The Business of Being Born

For this child I prayed,

and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

1 Samuel 1:27

 

March 29th - I was 37 weeks and officially full term. There's something about hitting that mark in your pregnancy that gets everyone excited about the baby's arrival again. It's so close, so real, and for momma, so ready to be done with it all.



Me at 38 weeks
on my last day of work

Now originally back in the second trimester when my doctor had said we should induce around week 38 or 39 due to my high blood pressure, Kevin and I were like, "No, no, no, no, no...she needs to 'bake' longer!" Little did I know at that time, what 36, 37, 38, and 39 weeks pregnant actually felt like. So when we scheduled my induction for April 12th, I was SO excited. And RELIEVED...relieved to actually know when my baby girl was going to be here. Now, if you've ever met me, you know I'm a planner - an over-the-top, down to the nitty-gritty details, type A planner - and to this end, my plan was to work through week 38 and make my last day April 5th because this was the day my two teaching units would be complete and the English IV AP/DC research papers were officially due. That way, I would still have a week to grade the 97 research papers and enter six weeks grades before I delivered. Everyone who heard my plan just kind of laughed at me and told me that the baby had its own schedule. To which I laughed and said, if I could get 150 students to follow a syllabus, so could my kid!

 

Well, we made it through April 5th with no sign of being near delivering, so I spent my last week before being induced completing my last bit of "nesting" chores. Every day, there was a new place to go or a new household task to tackle. I think I completed more items on my checklist in those last few days than I had in a month, even though I was huffing and puffing through it all. I was determined that to have no loose ends, or at least to go into labor on my terms with my mind at ease that I had accomplished what I wanted.



39 Weeks - My last preggo picture and
our last picture as a family of two!

April 11th - The day before D-Day finally arrived, and I had a schedule of things I wanted to get done before I had to check into the hospital that night at 10 pm: go to my OB appointment, get one last manicure and pedicure, finish inputting six weeks grades, and pack my bag for the hospital. At my OB appointment, we had our last ultrasound, which estimated the baby to be 7lbs., 7 oz. The tech told us once again that our baby had tons of hair (Who can see hair on an ultrasound? I can barely figure out what part of the baby we're looking at!), and Dr. Lin did one last check and told me I was maybe dilated 1 cm and to expect a long night and day of delivery ahead of us. So, we headed out of the doctor's office and on our merry way with more items to get checked off my list. Except as we were driving along, I started to feel a little bit hot and my ears started to get a little muffled...and then the next thing I knew, Kevin's yelling my name trying to wake me up in the passenger seat of the car because I had passed out. He, of course, was freaking out, but luckily, we were only like 5 minutes away from the hospital, so the OB had him take me straight to Labor and Delivery to get checked out. I tried to convince him everything was okay since I have a history of fainting every once in a while when hormone or blood pressure levels go awry, but he was having none of it. Once we got there and I was hooked up to the monitors, they couldn't find anything wrong or give any reason why I has passed out. In hindsight, Kevin and I think it might have been a result of the morning's internal exam and it triggering my body into labor. Seeing that I was already there, a bed was available, and my doctor thought my labor was going to take forever, the nurses offered me a chance to stay and get everything started instead of coming back that night, but I wasn't ready to stay. I didn't have grades done or a bag packed, and I didn't want Kevin leaving me there to go get our stuff. So, we got the "all clear," checked out, grabbed some lunch at Spring Creek, skipped the planned mani/pedi, and headed home. For me, it was really comforting to get to go home and get everything settled, so that when we headed back to the hospital that night I wasn't worried about things at school or things at home. Before we headed out to the hospital, my parents came over and picked up Lizzy and snapped a few last photographs of us.



Checked in
and ready!

