Sunday, January 1, 2012

Zealynn's birth story

This is a long one..more for me to remember...so sorry in advance! :) Zealynn's due date was on Fri. Dec. 23rd, however, for my weekly check up, the doctor informed us that he would be out of town from the 22nd to the 26th of Dec. I was really stressing out because I wanted him to deliver. We grew really close to him and I felt it would be a good experience to have our first time be with someone we were comfortable about. Plus, my parents were coming up on the 22nd and we wanted them (and Kev) to spend as much time with her as they could before going back to work. My doctor said at my last appt. on the 12th of Dec. that I was dilated to a 1 1/2 and I was soft. (Not sure what % of effacement though.) So after much prayers, Kev and I felt it would be okay to be induced the latest we could and still have Dr. Judd. So if she didn't come before, I would be induced on Wed. Dec. 21st (2 days before due date.) It was so crazy to get everything ready the night before and know that the next time we are back...we'll be a family of 3! wahoo!

Here's my last pregnancy pic before going in!! 39 weeks and 5 days! Ah so bittersweet...I loved every minute of being pregnant...even up to the day she came. I was really blessed to always feel good, sleep good and never be in real pain. Yes, I had some headaches or backaches, but I think the mind and body is an amazing thing and I was really blessed to have such a good pregnancy! I miss it already, but seeing her and holding her is pretty sweet too!! :) I was induced at 5am. We got there and they started my IV and just basic paperwork info around 5:30am. She tried my left arm, but I had a rolling vein and then she got it in my right hand. Well a new nurse came in at 6am and was about to start the pitocin, but my hand was kind of sore. I just figured it was the IV that everyone said sucked, so I didn't really say anything, but when I looked at my hand, it was swelling. The nurse looked at it and said that the IV was placed only partially in my vein and the other in my tissue, so if we left it, my whole hand and arm would be ballooned! I couldn't really bend my hand because of the swelling, so she did it again and it felt much better! She checked me and I was 3cm and 90% effaced! wahoo! She started the pitocin around 6:30am. Here's the monitors! Ah! So excited!! Baby girl was moving like crazy!There was obviously a lot more that happened before the below pic, but we didn't take pics of that. :) The pitocin was increasing, but I didn't feel anything. Around 8:30am my Dr. came in and broke my water to get the progress started! Once my water broke, the contractions really started! I was so excited! (Is that weird?!) Kev found an app on his phone that calculated the contractions and made it a little more fun. so they became more strong and consistent, every minute to min. and a half. She checked me around 9:30am and I was a 4. Lori (my nurse) came in about an hour later to check Z's heart rate, but she kept moving so she put a monitor on her head. I was really breathing and getting through each contraction. I had to go to the restroom but had to time it right after a contraction. Once I got to the bathroom, I started throwing up with a contraction so I decided that I wanted to be checked and see how far I was to see if I should get an epidural or not. I wanted to go as far as I could, but I didn't know what to expect obviously. I was checked and I was a 5 and so I decided for the epidural. However, he wouldn't get there for 30 minutes or so. They asked if I wanted pain meds but I told them I'd breathe through these until he comes. Well, he didn't end up coming for about 40 minutes or so. The hard part was staying completely still while contractions came while the epidural was going in. It didn't hurt me at all, maybe because I was trying to concentrate on my breathing. I was really scared for the epidural because it freaked me out thinking I couldn't feel my legs. Well, it took about 20 minutes to kick in after he finished, so from the time I decided on the epidural til the time it kicked in (about an hour and a half or so) and I was a 7! She checked me right after the epidural kicked in to fix the monitor on her head. I couldn't believe it! From 7-10 cm, it was the craziest feeling! I could feel my legs and moved them, but the contractions were non existent. I just felt it in different regions. We watched The Warrior and she came in around 2ish and I was a 9+ and 2+ station. She checked me again and I was a 10cm and ready to go at 3:50pm! She said they like to rest and descend so they doc will come in after his office hours (after 5pm) so I don't have to push as long. Well around 5:05pm I started pushing with Kev and Lori (my nurse). I was nervous too about the epidural because I heard that you can't feel when to push, but I knew everytime when to! By 5:45pm the doc came in and said I had 3 options. 1) keep pushing and he'll see me tomorrow and I'll still be pushing because Z was posterior. 2) he can do a csection. 3) he can use forceps to help guide her out. SO...I've heard that he is the master at forceps and so we decided to go that route. Since then, I was so happy that I got an epidural. I was also so happy that we decided to be induced because the on call doc didn't do forceps and I would have had to have a csection. After the doc guided Z, I pushed 2 times and out she came at 5:59pm! 7 lbs 10 oz 20 1/2 inches...she even had hair and a cute little dimple on her left cheek! :) She had a big unicorn head from being in the canal for awhile. It was amazing...they checked her and then put her on me. Her head was so strong that she stretched it back like she was looking at me and came back down to my chest. she instantly latched and it was so perfect. We were a family of 3!!My awesome nurse Lori! Z is feeding for the first time!First family photo!First time Grandpa BruceI wish her eyes weren't closed :( but here's first time Grandma CarlaUncle Trev
Aunt Kiley
Our beauty..Kev picked her bows out to match her bedding :)

Dr. Judd!!


Aunt Jamie
Cousin Jordyn
Grandma Kirk
Grandpa Kirk

We left the hospital on Fri. Dec. 23rd. It was so weird to pack up everything and take her into the world.
The hospital was so awesome. They gave us a stocking to put her in and little mittens with candy cane on it.
It was too cold to take a pic of her outside, so she's behind us in the warm car already...but on our way home. :)

5 comments:

Heidi said...

love birth stories. glad you didn't have a c-section either, once there (like me) it's HARD to go back. So glad it all went so well, you are so cute! CONGRATS!

Whit said...

How awesome! I'm so glad it all turned out!! I hope you are loving life right now. It's the best!

Lindsey Whiting said...

Congrats you guys!! I'm looking forward to meeting her, hopefully this year sometime!

Sharene said...

Congratulations!! I'm so excited for you!

Rick and Kori said...

Yay! I loved reading your birth story! I had an epidural like yours (but I was a baby and got it way earlier than you did!), I loved feeling everything but no pain :) I'm praying my next one is the same way! She is so beautiful! CONGRATS!!