Welcoming Isla Katherine

This post is for my memory and possibly contains too much personal information about Isla's birth story.  Now you know, so only keep reading if you want to... 

We welcomed our daughter, Isla Katherine, into the world at 10:01 PM on Friday, March 14^th.   I was 37 weeks and 3 days.  This past Tuesday was my due date, and I can’t believe we’ve been blessed to have her here for over two weeks.  To say she surprised us by making her appearance that day was an understatement. 

I really hadn’t given much thought into how I would labor prior to being pregnant.  I always thought the idea of going natural would be ideal, but I really hadn’t looked into methods that would help me do so.  My doctor was actually the one who suggested that we look into Hypnobirthing. 

After doing a little research and knowing myself, I knew I couldn’t read a book to learn the techniques.  I signed us up for classes, and that’s where we met our wonderful doula, Kat.  If you don’t know anything about Hypnobirthing, you should look it up.  I highly recommend this method as a form of birthing and even an outlook on stressful situations.

The first time I started feeling some lower back labor was the weekend of March 8th.  I decided, being overly ambitious, to start working on a 4’x8’ tufted headboard for our bed.  I thought what I was feeling was due to getting up and down off the floor so much.  I got even more nervous when I saw some blood when I wiped early the next morning.  The main change was that it was more pink than it had been before and that made me nervous.  After calling the nurse, they just assumed that it was one of those things that happens for some at the end of pregnancy.  I was just to watch it and call back if it was significantly more and along with contractions.  I also sent a message to Kat.

Tuesday, I had my 37 week appointment, which wasn’t much different than the last.  I would get a full vaginal exam starting at 38 weeks, so this appointment didn’t tell me much.  The next two days there wasn’t much difference, until Wednesday.  The pattern seemed to be that during the days I didn’t have a ton of symptoms, but the evenings were much more intense.  On Wednesday night, I texted Kat asking if having both a backache combined with some period type cramping in the front was normal.  I was concerned because these symptoms didn’t seem like contractions (or surges in Hypnobirthing terms).  Given my explanations, it seems just like pre-term laboring.  I took my first bath in our clawfoot tub that night.  It was heavenly.  I realized why lots of women labor in a tub, it really relives a lot of the pressure and relaxes the body. 

I laid out on the couch for some portion of the night since I could not get comfortable in the bed.  I remember counting a few actual surges, meaning the tightening from the back to the front and then releasing.  I even described the front period like cramping as someone trying to squeeze my right ovary.  The backache seemed to last for about 3 hours that night before I finally fell asleep.  The breathing and positioning definitely helped me through these periods.  I also made note to drink lots of water to keep me hydrated and ease some of the cramping. 

The next morning I felt pretty good.  I didn’t sleep for the whole night, but when I did sleep I was out.  I woke with some of the same symptoms, but definitely not as intense as what I felt that evening. 

Thursday night was much of the same.  I really couldn’t sleep for more than 30 minutes that night.  I took a bath, walked around the house and remember feeling like I constantly had to use the restroom.  I even got up around 2 that morning and worked on painting a client's sign for about an hour.  It was easier to keep busy than just laying around being uncomfortable. 

I woke up Friday morning with more concern when I went to the bathroom and there was quite a bit of red blood.  I had traces of it through the last day, but this was much more.  It was right around 8 AM, so I called the on-call nurse at my hospital.  It was pretty much the same explanation as the last call I had made.  Since it wasn’t an abundance of blood and not with contractions, I just had to watch it.  I should call back if it gets heavier through the day.  From what I was describing, it was a normal bloody show that most women get at the start of labor. 

I had a meeting scheduled with a client at 10 AM that day, and since I started feeling a little more relieved, I didn’t cancel it.   Around 8:30 AM, I started to get another episode of intense aching/cramping.  I found that pacing around helped, as well as leaning over on the bed/chair to relieve some of the back pressure.  I was texting with my friend Jess and describing what I was experiencing.  She, being a Nurse Practitioner, was concerned when I had blood showing and suggested that I go see my doctor.  She has seen some pregnant women that actually get kidney stones at the end of pregnancy. 

In the mix of all of this, I was trying to get ready and head out the door for my meeting.  I literally walked out the door and to my car before turning around and asking D to drive me.  Luckily, he was on spring break and could be there to experience all my symptoms.   I was nervous to be driving on MoPac and the thought of driving and having another episode made me anxious.  I didn’t think I could drive during one of those.  On the way there, I called my doctors office and asked to get in to an appointment that day.  Given that it was Friday, I was better off to see my doctor than wait the whole weekend.  I scheduled my appointment for 12:30 PM. 

