We are loving having our sweet Evelyn in our lives. We can't believe it's already been a whole week that she's been here! I wanted to take a moment and write my version of her birth story. I will try to be detailed but at the same time there are things that happened so quickly I can't remember everything. It's long, but worth it.
On the evening of September 18th, we called to confirm that there was room for us to be induced. Sure enough there was enough room and we were on our way about an hour later. I was so so excited, but at the same time, I was incredibly nervous. Everything was going great. Check-in was a breeze, getting all set-up was a piece of cake,my IV was placed, then the doctor came in. Since I was starting at 8 pm, a resident started the process. After we went over a few options of how to start induction, it was decided to use a pill to be dissolved internally along with a balloon catheter. Both the pill and catheter were placed at the same time so it wasn't too bad. They filled the balloon with water and the stretching began. The nurses left and so did the resident as they both told Spencer and I to get rest because the rest of the night was going to be long. I thought, this isn't too bad, I got this. Well... about three hours later I woke up just shaking in pain. I had an immense about of pain in my low abdominal section. I tried going to the bathroom, adjusting the bed, and pacing. Nothing would help. Finally Spencer convinced me to call the nurse to see if there was anything to ease the pain. The nurse provided great options and we settled for Fentenol. This was given intravenously and almost immediately the pain started to disappear, unfortunately this medication only lasts an hour.
I would try to rest, lucky Spencer he slept for a good amount of time. Every hour, like clockwork, I would get that immense pain back. Each time it would get worse and worse. I was dilated to just over a 5 at this point In the meantime, my blood sugar was plummeting and I could not get it to rise. They hooked me up to a glucose drip as I was averaging 50mg/dl (scary!!). Finally it went up to about 80 mg/dl. I had no idea that all of this would be nerve wracking. I had a few more doses of Fentenol and then I realized that it was getting really bad and painful. When the nurse came in to check on me, I started throwing up. This happened 3 times and again my blood sugar dropped. This was somewhere around 3 or 3:30 in the morning. After an hour of the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. It felt like my stomach was being twisted and being punched at the same time. I caved and asked for an epidural to be placed. At 4:30 AM the Anesthesiologist came in, she was the sweetest lady. I found out the reason why I was in so much pain. I was having very strong contractions every minute. Now for those who have never had one, let me explain. They are heaven sent. Literally. I am not a big fan of other people sticking me with needles. That's why I was like "I am in NO way getting one" hahaha I am now laughing about this. I bent over my bed and side table, and I was gripping Spencer's hand so tight, and I expected the worst. Honestly I didn't even feel it. If it weren't for the before warning of my legs will be getting heavy and the sensation of me peeing my pants, I wouldn't have even known that it was in. PS I had the balloon catheter removed and they put in a real catheter. They had me stay sitting up for a couple of minutes as my blood pressure dropped real low. At that point, I felt way better. Except for one thing. I could not stop shaking (which is one side effect). Also, the baby's heart rate kept dropping because my contractions were so close together. I couldn't feel them as much any more, but on the screen, her heart rate was not normal. After what seemed like a lifetime, the resident came in and said that they were going to give me a Terbutaline shot to help slow my contractions down so that the baby could breathe better. They also started me on oxygen so that I could give more oxygen to the baby. Yet another hour and a half went by (I finally got some rest, it was about 6 AM) and my blood sugar was doing okay, but my contractions were not easing up. The nurse came in and a new resident and gave me another Terbutaline shot. Usually they only give one. Everyone seemed as if all was well. So that really helped me not to panic. Still hooked up to oxygen, my legs were completely numb, my mom finally arrived at 6:30 AM.
