Elora's Birth Story
Just want to get this down before I forget the details.
My due date was December 31, but Elora wasn't about to come out! My brother did 4 acupuncture treatments designed to start labor, but they didn't work. We were hoping that she'd be born before he and his girlfriend had to leave for Memphis. It was not to be.
On Sunday I started feeling general cramping in the lower area and a few contractions but nothing steady. There would be a cluster of them, then nothing. Sunday night they started coming more regularly, about one every hour or so. I got barely any sleep that night because they were strong enough to wake me, and close enough together to keep me from getting a long amount of sleep.
The next day contractions were getting more regular, but not too close together and would start up for a while, then peter off. They wouldn't get any closer than 10 minutes. I figured she was coming soon, so we got everything together. At about 9:00 they were coming about every 5 minutes so we ate some food, and then at about 10pm we headed out (the doc's instructions were to come when they were 5 minutes apart for 1 hour). They had also increased in strength to the point where I knew I needed to go in.
The COLDEST night of the year! We bundled up and then Tom drove at a snail's pace to first drop Caylin off, then to the hospital. They checked me in and I got a L&D room.
As what happens a lot of the time, my labor slowed when we got there. They checked me and I was dialated 1. ONE!!!!!! All of that pain the night before and all day and I was dialated a ONE!!
They let me labor some more, the contractions were strong and coming about 5 minutes apart, but after 2 more hours of labor (at about 2 in the morning) was STILL only dialated a measly one.
Because I was a week overdue and diabetic they were going to keep me and do the pitocin. They started the IV at about 2am. At about 4am the contraction pain was through the frickin' roof! Natural childbirth? FORGET IT!! I ordered the epidural. While I was getting the epidural (I was the one with the needle in my back) Tom got dizzy. So I have a needle in my back and the nurses are crowded around Tom giving him juice and stuff. It would have been funny if I wasn't in so much pain! At the time of the epidural I was at a 3.
The epidural allowed me to get some sleep, which was good. They told me to get some sleep before they would push things along.
When I woke up around 8 I was about 5cm and they broke my bag of waters to move things along. It was weird seeing the OB approach my vajayjay with what looked like a giant crochet hook!
I was able to doze off even more. The epidural made my one leg completely numb, but I could move and sort of feel the other one. The contractions were sort of mild. Then I was woken up by a different kind of contraction. The nurse took a look and went "Ooooh!! She's right there! She's ready to push!" and then there was action all over and even alarms in the hallway LOL.
My one leg was totally useless, so Tom took over. The lights came on and my hooha was center stage!
I pushed for 2 hours. I was glad I could sort of feel the contractions enough to push, but she just wasn't coming out. The nurse did say "Oh look! She has a LOT of hair!" but that's all. I couldn't squat because of my leg so I was sort of on my back. At one point they brought out this bar and tied a sheet around it and I was supposed to pull on the sheet and push at the same time. That just felt weird to me, and I wanted to laugh instead of push, so they dismantled it
After 2 hours of pushing, her heart rate dropped. The nurse flipped me on my side, which brought it back up (thank goodness!) and then I pushed in a different position. When it happened a second time, she told me to stop pushing and she got the doc. He rolled in with a big tray of stuff.
Dr. Newman said that I was almost there and he was going to vacuum her out. He said it would make her more of a cone head and that it might pop off, and that was okay. He said if it popped off twice he would have to stop.
I moved on my back and pushed and her heart rate was fine, so he said he'd give me 2 more pushes without the vacuum. I got SUPER HUMAN MOM STRENGTH and gave one SUPER HUGE PUSH. She almost came out! The doc said she wasn't fitting, so he gave me a small cut and I gave a huge push and then she was there! She came out screaming and she went straight into my hands on my belly. I had blankets on my belly and I couldn't see her so I was freaking out for Tom to move the blankets so I could see my baby!! I couldn't see her but I couldn't move the blankets because she was in my hands. And then I saw her and fell in love :) She was crying, but I could see she had my eyes and a huge head of dark hair! They let the cord pulse and then Tom cut it.
12:24pm, 6lbs, 9oz, 20 inches long including her little cone head (from me pushing, no vacuum was needed).
She nursed right away, like a champ! I was so happy to see she had Asian eyes! She has SO MUCH HAIR! I'm sure a lot of it will rub off so I'm hoping to take pictures of her head while she has it.
They did take her and check her and she was fine. 10 fingers, 10 toes, all healthy! I needed a few stitches but it's better than a tear.
My parents were waiting in the waiting room, so they came in as soon as they were allowed to. She was nursing. Then Tom's family came in later too, and Caylin. His dad drove down from Antioch!
She scored high on all her tests. No issues with jaundice, no heart issues and no blood sugar issues. Heart is fine, hearing is perfect. She's a bit mellow, as some newborns are.
She did suck a blister on my nipple. She's got a strong mouth and we're working on getting a good latch.
She is alert, and she likes to look around when she's awake!
She's our little princess. She took a long time getting here, but she ruled our hearts in a second.
January 7th is Tom's birthday! What a great gift! Daddy and Daughter share a birthday!
(It's also the birthday of one of LJ's own! helloheather! What a great day!)
