Ellie is two weeks old already and I still haven't shared the story of how she came into this world! So, here goes.
It was 6:50 p.m. on Aug. 2, and Brian and I were picking up our bags to load in the car (for the four block drive to the hospital). My phone rang and I answered it. A woman from the hospital was on the other end and asked if we knew we were scheduled for induction that evening. I told her "yes, we're on our way now." She said we were on the schedule for 6 p.m. ... but our doctor definitely told us 7 p.m. The hospital staff said it was no big deal, but we were a little embarrassed and frustrated since we'd basically been killing time all day waiting until we could go in!
Fast forward a couple hours and we're at the hospital settled into the labor and delivery room. Dr. George came in and gave me cervidil. The monitor they had hooked up to my abdomen showed I was already having some small contractions, but I was waiting for the medicine to kick things into gear. Brian and I watched "Big Fish" -- one of our favorite movies -- on the lap top and then tried to get some sleep (Me in the hospital bed and Brian on the recliner). By midnight I was having some serious pains. The sleeping pill I'd taken wasn't helping much. I didn't get much rest through the night, which I was bummed about because I knew Monday was likely to be a long day.
Around 9 a.m. Monday, Dr. George came in and broke my water. It looked clear at first but then was murky, which told the doctor that the baby had passed a stool and would need to get extra suction upon delivery to avoid inhaling it into her lungs. So we started to prepare for that factor. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold the baby directly after the birth and Brian wouldn't be able to cut the umbilical cord because they would rush her across the room for extra attention.
I was given pitocin through an IV and the contractions really started going. In the early morning I was only 3 cm dilated, but had progressed to 5 cm by around 11 a.m. I was more than ready to get an epidural by then. I came into the hospital thinking I might not need the epidural, but changed my tune when the pain started getting really bad. As my brother (and many other people told me): "You don't get a medal for not getting pain medication..."
My mom got into town a little before noon. She and Brian went to get lunch while I tried to rest for awhile. Brian's mom arrived around 2 p.m. and we all visited for a short time. But at 2:30 p.m. the nurse announced I was fully dilated (to 10 cm) and ready to push. I was dumb enough to be excited about this news! Yes, I was happy to be progressing... but after nearly an hour of pushing with no visible progress I asked "why did I want to get to this stage again?"
The nurse said most first-time moms have to push for one to three hours. I pushed for three. It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. By the last hour, I was actually falling asleep during the 45 second pauses between contractions. I couldn't talk. I couldn't yell. I just wanted to meet my baby.
Brian was a great partner to have in the room. He was very supportive and tried to keep the mood light. Somewhere in the second or third hour of pushing, I did ban him from making any more jokes. I'd lost my sense of humor at that point. The epidural helped immensely, but I still felt a lot of pain because I kept the amount of medication going in low enough so that I could still feel when I was having a contraction and would know when to push.
Dr. George came back somewhere around 5:15 or 5:30 p.m. She found that Ellie was turned face up in the birth canal (when she was supposed to be face down). She tried to turn her... which did not feel good... but only was able to get her sideways. Ellie was still stuck and Dr. George finally told me she would use some vacuum suction to help get her out. On my next big round of pushes, the head came out. Brian said it was very scary to see the vacuum pulling and Ellie's head not moving right away, but she finally un-stuck. I had to push a few more times as Dr. George freed her shoulders and the rest of her came out.
We didn't know that she was a "she" yet and in the excitement of the moment, Brian forgot to look! The nurses and doctor whisked her across the room and Dr. George yelled "It's a girl!"
I could see the blue little baby in the warming table about 10 feet away, but couldn't hear her cry. I was so overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment and the relief from the pain that I immediately started sobbing. Brian was still standing by my side until Dr. George asked why he wasn't over with his new daughter. He crossed the room and reached down to her and said Ellie immediately grabbed his finger. The nurses finished suctioning Ellie's mouth and lungs and we heard her cry. Her color started to improve and they cleaned her up.
It seemed like an eternity, but was probably only 5 minutes or so, until Brian finally brought her over to me. I put her on my chest and covered us both with a blanket... and continued to cry. It was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. It felt surreal to hold her in my arms and know that I had been carrying this perfect little person around inside of me. Her beautiful eyes were open and she was so alert. I hope she could tell my tears were happy ones.
