Baby Fix

Adelaide's Birth Story

On Tuesday, April 7th, I had my 38.5 week appointment. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that I was developing symptoms of pre-eclampsia. My doctor recommended that we start an induction late Thursday night.

I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was incredibly grateful that my doctor was able to identify the condition early so that action could be taken immediately, but on the other I had been praying that I would be able to go into labor on my own and was disappointed that I would have another labor guided by pitocin. (Both of my previous births had been inductions and I wondered if I would ever be able to have a natural start into labor).

Later that night, I received a phone call from my amazing friend Liz. She reassured me that I could still take an active part in the labor process. It was such a comfort to me to realize that I didn't have to surrender my participation just because it wasn't my ideal way to start labor. I felt so encouraged after talking with her. Then, later that night I re-read Abbie's incredible account of Audrie's birth and felt surrounded by all of my friends and their support. I knew that Heavenly Father had heard my prayers and I could be flexible with the way things happened.

The next day, Wednesday, Dan and I decided to do a family trip to Target to pick up all kinds of fun goodies for the upcoming trip to the hospital (planned for late Thursday night/early Friday morning). Dan was so cute!! He took his time picking out a couple of outfits for our baby girl. It was so sweet to see him taking such an interest and getting so excited for her arrival. While we were walking around the store, I started noticing my Braxton Hicks contractions were getting stronger. The contractions were strong enough where I would have to stop and breathe. I didn't think too much about them though because I had been having contractions on and off for a week or two and was already dialated to a three.

After we got home and got the boys in bed Dan and I sat down to watch 30 rock on hulu. I started noticing the contractions getting stronger and more painful. I hesitated to mention it to Dan though because I just knew that it was probably in my head, and I didn't want to get my hopes up only to drink water, lay down and have the contractions disappear. I drank a ton of water and tried to go to sleep. I briefly mentioned to Dan that my contractions were getting stronger, but that there was no apparent pattern to them and they seemed to be really short in duration. Because he was taking Friday off to be with me during the induction, Thursday was a big day at work for him. He had a lot of work to finish off before the weekend. I didn't want to bother him with my Braxton Hicks so I tried to sleep them off.

After about two hours of contractions getting more frequent and more painful, I finally woke him up. He was quick to get up to help me and asked if I thought this was the real thing. I told him, that with all the study I had done in preparation for this, I honestly couldn't tell. I could no longer just breathe through the contractions and had to change positions to get comfortable. We spent the next hour timing the contractions and re-reading my books on false labor vs real labor. It was actually really funny. This was my third baby, but I felt like it was my first. We finally decided to call my mom at about 4 am. She was about an hour out and by the time she came, I was feeling pretty miserable. I had all these grand plans about how I would labor as long as I could at home, but by the time my Mom came, I was feeling pretty desperate for relief.

I had practiced all my Hypnobirthing breathing for months, so I'm not sure if it was exhaustion or pre-occupation, but I struggled to use any of the techniques I had learned. I just tried to get through each contraction. It was more painful than I ever expected. By the time we left for the hospital, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds. I dreaded getting in the car because I didn't like feeling constricted. I wanted to be able to move in any position that was comfortable. My mom arrived at 5:15am and it took me about ten minutes to get in the car. I just didn't want to get in. We arrived at the hospital at 5:45 am and I needed help getting to my room. I was already dilated to a six which surprised me. I wasn't exactly rational and still doubted if I was in real labor. I half expected them to tell me I was still a three and to send me home.

I immediately asked for the epidural. I barely got through the next few contractions before the medication set in. Once the epidural set in, and I had a few moments to think clearly, I was soo happy!!! I couldn't believe that I actually had gone into labor, on my own!!! I didn't need Pitocin!!! I was sooo excited, my prayers, and the prayers of my friends had been answered!!!! Dan and I were ecstatic that we were going to meet our baby girl sometime that day!! We settled in for what we expected to be a long morning. We chatted with our nurse for about an hour and then she left. I turned to talk with Dan and we were about to get out some cards when I felt some major pressure. I told Dan to hurry out and grab someone because things were changing. He walked out to the hall and called to my nurse. She came back and checked me only to find that baby was ready to come out! She called to the doctor on call who hurried in and set up as fast as he could. I was feeling a lot of pressure...to the point of pain. I really wanted to push. The doctor told me to hold off and to blow out the candles for about a minute and then he gave me the go ahead to push. I pushed maybe 3-4 minutes and then Adelaide was born at 7:18 am. Only an hour and a half after I had arrived at the hospital. The morning sun was shining through the window and I remember feeling incredibly happy that I was holding my little girl at the start of a new day....April 9th. One full day before my scheduled induction and nine days before her due date. Not to mention that she and Andrew got their own birthdays. (Drew's is April 10th--he's FOUR--but that's a whole different post :)

I can't believe its been almost two weeks since little Adelaide was born!! We are totally in love with her! I was pretty nervous about the transition from two kids to three and heard a lot of conflicting opinions about which is harder--the change from one to two, or from two to three...its still early but so far the transition from two to three has been significantly easier for me!! It has really helped that Forrest will be three this summer. He still loves cuddling with me, but can also break away and play by himself and with Andrew. My recovery has also been so much easier this time around!!

The boys have been so sweet with Addy. Forrest will rub her "lucky" head and they'll show her their favorite cars. Most of the time though, they are oblivious that she is even there. We'll see how the boys are with her once she can crawl around and take their favorite toys away :) I want to get some video of them each saying her name...its sooo cute!! Forrest pronounces every syllable...Ad-el-aide...its hilarious!!

She's been co-sleeping with us at night and its been a dream!! She's a happy sleeper so far and only wakes a couple a times a night to eat for a few minutes and falls fast asleep again. I know its early so I'll just enjoy this while it lasts.

We are SO GRATEFUL for the LOVE and SUPPORT you have each given to us and our family!!! We just love this beautiful season of Spring and the reminders of our Savior's Love in everything around us. Thank you for being such wonderful friends and family to us...we are overwhelmed with gratitude!