I've been feeling very reflective lately considering that Kaitlynn will be turning 1 next week. Everytime I think about it I get very sad! Why?? My sweet baby girl is just growing too fast. I was looking back through my blog at her newborn pictures and stories and realized that I never posted her birth story. I actually wrote it a few days after she was born because I didn't want to forget any of the details, but for some reason I never posted it. And most people probably wouldn't be interested, but I decided to go ahead and post it anyway. So here you go, Kaitlynn's birth story - 1 year later!
I arrived at Memorial Hermann hospital at 7:45 am with Jeff and my Mom for Kaitlynn's induction. I got checked in and settled into the delivery room within about 20 minutes, and then we met our nurse who would be with us throughout the delivery. Her name was Paige and she was very sweet! Paige immediately put in my IV and hooked me up to the heart rate and contraction monitors to see how I was progressing, and we were told to wait for Dr. Promecene to come check my cervix before starting the Pitocin. I was hoping that I had dilated past 3 centimeters since I had been having more frequent contractions the previous day, but the doctor said I was still at 3 centimeters and 50% effaced. By 9:00 am, the Pitocin drip was in and we waited to see how my contractions would progress.
I immediately began feeling a regular pattern of contractions, but for some reason I couldn’t see them show up on the contraction monitor. I kept telling Paige that I thought it was strange, and she adjusted the contraction monitor several times. Finally, after increasing the Pitocin several times and still not seeing the contractions on the monitor, Paige came in and replaced the round monitor with a different flat one in the shape of a rectangular strip that laid flat on my belly. Within seconds, we noticed that my contractions were finally showing up and were so strong that they were off the chart! I was relieved because I was beginning to second guess myself that all these contractions I’d been feeling might not be contractions at all!
Since I knew that I would have many friends and family members wanting updates on our progress in the hospital, I brought my computer to the delivery room and committed to posting frequent updates on our blog site during the entire process. Jeff thought I was crazy and silly for wanting to do that, but I figured it would be much easier than calling or sending text messages all day. So as soon as I was hooked up to the Pitocin, I made my first blog post about the delivery and included the very last photos of myself pregnant!
Around 11 am, the contractions were in a very strong and regular pattern. The resident doctor came in and said they were going to break my bag of water, but she first suggested that I get the epidural (I had already made it clear that I wanted the epidural!) since often this would stimulate very painful contractions. I agreed, so the anesthesiologist came in and got me set up for the epidural. I made sure to tell him all about my last experience and how it did NOT provide pain relief, so I think he was intent on getting it right for me this time. After the epidural was in, the resident doctor came in and broke my bag of water. It took about 20 minutes or so to feel the numbness from the epidural medication, but it finally kicked in and I could definitely tell the difference. With the epidural I had for Connor, I had never experienced numbness in my legs or feet, so it was already working better than I anticipated. The contraction pattern I was having seemed to dip a bit, and it took another hour or so before the nurse found the right level of Pitocin to get me back into the strong contractions. But thankfully by then, I wasn’t feeling a thing!
After I was settled with the Pitocin and epidural, your Dad noticed me looking over at the computer. He kind of smiled and rolled his eyes and said, “You want me to post an update on the blog, don’t you?” And thus he became the blogger for the rest of the day to make sure everyone stayed informed. (And he did a great job!)
At 2 pm, the resident doctor came to check my progress. I was dilated to 5 centimeters and was 75% effaced. We were all a bit disappointed because we just assumed I would progress faster. She said she’d be back in 2 hours (4 pm) to check me again. At this point, I was STARVING and couldn’t think of much else except eating some food (primarily pizza and a Coke, just what I had wanted during Connor’s delivery as well!) I tried to rest a bit and may have dozed on and off. Your Dad and MeMe took turns leaving the room and getting food (discreetly, thank goodness). I was so hungry that I began munching on ice chips. Around 2:45 pm, I began to feel very nauseous. I teared up a bit because feeling nauseous always makes me cry! I also began feeling some distinct pain and pressure from the contractions, and Paige thought I should stop eating ice and maybe get the epidural checked. The anesthesiologist came in and checked the epidural, giving me more medicine and telling me to sit straight up with my legs out so that the medicine could reach my extremities. Within minutes I was feeling better, but I still felt very uncomfortable because of all the pressure I was feeling. Dr. Promecene had asked me to tell her when I started to feel pressure, but I wasn’t quite ready to announce it yet. I think I was beginning to get very nervous that the end was near.
