Wait.
Read Part 1 first. ;)
Now. Let me back up for a minute... My mom is truly
incredible! She is sacrificial and she will do anything and everything for her family! When Kaladin was born, she flew out to Texas to stay with us. This time around was no different; she dropped everything to be here and help us again! She moved in the first week of November because we were all anticipating that I was going to give birth early. It was SO nice having her here and being able to sleep in while she fed Kaladin breakfast every morning. I do NOT sleep well while pregnant, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. And I really like sleep! My mom did so much and basically kept my house running and my toddler alive. I know she soaked up those times with Kaladin :) But I will never be able to thank my mom enough; for everything she does for us!! I do not believe she understands just how much she blessed us.
Ok. Bragging over, back to the birth story.
It was a Sunday morning, the Lord's Day, so the plan was to go to church, naturally. Woke up cramping. But I did not want to miss church, especially if I wasn't actually in labor. But I figured, the hospital is about 13 minutes from church, so if anything, we'll go to the hospital and if they send me home, we can go straight to church from there. Daniel packed the car, Mom got Kaladin ready and we called my in-laws. The plan was they were going to meet us at the hospital when I went into labor so my mother-in-law, Terri, could stay at the hospital and my father-in-law, Price, could take Kaladin home with him. So we basically called them to give them a heads up. But we still weren't sure about going to the hospital or not, at this point.
This whole time I'm dreading the thought of going to the hospital and not actually being in true labor, and being sent home... I was worried that I would put Daniel and my mom through too much for nothing! Also, my in-laws had a 35 minute drive and that would be wasted gasoline and mileage for them if it was not true labor.
The cramping stayed about the same while I got ready to go. I was still in denial and continued thinking that all of this was going to result in us just going to church. So Daniel and my mom decided that we would try the hospital first and then go to church from there if baby truly wasn't ready.
By the time we made it to the hospital, we were checking in and I was having pretty intense contractions just standing at the registration desk! But the registration people were trying to tell me that I wasn't pre-registered... Which was false because not only did I register, but the hospital even called me to confirm my registration! But they were trying to tell me I wasn't registered. Blah. So we stood there for way too long signing forms. I was very frustrated because when I'm nesting (for both pregnancies so far), I make it a point to ensure that everything is squared away for baby's arrival. I have to know that all my i's are dotted and my t's are crossed if it were to happen sooner than "scheduled"; you just never know with babies!
Finally, I was taken back to triage. A nurse came in to talk with us and monitor the contractions, and to check how far along I was. I was honestly frustrated when she said I was still 70% and 3cm. We talked about our options, which were: stay and walk for an hour to see if I would progress from 3cm or not, OR go home and wait a couple hours and come back. The triage nurse even said "you could go home and come back tomorrow morning..." I laughed so hard in my head because that dear nurse did not know me or my history, but, at this point, the contractions were getting more painful and I just knew I was having a baby that day! (You could call it "mother's intuition" or something, I guess!) She said something like, "I know you're in labor and I'm not trying to discount the discomfort you are in right now, but nothing is happening to keep you here." I remember thinking "I don't want to leave and then have this baby in my car!" Daniel and I looked at each other and agreed that staying would be best. I am so paranoid at making things inconvenient for Daniel and I was so worried that he would be upset about staying and just waiting around in a hospital... but we both knew it would be pretty unfortunate to leave and have the baby NOT at a hospital.
I got dressed, put my shoes on, and started walking the halls. And by "walk" I mean waddle! My in-laws, Kaladin, and my mom were still in the waiting room and I wanted to see them and give Kaladin a hug (I had terrible mommy-guilt) so I joined them for a minute in the waiting room and then Terri volunteered to walk with me. My brother-in-law, Dale, thought he wanted to come too but he quickly got bored of the white walls and girl talk between Terri and I, so he went back to the waiting room after about seven minutes of walking haha.
Then, about eight minutes later: Finally, progress!
My water broke during a contraction. Terri was in the middle of a story though so I stood against a wall, trying so hard to concentrate on her story. I really cared what she had to say but Daniel was not with me and my water was breaking, slowly. She paused and I quietly said, "Do you mind going to get Daniel and tell him to meet me back in the triage room? My water just broke." Her facial expression was priceless! She is a very calm and collected woman, and she knows that I can be very reactive and kind of dramatic at times, so she just kind of had a surprised look on her face as if to say, "but you're not freaking out! Are you sure?" HAHA!! She gave a chuckle and asked if I needed anything but I assured her that I was not in any pain, the contraction was over, and that I was just going to wait for Daniel to join me in the triage room. :) I passed by the desk and a lady asked if I was ok. I was more than OK! I was so excited that I was progressing! I told her, "Oh, I'm fine! My water just broke so I'm going to just waddle back to my room." She asked if I needed help and I said, "No, thank you! My room is right here! Or, is it the next one? Umm, nope this is the one! It has my Dunkin' Donuts coffee." I realized she *could* help me with something; I asked her to please get my triage nurse, Sarah, to let her know that my water broke and I will be waiting for her in the triage room.
My mom and Daniel got to the triage room and the nurse came in to check
***************THIS IS WHERE I GET REAL HONEST AND GRAPHIC, so please stop reading here if you don't want the real details. Birth stories are difficult to explain without the details! So here I go...***************
You've been warned.........................................
So, the nurse came in to check to make sure that it was my water and not just discharge.
