Brooklyn's Birth Story Part 2

January 3, 2013:

Afternoon:

Checked in to the hospital and made the mistake of not eating anything. I was starving but due to the fact that I almost threw-up multiple times the night before I didn't want to put anything in my system. Let me tell you...it was a long 24 hours without food and without sleep. I was so tired and that just seemed to make everything worse. They take me to my hospital room and hook me up to monitor my contractions. As soon as that happened I was no longer in active labor. My contractions were every 6-9 minutes. They gave me an hour to see if active labor would start up again. Nope. They presented me with my options: go home or get induced. At this point I didn't want to do either. I was in so much pain. I had back labor like nobodies business. They gave me an hour to walk around to try and start labor on my own. So grateful I had a midwife who supported my choices to want to go as natural as possible. After that hour they checked me again. I hadn't progressed at all and my contractions weren't close enough together. It was time to send me home and I just lost it. I knew that this cycle was going to continue for days and I wasn't sure how to handle all this pain on my own. They left me alone to discuss with Derek if I wanted to get a shot to help with the pain. During that time Derek said a prayer asking for inspiration on what to do. I was so stressed out. I didn't want a shot and I didn't want this to continue for days. During this whole time they were monitoring  my contractions. My midwife and nurse came back in and I told them we had decided to get a shot and go home. At that point she informed me that they needed to admit me. During my contractions my baby's heartbeat was dropping significantly and struggling to return to her baseline. With that being the case they have to keep you and watch you. They then presented me with new options. Labor needed to be started immediately. It wasn't safe for her anymore. After much thought, many painful contractions, and some inspiration I decided to let them break my water and then start my on pitocin...but only after I received the epidural. I knew that I would be in more pain then I could handle with pitocin. I was so tired because I hadn't slept in days that I wasn't strong enough to fight through the pain on my own.

Evening:

I had a great anesthesiologist who took the time to explain the procedure in great depth. I am terrified of needles and thought that I would end up paralyzed if I received an epidural. Derek stood in front of me and held my hand as he started to progress. I had to ask him to wait multiple times because my contractions were so strong and painful that I couldn't fully relax. It's best to relax when getting a huge needle placed in your back. What a joy. The dr was patient enough to wait through them. It hurt...yes...but did it hurt worse than constant contractions? No. I jumped a couple times just from the local anesthetic. Not a fan. After the epidural was in me things really started to look up. ha They broke my water and started me on pitocin immediately. They found tons of meconium in my water and it just reconfirmed that I needed to be there. They also had to do internal monitoring of the baby's heartbeat. I didn't want that at all and couldn't control my tears. It's where they stick a small screw in the baby's head. My poor sweet girl. They wouldn't let me get out of it and helped me understand why it was necessary. Anyways, I knew it was a good epidural because I could feel a lot of uncomfortable pressure but not the pain I was feeling before. During this time, as I was relaxed and progressing, my whole family, along with Derek's, showed up to open Jamie's mission call. So grateful she was willing to open it up in the hospital so I could be part of it. She is going to the London England mission. So exciting. It's where she always wanted to serve. I tried to get some rest so I could have energy to push but that didn't happen. Finally I am feeling the baby go crazy with each contraction. They are strong and close together. I have them check me and I am ready. It's go time. My mom and Derek's mom joined us in the delivery room. I couldn't believe it was finally time. They told me how most first time moms can push for hours and to not be surprised if it took a while. To give me some inspiration as I got closer they brought in a mirror. I didn't want this either but ended up being grateful for it. It gave me the motivation I needed to push harder. I was able to push Brooklyn out in 35 minutes. Because of the meconium they put her on my stomach for a few seconds then rushed her away to the respiratory therapist. At that point I wasn't sure what was happening to her I could just hear her screaming. I asked Derek to watch over them. After what seemed like forever, only 20 minutes, they finally brought her back to me. There was a joy and unexplainable feeling that washed over me when they handed me my sweet girl. She was mine. She was precious. I immediately loved her. Those tears didn't stop for a long time. We finally brought back in the remaining family members to meet her...Martha, Jamie, Samantha, and Rick. What an eventful night.

Looking back upon the experience it was nothing that I wanted but exactly what I needed. I never wanted to be induced, receive an epidural, do internal monitoring, have my water broken, etc. I am just so grateful that Heavenly Father saw the bigger picture. He knew what I needed to get through this experience and come out with a healthy child. My midwife was amazing.

Here are some pictures from all of the events. Please don't mind how chubby my face looks and the fact that I have no makeup on. Good news...it has slimmed down since this event. I do not miss being swollen at all. We feel so blessed to have sweet Brooklyn in our life and love watching her grow and change everyday. She already looks so different than the pictures below.

Feeling pretty good here

She's so happy to be going to London

Loved my nurse. She was awesome. Full concentration for pushing.

Sweet baby Brooklyn is here!

Kim, Addie, and Bennett came to visit. Loved seeing Addie take care of Brooklyn

Daddy sure loves his little girl