40 Weeks... and one day!
That's right everyone... we made it 40 weeks and one day!! I really want to wrap up my pregnancy series, so I thought I should give a little back-story to our precious little one before we do a big reveal of their sweet face and name!! (beware: this is a long post!)
So, my 40 week appointment came and went (along with baby's due date)... and it was unfortunately quite discouraging. I was just SURE that my doctor was going to rant and rave about how amazing it was that my cervix had corrected itself, fallen into perfect position and that I was dilated to a 4-5 and should be admitted into labor and delivery immediately.... however, this was not so. My cervix, yet again, was as far back as it could be and the doctor was still unable to even feel it completely... meaning, baby would not be coming naturally. After I shed some tears in the office, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and decided that from the beginning our biggest prayer has been "healthy baby, healthy mom"... and I just had to trust that regardless of a C-section or not, that was my only concern. So, we set inducement for Monday morning and I went on my merry way.... "at least I would be able to shower and look cute for labor".... genuine thoughts I had, sad.
July 30 is my dad's birthday, so even though we weren't meeting Baby Rector for the first time, we did get to go celebrate Mike's 60th birthday with family! We headed to Prosper, where my cousins Jana and Chris and their little ones, Bella and Nicholas, along with my Aunt Betty Jo came into town to hopefully meet Baby Rector... we had a great time just hanging by the pool, doing a little shopping and celebrating my daddy!
Friday night: I started having severe back pain, but I thought it was due to my exam, so I toughed up and just went to bed....
Saturday morning: Around 8am, my back pain ensued again and would hit me in waves.... it almost felt as if every 8-10 minutes someone was sitting on my lower back... and then the pain would wind around to my lower abs... all the while, my stomach was hardening, but I didn't really think it was contractions. So Jana, my Aunt and I headed to "Buy Buy Baby" just to do a little shopping, and unfortunately, my rationale told me no big deal to go shopping with no makeup, curly hair and glasses because I was going to take one last really great shower the next morning before checking into the hospital.... well, then the back pains started happening about every 6-7 minutes... it was not enough to knock me down, but it was making me a little uncomfortable shopping. So after we did a little perusing, we decided we would head home.
Once we get home, my back pain is occurring about every 3-4 minutes... so I decide it might be time to just ask everyone what they think is going on. BJ is at work, my mom was not feeling great and well, I was just getting nervous that something was wrong with Baby Rector because it just wasn't feeling right. Jana and my dad both encouraged me to call the on-call doctor, which I did, and after explaining my symptoms, they said to come on in just so that they could check me... they didn't think it was anything to be worried about, but thought it was better to be safe, than sorry. So Mike gathers all of my belongings, and he and I head in his truck to Labor and Delivery...... remember, BJ is at work!
At the Hospital: We walk in about 2:30pm, my contractions still happening every 3-4 minutes and they admit me to triage to monitor what is going on... the nurse gives me an exam and STILL cannot reach my cervix, so she is sure I am in false labor. The on-call doctor, Dr. Jane Nokelberg (LOVED HER!), then decides she would like to monitor me for a few hours before she decides what is going on.... she waits about 30 minutes and decides she would like to do an exam to make a guess as to what is going on with me... she cannot feel the cervix! So, her diagnosis concludes that sneaky Baby Rector had decided that the birth position was not comfortable anymore... they would like to turn around and be what the doctors call, OP (face-up). Because of this, my labor was happening in my back, and I was definitely in active labor!! Right as the doctor was making her diagnosis BJ arrived, which was great because I was kind of freaking out at this point.... it was time to get me out of triage, into a room and set up with an epidural!
This picture was take right before my epidural.... at least I am still smiling!
And this is me with the girls right after the epidural..... no pain! Just watching the machines waiting on our little one to MOVE!
Watching Baby Rector's heartbeat and the rate of my contractions....
I received the epidural at 5pm, and the doctor wanted to see whether or not Baby Rector would get back into position is we waited a few hours with me contracting... so, they hooked me up with all my meds (I loved the epidural!) and then placed me on a bed with my foot in a sling to flip me onto my side-stomach... hoping this would turn baby. If it had not by 9pm, we would be having a C-section.... so BJ and my dad let all the family know, and by 7pm everyone was at the hospital - Mike, Dot, Bill, Donna, Ben, Kristen, Katie, Aunt Betty Jo, Jana, Chris, Bella and Nicholas..... what an audience!
(Sorry the picture is so blurry!!)
At 9pm, the doctor came back in, examined me and found that I had dilated... but only to a one. She then shot-me-straight, which I GREATLY appreciate, and said that Baby Rector had not flipped and that at the rate I was dilated I would labor for probably 10-15 hours and most likely still end up in a C-section. Her advice: do whatever I prefer, but if I was ready, I could meet my baby in about 30 minutes. WHAT!?!?!?!
9:20pm we head into the operating room... it was quite sterile, CRAZY and I was definitely not only nervous but on TONS of meds, because my body was convulsing like crazy. They had to tie down my arms... and honestly, it was just all a little too intense for me. Luckily, however, it didn't take long..... because at 9:57pm BJ and I met the greatest little one in the entire world:
WE COULD NOT BE MORE IN LOVE WITH OUR PERFECT, HEALTHY GIFT FROM THE LORD!!! The experience could not have been more surreal... and I am still overwhelmed by the amazing reality that I get to be Eleanor's momma!!
Psalm 127:3
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."
