At my OB appointment that Friday, the doctor checked me and said I really had been progressing pretty well and "wouldn't be surprised if he saw me at the hospital over the weekend." I started getting excited. But he reminded me he was not God and he could not tell me for sure when I would have the baby. He did say that on Monday morning he would like to see me at 8am and probably induce labor because my contractions were getting more frequent, I was dilated, and the risk of me not making it to the hospital was rising.
(back track.... for those of you who didn't know - my labor with Bianca was about 4 hours and even though I was induced due to high blood pressure, the doctor was unable to make it in time for the birth of Bianca. Yes, 2 nurses delivered Bianca. His office was about 5 miles from the hospital, but Bianca still came too fast.)
All weekend my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent, but nothing too unbearable. On Sunday morning, I was sure I was going to have this baby. During church I had 2-3 really strong contractions that took my breathe away and made me actually have to step out. Derek and I had a couple hours to ourselves to go shopping while Mom watched Bianca. Later that day, Mom and I went on a walk, but still..... no consistent contractions. Painful, yes. But these were only coming every 10 minutes or so. I guess I was going to make it to Monday morning after all.
Monday morning at 2am the contractions started strong again. I was unable to sleep. I took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital. I was going to meet our baby today. We were going to find out if it was a little girl or a little boy. The excitement was so tense!
Derek and I packed up and said goodbye to my mom. She was staying home to watch Bianca. Bianca was still asleep when we left. At a stoplight I started having a contraction and Derek got upset about my insisting to drive. Probably right! I stopped at Dunkin Donuts so we could get the nursing staff donuts and coffee. Being a nurse myself.... I know how to win their hearts. I wanted to start off on the right foot as a patient!
We got to L & D and was shuffled into a room. It was a different one than where Bianca was born. We settled in and waited. The dayshift nurse came in. I knew who we would have as a nurse because my doctor had called and requested who he wanted caring for me. So nice! She was very experienced and very "just-so". I knew why my doctor preferred her right away.
After what seemed like forever, the doctor came.
Dr. Siegel was very cheery and informative. He said he was a bit surprised I made it through the weekend. He was going to check me and break my water. When he checked me, he said, "My, you've been up to something this weekend. You're a 6 and fully effaced. This is not going to take long at all. You are in labor already. Matter of fact, if you plan to have an epidural, lets make sure they are ready."
The anesthesiologist had already been by. Reason being? I told my nurse about my first labor being so fast. She was proactive and called them to come before my OB even got there. I love organized people.
My water was broke at 8:45am. Dr. Siegel was "a bit embarrassed" when he was reminded he missed the last birth. He said that was not going to happen again. Well, it shouldn't... his office was now across the street from the hospital. He could run over in 30 seconds! He wished me luck and said he'd be calling very soon for an update.
Things started progressing very fast. The contractions were steady every 2 minutes. Steady and strong. I had the perfect epidural.... I could feel each contraction, still move my legs, and had control over my body. Derek and I could talk, make phone calls, laughed. It was great. The lights in the room were dimmed and it was a very sweet time together. But this baby was coming fast.
The nurse came in to check on me. She hadn't checked me since the doctor broke my water. I told her she might want to check me now because I was feeling pressure. No urge to push yet, but intense pressure and pain. She got her glove on and lifted up the sheets. She could "check" me with her eyes because she could see our baby's head. This is what she said, "OH YEAH! We're there. Put your legs like this...." She grabbed the phone on the wall, dialed my doctor's cell phone, and said, "Dr. Siegel, NOW. RIGHT NOW!" She didn't want for an answer but hung up the phone and ran around like crazy getting things ready. Nurses and techs started going in and out of the room, preparing for the delivery. One nurse said, "You don't mess around, do you?!" It was funny. Then my body started doing the constant "shakes" and I knew the baby was ready.
Our doctor was there within minutes and we began to push.
We were bringing our little baby into this world. About to be parents again. It is just so surreal.
After just a couple of pushes, the baby was almost out. Dr. Siegel said, "Liz, do you want to get him?" Did I want to get him? Yes! He guided my hands to our little baby and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you drop. I think it's a boy by the look of the head!" Boy, girl.... it didn't matter. I held the head and shoulders as I made one last push and then pulled the wet and slippery body onto my chest. I was the first person to ever hold our baby girl. I think about 4 people shouted "It's a girl!" I was numb. Paralyzed. She was so helpless, but so alert! She looked up at me and stared. Barely cried. I held her and kissed her and was just baffled at this little person. Derek cried. I was laughing and shocked. I had another baby girl!
They took her over for a quick evaluation. Derek went. It was just Dr. Siegel and me. I looked at him and I had one question to ask.....
What many of you don't know is that we were told this baby had markers for Down's Syndrome. While in particular this (one) marker was concerning and did raise our chances, we were told our chances were still slim. So at my 20 week ultrasound, I saw 2 perinatologists, was told there was an abnormality with our baby's heart, and was told the possibility of Down's was slim, but raised. Really - it was "nothing" to worry about. Mostly "benign" things. But as a nurse and a mother, the thought went through my head every single day. We declined all testing for Downs - including the blood tests at 1st trimester and the amnio they offered to give me at my 20-week ultrasound. What difference would it have made? We had conceived a baby through God's grace and would love it no matter what happened. But the last 20 weeks had not been easy having this in the back of my mind.
So on that morning when everyone else was looking in between our little baby's new legs to see the gender, I was looking somewhere else. I was looking at those eyes, that nose, the ears. Nothing else mattered. I just wanted a healthy baby.
"Dr. Siegel?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"How did she look? You know we had that marker. I mean, do you think she looked...."
At that moment he stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eyes and said, "Liz, she is perfect. I can usually tell right away. I didn't see it at all."
He knew exactly what I was talking about. At that moment, I cried. Wept. That was the first time I cried that morning.
Veronica Sue weighed 7lb 6oz. She was 18 1/4 inch. She is beautiful. She is everything. She is perfect.
more details and pics to come.... I'm too busy loving my newbie and soaking up her noises before she gets any bigger. this blog will just have to wait.
