Our Margaret is here! She arrived on Monday, January 13th at 4pm. Mom, dad and big sisters are absolutely smitten. It felt like the longest journey for her to get here but my goodness was it worth the wait!
I loved reading stories like this while anticipating my births so I wanted to share while it’s fresh on my mind. I also think reading about other mother’s experiences helps you learn more so that you can better advocate for yourself when your time comes!
We were expecting a 37 week induction for medical reasons but didn’t end up on the induction schedule until the day before I hit 38 weeks. Our bags had been packed for weeks, paternity leave had started and we were all so ready to meet our girl. We got the call on a Sunday evening to head to the hospital. We took one last photo as a family of four, kissed our big girls goodbye and drove to the hospital feeling both excited and nervous! If we’re being honest I’ve had a tinge of anxiety my entire pregnancy, something I’m told is the norm after miscarriages. I was ready for the exhale on the other side of birth.
We parked the car, Pearce joked around with the hospital staff as per usual (a nice distraction) and then we were escorted to our labor room. We settled in and then the nurse explained they’d be using Cervadil for the next 12 hours and then we’d see about next steps from there. I was induced with my oldest, Alba Grace as well so I was expecting a similar reaction (lightning fast and painful) to the Cervadil induction method this time around. The nurse told us to get some sleep because things would pick up in the morning. I laughed. And then wouldn’t you know it… in about an hour I was having active labor contractions back to back. Within a few hours they had to remove the Cervadil because my contractions had been in the 80’s on the TOCO chart and I was barely getting a break in between. We had hoped contractions would slow things down a bit once the Cervadil was removed but my body just kept the contractions coming.
For ELEVEN HOURS I labored with the most intense contractions, back to back. I’m very much a “please give me pain meds immediately” kind of girl but wasn’t dilated enough for an epidural yet. While this wasn’t the scenario I had hoped for it did make me feel a bit like superwoman. Our delivery room was straight out of the 80’s with maple cabinets, floral wallpaper borders and a tiny dated tv with maybe 12 channels. I labored to National Lampoons Vacation and then an all-night Golden Girls marathon. Now let me remind you that I had every intention of getting my epidural ASAP so I had not prepared for the natural childbirth experience. I forgot everything I’ve learned about breathing and had to sing or hum through each contraction. Lots of ice chips and a death grip on my bedrails. I finally decided I couldn’t lay in the bed another minute and I asked the nurses to turn the jets on in the room’s 1980’s jacuzzi tub. I overcame all of my hospital germaphobe feels and spent several hours laboring in the tub with the hottest water possible. The nurses were able to hook me up to a cordless monitor and put plastic over the equipment so I could fully submerge! My saving grace. But after a few hours they were concerned about Margaret’s heart rate so back to the bed I went. I did try bouncing on the yoga ball a bit here and there. Once we got Margaret’s heart rate back down they let me return to the tub and I stayed there for hours until my doctor arrived and shared that I was getting my epidural in between the next two scheduled c-sections that am. When the anesthesiologist walked in later that morning I instantly felt relieved. I had never been so happy to see a stranger in my life! I knew we were close to meeting our girl and I just couldn’t wait to see that face! This time the epidural needle felt a bit like a bee sting and I had some nausea after but still glad I was able to get it before we started pushing. It helped me calm down enough to start dilating faster.
The epidural kicked in quickly and we spent the rest of the afternoon resting up. We had a few discouraging cervical checks and then I asked for my water to be broken. A bit later Pearce ran down to meet a door dash driver in the hospital lobby. Approximately three minutes later I felt tons of pressure (you can still feel pressure with an epidural it’s usually just not as painful!), later my nurses came in and told me I was 10cm dilated and dad needed to get back in here because they were prepping the room to push. I forgot how many people around the hospital flood into the delivery room at this time. Everyone from a high school intern that had never seen childbirth before to the baby doctors and delivery techs. Thankfully my doctor was delayed a few minutes in another room so Pearce had enough time to get back in before the action started! I started to feel like I needed to push (even though the doctor wasn’t there) so the nurses got me started.
Our awesome doctor finally arrived and after a few pushes and maybe 10-15 minutes, Margaret was here! He immediately handed me my baby and I was instantly in love. The best feeling in the world that I won’t even attempt to describe. She was warm, and beautiful and perfect. Our little rainbow girl. A gift from God.
She had swallowed fluid on her exit so the respiratory team rushed in to get the CPAP going. I was still delivering the placenta and asked the nurses maybe 100 times if she was okay. I couldn’t see what was happening but Pearce didn’t leave baby girl’s side so I knew she’d be okay. Shortly after she was putting those lungs to work with big beautiful cries. The best sound after a scary few minutes. We got her back on my chest and took in every little detail of our new daughter.
The next couple of hours in labor and delivery were so special. We said goodbye to the most amazing nurses and doctor and made our way up the recovery floor that evening. I think your nurses can make or break a birth experience and we really lucked out with ours! One of our daytime nurses was also pregnant which is the BEST because those precious pregnant nurses are extra sensitive and understanding! Our doctor was a man we had never met but he ended up being the perfect person for the job and we felt so thankful the Lord set it all up that way!
We spent a couple of days on the recovery floor getting know Margaret and resting up. The big sisters and Yaya came to visit. The girls meeting will forever be the sweetest memory. We were discharged a couple of days later and so ready to get home. I forgot how little sleep you get in the hospital with all of the interuptions. We couldn’t wait to sleep in our own bed.
It’s been a whirlwind but we’ve had so much help from family around the house and been blessed with so many meals. Our village showed up and it’s made for the best newborn era, even with a harder postpartum recovery for mom. Couldn’t be more thankful for our people!
My last labor, our last baby. Soaking it all in. Her birth was hard but beautiful and I’m glad I got to experience every bit of it. What a gift! Still pinching myself that she’s ours and as Millie says, “we get to keep her pour-ever!!!!!”
