Adelle's Birth Story

So people have asked, and now that I'm home and having a remotely lucid moment, I'm going to post quickly about my experience last week with having the baby.

Monday Morning: We went to OSU for my scheduled nonstress test/amniotic fluid check. It's a pretty standard thing they do when you're a week overdue just to make sure that all of baby's life support systems are still functioning. The fluid level was great, and my blood pressure wasn't misbehaving too much. The baby, however, was being a bit uncooperative. They had to buzz her to get the kind of reaction they wanted, and with her being overdue they decided to admit me and do an induction THAT DAY. Did I mention that the appointment was at 8am, so I had a small breakfast around 6:30am and had not been prepared for a stay in the hospital?

Fast forward. My cervix wasn't where they wanted it to be, so they started me on the first round of drugs around Noon when I was only about 60% effaced. I stalled out eventually at around 80% effaced.

12:33am Tuesday: As the nurse was coming in to check me out and start the pitocin, my water broke. WEIRDEST FEELING EVER. I was snoozing a bit, and I remember thinking I heard voices as I was waking up, feeling a weird pop, and saying "I just felt a weird thing and now I'm wet. I think my water broke." Sure enough, it had. Start pitocin!

2:00am: The contractions were coming fast and furious and making my hips feel like they were ripping apart, so I got an epidural. It worked perfectly and I was able to get some sleep. The contractions kept coming about 2-3 minutes apart, but I barely felt them so I didn't care.

Here's where the fun starts. Around 6:30am, they stopped the pitocin because baby's heart rate wasn't optimal. Once she stabilized (before noon) they restarted it to see if we couldn't get me the rest of the way into active labor.

It didn't work. By 2pm, it looked like a C-Section was going to be our only option. They gave me another hour to try to progress and NOTHING. Stalled out at 5cm. Seriously, who the hell stalls out at 5cm?! Apparently I do! It was decided to go ahead and go with the c-section. I cried because that's not what I had wanted, but you do what you've gotta do.

At 4:28pm on November 15, 2011, Adelle Emoline joined us out here in the real world.

It took 3 people to get her out of my pelvis. Turns out labor had stalled because, as the surgeon said, "There was no way this kid was coming vaginally."

They joked that I had birthed a toddler. It was only a half-joke.

9 pounds, 14 ounces, 21.8 inches long.
Yeah. That's huge. At least we know I can grow 'em :-D

Now we're having fun trying to figure out how to be parents to a newborn when mommy isn't allowed to lift her own kid. 10lb weight limit thanks to the c-section and I have a 10lb kid. oy.

So, there you have it. Now that she's outside, all of the pains and problems I had at the end of the pregnancy are obviously explained.

Now, we have what seems to be colic already. Her checkup is tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping they can point us in a better direction. For now, I'm going to go nap since Nate can't handle being up all night with a screaming baby.