We left our house Thursday morning at 7:20AM. I went home on Sunday but have spent the week more or less living at Children's and so much has changed. Most of you who read my blog already know Hope Lorraine Crellin arrived at 2:47 Friday morning, but I wanted to share her story.
Our ride to the hospital on Thursday was anything but smooth. There's nothing quite like trying to get to Longwood Medical area at rush hour. We got there 20 minutes late and then had to wait in the waiting room for almost an hour. Talk about nerve wracking.
We were ushered back to a labor delivery room. Both Chris and I were hoping that they'd give me the medicine to induce me and then send us off to have breakfast or lunch, as so many had told us was the case with their induction. It was clear as soon as we got there that that was not what was to happen. I was told to put on the Johnny and was put on a fetal heartrate monitor and a contraction monitor. I was cuffed to check my blood pressure and it was even higher than it had been. They were concerned about it and were talking about treating it. Fortunately it didn't get any higher. So from then on, I was pretty much chained to the machine. That was the first of many things that were not in my birth plan. I wanted to be able to move around freely, but between the baby's heart and my blood pressure, there was no chance of that.
Around 11, they checked me to see if I was dialated. I was 1 cm and my body had made progress since Tuesday. They gave me misoprostal to soften my cervix and get the process started. The plan was to check me again around 3 or 4 and see if I had made progress and probably give me more drugs. Then if nothing happened, they'd break my water. We hung out in the room, ordered some lunch and just chilled out. I filled out the baby book, wrote some thank you notes, and waited for things to happen. Around 2:30, I got up to use the bathroom and when I was done, and went to come back out, I felt a dribble down my leg. My water had broken on its own with no more meds! The process was moving. After that, I started having contractions. The nurse came in and told me I looked "labory". The contractions started, then picked up sometime after dinner. I was getting through them ok until about 9:30-10. By then they had become unbearable, especially because I was on a leash and couldn't go too far from the monitor. I hadn't been checked and I was way too uncomfortable for them to check me, so I had no way of knowing how much longer it would go on. All i wanted to do was rest and take a nap, I but couldn't sit still, it was so painful. I gave in and decided I needed assistance and took an epidural. Getting the epidural was a challenge as I was fighting painful contractions, one on top of the other. Once it was in, I got immediate relief. I was now confined to the bed, couldn't eat, but at least I was comfortable. None of this was in the birth plan, but I knew I had made the right decision for me and the baby. I was pretty sure if I didn't get assistance, I wouldn't have the energy by the time I needed to push. The nurse, Julie, checked me, and I was now 6cm. By then it was 11 and I was able to take a nap and rest while waiting for it to be time to push. The nurse told me that if I had pressure in my backside to let her know, because it would be likely it would be almost time. Around 1, I felt it. The nurse came in, checked me, I was 8cm. She told me we'd start to push in a half hour unless I felt like I needed to sooner. She went off to notify the doctor and NICU, who would then notify Children's. At 1:30, she came back with a resident, they gave me instructions, and it was go time. I found pushing much more rewarding than labor because I was doing something and the end was in sight. I pushed for about an hour and was making great progress. She called the doctor and NICU and the party was on. There were 10 extra people in the room, all waiting for our baby to come into the world. 17 minutes later, she crowned. As I pushed, Dr Achilles looked at the monitor turned to his resident and said we're go to make a small incision. This was the last thing that was not on my birth plan, an episiotomy. But baby's heart rate had gone up and Dr Achilles wanted her out on this final push. And with one snip, Hope came into this world.
The first remark from everyone was that she was pink! This was good news. If she was struggling, she was going to be blue. But she was not even a little blue. They cleaned her up a little, wrapped her, and handed her to me. I got to hold her for about 2 minutes and then she was whisked away to the NICU.
Chris went with her, while they stitched me up. They brought her back to see me before they transported her, but she was all boxed up for transport. Eventually, around 4:30, I got wheeled down to the recovery floor. It was so good to get out of that room. I had been chained up in there for 18 hours. I was looking forward to sleep, though that never really came. I decided I should pump before sleeping, then shortly after I closed my eyes, the floor doctor came in to check me. Then I woke up in pain. I paged the nurse, and she helped me use the bathroom and get settled back in bed. I tried to sleep a little more, decided I should pump, asked the nurse to help me with that, and then ordered food and took a shower.
By afternoon, I was feeling good enough to get over to Children's to see her, though it was draining. Meanwhile, all this time, Chris never slept. He was with Hope from the time she was born until lunch on Friday. I spent the weekend at Beth Israel, but mostly running back and forth between there and Childrens.
Proud Daddy
That is the story of her birth, I am going to write a separate entry with an update on her health later. It is lengthy and I don't have much time, but for now, know that she is doing well. She is still at children's and has had nothing but good days, except for a small glitch
yesterday.
Our little eggplant sleeping so peacefully
Day 1 in CICU
Love this little peanut already
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