to induce or give it another week. Tyler and I talked it over and decided to go ahead and induce seeing Christmas was that weekend and knowing my luck I would go in labor Christmas Eve. We ran a few errands, ate at Olive Garden,called everyone, then came back and headed up to labor and delivery. It was CRAZY! So many women had came in during the 2 hours we were gone, but they still kept me. Mom got there later that evening with snacks for her and Tyler, but I was limited to ice chips and popsicles. Talk about a bummer! We settled in, watched t.v. and started the Cytotec around 10:30 that night. That was the LONGEST night of my life. I couldn't lay completely flat on my back, not on my stomach, and not all the way on my side because the monitors would lose her heartbeat, go off, the nurse would come in, and we would have to readjust everything. After 3 doses of Cytotec, we started the Pitocin around 11:30 the next morning.



Let me just say that I never felt a single contraction as crazy as that sounds. I was having contractions during the Cytotec and Pitocin but I just couldn't feel them- and I was okay with that! I started to progress and Dr. Markell came to break my water around 12:30. I was still just as comfortable as could be, but the nurse came in and said the anesthesiologist was going home around 3 and if I wanted an epidural, I needed to start getting ready. I got my epidural around 2:30 and then took a nap. The rest of the afternoon and evening I made very little progress and was pretty much stuck at a 4. The nurse came in around 10 that night, checked me, and said that she was almost positive the doctor would want to do a c-section but she would let us know. That was when I started to get nervous! Dr. Smith came in around 11, talked with us, and then it was go time!


The nurse came in, got me prepped, mom and Tyler packed up our room, called the in-laws to tell them to head back to the hospital and then they took me back. I'll never forget laying on that table thinking these were the last minutes Halsey would be in my stomach. I was terrified! Tyler was still outside the room, they would let him in once they had me cut open. The anesthesiologist started giving me the medicine through my epidural and we waited. It wasn't working (which was my biggest fear) on my stomach- I couldn't feel my legs but I could feel them pricking my stomach and I freaked. I quickly told him I could feel it and his response, "Well then you're going all the way out!" Great! I won't have any memory of my daughter actually being born. The last thing I remember was telling the nurses to make sure Tyler took pictures :-)

After I was out, Tyler was able to come in and sit up by my head. He was told if he stook up he could see her and at 12:47 a.m. on December 22nd, Halsey Jayde came into the world. He took three beautiful pictures and I'm so thankful to have those. The doctor also said that I would've ended up with a c-section no matter what, her head was stuck behind my pubic bone. From there things went downhill. Apparently the general anesthesia they gave me, also went to Halsey and she would not breathe on her own. They worked on her for a little while in the room before saying, "We have to get this baby out of here" (Tyler told me all of this by the way) and rushing her into the nursery. No explanation of what was wrong, nothing. She was just gone. And that's when I'm thankful I was out of it. I woke up to Tyler and my mom standing by the bed, I asked if she had hair and how much she weighed. Tyler reassured me she had hair and they hadn't heard her weight yet. I was still oblivious to the fact that something was wrong!



They took me to our room, brought Halsey in to nurse around 3 a.m. and she was hooked up to monitors. The nurse then explained what had happened and that she was intubated for about 10 minutes. They wanted to monitor her in the nursery, so they would bring her to nurse, sit there with us, then take her back. We all got some sleep and waited to see her throughout the day. She finally could stay with us that evening and most of all, she was healthy.




We came home Christmas Eve and have been in love ever since. Halsey- you are the light of our lives and we love you so much!




Happy Friday!







2 comments:

  1. I can't believe you never felt the contractions! I'm so glad baby Halsey is finally here!

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  2. I didn't realize they knocked you all the way out. Wow. I hope your next birth experience isn't quite so scary! :) What matters is that you and Halsey are safe and sound!

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