What a week it was, but we survived and couldn't be happier with our sweet little addition. If you want the
short version, here it is. I was in labor for the better part of a week, it was great...not! They finally broke my water, then realized she was breech so they took me very quickly into a c-section. Ten seconds before they pulled the baby out, I started to feel a little more than I was supposed to so the anesthesiologist had to knock me out and I didn't meet out sweet girl until she was an hour and a half old. It was a crazy chain of events, but we are grateful she's here no matter what had to happen!
Here is what happened if you want the
long version:
Sunday: About 9 p.m. insane contractions start. They were the first real contractions I felt and didn't even start off gradually at all. For four hours they were between 1-3 minutes apart. It was a good time. :( In hind sight, we totally should have gone to the hospital, but I was three weeks early and didn't think it was the real deal. Plus I was terrified of what was to come if we did go to the hospital.
Monday: I go to work and Mike comes with me because he's scared to let me out of his sight. This day was full of a lot of benchmark testing and my principal said I could have the baby if I got my benchmarks done. :) That afternoon we went to the Dr. and I talked him into to checking me. He doesn't like to do this unless absolutely necessary because it's so uncomfortable for me and and he said he's fairly sure that it was just pre-labor. I end up being 4 cm & 75% and he says that he'll likely see us at the hospital tonight or tomorrow morning. I call my boss and she asks if I'm coming to work the next day, I tell her I'm planning on it unless I have the baby before then. She calls me an hour later and tells me that she can't legally make me quit work, but she thinks it's ridiculous I think I'm coming into work in my condition and that she has a sub for me for the rest of the year. :) Thank goodness for her because I probably wouldn't have stopped until the baby was almost here!
Tuesday: Another 4-ish hours of contractions, but not as intense as the ones on Sunday.
Wednesday: Same deal, but about 6 hours. Went to the Dr. again and was at 5 cm & 80%.
Thursday: Only a few minor contractions, which ended up being a blessing because my body and my brain needed a break at this point!
Friday: 11 hours of contractions. I finally called my Dr. after a few hours and asked him what he could do for me. I really didn't want to force labor, but this was getting ridiculous! He said if contractions became consistently 5 min. apart to come to the hospital and he'd break my water. Sadly, the contractions would occasionally be 5 minutes apart for a little while and then jump all over the place and I was terrified to be sent home from the hospital because I didn't think my mental health could take it.
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| My last belly picture, the day before Elise was born. |
Saturday: Another 3-4 hours of contractions. They start to come consistently and strong, but I keep saying "in another half hour." Mike finally basically had to force me into the car at about noon to take me to the hospital. I was so mad at him and I was so grumpy with the admitting lady in the E.R. When the L&D nurse came to get me and saw that I was standing and talking and (fake) smiling she said, "You're not in labor now are you?" to which I looked at Mike with the most evil look I could muster. However, once they got me on the monitors the contractions continued to progress, which surprised me because they always slowed down when I laid down. After about 2 hours of monitoring they decided to keep me and got us set up in our delivery room. They said that the plan was to break my water to get things going, but that my Dr. was at another hospital in the middle of delivering a baby and should hopefully make it for my delivery. My doctor's wife is also an OB and was the on-call Dr. at my hospital so she was the one that broke my water. After she broke it, she asked the nurse if we were sure that she just felt a head and the nurse said "I don't know?" :( So they got an ultrasound and confirmed she was breech. I was in the operating room for a c-section about 20 minutes later.
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| Ready for surgery. That was the biggest smile I could muster. |
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| Mike ready for surgery. They had to get creative with his shoe coverings. :) |
Things would have been great at this point, except that minutes into the surgery I started to be able to feel some of what they were doing and the anesthesiologist had to put me under. I wasn't able to meet Elise until she was about an hour and a half old because I was so groggy and wanted to at least somewhat remember meeting my daughter.
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| This is a good shot of her crazy breech legs! |
Elise Nora Mabey
May 17, 2013
5:06 p.m.
7 lbs. 1 oz.
20 in.
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| Mike holding her while I'm in the recovery room. |
We stayed in the hospital for 4 days because I was so miserable and Mike was a trooper taking care of Elise! I didn't even change have to her diaper until we got home from the hospital Tuesday evening! He did everything except feed her. I don't know what I would have done without him. My recovery after we were home from the hospital was great! By far, the worst part of recovery happened at the hospital. Elise slept quite a bit on and off in the hospital, but when we got home she started sleeping for 6 hour blocks at night. I felt very spoiled, but it really helped with my recovery. She has been so fun to take care of and we just love her!
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| Our first family photo. Thanks for my friend Tesha for coming to the hospital and taking some great photos! |
All in all, we are just so grateful she's here safe. The whole thing played out not quite how we would have liked it to, but we finally have our sweet baby in our arms and that's all the matters!