My due date was December 31, but Elora wasn't about to come out! My brother did 4 acupuncture treatments designed to start labor, but they didn't work. We were hoping that she'd be born before he and his girlfriend had to leave for Memphis. It was not to be.
On Sunday I started feeling general cramping in the lower area and a few contractions but nothing steady. There would be a cluster of them, then nothing. Sunday night they started coming more regularly, about one every hour or so. I got barely any sleep that night because they were strong enough to wake me, and close enough together to keep me from getting a long amount of sleep.
The next day contractions were getting more regular, but not too close together and would start up for a while, then peter off. They wouldn't get any closer than 10 minutes. I figured she was coming soon, so we got everything together. At about 9:00 they were coming about every 5 minutes so we ate some food, and then at about 10pm we headed out (the doc's instructions were to come when they were 5 minutes apart for 1 hour). They had also increased in strength to the point where I knew I needed to go in.
The COLDEST night of the year! We bundled up and then Tom drove at a snail's pace to first drop Caylin off, then to the hospital. They checked me in and I got a L&D room.
As what happens a lot of the time, my labor slowed when we got there. They checked me and I was dialated 1. ONE!!!!!! All of that pain the night before and all day and I was dialated a ONE!!
They let me labor some more, the contractions were strong and coming about 5 minutes apart, but after 2 more hours of labor (at about 2 in the morning) was STILL only dialated a measly one.
Because I was a week overdue and diabetic they were going to keep me and do the pitocin. They started the IV at about 2am. At about 4am the contraction pain was through the frickin' roof! Natural childbirth? FORGET IT!! I ordered the epidural. While I was getting the epidural (I was the one with the needle in my back) Tom got dizzy. So I have a needle in my back and the nurses are crowded around Tom giving him juice and stuff. It would have been funny if I wasn't in so much pain! At the time of the epidural I was at a 3.
The epidural allowed me to get some sleep, which was good. They told me to get some sleep before they would push things along.
When I woke up around 8 I was about 5cm and they broke my bag of waters to move things along. It was weird seeing the OB approach my vajayjay with what looked like a giant crochet hook!
I was able to doze off even more. The epidural made my one leg completely numb, but I could move and sort of feel the other one. The contractions were sort of mild. Then I was woken up by a different kind of contraction. The nurse took a look and went "Ooooh!! She's right there! She's ready to push!" and then there was action all over and even alarms in the hallway LOL.
My one leg was totally useless, so Tom took over. The lights came on and my hooha was center stage!
I pushed for 2 hours. I was glad I could sort of feel the contractions enough to push, but she just wasn't coming out. The nurse did say "Oh look! She has a LOT of hair!" but that's all. I couldn't squat because of my leg so I was sort of on my back. At one point they brought out this bar and tied a sheet around it and I was supposed to pull on the sheet and push at the same time. That just felt weird to me, and I wanted to laugh instead of push, so they dismantled it
After 2 hours of pushing, her heart rate dropped. The nurse flipped me on my side, which brought it back up (thank goodness!) and then I pushed in a different position. When it happened a second time, she told me to stop pushing and she got the doc. He rolled in with a big tray of stuff.
Dr. Newman said that I was almost there and he was going to vacuum her out. He said it would make her more of a cone head and that it might pop off, and that was okay. He said if it popped off twice he would have to stop.
I moved on my back and pushed and her heart rate was fine, so he said he'd give me 2 more pushes without the vacuum. I got SUPER HUMAN MOM STRENGTH and gave one SUPER HUGE PUSH. She almost came out! The doc said she wasn't fitting, so he gave me a small cut and I gave a huge push and then she was there! She came out screaming and she went straight into my hands on my belly. I had blankets on my belly and I couldn't see her so I was freaking out for Tom to move the blankets so I could see my baby!! I couldn't see her but I couldn't move the blankets because she was in my hands. And then I saw her and fell in love :) She was crying, but I could see she had my eyes and a huge head of dark hair! They let the cord pulse and then Tom cut it.
12:24pm, 6lbs, 9oz, 20 inches long including her little cone head (from me pushing, no vacuum was needed).
She nursed right away, like a champ! I was so happy to see she had Asian eyes! She has SO MUCH HAIR! I'm sure a lot of it will rub off so I'm hoping to take pictures of her head while she has it.
They did take her and check her and she was fine. 10 fingers, 10 toes, all healthy! I needed a few stitches but it's better than a tear.
My parents were waiting in the waiting room, so they came in as soon as they were allowed to. She was nursing. Then Tom's family came in later too, and Caylin. His dad drove down from Antioch!
She scored high on all her tests. No issues with jaundice, no heart issues and no blood sugar issues. Heart is fine, hearing is perfect. She's a bit mellow, as some newborns are.
She did suck a blister on my nipple. She's got a strong mouth and we're working on getting a good latch.
She is alert, and she likes to look around when she's awake!
She's our little princess. She took a long time getting here, but she ruled our hearts in a second.
January 7th is Tom's birthday! What a great gift! Daddy and Daughter share a birthday!
(It's also the birthday of one of LJ's own! helloheather! What a great day!)