10 PM -  Time to check in to labor and delivery! The induction plan was to complete a round or two of Cytotec to thin my cervix and then in the morning, a round of Pitocin to start contractions. When I checked in, I was still only 1 cm dilated, so everyone kept telling me to be ready for the long haul. Of course, my least favorite part of the hospital stay came at the beginning: the IV. I can't express in words how much I hate IVs. I've now had 9 IVs in my lifetime and only 2 of them have gone well. It's not that I have bad veins; it's just the sheer pain of the procedure. Apparently, I must have a really low pain tolerance in my hands. I mean, just watching someone having their hand hurt on the television makes me cringe and turn away. Luckily, our nurse Ashlynn was super cool with getting me the anesthesiologist to do it so that I could have my hand numbed with lidocaine. To me, that was a good start to the night! After that, I was hooked up to all my monitors - baby's heart rate, contractions, and blood pressure - and then, I was told to try and get some sleep before they started the first medication at midnight. It wasn't the most comfortable of setups, but I tried my best to get comfy. Kevin, on the other hand, had no problem stretching out on the couch-like bed and drifting off to sleep.

April 12, 12 AM - It was time to start the meds to get this show on the road! Unfortunately, it also meant that I could have only ice chips until Emma was born, so I chugged my last glass of water while I still could and made an awkward trip to the bathroom while hooked up to all my monitors. Once the Cytotec was administered, I had to lay still and on my back for an hour, which doesn't sound too bad, except for that massive bump on top that was weighing down on me. Our night nurse, Ashlynn, told me to get some sleep and that they'd be monitoring me from the nurses' station. Well, that was easier said than done because in 15 minutes she was back because Emma had gone off the monitor, and it needed to be readjusted. Then, five minutes later the blood pressure cuff inflated to take a reading, and it felt like my arm was going to be squeezed off. And then, Emma moved off the monitor again...she hated things being on her in the womb, even when they did ultrasounds earlier in the pregnancy. Finally, everything seemed to get situated for awhile, and I was able to just lay there a bit.

12:30 AM - Ashlynn came in to check on me (and adjust Emma's monitor yet again) and asked how I was doing. Seeing as I had never been in labor before, I asked her if I was having any contractions because I was having this weird tense feeling in my back and some downward pressure every so often. She chuckled and said yes that they were happening every so often and asked if I needed any pain meds. At that point, I was doing okay, just feeling funky, so I didn't take any.

3 AM - Between 12:30 and 3 AM, my nurse was in and out to check vitals, adjust monitors, and such. I tried to sleep, but it wasn't really working, mainly because the contractions were becoming more frequent and intense. Mind you, I hadn't even been given the Pitocin yet, which was the medicine that was supposed to start the contractions. Finally, I felt that I was pretty much constantly uncomfortable, so I decided I would give a pain shot a whirl. So I picked up the phone to call my nurse, which freaked Kevin out because he had been sound asleep while I had been lying in bed having contractions and all of a sudden, I was calling the nurse. In my mind, I figured that while I could still breathe through them on my own, there was no real reason to wake him. So Ashlynn came and gave me a nice shot in my IV, and within 30 seconds, I was feeling good...loopy, but good. The shot was enough to make me drowsy so I could finally fall asleep. After checking me out, I was still only 1 cm dilated, despite the contractions. So, I was going to need another round of Cytotec. But Ashlynn also told us that with my contractions being like they were we had to wait on the second dose of Cytotec, and that they'd try again at 5 AM.

5 AM - Well, the time came, and I was still just 1 cm dilated (boo!), so we got another round of Cytotec, which meant another hour of lying still on my back. My contractions were coming in intervals ranging from 1-3 minutes. The pain medicine was starting to wear off a little, but we were okay.

6 AM - Ashlynn came and checked after the hour wait, and we decided we needed to discuss my pain management options. I wasn't in enough pain that I thought I should get my epidural at that point, but Ashlynn told us that the anesthesiologist was schedule for a C-section at 7:30. If I had got another IV pain shot, it might wear off before the anesthesiologist was out of surgery, and I wouldn't be able to have a 3rd shot to tie me over. So, I went with the epidural, and they told me the doctor would be there in about 30 minutes to get it started.

