Bringing Hattie Into The World

Here's my post about labor & delivery. I promise not to overshare. This is as much for me to remember as it is for you to read.

On Friday morning (April 5th), we went to the doctor to assess "where we were" and talk about what happens next. We were 3 days past due, and I was getting a little discouraged. Dr. S asked me when the last time I felt Hattie move was and I realized it had been almost 24 hours. Upon hearing that, he wanted to see her, so he did an ultrasound. That ultrasound showed great breathing, a strong heartbeat, meconium in the amniotic fluid (not so good), and calcium deposits on the placenta (which just showed that we were past due & things were "aging"). All this led to the decision to head to the hospital at 2pm to get things moving.

So after we left the doctor's office and had about 4 hours before we had to be at the hospital. We headed to Will's mom's school first to tell her in person that we were going to be having a baby in the next day or so!

Then we called Will's dad to tell him (because he was at work).

Then on to the garden center to tell whatever family we could find! My mom, John, and Grammy were there - funny enough, my dad, who rarely takes a day off, was hanging out at home with Wilkes! (Good for him!) So we called him as well!

Then we headed home to get ready and spend a little time with Chaco!

Sweet Chaco had no idea his world was about to change so much!

One last walk with our little guy before we dropped him off at Mimi & Rudy's house.

Leaving home for the last time!

After calling Sarah Beth at work to tell her, she told me had some openings and could wash & dry my hair before I went to the hospital! What an awesome gift!

Ok, on to labor & delivery...

We got to the hospital at 2pm, checked in, signed a bunch of papers, waited in the waiting room (because a ton of babies were being born that day), and finally got taken to our room (in the overflow wing). Dr. S came in and broke my water. And to my surprise, the contractions started on their own about an hour later around 4pm! I was thrilled because my goal and plan was to have Hattie naturally. So it was starting out just the way we had hoped. I was dilated to 2cm and 40% effaced when I came in. By 7pm or so, I was dilated to 4cm and 90% effaced. Things were looking good!

We called our parents just to let them know, and we also called the AMAZING Katie Mosley to let her know. Because she was going to take pictures during labor & of sweet Hattie when she arrived. Everyone got to the hospital around 8pm. Dr. S approved a labor tub so I could labor in the water, which was AWESOME. They moved me to the regular delivery hall and I sat in that tub for 45 minutes out of every hour. The contractions were so much easier to deal with in the water. Will was doing a great job coaching me. And we had the most wonderful nurse, who was knowledgeable in natural delivery and helped Will coach me. She was such a blessing to us both. At this point, it looked like things were going to move fairly quickly.

Well, then they didn't. Around 9pm, I was dilated to 5cm and 100% effaced. And at 10pm, I was the same. And 11pm, the same. And 12am, the same. The contractions were really close together, and I was exhausted and hungry. I kept falling asleep between contractions, and then when I would wake up to find myself heading into another contraction. That was kind of horrific, honestly. At 1am, I asked for the nurse to come in and check to see if we had progressed. I told Will that if we hadn't progressed, I had to have something. As much as I wanted to have this baby naturally, I wanted the opportunity to push her out and I was becoming exhausted. So at 1am, I was still at 5cm.

So I got an epidural. My nurse was so awesome and asked me if I was going to regret it or feel guilty. (Side note: if you planned to have your baby naturally and ended up getting an epidural, DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. OR SAD. OR REGRETFUL. That is not the Lord's voice. I really believe that is where the enemy tries to thwart our joy and take away what should be a beautiful experience, however you decide to do it. A healthy baby and healthy mama are the end goals of labor & delivery, so shake off any guilt or regrets. Kiss your baby and thank the Lord for his provision!)

Ok, the epidural. I was so tired and hungry, and after verbally consenting to the epidural and signing a paper, I got some relief. I remember wanting to tell Will something, but he got fuzzy and I fell asleep. They came in every hour to check to see if I had progressed. Well, at 5am, with the epidural and pitocin, I was only at 6cm. After 4 hours. That was kind of surprising to us all.

Dr. S came in and discussed what he believed was happening. I had CPD, cephalopelvic disproportion, which basically meant that Hattie's head and my pelvis weren't lining up to work together. And this was resulting in failure to progress. Hattie's heartbeat and breathing were really strong, but at this point, they were becoming concerned with me. He basically said that if I could get to 10cm in the next hour, then I could push her out. But much beyond that, we were running the risk of me being exhausted and not being able to contract after she came out. So at 6am, if I wasn't at 10cm, we should probably look at having a c-section.

I had been fearful of c-sections before we came to the hospital. But in that moment, God covered me with his peace. He really blanketed me with it. Will climbed into bed with me and we prayed about it. We called our moms in (they had spent the entire night in the hospital and everyone else had gone home - except for the AMAZING Katie). We told them the situation. Dr. S came back in around 5:45am, and surprisingly I had progressed to 8cm. But we were all in the same mindset that now was the time to bring Hattie into the world. We prepped for a c-section.

Here's Will all ready to go!

And me - we were in pretty high spirits knowing we were about to meet our baby!

My first photo with Hattie!

I have nothing to compare that first moment to, the first moment when we heard her cry. Neither of us could see her, but she came out and let out a perfect cry. And Will and I both started crying. I remember Will saying to me, "That's our baby!" And we were a perfect mess, just weeping. I'm crying now as I write this. She had to handed to NICU nurses in the room first because of the meconium in the fluid - she had to be suctioned really well. And then they handed her to Will, and he quickly placed her in my arms. And we cried. And thanked God. It was one of the best moments of my life. Like top 2 moments. Marrying Will. Meeting Hattie.

Our perfect baby!

Headed back to recovery!

Will snapped this when the NICU nurses were checking her!

In the recovery room. My nose was red and itchy, I think I am allergic to the tubing that they administer oxygen through! It itched for 24 hours!

Will and his baby girl!

These moments are beyond anything I can compare them to.

Hattie, in all her sweetness and beauty.

Hattie, you are the Lord's provision for us. He has shown me such love and faithfulness through you already. You are more than I ever imagined or hoped for. My dreams of becoming a mama have been made real and you are the most precious thing. My heart exploded with love upon meeting you. My heart will rejoice for days to come. I love you, little Hattie Bear. Welcome to our world!

These are the preview images that Katie has shown me! I can't wait to see the rest!

Check out her work here.

This may have been more than you want to read. Sorry. But as the days begin to run together, I was afraid I would forget. So it's logged here for me. Better posts to come :)