We got to my 10 AM meeting, and I sat through it with ease, surprisingly!  I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to sit that long.  It seemed like it took forever to get to 12:30 PM, but finally we headed to the hospital.  My 12:30 PM appointment ended up being around 1:30 PM by the time we got in to the room. 

I tried to sit on the table, but sitting was not comfortable.  I was trying to pace around the room, lean over on to D and just breath before the doctor came in.  When she did, I was describing my symptoms to her and she was taking it in, but not saying much.  She asked me to get undressed so she could do a vaginal exam.  As soon as she inserted the metal device (only slightly) she immediately pulled it back out.  Her response, was no wonder you are having those symptoms, your water bag is bulging.  She continued to check me with her hand and said that I was 6 cm, 100% effaced and she was sitting at a 0 in my pelvis.  She actually thought she completely broke my water, but really she just pricked it.  I had some leakage, but not fully.  Her exact words where, “Girl you are in labor!”  I immediately started crying.  I truly didn’t think I was in labor.  She was even amazed that I didn’t think I was in labor.  I didn’t think the symptoms I had were labor, but I hoped they were.  Honestly, there were moments leading up to then that I didn’t think I could have a natural birth if they weren’t contractions.   

I tried to not be a blubbering mess and she proceeded to tell us that we were going to have a baby today!  We of course didn’t have anything with us.  She told us that we’d need to go the desks outside of the ER and get checked in to labor and delivery.  I remember asking if we had time to run back home and get our things (yeah, I hadn’t packed a single thing for myself).  She just laughed at me and said not a chance.  Once I was done and put on my clothes, I had D call our doula.  She was just about as surprised as I was.  She said she would be headed our way within the hour.  I also made my postpartum appointment on the way out of the office, since we were checking things off the list. 

At this point, I was just so relieved that this was labor, that I could handle the episodes now.  It was a means to the end and I was ready for them.  They were uncomfortable, but not unbearable. 

We walked to the front of the ER, and I texted the 36^th Street girls, since this meant I was not able to work my wedding the next weekend.  I knew I had to get a few things in place.  We walked up to the lady working at the desk and started to check in.  She asked for my ID and insurance card and said we could sit.  I didn’t feel like it so we both were just standing behind the chair.  She was a little confused and asked us why we were checking in.  D responded that I was in labor.  Her surprise that I wasn’t in god awful pain was a reaction that I would get from multiple people at the hospital.   

She called a nurse down, and we were escorted up to labor and delivery.  I know she asked if I could walk up there, which I was more than happy to do.  I was in high spirits at that point, smiling and laughing and just excited that we were going to meet our baby girl that day.  She walked us in front of the nursing station and told them that I was their 6 cm patient.  The other nurses were a little surprised and made a few comments about how I was much too happy to be that far along.  Again, you’ll see this trend from the hospital staff. 

She lead us to our room, number 4, and then started the questions and check in procedures.  I knew, from my classes, that they would suggest that I do a lot of things that were optional.  I had written a birth plan and figured the nurse had read it prior to talking with me.  I was wrong.  She eventually did read it, but not before trying to get me in line with their protocol vs my own desires.  She offered me the gown, and I politely said that I’d rather labor in my own clothes.  I wasn’t in the best of clothes, but black pants and a cotton top wasn’t the worst.  She was so concerned that she literally went on for about 10 minutes about how they might need to cut my clothes off me and she didn’t want to ruin them.  I’m like lady, this is a $10 top, cut away.  I won out, but it took standing my ground. 

Then she wanted to place me on the monitors.  They do require you be on the monitor for 20 minutes upon arrival, so the doctor can see how both I and the baby are handling the contractions.  I told her, when she asked about the monitoring, that I requested to have intermediate monitoring versus being hooked up the entire time.  That wasn’t enough though, she wanted me to use the wireless monitors, but I turned down those as well.  Her final comments were that I would need to meet her half way and eventually put the wireless ones on.  I just let her talk and knew when the time came, I could again refuse.  Of course, if it was for the baby, I’d do what was medically necessary, but these were my requests. 

Then I started the 20 minutes of monitoring.  I got an IV port, since I opted to keep myself hydrated versus their bag.  They did initially give me a saline boost.  The lady placed the port, but didn’t get it in very well.  Actually, half of it was sticking out, but she didn’t redo it since she got the saline in with some effort (I’d have a bruise there later).  While I was stuck on the bed, D called my mom and text my brother.  I of course had sent messages to my nearest and dearest that the little miss was on her way. 