7 AM - An hour later, the anesthesiologist hadn't shown up, and I was starting to get antsy, to say the least. What if he hadn't gotten the message? I wasn't going to do this au natural! 7 AM was also time for shift change, so we said goodbye and thanks to Ashlynn and welcomed Ladonna, our day nurse. She wanted to get me ready for the epidural, so we made my last trip to the bathroom (because once you get an epidural, you get a catheter, in case you didn't know), and as I was getting back into bed and situated my OB came in on her morning rounds to check on me. Ladonna told her that while I was in the bathroom and she was checking my bedding, it looked like my water had maybe already started breaking. So Dr. Lin went ahead and finished the job, seeing that I was contracting regularly and now 2 cm dilated. However, I don't think Dr. Lin was convinced at that point that I was anywhere close to being ready, and she left telling me she'd most likely see me later that evening to deliver.

7:45 AM - The anesthesiologist FINALLY showed up to start my epidural before he had to go into his scheduled C-section (some 30 minute wait!). By then, I was ready for it and in fact, was feeling quite a bit of pain mixed with frustration (getting an IV was still worse though). Kevin, the one person who usually helps me through these things, wasn't allowed to be in the room while they did the epidural, so he went to get breakfast and left me with Ladonna. Now, the epidural itself really didn't hurt. BUT, it was a little scary because I heard these noises and felt pricks and pokes all while I had to be semi-hunched over leaning on a nurse I barely knew. Plus, they were telling me to be calm and breathe while I was having contractions that were taking my breath away and making my eyes water. But it got done and they got me in place, and once that epidural was working, it was heaven. But also weirdness - my legs were pretty much numb. When Kevin came back from breakfast, he had fun poking them or moving them and asking me what I could feel.

Me under all my blankets
(even a heated one)
to combat the shivers

8 AM - Once I was settled back down, Ladonna checked me again since it had been an hour since I had my water broken and my contractions were still coming every 2-3 minutes. Now, I was 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Kevin decided that he should probably text people and let them know I was progressing. At this point too, it was decided that I didn't need the Pitocin at all because I was doing fine on my own. Sometime within the hour too, Ladonna started me on oxygen to help keep any stress down for me and Emma. Also, one of the side of effects of all the fluid they were pushing through me in the IV with the epidural was that I was terribly cold, to the point that I just shivered constantly, especially if uncovered.

Dad watching my contractions
and Emma's heartbeat

10 AM -  By this time, my family had shown up and visited me in L&D. When checked, I was now 7-8 cm dilated! In fact, my contractions were coming too frequently, like every 1-2 minutes. So to avoid stressing out Emma any more, I got a shot to slow the contractions. For my part, I couldn't tell how fast or when they were coming due to the epidural, but at that point, we were told I was progressing pretty quickly. I was more worried about how I was supposed to push when I couldn't really feel anything. But Ladonna reassured me that I'd know what to do when the time came. Kevin's parents made it to the hospital just in time to say hello before the nurses wanted to start shooing people out.

Waiting for Emma

12 PM - With everyone settled in the waiting room, Ladonna told us it was time to start pushing. She told Kevin and I that we were going to do some "practice" pushes first, just to see what would happen. So we'd wait for a contraction to start, and then I would complete three 10 second push cycles. Now, I was still on the oxygen, which was annoying to have on my face while pushing; plus, the oxygen was completely drying me out and I was super thirsty. So a push cycle went something like this: Ladonna said a contraction started, I took off the oxygen mask, pushed for 10 seconds three times, Kevin gave me some ice, and then I put the oxygen mask back on. Sometimes I asked for ice in between pushes or they made me put the mask back on - either way it was a three person operation! By 12:45, Ladonna decided she should call for Dr. Lin, knowing that it would take some time to get her over there. As we progressed, Ladonna and Kevin would see more and more of Emma's head - to which they confirmed that the ultrasound tech was right and the baby had a head full of dark hair. That freaked us out for a moment (what if they put in the wrong eggs?!?!) until I remembered that Kevin had dark hair when he was born. We continued pushing off and on and working Emma down the birth canal. In all honesty, it wasn't painful (thank you epidural!), just a weird feeling of continual pressure. Different nurses came in and out and were getting the room all setup with different tables and instruments for Emma's arrival. 


