Isabel’s Birth Story

Current mood: warm

July 2, 2008

We got to the hospital at 615. I got checked in and went up to labor and delivery. At 630 the anethetist came in and got started on the epidural. I was scared. Its a good thing I like him and feel totally confident in him or Im not sure I would have made it through the 5 minutes it took for him to get set up. He started my IV for the nurse, becuase he dosent like it that they put it in the hand, so mine was in my lower arm. That also has always been a problem thing for me after blowing out a couple IVs when Jace was born and it taking them numerous attempts to get one in at all with Emma. I really didnt even know that it was done until he started taping it in LOL. Now on to the epidural. It didnt hurt at all, I was just so panic-y that I had myself all worked up. I wish that I could explain the exact feeling. They numb it all up before they insert the needle, so it wasnt that. And its really not even a pressure persay, its just weird feeling something moving under your skin right by your spine. When he was done they had me lay down and after a few minuts I started feeling really sick. They asked me if I was ok and I said no. They sat my bed up to get me off of my back, but I ended up sitting straight up because I was starting to feel like I was going to pass out. They took my blood pressure and it was through the roof, so no more laying flat for me. He got it all in and set up, but didnt start the drip.

At 730 they hooked up the pitocin and started it where it went up 2 every 20 minutes. By 11 I was maxed out and contractions were coming and going, but no pain yet. I hung out with Brad, Blake and Mackenzie all morning, just chillin really. At noon doctor came in and  broke my water at 1210. Right before he came in I was getting ready to get up and walk around a bit but he said to go ahead and start the epidural so that there was no chance in me missing it. They started the epidural at 1235. By 2 I was dialated to 2 and was literally completely numb from my waist down. My nurse had said that it normally doesnt happen that way. She was telling me that usually its not a pain free thing, that you can usually feel pressure and can move your legs. Well not me. Im always that weird one. I literally could not even will my legs to go anywhere. When they needed to check me, they had to move my legs where they wanted them.

At some point after that the nurse came in and checked things out because Isabels heart rate was really dropping with my contractions. She kept losing the tones all together sometimes. So they moved me onto my left side and that stopped it. They told me it was because the cord was wrapped around baby and that since I still had so much fluid in there that baby was just swimming and the cord kept getting smashed.

At 3 I was still at a 2-3. Hung out with Blake Sara Mackenkie and Gaby. Brad had to leave to help the idiots with a case and Sharon came up to hang out with me too. They left at about 4 to take the kids home and get some things at the store. At 426 the babys heart rate started to drop with my contractions and the nurse came in to check me. I was at a 3-4. She stayed to chat for a bit and its a good things that she did. At 447 she was still in chatting with us and I started to feel a little pressure. I told her that I was feeling something different than before. She checked me and I was complete. She said Oh yeah I just bumped into babys head. They called the doc, he came in and asked if she was serious LOL. Yeah totally. In the mean time my new best friend, the epidural man, came in eating a popcicle and parked his butt in the lounge chair. We decided that he needed to be put to work, so he became our photographer! Anyway, I pushed at 456 and she was born at 457. So if you add that up, I went from a 4 to delivery in 21 minutes.

I wasnt able to get up out of bed until the epidural wore off, which ended up being at about 1030 that night. When I finally felt like I could get up turns out that I couldnt walk LOL. My left leg was good, but when I tried to make my right leg go, I could really only shuffle it. It went away in the night but it was the weirdest thing ever. We had the nurses take Isabel to the nursery that night.

July 3, 2008

I called for her about 6. They came in soon after that to start getting me ready for my surgery. I got my hat on and my surgical gown on and they came in at about 715 and wheeled me down the hall. I got up on the bed, layed down and the anethitist shot something into my IV. I remember someone asking me if I was still working at Wal Mart and telling them Hell no, and then I remember them moving me to my bed in my room. That was at about 8. The surgery went well, and they had me doped up with local anesthetic. I felt really good all day long. Had a lot of company, and when everyone left at about 6 that night, I realized that I was in a whole lot of pain. I ended up having to call Brad to come back up and stay with me that night. The nurse was coming in every 2 hours to give me magic pills to pop. It was pretty bad. And Im not a pill taker usually. I wasnt supposed to go home until Friday night, but when Doctor came in on the 4th we asked if we could go ASAP. I was miserable and my kids were missing me. So I was packed up and out of there by 11 that morning.

The End

I couldnt have asked for anything to go any better than what it did. The whole hospital staff was totally amazing and I owe it to them for giving me such a perfect final labor and delivery.