Welcome Annabelle!! (LONGish)

parkie13

I always enjoyed reading everyone's birth stories so I thought I would post mine as well. 

Annabelle was due April 5 but decided she wanted to stay inside for a little while longer.  4 days post-EDD, I went in for a checkup and I was still pretty much closed with 0 effacement.  Although I had not had blood pressure problems throughout the pregnancy, at this checkup my BP had spiked to pre-e levels.  I had also been having mild contractions roughly 7 minutes apart for a couple weeks.  My OB considered inducing then but decided to wait a few more days and we scheduled a c/s for the 12th - exactly 41 weeks.

On the night of the 10th I lost my MP and bloody show appeared.  I thought my water broke, but it hadn't.  It was just excess cervical fluid.  So I went in on the night of the 11th for my scheduled induction around 9 pm.  My BP was still pretty elevated but since my tests were OK, they just continued to monitor.  As for the induction, they considered giving me cytotec but because I was having fairly regular contractions they opted against it.  So they decided to start with the catheter and Foley balloon at around 9:30 pm.  The contractions started to come closer together and became more painful, however they were not unbearable.  I was able to breathe through them with the help of DH.  A little past midnight I finally dilated to 3 cm and was 50% effaced.  They removed the balloon and let me contract on my own for a little while. 

My water broke at 1 am.  At this point my contractions were more painful but again, still manageable and I was still breathing through them.  I was able to take a mini-nap as well.  Then at 4 am they put me on pitocin.  That's when the real fun started.  I went into this induction confident that I would go drug-free.  I lost that battle.  MEGA kudos to all the women out there who are able to get through labor naturally.  I thought my uterus was on fire - it felt like Annabelle had taken a fistful of my uterus and was twisting it around and around.  It was by far the most painful experience of my life.  I was able to endure the pain for 3 hours.  When the doc came in at 7 am to tell me that I was still at 3 cm, 70% effaced I lost it.  I knew I wouldn't be able to endure the pain all the way to 10 cm so I asked for the epi.

Of course it was another hour before the anesthesia team could come in to administer the epi - busy day.  Fortunately they let my DH stay in the room.  The pain from inserting the epi was most welcome - not bad at all.  And I felt immediate relief from the contractions.  Hallelujah!  Behind the air conditioner, God's greatest gift to mankind is the epidural.  With the pain of contractions a distant memory, I was able to dose off for a little bit.  I woke up at 10:30 am to a nurse telling me that I had a fever of 100.4.  At that point, my OB came in and told me that a fever indicated that I had an infection, probably from my water breaking about 10 hours earlier.  The fever along with lack of progression also concerned my doc.  She was afraid that the fever would affect Annabelle and warned me that if I still had a fever in 30 minutes they would have to deliver Annabelle via c/s.  The team came back in a little past 11 and re-took my temperature - 100.8.  C/s time!

I was surprisingly calm when they told me this news.  I think it was due in part to the fact that Annabelle was breech until 36 weeks so we had considered c/s earlier in the pregnancy.  I had read up on it and was familiar with the risks, benefits, recovery, etc.  I just wanted a healthy baby girl at the end of this whole ordeal and if the doc was telling me that a c/s was necessary to achieve that then I was on board.

I met DH in the operating room and we eagerly awaited the arrival of our dear baby girl.  At 12:05 pm we heard the beautiful cries of our little Annabelle - all 7 lbs 11 oz. and 20 inches of her. 

Recovery has been great.  Both my mother and MIL have been around to help out.  I'm still in pain but it's definitely improved from the first few days.  And BFing has been going well.  Our Annabelle is a little piggy - she loves to eat.  She's been sleeping in 2-3 hr stretches which is normal, but I look forward to her 4-5 hr sleeping marathons.

So DH - when do we start on #2?   

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LiebeMama

Love the story, and love her little face! .......oh and p.s. beautiful name!

terraflora

Such a cute face in those pics!  Congratulations on everything working out for your healthy baby girl.