Weight: 7 lbs., 5 oz.
Length: 19 inches

Looking back, it did not feel like I was working on pushing for almost two hours. My nurse Ladonna made it such a calm and controlled process that time really just flew by. By the time Dr. Lin got there, we were completely ready. In fact, once she got suited up - she pushed things into high gear. When she asked Kevin if he wanted to cut the cord, he was like, "Well...," so she just flat out told him he was going to do it! Then she looked at me and said we weren't waiting for any more contractions cause that baby was right there, and I needed to push it out. Three more big pushes later, and at 1:40 pm, Emma Lynn Banes was born!

Kevin cut the cord, and my first question was, "Is it really a girl?" To which they laughed and confirmed it was as they took her over to get her warmed up and cleaned off (I didn't want a fresh out of the womb baby on me - I have a strong aversion to viscousy fluids). Kevin snapped pictures, while I finished my part of the labor process with Dr. Lin commenting on how surprised she was that I made such progress so fast. And then, I got to meet my daughter - my perfect, much prayed for, and already loved beyond belief daughter.

Our first family photo!

 

Of course, everyone was super excited to see her, but we spent the first two hours just together as a little family, bonding and just in awe of this little blessing sent to us from God.  When I look back at all the things we had to go through to get her here, all the years of heartache and tears, the good times mixed with the bad ones, I can see that God had a purpose and plan for Kevin and I in becoming parents, and now, I can't wait to see what our future has in store for all three of us!

Click here to see more pictures of Emma!



Making Room for Baby!

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. 

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. 

~Elizabeth Stone

So when Kevin and I started down the path to parenthood, we knew to expect changes to our lives. Prepping for Emma's arrival has definitely affected us physically, intellectually, and emotionally!

Well obviously, growing a tiny human inside of me has made for some interesting physical changes to say the least. Not that I have anything to really compare it to, but this pregnancy hasn't been too hard. I haven't had any scares. No major swelling til after Spring Break hit - I could even wear my wedding ring up until two weeks before delivery. Now, I will say bending and moving has definitely become more challenging. For example, I had been walking around the classroom giving editing advise on research paper changes and about a fourth of the way through my students, I was so tired...and then it occurred to me, why am I doing all the moving and shaking here? It was WAY easier to have 150 students bring their laptops to me instead of trying to bend over and look at 150 laptops over the course of the day.

There's been changes to our routines at home too. Poor Kevin had to finally start helping me tie my tennis shoes! I tried to wear slip-ons when I could, but they made the swelling worse, so tennis shoes were the way to go when I had to be on my feet for a good part of the day. Even Lizzy has been affected as she has gradually lost her snuggle spot with me on the couch. It's not that I didn't want to snuggle with Lizzy - there was just literally no room on the couch for her next to me when lying down. The poor thing would do her normal pawing at the blanket, and I'd let her under but she couldn't find a spot to fit.

Just to give you an idea about how things have been growing, here are some baby bump snapshots:


30 Weeks

32 Weeks

35 Weeks

37 Weeks

Additionally, we've had to make some changes to our house to start to accommodate Emma's arrival. We (and by we, I mean Kevin under my supervision) finally finished her room upstairs. Kevin did an awesome job painting, putting together furniture, hanging pictures and drapes! Then, there was the purging of the cabinets and closets. That was a task in itself because when we bought this house we wanted to make sure we had "room to grow" as a family. Unfortunately, when we moved in we unpacked and treated things more like "look at all this room we have to EXPAND." So needless to say, we had acquired quite a bunch of junk that needed to be sorted through, tossed, and/or rehoused so that we had room for bottles, blankets, burp clothes, and all sorts of baby related items. My mom and mother-in-law were a HUGE help to me in getting this done, and it definitely soothed my nesting anxieties.

Here's a look at Emma's completed room:

So with everything mostly ready, we're just counting down the days 

until Emma actually shows up!