The monitoring went well and per my doctor, I could be removed from the monitor and just be checked every hour.  It’s really interesting to see them work, but I literally would have sat there and looked at the screen the whole time.  That’s not what I wanted for me or D to do during my labor.  Then we were finally left alone.  My parents went to our house and packed a bag for us the best they could.  I think, looking back, that if I didn’t pack my bag that she wouldn’t come so early.  I also thought I would have time to throw some things together. 

Once my parents arrived, D ate some lunch since neither of us had eaten prior to our appointment.  I wasn’t craving what they were having, but was sucking down the water.  The maternity ward was under construction still, so there wasn’t a community kitchen for us to use.  They just had coffee and water on the nurses' station.  I did change into another top and really just paced around the room.  I still wasn’t in any discomfort and found that I could still talk though the surges.  Shortly after, our doula arrived.  She suggested that I actually eat something, since I hadn’t had anything since breakfast.  I had my dad go get Jimmy Johns.  After 9 months of no deli meat, it sounded delicious. 

It most definitely was tasty.  I had D hold the sandwich for me and I would walk around and come take a bite of it every once in a while.  I didn’t want the nurse coming in and yelling at me.  Around 6 PM my doctor came in to check on me.  At this point she asked if I was still leaking (from my water breaking).  I said not really and she then asked to do a second vaginal exam.  Upon checking, she found that she didn’t fully break my water and asked if she could do so.   I looked for response from my doula, since this was something we wanted to break naturally.  However, this far in labor, it’s not causing any issues and can actually help speed things up when I may have been in a lull. 

Holy cow, her breaking my water felt much different than when she just nicked it.  This was like someone threw a bucket of water down there.  It didn’t hurt at all, but was just the strangest feeling.  Then of course I was leaking all over the place and had to constantly change this ridiculously huge pad all the time.  I also put on the super sexy (and the most comfortable) underwear they give you.   There is no shame when having a baby.  I totally rocked those with out pants a little later on. 

My doctor was not the one on call that evening, so she said that Dr. Yoo would be the one with me.  I was sad that I never got to actually labor with my own doctor, since I adore her.  I wasn’t upset about it though, I knew it would be fine since we had Kat there.

She wished us luck before leaving and then we were back to just us, and me laboring.  We were just chatting up a storm, and at one point, D and I decided to do some walking out in the hallway.  Sadly, since the place was being revamped, we only had one hallway to walk up and down.  We did that about 6 times before getting bored with it.  That same Debby-downer nurse was in the hallway and asked if I was feeling pain yet.  She said that I looked too happy and that I’d get there.  If not, all the nurses would be upset.  Seriously. 

We went back into the room and just had to laugh at their view on labor.  I’m not sure how the time went that day.  I didn’t feel like it was dragging on, but tried to not constantly look at the clock.  At one point the nurse was concerned with the baby’s heart rate.  Honestly, those monitors are crap.  I was having so much more back labor, so they weren’t tracking any of my contractions.  I also could tell her exactly where Isla’s heart rate would be.  This basically made me stay in the bed and on the monitors until she had a 10 minute strip where her heart rate was going up and down appropriately in correlation to my contractions.  

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only 40-60 minutes, I got off the monitors again.  Around this time, Dr. Yoo popped her head in and introduced herself.  She too was apprehensive at how far along I was.  I don’t remember exactly what she said, but she thought I was only 6 cm and that I would start really feeling the pain soon.  The nurse had to correct her and say that I was 8 to 9 cm at this point.  I was still actively walking around the room and leaning over the bed for some of the intense surges.  I found myself really heading towards the toilet and laboring while sitting on there for quite a while.  Sitting there really allowed my pelvic muscles to relax.  Plus, I constantly felt like I had to use the bathroom, so I preferred to be in there. 

At some point the contractions were getting pretty frequent, and I really was feeling the pressure down there.  I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t feel the urge to push as the surges were really progressing.  I also had a lot of pressure on my back, so my doula suggested that I get on hands and knees on the bed.  We decided to put on some music to take my mind off of it, so we were jamming out to Florence and The Machine.  

Dr Yoo did come in, after reading my birth plan, and wanted to make sure we were all on the same page leading into the pushing phase.  Her main concern was that I wanted to only receive Pitocin after having the baby if medically necessary.  Ideally, I wanted my body to have a chance to stop the bleeding on it’s own.  I appreciated her talking it through with me, and I must say, it was great that she would let me labor as I wished.     

At this point, I’m in my shirt and those sexy underwear, on all fours on the hospital bed = sexy.  D took some photos of the progression and they are priceless.  I finally got to the point where I thought I should be pushing.  I actually think, now looking back at it, that I probably decided to start pushing a little before my body was ready for it.  It was around 9 PM that I started actively pushing.  The doctor finally came in and they were getting things ready for her arrival.  At this point, there were quite a few people in the room:  D, my nurse (who was holding the monitors on me as I labored on the bed), my doctor, a nurse for the baby and a third nurse/doctors assistant.  They were all surrounding the bed and watching me move into my transition period. 

