After 20 weeks of progesterone shots to PREVENT preterm labor, baby sister was most definitely not preterm. At 36 weeks, they estimated her size at 7 lbs already, so we elected to induce labor the day before her due date. So on August 30th at 6am, mom and dad left big brother home with Grandmother and went to the hospital.
Upon arriving, we met our absolutely wonderful Nurse A. I hadn't slept well, very anxious about the induction and how big brother would handle everything. Also, they tell you not to eat anything beforehand. So as NurseA is putting in my IV, I start feeling very strange and dizzy. I recall looking at Rob and saying "I'm not ok, I am going to pass out." Next thing I remember is Nurse A. waving an alcohol swab in front of my nose... the day was not off to a great start.
The pitocin begins to cause some contractions over the next couple of hours, but they were not terribly uncomfortable. So around 11:30am my doctor, Dr. B., came to break my water -- I was around 4cm. The contractions started to become VERY painful and although the anesthesiologist came with the epidural, it was not fast enough. As I kept insisting that I was still in pain, NurseA decided to check me again - already 8cm! She called Dr. B. and said "I don't think Stefanie's going to get any relief, you should come on over." YIKES! She arrived and I was 10cm!
DrB: Time to push
Stefanie: No I don't remember how!
It turns out there is nothing you can say at that point that will convince your doctor that it is not time to have this baby! Although, I yelled and cursed after every contraction, between my pushing and Dr.B "pulling," our little girl, Matilda Jean, was born @ 1:22pm.
STATS:
9lb 10oz
21 1/2 inches
The nurses gave us a brief scare when they said that Matilda was "retracting" (means that the chest pulls in between the ribs when breathing in, because the lungs are not working well enough, which is what Weston was doing when he was born). Dr.B. practically yelled at the nurses, "These parents had a son with respiratory distress and pneumothorax!" But it was just that her delivery was so quick that all the liquid didn't get squeezed out of her lungs. The nurse brought Matilda to me and said, "I do hear breathing, it's just wetness in the lungs." I was still crying, but one can't blame me for being a little emotional!
After much suctioning of the lungs, they brought Matilda to us as we reached the recovery room.
Here she is....
