Anyway, here is what has been happening in our world!
Please don't judge my grammar too harshly. I need to go back to college.
All righty, don't continue reading if you don't want a lot of information that might be considered TMI! If you make it all the way to the end of the birth story post, you will be rewarded with baby pictures.
*Button for the belly. This is from the time in November when I went to Disneyland BY MYSELF. It was the BEST DAY EVER!*
*25 weeks pregnant. This was Daphne's third (out of four) half marathon (and my seventh of eight...so far).*
*Selfie - Over 40 weeks pregnant. Daphne and I celebrated the Boston Marathon by "running" 2.62 miles. (The run was more of a speedy sort of waddle.)*
Actual due date: April 24, 2014. Due date after first ultrasound: April 19,
2014. Due date after 20 week ultrasound: April 21, 2014.
I went
in to be induced on Friday, April 25th (the "perfect date" - Miss
Congeniality) around 6 A.M. Luke came
with me. After I was admitted, I was put
on the monitors and told that I was already having contractions, even though I
couldn't feel them at all! I was given
cervadil to soften my cervix - which was
dilated to a two but still very thick and high up.
I started to be able to feel my contractions soon after.
After a
couple of hours I was able to get up and labor how I wanted. I bounced on the exercise ball I had brought
with me, I walked around, etc. Every
couple hours I had to be put back on the monitors for twenty minutes or so to
make sure the baby was okay. I was able
to take a short nap in the early afternoon which was good because after lunch
my contractions got harder and I needed to concentrate to work through them. Mom
and Grandma showed up around this time.
*Tangent: The clock at the foot of my bed in my LDRP suite
wasn't working. To keep people from
assuming it was 9:05 my nurse offered to put up a picture to cover it. I
suggested something funny and Barbie suggested Ryan Gosling. The nurse came back with two pictures, Ryan
and a creepy one of my doctor. After my
labor and delivery was all said and done, my mom giggled and said, "Ryan
Gosling's seen up your hoo-ha."
Poor Ryan.*
Throughout
the entire labor I used essential oils - diffused and rubbed into my back,
stomach and ankles - to create a calming environment and help manage my
pain. I really did notice a difference
when the oils were used; I also noticed when they started to wear off and
needed to be reapplied.
We
started watching a movie (Gattaca - don't waste your time) to help distract
me. Doctor Kasco came in about halfway
through the movie and shoved his hand up my hoo-ha (dilated to a 4 at this point
and my cervix was still thick) and decided with his hand still jammed up
there - very painfully - to have a conversation about breaking my water. I wasn't really ready for this step because I
was worried that the baby was still too high up, or the chord was around her
neck and that breaking my water would send her into distress. At this point, I burst into tears. Being checked caused me horrible pain - worse
than the contractions - but mainly, I was upset by the quick decision. He
popped a small hole in my water and I proceeded to leak for the remainder of my
labor.
I was
checked a few more times (by my new nurse who was very nice and friendly, she
just had VERY large, unfriendly hands - the first time she checked me I raised
my hand to do her physical harm. I
stopped myself but both Luke and my mom commented after she left,
"Woah! You were going to hit her or
jerk her right outta there weren't you?!" ) and I cried for a few minutes twice
more because I was worried about infection setting in because my water was
broken. After one of the times, Luke's
parents came to visit and I was a sniffling, blubbering wreck. Labor was wearing me out and having people repeatedly
shove their hands up inside me for no real reason was starting to get on my
nerves. I eventually announced that
there would be "NO MORE CHECKS" and "I WILL TELL YOU WHEN I FEEL
IT IS TIME TO PUSH!"
As my
labor progressed, with each contraction I focused on different visualizations (for example:
each contraction was a wave that would wash over me and help my body open up
and bring the baby down), my breathing, having an open mouth and making low
sounds that would vibrate my chest. My
mom called it my "singing." I
bounced on the ball, swayed my hips, squatted, leaned on Luke for support, and
received lower back massage (aka: Luke pushed on my lower back as hard as he
could with tennis balls - BACK LABOR is NO FUN...you think I would be used to
it now because I've had it with two of my babies). Considering the circumstances, I was actually
very calm. I was never scared,
either. I think I was too focused on the
end result - a baby - to be afraid of the pain that was happening or would be
coming.
Since I
believe that the baby can sense and react to the feelings and actions of the
mother, I tried to keep the atmosphere positive and light. Also, no one likes a mean-faced,
cranky-pants. Throughout the labor and
delivery I never once yelled, screamed, cursed (not even silently in my head),
physically harmed, or insulted anyone. I
was polite and minded my manners.
As my
contractions got worse Luke started saying things like, "We'll have a baby
in a couple of hours or less," and then I would chime in with "Nope. They aren't bad enough yet," or
"Don't jinx it."
As I
labored I talked to the baby. "You
and me, kid. We've got this," or
"Come on, baby! Move down! Everyone
is wants to meet you," things like that.
Let me
tell you, those transition labor contractions are no joke. They seemed never ending and all I wanted to
do was take a nap. I remember saying, "I am SO tired! I don't want to do
this anymore." I asked my nurse how
soon the anesthesiologist could be there and she replied with, "As soon as
I call him. Do you want me to?" I
responded with, "No. I just like
hearing that I have the option." I
was determined to have a non-medicated labor and delivery. I knew I was strong and could do it; there is
just something cathartic about complaining.