So, my 40 week appointment came and went (along with baby's due date)... and it was unfortunately quite discouraging. I was just SURE that my doctor was going to rant and rave about how amazing it was that my cervix had corrected itself, fallen into perfect position and that I was dilated to a 4-5 and should be admitted into labor and delivery immediately.... however, this was not so. My cervix, yet again, was as far back as it could be and the doctor was still unable to even feel it completely... meaning, baby would not be coming naturally. After I shed some tears in the office, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and decided that from the beginning our biggest prayer has been "healthy baby, healthy mom"... and I just had to trust that regardless of a C-section or not, that was my only concern. So, we set inducement for Monday morning and I went on my merry way.... "at least I would be able to shower and look cute for labor".... genuine thoughts I had, sad.
July 30 is my dad's birthday, so even though we weren't meeting Baby Rector for the first time, we did get to go celebrate Mike's 60th birthday with family! We headed to Prosper, where my cousins Jana and Chris and their little ones, Bella and Nicholas, along with my Aunt Betty Jo came into town to hopefully meet Baby Rector... we had a great time just hanging by the pool, doing a little shopping and celebrating my daddy!
Friday night: I started having severe back pain, but I thought it was due to my exam, so I toughed up and just went to bed....
Saturday morning: Around 8am, my back pain ensued again and would hit me in waves.... it almost felt as if every 8-10 minutes someone was sitting on my lower back... and then the pain would wind around to my lower abs... all the while, my stomach was hardening, but I didn't really think it was contractions. So Jana, my Aunt and I headed to "Buy Buy Baby" just to do a little shopping, and unfortunately, my rationale told me no big deal to go shopping with no makeup, curly hair and glasses because I was going to take one last really great shower the next morning before checking into the hospital.... well, then the back pains started happening about every 6-7 minutes... it was not enough to knock me down, but it was making me a little uncomfortable shopping. So after we did a little perusing, we decided we would head home.
Once we get home, my back pain is occurring about every 3-4 minutes... so I decide it might be time to just ask everyone what they think is going on. BJ is at work, my mom was not feeling great and well, I was just getting nervous that something was wrong with Baby Rector because it just wasn't feeling right. Jana and my dad both encouraged me to call the on-call doctor, which I did, and after explaining my symptoms, they said to come on in just so that they could check me... they didn't think it was anything to be worried about, but thought it was better to be safe, than sorry. So Mike gathers all of my belongings, and he and I head in his truck to Labor and Delivery...... remember, BJ is at work!
At the Hospital: We walk in about 2:30pm, my contractions still happening every 3-4 minutes and they admit me to triage to monitor what is going on... the nurse gives me an exam and STILL cannot reach my cervix, so she is sure I am in false labor. The on-call doctor, Dr. Jane Nokelberg (LOVED HER!), then decides she would like to monitor me for a few hours before she decides what is going on.... she waits about 30 minutes and decides she would like to do an exam to make a guess as to what is going on with me... she cannot feel the cervix! So, her diagnosis concludes that sneaky Baby Rector had decided that the birth position was not comfortable anymore... they would like to turn around and be what the doctors call, OP (face-up). Because of this, my labor was happening in my back, and I was definitely in active labor!! Right as the doctor was making her diagnosis BJ arrived, which was great because I was kind of freaking out at this point.... it was time to get me out of triage, into a room and set up with an epidural!
This picture was take right before my epidural.... at least I am still smiling!
And this is me with the girls right after the epidural..... no pain! Just watching the machines waiting on our little one to MOVE!
Watching Baby Rector's heartbeat and the rate of my contractions....I received the epidural at 5pm, and the doctor wanted to see whether or not Baby Rector would get back into position is we waited a few hours with me contracting... so, they hooked me up with all my meds (I loved the epidural!) and then placed me on a bed with my foot in a sling to flip me onto my side-stomach... hoping this would turn baby. If it had not by 9pm, we would be having a C-section.... so BJ and my dad let all the family know, and by 7pm everyone was at the hospital - Mike, Dot, Bill, Donna, Ben, Kristen, Katie, Aunt Betty Jo, Jana, Chris, Bella and Nicholas..... what an audience!
(Sorry the picture is so blurry!!)At 9pm, the doctor came back in, examined me and found that I had dilated... but only to a one. She then shot-me-straight, which I GREATLY appreciate, and said that Baby Rector had not flipped and that at the rate I was dilated I would labor for probably 10-15 hours and most likely still end up in a C-section. Her advice: do whatever I prefer, but if I was ready, I could meet my baby in about 30 minutes. WHAT!?!?!?!
9:20pm we head into the operating room... it was quite sterile, CRAZY and I was definitely not only nervous but on TONS of meds, because my body was convulsing like crazy. They had to tie down my arms... and honestly, it was just all a little too intense for me. Luckily, however, it didn't take long..... because at 9:57pm BJ and I met the greatest little one in the entire world:
Meet ELEANOR MICHAEL RECTOR, 7lbs and 11 oz, 20.25" long!
WE COULD NOT BE MORE IN LOVE WITH OUR PERFECT, HEALTHY GIFT FROM THE LORD!!! The experience could not have been more surreal... and I am still overwhelmed by the amazing reality that I get to be Eleanor's momma!!Psalm 127:3
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."
Comments
This is an un-usual request. I am a MD looking for pictures of labor epidurals for teaching medical students. Can I quote you for the perfect illustration please?
With best regards,
MC Chu
Hong Kong