The nurse came in and said that she had to leave at 7 and will be coming around to introduce my new nurse. At this point my contractions were still pretty close together, but E was handling them like a champ. They checked to see how far I was dilated and I had gone up to an 8 1/2, and my bum all of a sudden had a huge amount of pressure. They removed my catheter and said I was minutes away from pushing. The resident came in and said that my OB had been called and was on her way and checked me again. He said I was just barely an 8 and pushing was not quite here yet. So of course they had to put another catheter in. Aw man those are the worst! The pressure in my bum was getting stronger and stronger. After about 45 minutes of "rest" my OB came and was prepping me for delivery. I had progressed enough where it was time to get Evelyn out. Officially my catheter was removed. My OB explained that I would push each contraction. I also had a big group of people in the delivery room. My OB, her Resident, the Chief Resident, two nurses, a few medical assistants, a Pediatrician, and a respiratory therapist (because E's breathing was slowing, but not to a dangerous level yet). They dimmed the lights and it was time. It was 7:49 AM
On the first contraction that came my OB told me to push, push, push. The process I couldn't get down because it was weird... take a deep breath in, hold for 10 seconds, all while pushing. I did finally get the hang of it after a few pushes. Spencer held one leg, a nurse held my other leg, and my mom was stroking my head, feeding me ice chips, and encouraging me. With each contraction, Spencer would look at me and say "Good job babe, keep pushing!" It seemed like it was going smooth. Finally Evelyn's head was crowning and my OB was squealing about her full head of dark hair. I could not wait to see her. They turned the monitors off and told me it was all me. Was I ready? I pushed with all of my might and her head was out, however at that very second, I had full team jump on top of me. One additional person on each side pushing my legs, one pushing on my pelvis, three OB's at the baby's head, and a few more people. Push! Push! Push! Keep pushing was all I could think about. My baby was losing oxygen and fast. Her shoulders were too wide to come through and they needed to turn her to get her to come out. Her left arm was lodged down by her back, in order to make her fit, they had to force bend it to come above her hair. I remember looking at Spencer's face when I heard the Chief Resident say there was a pop. Spencer looked worried. They pulled Evelyn out laid her on my belly and she was blue. This was 8:39 AM They quickly told Spencer to cut the cord and they whisked her away. The Peds got her breathing and I heard her cry. My baby was here and she was safe. I still didn't know what they meant by that "pop" they heard/felt. I finally got to hold her. She was as beautiful as the angels that were in the room with us that day. I only got to hold her for a quick second before they took her away to check her blood sugars and to get an x-ray of her arm.
In the meantime, I was getting stitched up and my mom and I were both still teary. I had my oxygen taken off and I realized I was completely exhausted. I still could not feel my legs, but I was over the moon with joy! I did something that seemed impossible. Spencer and I brought a beautiful baby into the world who is teaching us more than we know. Spencer went back with her to get examined. Her initial blood sugar was 22 mg/dl which is way low even for a baby. They gave her glucose gel to rise it, then some of my produced colostrum. Being a T1D baby, low blood sugars are common, but with the terbutaline shots that also decreases blood sugars. It was also confirmed that her break was a clean break. Her bone was in half, my poor baby. After going into postpartum recovery, they checked her glucose again and it was still low. So they wrapped her arm in a sling, probably the most painful thing to watch and hear. I had tears swell my eyes and a lump the size of a melon in my throat. Right after that they took her away again to put an IV glucose drip in. It took them 4 tries to get one in. Again, my heart broke. For the next 48 hours we would go every three hours for a glucose check and feeding. Her poor heals were bruised and sore. Finally her glucose was coming up. They would not release her from the nursery unless her blood sugars were above 40. Finally early, early on the morning of the 21st at 2:30 AM, Spencer and I got to have her in our room. She graduated from the IV and luckily got it taken out later on the 21st.
If anything, having sweet Evelyn has taught us a great deal of love and patience. It is so hard watching your little ones be in pain and not being able to do anything about it. Typing this reminded me of the many blessings we received on the morning of the 19th. Things could have gone much worse. I know with all the fibers in my being that Evelyn has a purpose in this life and she was guided here by those who have passed on before her and her future siblings. She has helped us start our newest journey and I will be forever grateful for this experience of her choosing us to be her parents. Even though I cry every time we bathe her and change her wrap or even accidentally touch her arm wrong, it is worth it. She has way more strength than I will ever have. She is the reason why my heart has grown to understand how much I can really love someone. Evelyn Rue, Mommy and Daddy love you very much. All 8 pounds and 4 ounces of you.
