Isabelle's dramatic entrance into the world (Long and PIP)

I posted this in the October board, but thought I should post a slightly expanded version here too!

I gave birth on the 36 week mark exactly. Which is almost funny, I was one of the people who kept saying "Sure I'm uncomfortable,but I'd rather be uncomfortable and make sure she's fully cooked than her come early." Well, she apparently had other plans and she came early.

My labor itself only lasted about an hour. Which was vastly different than what my birth classes warned me of. I only made it to two of those birth classes though, so maybe I just missed the class where first time labor could in fact be super quick and not last eons like they were telling us lol.

I woke up to take a early morning potty break and realized my mucus plug was coming out. I wasn?t that concerned about that, as I had read that it could come out 2 weeks before actual labor. Then the bloody show happened, and I started throwing things haphazardly into a bag to at least have something put together. I try to call DH the first time around now, and can?t get a hold of him. The mantra of "Oh Sh!t" is running through my head now. I'm trying to remain calm and get at least some of the things I think I might need put together.

While trying to pack, my water gave its first initial burst and I realized I was in trouble. The contractions which felt more like I had to poo, got bad enough that I couldn?t stand up so I give up trying to call DH and called 911. Apparently, when you tell them I?m 36 weeks pregnant and in labor, they will send everyone. I'm surprised the coast guard didn't make an appearance. It got a little tricky though, I was upstairs, I couldn't get downstairs and the front door was locked. I could hear the police knocking on the door and finally the 911 operator asked if I gave them permission to kick int he door.

They kicked in my front door and trudged up my stairs (Which kinda looks like a battlefield), and I knew it was bad when the EMT grimaced and motioned for the other EMT and fire rescue. They rolled me up in my comforter and carried me down the stairs and onto the stretcher. Then I made sure to ask for them to at least shut the door. The 911 operator and the EMT had both been trying to reach my DH, and when he finally calls back, (He had 11 missed calls and went down the list) he claims I said ?Don?t get mad, but they had to kick in the front door? I don?t recall saying this, but it does sound like something I might say.

I get to the hospital, DH gets there about 5 minutes later and then maybe 10 minute after that my LO is born, it was all very dramatic, and I guess it was good I had wanted to try and do it naturally, because I certainly had no time for any kind of drugs!

At first everything seemed fine, she appeared to be eating, but they kept running the BilliRubin test (For Jaundice) on her and when we asked why they were doing it so often, we were told it was routine. We had no reason to doubt them. We didn?t find out until later that her first initial test was high, and her second test was dangerously high. They discharged us anyway. All they told us was to have the test done again the next day at the lab. So we did, and that lab sent the results to our pediatrician who phoned us and asked us to come in immediately. From there, the test was done yet again, and we were sent to another hospital. At that hospital, they hooked her up to Billilights and began to treat her for the Jaundice. That went on for just a little while when we were told the levels were so high we were going to be flown to the big hospital in Atlanta, and they were talking about blood transfusions and brain damage?needless to say, I was a mess. Thankfully they at least let me fly with her.

So the baby and I were flown to the hospital and DH had to drive. Once I got there, I was put in the waiting room, were I met a very nice woman who assured me we were at the very best place for her and that things would be ok. Once they had her situated they let me back to see her, and it was just terrible to see her like that. We spent 3 days in the PICU before being charted down to the floor. We spent nearly a week in the hospital. She was on a feeding tube for a while, and thankfully she did an abrupt turn about and started eating on her own and waking herself up to eat instead of us having to do it for her.

Needless to say, we are not pleased with the hospital I delivered at, and our Pediatrician is absolutely furious, going as far as posing a formal inquiry as to why if the levels were so high, we were discharged. This could have all been avoided if they had put her under the lights when her tests came back so high. They didn't even give us any information about it or anything. Just handed us the baby with a good luck to you. We could have lost our daughter because they did not do their jobs.

Thankfully, things are better now though, and we?re trying to concentrate on moving forwards.

Here she is!