Wow, was I hot.  I was sweating like crazy through the pushing phase of labor.  D had gotten me some ice in a bag and was constantly rubbing it on my neck.  I was rocking back and forth and had my rear facing all these people.  I also had my hand in my hair and was lightly pulling on my bangs/hair through this process.  I’m sure I looked like a hot mess.  I would slowly rock back and forth and then bear down and really push at the end or height of each sequence.  I felt like this process really took forever.  I truly didn’t realize that the pushing would feel quite the way it did.  I know not everyone feels this (again, this is why I think I started a little before my body was ready) way during pushing.  For me, it was a lot of strain to push and keep pushing as long as I could.  I was making some progress and they could see the head, but her head kept going back in at the end of the push. 

Finally the doctor suggested, because the baby's nose was to my right and not facing my rear like it should be, that I flip onto my back.  She was concerned that it may be difficult to get her shoulders out because of this.  As I flipped, she apparently moved as well.  D had once thought that he wouldn’t look, but there was no avoiding seeing everything in this position.  Once I was in this position, I pushed about 5 or 6 more times before she was out.  I remember it getting really intense and burning (they call it the ring of fire) as I got closer to her delivery.  I had to breath through it and almost embrace the burning to get through it.  I also was talking to Isla in my head telling her that mom really needed her to come out soon.  I didn’t think I could handle much more.  You are always stronger than you think.  D and Kat were holding my legs up, and D was still icing my head and soon after we could feel her head.  At some point, I took my top off so I was ready to welcome our baby girl with skin to skin.  With one more really big push, D said I got super red, her head was out!  That was such a huge rush and relief of pressure.  It was absolutely amazing.  She was born at 10:01 PM.

They immediately placed Isla on my chest.  She apparently had a really short umbilical cord, so she couldn’t quite be placed all the way up on my chest.  It was more my stomach.  I didn’t care.  She was absolutely beautiful and healthy.  I remember hearing her finally cry and it brought tears to my eyes.  My beautiful baby girl.  She had a full head of hair and was wide awake. 

I held her while her nurse came over to make sure she was happy and healthy.  D was still by my side and we were just soaking her in.  I just kept kissing her head and D cut her umbilical cord right in front of me.  I feel like the next hour was kind of a whirl wind.  I remember them showing me my placenta and that was neat.  It basically was just a huge bag with lots of veins.  Isla was still on my chest and she got her foot prints done and my thumbs were on there as well. 

While this is all happening, Dr. Yoo was trying to see if my body would stop the bleeding on it’s own, like I mentioned above.  This involved her (what felt like) her whole hand up there and her other hand on the outside pushing down.  She was pushing out all the remaining things that were up there.  Midway through this, probably about 20 minutes later, they took Isla to the other side of the room to examine her.  I told D to go with her, since I was still getting worked on.  This portion was definitely just as bad or worse than labor.  She was constantly pushing and sticking gauze in there to absorb the bleeding. 

Soon after Isla was taken, Dr. Yoo wanted to give me the Pitocin.  I wasn’t bleeding out or anything, but it wasn’t stopping as quickly as she would have liked.  Both Kat and I were okay with this choice and she had to give me a different port to ensure it would go in quickly and fully.  Honestly, at this point I was done with her pushing on me and was just glad that it was over.  I sat on the bed and just admired our little one from afar.  She was absolutely amazing, and I was dying to hold her again.  I really felt pretty good and just so glad to relax. 

She was 5 pounds 2 ounces and 17 inches long.  We got to love on her some more, and I was giving her lots of skin to skin.  When they took her temperature, she was a little cold, so I was trying to warm her up.  After some time, they came back to measure her temperature and she was still not quite warm enough.  We actually had to have her placed under a heat lamp to try and get her body temperature up.  She was under there for about an hour before they got the more upscale heat lamp.  We also invited my family in at this point to see her.  It was probably around midnight.  The boys broke open a growler of beer to celebrate, using Styrofoam cups and all.  She finally got her body temperature back up to 98.6 degrees and got her first bath under the heat lamp. 

The nurse showed us the best way to bathe her until her umbilical cord fell off and healed.  I got a little light headed, since I was up walking around and hadn’t really had much food since 9 AM that morning.  Kat decided that I needed food, rightly so, and got us the Kerby Lane menu from the nurses.  My family said their final goodbyes and went to check on our pups.  Both D and I got our order in and shortly after she left to pick it up, we got to move upstairs.   This was around 1 AM.  This began our first night as a family of 3.