And then there were 3!

No one in the ENTIRE world could've fully prepared me for what I was about to experience with labor and delivery and being a new Mom! As you grow up, you only hear about the wonderful, sugar coated things about pregnancy, labor, and motherhood. What no one bothers to tell woman thinking about having children is that pregnancy is going to put your body through the ultimate physical test as it expands in places you never thought possible (and depending on some woman...it could be utter hell), or how the hormones are really going to test you and your relationship with your partner, or that morning sickness lasts up to 3 months and lasts 24 hours a day/7 days a week - not just in the morning. They also neglect to mention all the poking and prodding you'll go through once you get to the hospital to deliver, or the insane roller coaster of emotions you go through during labor and delivery, or that once the baby is here, your wants and needs become last and may never be met for some time, or how breastfeeding will be one of the most challenging things you ever take on in your life! (Whoever thinks breastfeeding comes naturally, doesn't have kids!)

HOWEVER, I have come to believe and experience that the reason you don't hear about all these unpleasant things is because the second that little babe is put into your arms...all of the stuff above...doesn't even matter, because that little bundle of joy is worth EVERY SINGLE hardship or bump in the road!

Since I had NO idea what I was about to go through I think I read every single pregnancy/labor and delivery book out there to educate myself and to learn what to expect. Someone once told me "education = empowerment". That was probably THE best advice I ever got. We were fortunate to have no unexpected surprises!

So, here's Kaelyn's little story...

As my due date (April 29th, 2010) got closer, Derek and I went back and forth whether or not we wanted to let Kaelyn come on her own or to have me induced because we had so many family members waiting for the call to start traveling 5 and a half hours over this way. We had our final doctor's appointment on April 27th to check my progress and talk about options. We ended up deciding to go forward with an induction on May 1st, even though we really wanted to see if she'd come on her own. It was nice for everyone because it was going to happen on a Friday so no one had to miss work to come (which wasn't a big deal in the first place, but still nice).

We checked into the hospital at 10pm on April 30th and were told that I would start pitocin at 11:30am the next morning to get labor going. Well, I ended up going into active labor on my own at 4:30am with contractions that started hard and fast! They began at 2-3 minutes apart lasting for 30-45 seconds a piece. I labored drug-free until about 11:30am when they wanted to start the pitocin to help progress my labor even more. My plan during labor was to try to avoid getting an epidural, but what I wasn't prepared for was the INSANE back labor that I developed. It was so intense that I couldn't even look at my bed without cringing because the thought of having to lay in it during a contraction was horrible! What I didn't know...is that when you get pitocin, your stuck to your bed because they have to monitor your blood pressure every 15 minutes and keep track of the baby's heartbeat to see if you both take the pitocin well. I didn't hesitate to scream for that epidural because there was NO WAY I could handle laboring on that bed without the fear of being SO exhausted at the end that I couldn't get Kaelyn out on my own. Besides, my ultimate goal going into this was "healthy mom, healthy baby, however it has to happen!"

I ended up getting stuck at 4 cm for 3 hours when it's ideal for you to gain a centimeter per hour. If it wasn't for my AMAZING nurse doing everything she possibly knew to get me past that "hump", I would probably have a huge scar to look at everyday. When she got me past my 4 cm "hump" I dilated to 10 cm in 2 hours! HAHA! I'll never forget the surprised look on the nurse's face when she checked me.

When I started pushing, I expected to push for almost 2 hours since that was the "average" for first time mothers. I, luckily, only pushed for 45 minutes because I was determined to see her! I was in the middle of a push with my eyes closed (since I had an epidural I couldn't feel anything) and out of no where I felt something get thrown onto my chest. There she was! Our little girl, covered in slime and wiggling like crazy! You go through so many emotions in those first 5 seconds after they plop her on you....exhaustion, nervousness, excitement, love, fear, and accomplishment. Everything happened so fast. The nurses had to take her away quickly because she wasn't breathing on her own. Derek followed her over to the warming table...and the next thing I know, the doctor is yelling for the nurse to get over to me because she may need to start pumping me full of drugs...I was starting to bleed out and the bleeding was showing no signs of stopping. What I know, is that I NEVER want to experience the look I saw on Derek's face EVER again. There he was, over with Kaelyn because they were still trying to get her to breathe right and then all of a sudden he was hearing that his wife was bleeding out and it wasn't stopping. He had no idea where he should be and the look on his face was of shear terror. THANKFULLY, my placenta came out faster than normal and it stopped the bleeding. It was definitely a crappy moment.

After laboring for 14 hours, Kaelyn finally showed up at 6:23pm on May 1st! She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20.5 inches in length.

The product of 9 months of hard work :-)

Even though I was SO drained...I couldn't stop smiling!

 

VERY proud Daddy!

 What was even more special was that our families were there to meet her when she came. I never felt so much joy watching everyone hold her for the first time. It something you'll never forget.

I honestly can say that I would have another baby tomorrow! I was blessed with an amazing pregnancy and labor and delivery experience. Of course, we'll be waiting a little while before we start thinking of baby #2! haha!