Her arrival was the most intense roller coaster of emotions I've ever experienced. I'm sure it was exciting and/or terrifying for her, too!
And that's the story of how Ellie Wallheimer came into this world.
Fast forward a couple hours and we're at the hospital settled into the labor and delivery room. Dr. George came in and gave me cervidil. The monitor they had hooked up to my abdomen showed I was already having some small contractions, but I was waiting for the medicine to kick things into gear. Brian and I watched "Big Fish" -- one of our favorite movies -- on the lap top and then tried to get some sleep (Me in the hospital bed and Brian on the recliner). By midnight I was having some serious pains. The sleeping pill I'd taken wasn't helping much. I didn't get much rest through the night, which I was bummed about because I knew Monday was likely to be a long day.
Around 9 a.m. Monday, Dr. George came in and broke my water. It looked clear at first but then was murky, which told the doctor that the baby had passed a stool and would need to get extra suction upon delivery to avoid inhaling it into her lungs. So we started to prepare for that factor. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold the baby directly after the birth and Brian wouldn't be able to cut the umbilical cord because they would rush her across the room for extra attention.
I was given pitocin through an IV and the contractions really started going. In the early morning I was only 3 cm dilated, but had progressed to 5 cm by around 11 a.m. I was more than ready to get an epidural by then. I came into the hospital thinking I might not need the epidural, but changed my tune when the pain started getting really bad. As my brother (and many other people told me): "You don't get a medal for not getting pain medication..."
My mom got into town a little before noon. She and Brian went to get lunch while I tried to rest for awhile. Brian's mom arrived around 2 p.m. and we all visited for a short time. But at 2:30 p.m. the nurse announced I was fully dilated (to 10 cm) and ready to push. I was dumb enough to be excited about this news! Yes, I was happy to be progressing... but after nearly an hour of pushing with no visible progress I asked "why did I want to get to this stage again?"
The nurse said most first-time moms have to push for one to three hours. I pushed for three. It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. By the last hour, I was actually falling asleep during the 45 second pauses between contractions. I couldn't talk. I couldn't yell. I just wanted to meet my baby.
Brian was a great partner to have in the room. He was very supportive and tried to keep the mood light. Somewhere in the second or third hour of pushing, I did ban him from making any more jokes. I'd lost my sense of humor at that point. The epidural helped immensely, but I still felt a lot of pain because I kept the amount of medication going in low enough so that I could still feel when I was having a contraction and would know when to push.
Dr. George came back somewhere around 5:15 or 5:30 p.m. She found that Ellie was turned face up in the birth canal (when she was supposed to be face down). She tried to turn her... which did not feel good... but only was able to get her sideways. Ellie was still stuck and Dr. George finally told me she would use some vacuum suction to help get her out. On my next big round of pushes, the head came out. Brian said it was very scary to see the vacuum pulling and Ellie's head not moving right away, but she finally un-stuck. I had to push a few more times as Dr. George freed her shoulders and the rest of her came out.
We didn't know that she was a "she" yet and in the excitement of the moment, Brian forgot to look! The nurses and doctor whisked her across the room and Dr. George yelled "It's a girl!"
I could see the blue little baby in the warming table about 10 feet away, but couldn't hear her cry. I was so overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment and the relief from the pain that I immediately started sobbing. Brian was still standing by my side until Dr. George asked why he wasn't over with his new daughter. He crossed the room and reached down to her and said Ellie immediately grabbed his finger. The nurses finished suctioning Ellie's mouth and lungs and we heard her cry. Her color started to improve and they cleaned her up.
It seemed like an eternity, but was probably only 5 minutes or so, until Brian finally brought her over to me. I put her on my chest and covered us both with a blanket... and continued to cry. It was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. It felt surreal to hold her in my arms and know that I had been carrying this perfect little person around inside of me. Her beautiful eyes were open and she was so alert. I hope she could tell my tears were happy ones.
Her arrival was the most intense roller coaster of emotions I've ever experienced. I'm sure it was exciting and/or terrifying for her, too!
And that's the story of how Ellie Wallheimer came into this world.
tears in my eyes...congrats again!!
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