Arianna's birth story

LaurelJoy91 · June 2014

Hi everyone and thanks for all the well wishes! Sorry for the lack of updates, I wasn't able to keep in touch with @EllyD14 very well while I was in the hospital. We just got released a few hours ago, and I'm so glad be be home.

I went in to be monitored on Monday (5 days past my due date) just before noon because of rapidly decreasing fluid levels, and although I didn't want to be induced, I ended up getting cytotec around 5:45 to start labor. About 12 hours later, after giving in to the pain and getting an epidural sometime in the middle of the night so that I could relax and sleep, I was finally dilated to a 9 but they wanted to hold off on delivery for a while because she was too high up still. I woke back up just before 8:30 when the doctor came in to check, she was finally low enough for him to feel comfortable with me pushing, but suddenly her heart rate dropped to the 70s with no warning. They had me change positions 2 or 3 times thinking she was just leaning up against her cord, but when it didn't come back up things in the room got very tense and everyone started rushing around. The doctor asked me to give one good push, but I assume her heart rate dropped even lower because before I was able to really bear down the doctor said we were going in for an emergency c-section and we didn't have any other options. When we got to the OR they said they didn't have time to give me anything else through my epidural and I would have to be put under. That meant H was not allowed in with me, which he was not happy about in the least. The next thing I knew, I was waking up and the nurses were wheeling me into a recovery room. I was so groggy that I had to force myself to remember what happened and to ask how my daughter was. I was told she was fine, but that I would not be allowed to see either her or my husband for an hour. Thankfully, a nurse came in shortly later and told me she had "good news and more good news" which was that my husband was coming in, and he was bringing our daughter with. I found out from him that I had been under for over an hour and a half, but it only took the doctors six minutes to perform the c-section, so he had been forced to wait to see me for a long time. It turns out that she came out wrapped in her cord but not tightly, and I had placental abruption, but she is perfect, healthy, and beautiful.

Things definitely didn't go according to plan. I think the only thing from my list that was able happen was that the nurses held off on her bath until after I came to and was able to have a little skin to skin time. Overall, though, I'm recovering well, and I have a healthy daughter home with me, and that's all that matters.

Arianna Lynn, born 8:36 am on June 10th. 7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long.