Around 3:30 pm, I finally gave in and asked Jeff to notify the nurse that I was feeling pressure. I wasn’t 100% certain that it was the right kind of pressure, but it was definitely getting uncomfortable. Within minutes Dr. Promecene and the resident doctor came in to check me. I think they knew I must’ve been close. Sure enough, the resident doctor checked me and said with a big smile, “Oh yeah, we’re ready.” Apparently I was only 8 centimeters dilated, but Kaitlynn was so low (+ 3 station) that she thought a single push would open me up to complete dilation. A minute later, several more doctors and nurses came into the room. I looked at Jeff and my Mom and we were all in shock because it seemed to be happening so fast. We knew that with 5-6 doctors and nurses in the room, they were ready to deliver the baby at any moment! Which meant I needed to prepare myself to push!
I think Jeff and I were feeling the same anxiety at this point. I was just dreading the pushing process more than I can describe, and Jeff later said he was trying to prepare himself for the 2-hour pushing marathon (like we expected after I had to push for 3 hours with Connor). He joked that he needed some time to “get in the zone,” but his time to prepare had officially run out!
Dr. Promecene explained to me that one of the resident doctors (I can’t remember her name) would be delivering the baby. She was on her final shift as an ob/gyn doctor, so she wanted to have the privilege of delivering Kaitlynn as her very last baby. So Dr. Promecene and the 2 resident doctors (both young women, very sweet) got into position and asked me to try pushing. I admit at this point I was a bit overwhelmed. I felt like I should’ve known immediately what to do, but I really wanted someone to tell me instead (where to put my feet, how to push, how long, etc.) Thankfully the resident doctor did just that. The doctors then helped me lift my legs to push. And let me just say, the epidural worked GREAT! I never understood before that my legs were supposed to be “floppy” from the epidural since it didn’t work with Connor. Thankfully this time around I was blessedly floppy and numb!
Jeff stood on one side of me with the camera while my Mom was on the other. I lifted my legs to push and then pushed with all my might for 2-3 times. Immediately everyone in the room was exclaiming how close Kaitlynn was -- her head was crowning and I was told she had a head full of blond hair. After that contraction was finished, the doctors prepared for her imminent arrival. Dr. Promecene said she'd be here in the next contraction. I remember being extremely doubtful that it could happen so fast, but I was also hoping she was right. I think it dawned on me that she was almost here, and I was trying really hard not to break down and cry from the overwhelming emotions I was feeling. I looked up at Jeff who was obviously feeling the same.
We waited a couple minutes and finally another contraction came. I pushed again with everything I had, and the entire room of people seemed so excited. All of a sudden, Dr. Promecene told me to stop pushing – the head was out! What??? A second later, they asked for another push, and Kaitlynn was HERE!! In only 2 contractions, she arrived at 3:46 pm!
Looking back now, I am surprised that I wasn’t immediately trying to assess Kaitlynn's condition and whether or not she appeared to have Down syndrome. Before the delivery, I assumed that would be the only thing on my mind when she arrived. In reality, it never crossed my mind once she was here. I was just so overwhelmed with how fast everything progressed and how remarkably easy this delivery was compared to Connor’s. But moments after she arrived, I distinctly remember Dr. Promecene’s first words to me: “She’s perfect! She looks perfect,” she said. At that moment, I remembered that we had been so anxious and uncertain about her condition, but all the worry seemed to melt away because the medical team seemed to think she looked completely normal. I was cautiously optimistic that they were right. I looked at Jeff and he was smiling so big with tears rolling down his face. I said to him, “They say she’s perfect!” and we both just felt so overwhelmed with joy and relief.
The doctors delivered Kaitlynn and placed her on my tummy as they wiped her down. She was letting out some pitiful cries, so we all felt that she was doing well. I noticed how small she looked, mostly because I was comparing her to Connor 3 years earlier. But I also noticed right away how much she looked like Connor. She was a beautiful pink color and seemed perfectly healthy. After a few minutes, nurse Paige took her away to clean and weigh her. 6 pounds, 13 ounces!
I began having the “shakes” from the epidural medicine. Dr. Promecene and the resident doctor worked to finish up the delivery, and I remember thinking that it was completely painless (unlike with Connor, it was almost as uncomfortable as the actual delivery). With Kaitlynn's smaller head and fast delivery, I didn’t have to get the episiotomy this time (thank goodness!) and so the rest of the process was completed much quicker. The nurse brought Kaitlynn back to me all swaddled and cozy, and her eyes were wide open. I remember looking down at her, just amazed at this precious miracle in my arms! I know several times I just closed my eyes and praised God for her, that she was healthy and perfect. As the doctors and nurses were finishing up in our room, each of them at different times reiterated that Kaitlynn looked perfect (translation: she did not have Down syndrome). It was then I realized that Dr. Promecene must have discreetly prepared everyone for that possibility and how I wanted the medical staff to be open and honest with me when she arrived. I so much appreciated her for that.
I held Kaitlynn so close and just marveled at her for a long time. Our baby girl was here, tiny and perfect. It was then that I recalled one of my favorite Bible verses, James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above...."
So true, so true.
