{to catch up read part 1 here}
[caution: delivery room pictures ahead]
Around 11pm I woke up to a quiet room, filled with people, all staring at the baby monitor and my Mom standing by my bedside. After I became fully awake, the first thing I remember is my Mom running out of the room to get the nurse {scary!}. I looked over at Chris who was sitting at my bedside and saw tension and stress written all over his face {now I'm realizing something isn't right}. I looked to the other side of my bed where Elizabeth, my sister-in-law (who works at the hospital as a labor and delivery nurse), was standing at the monitor looking at the heart rate strip.
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As the nurse and my Mom came rushing into the room, I asked Chris what was going on. He told me that Bailey's heart rate had been dropping after each of my contractions {I couldn't feel the contractions thanks to the epidural} and it was taking awhile to come back up. Normally, the heart rate should go back to normal after a contraction is over and Bailey's was not.
The nurse looked at the strip and decided to call in the doctor. She put me on oxygen and had me turn on my other side to see if that would help. As she left the room, all our eyes were glued to the heart rate monitor and on the numbers that kept dropping. After the oxygen had been on for a little while, Bailey's heart rate seemed to be better...for about two contractions and then it started dropping again. {normal heart rates for babies are 120-180 beats per minute} When we watched Bailey's rate drop to 60, Elizabeth went to get the nurse again. Fortunately, my doctor was right behind her.
Dr. Cho (my OB/GYN) looked at the strip and decided to check me to see how far along I was. She checked and I was still only at 3cm dilated {I was shocked and realized that this wasn't going how we planned}. She decided to break my water to see if Bailey was just in a position that was putting pressure on the umbilical cord and hopefully it would help to bring her down. There was SO much fluid, even the doctor was surprised that it just kept coming and coming and coming. The fluid had meconium in it, proving that Bailey was in distress and we needed to think about helping to get her out. Dr. Cho decided that a c-section was needed and we prepared ourselves for meeting Bailey.
Around 2:30am {on Bailey's due date} they wheeled me off to the operating room {after a hug and kiss from my parents} with Chris trailing behind. They took me into the room while Chris gowned up.
Everything went very quickly once the blue sheet was up and Chris was sitting beside me. I couldn't feel anything and Chris did a good job of telling me what was going on. At about 2:50am they got their hands on our sweet girl and started to bring her out.
Chris excitedly told me, "She's out, she's out!". After they cut the cord they took her over to the warmer. And that's when things got really scary.
She wasn't making any noise. Chris was standing perfectly still, staring over to where our daughter was, and Bailey's nurse was asking for the doctor to come over to her. I looked at Chris and saw that his eyes were full of tears; he tried to reassure me that they were just rubbing her off and suctioning out her lungs but I knew. I knew something was wrong and my mind immediately went to the thought that she was a stillborn baby. That we would not be able to take a crying, cooing baby home with us. How was I going to tell our family that our baby didn't make it? What did I do wrong to cause our daughter to not survive? {all of these thoughts ran through my mind in about 30 seconds}.
I ask Chris "She's not ok, is she?" He tried his best to reassure me, and as he was, we hear the sweetest little "mew" come from our girl. Chris visibly takes a deep breath and his posture eases. I start crying and he says "She's ok, she's pink and crying and they're just giving her some more oxygen." {the longest minute of our lives!}
Soon after we heard her cry Chris was able to go over to trim her umbilical cord and spend some time with our daughter before they brought her over for me to see.
It was such a relief to see for myself that she was ok, that she was pink, and crying on her own. Chris went with the nurse and Bailey to the nursery where our family was anxiously waiting to meet the newest member of our family. I was in the operating room a little longer while they stitched and stapled me back together before I was taken to recovery.
**I am so thankful that we took birthing classes and that we covered c-sections. I was able to prepare myself for not being able to be with Bailey immediately after she was born and with the whole process that we would go through if a c-section was needed.**
I was in recovery for over 2.5 hours and I was especially thankful that all of our family was with us because I knew Bailey wasn't alone. In fact, while I was recovering {sleeping and getting cleaned up} our entire family watched as she was weighed {7 pounds 11 ounces, 21.5 inches long}, footprints were taken, Chris and Elizabeth gave Bailey her first bath, and she was cuddled and fawned over.
I couldn't wait to get out of recovery and was so excited to hold Bailey. As soon as I was wheeled into our room, Chris put her into my arms and I was in love!
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| No doubt that she is a girl! |
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| Her head is out!! |
Chris excitedly told me, "She's out, she's out!". After they cut the cord they took her over to the warmer. And that's when things got really scary.
She wasn't making any noise. Chris was standing perfectly still, staring over to where our daughter was, and Bailey's nurse was asking for the doctor to come over to her. I looked at Chris and saw that his eyes were full of tears; he tried to reassure me that they were just rubbing her off and suctioning out her lungs but I knew. I knew something was wrong and my mind immediately went to the thought that she was a stillborn baby. That we would not be able to take a crying, cooing baby home with us. How was I going to tell our family that our baby didn't make it? What did I do wrong to cause our daughter to not survive? {all of these thoughts ran through my mind in about 30 seconds}.
I ask Chris "She's not ok, is she?" He tried his best to reassure me, and as he was, we hear the sweetest little "mew" come from our girl. Chris visibly takes a deep breath and his posture eases. I start crying and he says "She's ok, she's pink and crying and they're just giving her some more oxygen." {the longest minute of our lives!}
Soon after we heard her cry Chris was able to go over to trim her umbilical cord and spend some time with our daughter before they brought her over for me to see.
It was such a relief to see for myself that she was ok, that she was pink, and crying on her own. Chris went with the nurse and Bailey to the nursery where our family was anxiously waiting to meet the newest member of our family. I was in the operating room a little longer while they stitched and stapled me back together before I was taken to recovery.
**I am so thankful that we took birthing classes and that we covered c-sections. I was able to prepare myself for not being able to be with Bailey immediately after she was born and with the whole process that we would go through if a c-section was needed.**
I was in recovery for over 2.5 hours and I was especially thankful that all of our family was with us because I knew Bailey wasn't alone. In fact, while I was recovering {sleeping and getting cleaned up} our entire family watched as she was weighed {7 pounds 11 ounces, 21.5 inches long}, footprints were taken, Chris and Elizabeth gave Bailey her first bath, and she was cuddled and fawned over.
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| My parents ~ with their first grandchild |
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| Chris' mom and her 2nd granddaughter |
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| Chris' sister and her husband |
I couldn't wait to get out of recovery and was so excited to hold Bailey. As soon as I was wheeled into our room, Chris put her into my arms and I was in love!
Our family left soon after {it was 5:30am after all} to give the three of us some time alone and to get some rest themselves after a long day and night.
I don't think I slept at all that night. I couldn't stop staring at our little miracle in my arms and my eyes kept filling up with happy tears. We had many wonderful visitors come meet Bailey and we feel so incredibly blessed by the love we have been shown.
We were in the hospital for five days and were ecstatic to be going home to really begin our lives as a family of three.
I don't think I slept at all that night. I couldn't stop staring at our little miracle in my arms and my eyes kept filling up with happy tears. We had many wonderful visitors come meet Bailey and we feel so incredibly blessed by the love we have been shown.
We were in the hospital for five days and were ecstatic to be going home to really begin our lives as a family of three.
Bailey has already brought such joy into our lives and has really brought Chris and I closer together. We love our little girl more than words can say and are excited to see what she does with this life of hers. Thanks for keeping up with us!
1 comment:
Beautiful story, beautiful girl, beautiful family! Thanks for sharing Mallory :)Praising the Lord for this new adventure you get to experience together!
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