I started going into labor Saturday night with contractions about 5 minutes apart. We pack our bags and called L&D and told them we thought it was time. They told us to wait until the contractions were closer to 3 minutes apart. So I tried my best to get some sleep, waking up every 5 minutes with SERIOUS back labor. By Sunday morning the contractions had slowed to every 10-20 minutes apart.
We decided to go for a walk around 2 o'clock in the afternoon around our neighborhood. As we were walking the contractions got to be 3 minutes apart, lasting for over 60 secs! We returned home, and I got in the tub for about 30 minutes. The tub felt soooo good on my back, however, it seemed like it was slowing my contractions down, so I decided to get out and rock on the exercise ball. By 6pm, my back was KILLING me. I started sobbing so DH called the hospital again and told them we were coming in. (He fibbed on how close my contractions were, said they were still 3 min apart instead of 5) They said we could come and they would monitor me for an hour.
We get to the hospital around 7pm, they check me, and I'm at 3cm dilated and completely effaced. However, the on call Dr. wasn't impressed and told the nurse to send us home. She convinced him to give me a chance to walk the hallways (she said she could tell that I was having serious contractions), so we walked the hallways, check again, and I was then at 6cm dilated! They decide to keep us. Since the back labor was so painful, I decided to get the epidural. After 1 hr of having the epi, they decide to break my water. I immediately went to 8 cm dilated. They guessed that I would begin pushing in the next hour. We called our families who showed up, only to hear that I was still at 8cm. The nurses continued to check me every hour from then on, but there was no more progress. In fact my cervix was starting to swell and so was the baby's head. The last time they checked me, I started going backwards and was only at 7 cm.
After 8 hours of nothing happening, it was clear that the baby wouldn't be able to make it through the birth canal. The Dr. came in to discuss C-section. I bawled the entire time. My whole family was upset and crying too, but reassuring me that I had done everything I could do. I had tried laboring on my hands and knees, layed on my side with my leg over a table, sat in the up right position with my legs reclined down, but nothing was helping. As they prepped me for the section, I couldn't help but feeling ashamed. I felt like I had let myself down along with everyone else. But the nurses told me something that made a lot of difference to me. They said that no matter how I actually give birth, I am bringing a new life into this world. I was the one responsible for creating her and keeping her healthy while inside of me, and now all I needed to do was get her out safely too.
My mom and husband were both allowed to come into the OR with me. My husband sat by my head and dutifully held my hand. I had him repeat to me everything the Drs were saying because I couldn't hear them from behind the screen. My mom was able to watch as the baby was being brought out of me. It took two Drs a lot of effort to get the baby out. She was wedged deep into my pelvis and was facing sunny side up. Her shoulders were also twisted. There was no way she would have successfully made it out vaginally.
At 7:37 am, January 5th (her EDD!), Makenna Clair was born. She has blondish/brownish hair, weighed 8.7 lbs, 20.5 inches long, 13 inch head. Absolutely perfect and beautiful. Makenna is a name Mike and I both loved and it seems to fit our baby girl perfectly. Clair is after Mike's grandpa who recently passed away this year.
Breastfeeding is going really well now. My milk came in yesterday night, and Makenna is lovin' it! She is such a good baby. Eats, sleeps, and poops! I am amazed at the love Mike and I have for her. We can not stop staring at her and thanking each other for this incredible gift.
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