On the evening of September 18th, we called to confirm that there was room for us to be induced. Sure enough there was enough room and we were on our way about an hour later. I was so so excited, but at the same time, I was incredibly nervous. Everything was going great. Check-in was a breeze, getting all set-up was a piece of cake,my IV was placed, then the doctor came in. Since I was starting at 8 pm, a resident started the process. After we went over a few options of how to start induction, it was decided to use a pill to be dissolved internally along with a balloon catheter. Both the pill and catheter were placed at the same time so it wasn't too bad. They filled the balloon with water and the stretching began. The nurses left and so did the resident as they both told Spencer and I to get rest because the rest of the night was going to be long. I thought, this isn't too bad, I got this. Well... about three hours later I woke up just shaking in pain. I had an immense about of pain in my low abdominal section. I tried going to the bathroom, adjusting the bed, and pacing. Nothing would help. Finally Spencer convinced me to call the nurse to see if there was anything to ease the pain. The nurse provided great options and we settled for Fentenol. This was given intravenously and almost immediately the pain started to disappear, unfortunately this medication only lasts an hour.
I would try to rest, lucky Spencer he slept for a good amount of time. Every hour, like clockwork, I would get that immense pain back. Each time it would get worse and worse. I was dilated to just over a 5 at this point In the meantime, my blood sugar was plummeting and I could not get it to rise. They hooked me up to a glucose drip as I was averaging 50mg/dl (scary!!). Finally it went up to about 80 mg/dl. I had no idea that all of this would be nerve wracking. I had a few more doses of Fentenol and then I realized that it was getting really bad and painful. When the nurse came in to check on me, I started throwing up. This happened 3 times and again my blood sugar dropped. This was somewhere around 3 or 3:30 in the morning. After an hour of the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. It felt like my stomach was being twisted and being punched at the same time. I caved and asked for an epidural to be placed. At 4:30 AM the Anesthesiologist came in, she was the sweetest lady. I found out the reason why I was in so much pain. I was having very strong contractions every minute. Now for those who have never had one, let me explain. They are heaven sent. Literally. I am not a big fan of other people sticking me with needles. That's why I was like "I am in NO way getting one" hahaha I am now laughing about this. I bent over my bed and side table, and I was gripping Spencer's hand so tight, and I expected the worst. Honestly I didn't even feel it. If it weren't for the before warning of my legs will be getting heavy and the sensation of me peeing my pants, I wouldn't have even known that it was in. PS I had the balloon catheter removed and they put in a real catheter. They had me stay sitting up for a couple of minutes as my blood pressure dropped real low. At that point, I felt way better. Except for one thing. I could not stop shaking (which is one side effect). Also, the baby's heart rate kept dropping because my contractions were so close together. I couldn't feel them as much any more, but on the screen, her heart rate was not normal. After what seemed like a lifetime, the resident came in and said that they were going to give me a Terbutaline shot to help slow my contractions down so that the baby could breathe better. They also started me on oxygen so that I could give more oxygen to the baby. Yet another hour and a half went by (I finally got some rest, it was about 6 AM) and my blood sugar was doing okay, but my contractions were not easing up. The nurse came in and a new resident and gave me another Terbutaline shot. Usually they only give one. Everyone seemed as if all was well. So that really helped me not to panic. Still hooked up to oxygen, my legs were completely numb, my mom finally arrived at 6:30 AM.