Dr.
Kasco came in and checked me once more (no crying this time!) and said it was
time to push. Hallelujah! Pushing felt
wonderful! It felt productive! It didn't hurt nearly as much as the
contractions. Pushing was awesome!
I was
really hoping not to tear during this delivery; I packed specific essential
oils to use for that specific purpose. I
applied the oils right before I pushed.
It didn't help me with tearing but it did help with the "ring of
fire" because I didn't feel anything of the sort. I think that if I had delivered the baby a
bit slower, the oil would have done its job.
I only
pushed four times before she was born (April 25, 2014 - 9:41 P.M.). Both Aslynn and Eleanor got their shoulders
stuck and I didn't want that to happen with Daphne. As soon as they told me her head was
delivered ("Oh my! She's got LOTS of hair!"), I pushed HARD. I pushed her out so fast that Kasco had to
scramble to catch her. One of Luke's
favorite things to say about the birth is, "You shot that baby right out
of you!" Kasco was sprayed in the
face with all manner of birth fluids; poor guy.
I had
specific instructions regarding what I wanted to happen after the baby was born
(No cutting the cord until AFTER the placenta was delivered and NO pitocin to
help deliver the placenta) but that didn't happen. A few minutes after Daphne's birth, I looked
up and saw deep concern - and maybe some fear - on my mom's face and at the
same time, Kasco stood up and started giving orders to the nurses. I shifted my attention from the baby on my
chest to my nether-region and felt blood
pulsing out of me. (My mom later said
that it was like a waterfall). Kasco
quickly explained to me what was going on and told me that I needed pitocin to
stop the bleeding and asked if he could give me some. I agreed, much to the
relief of my mom. Pitocin was connected
to my IV port (which hadn't been connected to anything throughout the entire
labor and delivery). Two bags of pitocin
in less than 30 minutes and the bleeding stopped.
I asked
to see my placenta. I always thought
placentas were gross until I started doing research. It's not disgusting; it's beautiful! Think about how cool it is; the placenta is a
rockin' awesome temporary organ that a body makes to nourish a baby! All hail
the placenta! I made a perfect placenta, if I do say so myself. (Actually, the first picture that went out to
the family, via text message, after the announcement of Daphne's birth was a picture of the
placenta. Luke sent it because he is a
funny guy.)
*I was going to post a picture of my gorgeous placenta, but I didn't think that you would appreciate its glory the way I do. In fact, I think it might gross you out.*
As soon
as she was born, they placed Daphne on my chest. She stayed for over an hour. She nursed like a champ! (At the gender determining ultrasounds the
tech wasn't very certain about the gender - she didn't feel comfortable saying
one way or the other at the first one and the second ultrasound was only two
minutes long, so she guessed that the baby was a girl. Aslynn REALLY wanted a
baby brother; she cried - more than once - when we told her the baby would
probably be a girl and throughout my pregnancy she said things like, "When
the baby comes out and it's a boy...")
Daphne had been on my chest for a while before I asked, "Is the
baby a boy or a girl?" The nurse responded with, "Oh! Well, I think I saw girl parts."
After
she was taken off my chest, she was weighed (8 lb. 3 oz. and 20 1/4 in. long)
and bathed. She was screaming but Luke came over and placed his hand on her chest and talked to her, which calmed her down. Daphne wasn't a fan of her bath but she did love (and still does)
having her hair washed.
Luke
was the first one to hold her (after me) and he snuggled her for a long
time. Father and daughter curled up in a
corner together and fell asleep. (Because being born and watching someone be born is hard work.)
During
my labor we all (everyone who was in my room at the time) suggested and
discussed different baby names. Luke and
I usually have a small list of names we are considering but we never really
talked about names or made a list during this third pregnancy. We made a small list the day Daphne was born,
but as usual, we waited to pick one until we saw what she looked like. Luke and I named her the next morning, when
it was just the two of us, sitting in the hospital room together, snuggling our
beautiful new daughter. Her middle name
is my mom's middle name and part of my middle name.
I
couldn't have done it without the support of Luke, my mom and grandmother, great nurses and extended family! I appreciate them so much for their respect
of my birth plan, goals and decisions as well as their love, comfort, guidance
and help with Daphne's birth.
These pictures are from the day after Daphne's birth to just last week. Enjoy!
*This is what happens when you leave a baby with Daddy.*
*Aslynn, Eleanor and Daphne, all at about a month old.*
 |
*She had just woken up. She was smiley and flirting with Luke like crazy...and then she pooped all over him. No, that wasn't the first time.*
*Her hair is usually in a faux-hawk or held back in a clip. If it's not, it gets a bit unruly - as you can see in other pictures. Her hair has gotten longer and a lot lighter since she's been born. I am hoping that it won't all fall out.*
*Daphne's scared face.*
*Her signature smirk.*
*Daphne's MAD face.*
*Her first-walk-in-the-stroller face.*
*Daphne's watch-mom-run-on-the-treadmill face. She usually falls asleep.*
Find me on Instagram (username: Good2Bre_Me) for more pictures of our life!
