MrsS6510
2 girls?!?!?
Member since 9/10 3318 total posts
Name:
L
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A little late, but here's my February birth story!!!!
Sorry I'm so late in the game, DD2 is already 2 months old and I'm just posting this!
Hayley Lynn Seylar was an unexpected surprise who was due to be born on 2/15/16, but just as my first daughter, she had other plans in mind. My older daughter was born 6 weeks early due to my severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, so my doctors were on high alert with me this time around. However, this pregnancy, like the first, was easy and mostly uncomplicated. My doctors and I had planned to attempt a VBAC, since they said there was no medical reason for me not to. They monitored me very closely, and even had me start weekly appointments at 32 weeks. At about 34 weeks they noticed I was starting to swell again and my blood pressure was becoming inconsistent. At 37 weeks on a Wednesday, I was told I had to go on bedrest to avoid my blood pressure from skyrocketing. I begged my doctors to let me finish out the work week so I could accrue more vacation time for my maternity leave (this was the last week in January) and I was told as of Friday at 5pm I had to be in bed off my feet. Luckily, my job allowed me to work from home for the remainder of my time in an effort to not use up any of my FMLA and vacation hours. So there I was, as of Friday 1/29 at 5pm I was home on bedrest until she was born. Let’s just say, bedrest with a 2 year old at home, not exactly bedrest. But luckily my family was able to help out with DD1 to allow me to stay off my feet as much as possible.
Wednesday 2/3 was an emotional rollercoaster of a day for DH and I. Earlier in the week, we took our 8 year old bearded dragon to the vet because she hadn’t been eating for months and lost a significant amount of weight. She was kept at the vet for a few days for monitoring, xrays, and force feeding. Unfortunately, on Wednesday morning we got the call that she didn’t make it. So naturally I was a wreck, being 38 weeks pregnant, working from home, and having just lost the first baby DH and I had together. DD was at my MIL’s house for the day and would be spending the night since she was going to go back again the following day (again, all in an effort for me to stay off my feet). DH went to the vet after work to pick up our beloved beardie and bring her home. It was pouring out, but when he got home at about 8pm, he went out back to dig a hole for us to bury her in. We went out, buried her, cried a bit, and then came back inside and had dinner at approximately 9pm. Around 9:30, DH began cleaning the dishes, and suddenly I felt a small gush of fluid. I went into the bathroom, and called out to DH “Ummm I think my water just broke!” DH responded with “Are you sure???” Which was answered of course with “I’m pretty sure!!!” I called the doctor, and sure enough they told me to come to the hospital.
We arrived at Winthrop at approximately 10:45pm and found out I was 2cm dilated. At 1:00am, I was officially admitted to the hospital and put into a labor & delivery room. I was having tolerable contractions and progressed to 4cm dilated until about 3:00am when the contractions started becoming painful. I asked for my epidural, and this is where things started to go downhill. I was given my epidural and it only took on the right side. For almost two hours, I was having contractions that I could completely feel on my left side. First they tried to reposition it, but no luck. Around 5:00am, they took it out and gave me a second epidural. Which again, only took on the right side! For another two hours, with increasing contractions, I continued to feel everything on my left side. It was absolutely awful. DH held my hands through each contraction, and ended up with indentations in his hands from my nails. During shift change, my nurse told the new nurse that it seemed as though I was being tortured. At 6:45 I was given an option – push through the pain as is, or take it out and attempt a third epidural. The good news was, 7:00am was shift change, so it would be a new anesthesiologist, or “a fresh set of hands” as the nurse said. She talked me into it, assuring me that if anyone could make it work, it would be the nurse anesthesiologist that was coming on shift. At this point I was 6cm dilated, so there was the possibility that this torture would continue for hours. In addition, if I ended up needing a repeat c-section, I’d need an epidural anyway. So I agreed. Third time’s a charm, right? Well in my case, it certainly is. At 7:00am, I was given a third and final epidural which took immediately. I told the anesthesiologist I could kiss her and that she was my angel. I finally had some relief and DH and I were able to get some sleep. At 8:00am, my doctors gave me a small dose of Pitocin to help move things along since I hadn’t progressed since 6:00. I was checked continuously for progression, but at 3:00pm and still 6cm dilated, my doctors called for a repeat c-section. By this point I was so done and ready to get this baby out, that the fact that I was having another c-section didn’t even phase me. I knew what to expect and I just wanted her out already. With that, Hayley Lynn Seylar was born 11 days early, on 2/4/16 at 3:48pm, weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces, 20 inches long, and alert as can be. They had her do skin to skin immediately with DH, and then she began nursing like a champ in the recovery room. In addition, my c-section recovery was worlds better than it was with my first. I truly think that knowing what to expect made all the difference. DD1 loves her baby sister to pieces and now we are adjusting to life as a family of four.
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