The nurse came in and said that she had to leave at 7 and will be coming around to introduce my new nurse. At this point my contractions were still pretty close together, but E was handling them like a champ. They checked to see how far I was dilated and I had gone up to an 8 1/2, and my bum all of a sudden had a huge amount of pressure. They removed my catheter and said I was minutes away from pushing. The resident came in and said that my OB had been called and was on her way and checked me again. He said I was just barely an 8 and pushing was not quite here yet. So of course they had to put another catheter in. Aw man those are the worst! The pressure in my bum was getting stronger and stronger. After about 45 minutes of "rest" my OB came and was prepping me for delivery. I had progressed enough where it was time to get Evelyn out. Officially my catheter was removed. My OB explained that I would push each contraction. I also had a big group of people in the delivery room. My OB, her Resident, the Chief Resident, two nurses, a few medical assistants, a Pediatrician, and a respiratory therapist (because E's breathing was slowing, but not to a dangerous level yet). They dimmed the lights and it was time. It was 7:49 AM
On the first contraction that came my OB told me to push, push, push. The process I couldn't get down because it was weird... take a deep breath in, hold for 10 seconds, all while pushing. I did finally get the hang of it after a few pushes. Spencer held one leg, a nurse held my other leg, and my mom was stroking my head, feeding me ice chips, and encouraging me. With each contraction, Spencer would look at me and say "Good job babe, keep pushing!" It seemed like it was going smooth. Finally Evelyn's head was crowning and my OB was squealing about her full head of dark hair. I could not wait to see her. They turned the monitors off and told me it was all me. Was I ready? I pushed with all of my might and her head was out, however at that very second, I had full team jump on top of me. One additional person on each side pushing my legs, one pushing on my pelvis, three OB's at the baby's head, and a few more people. Push! Push! Push! Keep pushing was all I could think about. My baby was losing oxygen and fast. Her shoulders were too wide to come through and they needed to turn her to get her to come out. Her left arm was lodged down by her back, in order to make her fit, they had to force bend it to come above her hair. I remember looking at Spencer's face when I heard the Chief Resident say there was a pop. Spencer looked worried. They pulled Evelyn out laid her on my belly and she was blue. This was 8:39 AM They quickly told Spencer to cut the cord and they whisked her away. The Peds got her breathing and I heard her cry. My baby was here and she was safe. I still didn't know what they meant by that "pop" they heard/felt. I finally got to hold her. She was as beautiful as the angels that were in the room with us that day. I only got to hold her for a quick second before they took her away to check her blood sugars and to get an x-ray of her arm.
In the meantime, I was getting stitched up and my mom and I were both still teary. I had my oxygen taken off and I realized I was completely exhausted. I still could not feel my legs, but I was over the moon with joy! I did something that seemed impossible. Spencer and I brought a beautiful baby into the world who is teaching us more than we know. Spencer went back with her to get examined. Her initial blood sugar was 22 mg/dl which is way low even for a baby. They gave her glucose gel to rise it, then some of my produced colostrum. Being a T1D baby, low blood sugars are common, but with the terbutaline shots that also decreases blood sugars. It was also confirmed that her break was a clean break. Her bone was in half, my poor baby. After going into postpartum recovery, they checked her glucose again and it was still low. So they wrapped her arm in a sling, probably the most painful thing to watch and hear. I had tears swell my eyes and a lump the size of a melon in my throat. Right after that they took her away again to put an IV glucose drip in. It took them 4 tries to get one in. Again, my heart broke. For the next 48 hours we would go every three hours for a glucose check and feeding. Her poor heals were bruised and sore. Finally her glucose was coming up. They would not release her from the nursery unless her blood sugars were above 40. Finally early, early on the morning of the 21st at 2:30 AM, Spencer and I got to have her in our room. She graduated from the IV and luckily got it taken out later on the 21st.
If anything, having sweet Evelyn has taught us a great deal of love and patience. It is so hard watching your little ones be in pain and not being able to do anything about it. Typing this reminded me of the many blessings we received on the morning of the 19th. Things could have gone much worse. I know with all the fibers in my being that Evelyn has a purpose in this life and she was guided here by those who have passed on before her and her future siblings. She has helped us start our newest journey and I will be forever grateful for this experience of her choosing us to be her parents. Even though I cry every time we bathe her and change her wrap or even accidentally touch her arm wrong, it is worth it. She has way more strength than I will ever have. She is the reason why my heart has grown to understand how much I can really love someone. Evelyn Rue, Mommy and Daddy love you very much. All 8 pounds and 4 ounces of you.
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