It was, in fact, my water!! Yay. But... she said there was some meconium. I immediately started asking questions and I went into full-on, get-this-baby-out-now mode. I was so worried that Hailey was going to eat it and the sooner I got her out of that stuff, the better! Or so I thought. But I was not completely dilated yet :/ so I was very bummed and frustrated!
When the triage nurse confirmed that it was the water, she said "Congratulations, you just won yourself a ticket to stay!" Meaning, I was going to be admitted! I was happy, and very ready.
Texts and calls were coming in as family and close friends were getting word that we were at the hospital. (I didn't yet post on social media for obvious reasons) and my cousin, Kailie, was going to be my birth photographer so she was already on her way. I believe she got there right about the time I got into my Labor & Delivery room.
They hooked me up to an IV. I was a little overwhelmed with the nurses and all the questions and I kept apologizing for not knowing some answers. I relied on Daniel and my mom a lot. The staff was asking such ridiculous questions. Maybe I just felt like they were ridiculous because I was in active labor and NOT in the mood to be answering questions that I had already answered over and over...
Terri got to the L&D room and then my brother-in-law, David, and his girlfriend, Megan, wanted to come say hi. I was in transition labor though so I was in full on moaning-mode! I asked if they could wait for a moment when I was not contracting. I felt bad though because they walked in, we said our hellos, and then I had a contraction. I think I scared them but the moaning is 100% involuntary! I could not control it!! Trust me, I wish I could.
I was very uncomfortable (duh) and I asked if I could have a yoga ball or the wedge pillow. They denied me the wedge pillow because it would "make things progress quicker"... (Again, duh) but they didn't want me to progress because they thought I was still not fully dilated. They were concerned that I would push without being fully dilated and cause damage to my cervix. I am almost positive that I was fully dilated at this point because I dilate really fast and they hadn't checked me since the last time they checked in triage and I was at 6cm, they just assumed. But I knew what I felt and I could not stop the urge to push. Which is a sign that I was in transition, which also is an indicator that I was 7cm or more!
It was hectic! I was trying to focus but I couldn't with all the chatter and questions from staff. At one point, a nurse was yelling how fabulous she was... I didn't want to seem selfish but I was kind of hoping the staff would be focused on me, not chatting with each other about who is fabulous! NOBODY in there took me seriously or believed me when I said I was in transition labor. The "fabulous" nurse was trying really hard to be nice and make small talk by my bed side and I remember trying to just smile and nod, smile and nod.
Once Hailey started crowning, yes, crowning, and I was pushing involuntarily, I did not have any control and I kept trying to tell everyone it was time whether we were ready or not. I even had moments of chuckles as if to say, "you people are silly to not take me seriously". A nurse tried to tell me that it happens this way with your first, then another nurse informed her that this was not my first baby haha!
The staff kept telling me that I could not push yet because I was not fully dilated and that it could harm me. But I couldn't help the pushing. My body was pushing and I could not control it. There was no stopping it. There was no stopping Hailey! Hailey was crowning and a nurse ran over to HOLD HER HEAD IN! I kept saying "she's right there! she's right there!" But they said, "I know, the doctor is on her way. You can't push!" HAHAHAHAHA. Ok. I was beyond annoyed. NO ONE TOOK ME SERIOUSLY. (I'm still slightly bitter about it...but only just a little...) At one point, my mother-in-law didn't even believe I was about to give birth because she just walked out to grab some lunch (it was 2pm, after all!). Hailey begins to be born, and Daniel is calling my mother-in-law to tell her that she is missing the birth. But she had left her phone in the room so the call was pointless... So they both missed the birth, essentially. And then Hailey was here! Two pushes. No doctor. Just a midwife and a young man in training. Ha. Poor guy looked white as a ghost but he was a black man. I don't know what he was doing there but he was clearly not an expert. I have reason to believe this was his first time witnessing a birth. The midwife kept correcting him. He almost cut the umbilical cord wrong... He also would not make eye contact with anyone in the room lol. The staff could not believe it! Everyone was saying, "Wow!" and "That was quick, mama!" "You did good!" "You weren't kidding. She was ready!" NO CRAP, SHERLOCK.
I'm considering a home birth next time.
FAQ:
Is Hailey's hair red?
Hailey's hair is the same color that Kaladin's hair was when he was this age. Yes, it has a red tint to it, especially in the sun! It appears to be more strawberry-blonde, in my opinion. But a lot of people, family especially, say that it is red! :)
Does her name have a story behind it like Kaladin's?
Yes! When I was young, I had a very dear friend named Hailee Brooke, and in 7th grade, I told her how much I just looooved her name, and her, and that I was going to name my first daughter after her! Hailee was one of my best friends!
Some family members were relieved that we named our girl a "normal" name. They even admitted their fear that we were going to give a sweet little girl a crazy name that no one could pronounce, or spell. Haha!
How is Kaladin doing with the new baby and the change?
Kaladin is an incredible big brother! He loves Hailey and always wants to interact with her. His favorite thing to do with her is tummy time!
What is the hardest part?
Being tired all the time! And deciding what to make for dinner... and then getting dinner on the table!
Is she sleeping through the night?
No... Kaladin did not sleep through the night until 9 months old so I'm wondering if she will take after her brother in that.
If you have anymore babies, will you consider a home birth?
There are many reasons I want a home birth. There is ONE reason why I do not. We shall see!
