Remembering My Pregnancy: The Birth Day! Part 1

 1 Hour before Hannah was born!

Hannah's very first picture 8:07am

Remembering My Pregnancy:  The Birth Day!

We were planning to be at the hospital ready to be induced at 8am but God had other plans.  I awoke up 12:30am in labor!  I had been praying I'd go into labor on my own!  God had answered my prayer!  Thank you Lord!  I wait probably an hour to two hours waiting, pacing the house, wondering if I truly am in labor!  We had been warned to come quick to the hospital as if my water breaks, baby's cord could prolapse and that is very very dangerous for baby!  I usually go really fast when labor starts. 

I wake Rick up and he jumps up out of bed and he races around the house getting ready to go.  He is worried and on fast mode.  He takes the keys the kids need to get to the hospital in the van in the morning.  ( we did not know that until later in the day as the kids were looking all over for the keys so they could come with Pake and Beppe and see Hannah) 

We hop in the pickup and head down to the hospital which is probably about 40 minutes away.  We get checked in at the hospital.  We did checked to make sure I'm in labor and that was confirmed and I was checked for dilatation and I am at 4-5.  They check me into room 330.  I am nervous but ready to see my baby! 

I wait during the night, having contractions all night long, they checked me again for any further dilatation.  I'm dilated to 7 but don't seem to get past 7.  The doctors think my contractions are contracting so much water and Hannah's head is not down far enough so my contractions are only playing with the fluid in my womb. 

Dr. Kendra Smith comes in to see us, she is the neonatologist who will be at Hannah's birth and will be Hannah's doctor.  She came in right away so she could be here for Hannah's birth. She is going into the doctor's sleep room until they call her for Hannah's birth. 

I keep having steady contraction all night long.  The doctors at first don't want to break my water as they are so worried about the cord prolapsing.  As Hannah's head in not all the way down and the cord could fall through instead of Hannah's head. 

The doctor's gave me medicine to make the contractions stronger.  But still not helping much.  At 7:30am, Dr, Pieper  Ob, decided he will break my water during a contraction and he is thinking Hannah's head will come down right away and not the cord.  So here we go.  The doctor breaks my water during a contraction!  It was so funny!  My contraction was big and pow the water exploded!  Water splashed everywhere!  All over the doctor,  water flowed and flowed out!  I wet the bed, the nurse brought a few towels and helped mop up my water mess.  Hannah's head went down and not the cord!  Praise God! 

Now it is a waiting game.  Waiting for the urge to push.  When will that be?  It was about 25  minutes later and the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 8-9. Rick thought it will be a little bit yet.  I'm going to get coffee.  While Rick was gone, I suddenly had the intense urge to push!  I was so ready.  The nurse immediately paged the doctors, NICU team!  and all who needed to be there! 

The doctor on his way running to my room saw Rick and said to him I'm headed to your wife's room, you better get in there. 
The OB doctor gets ready but I was told not to push just yet as the whole NICU team needs to be here! Then I am told it is ok to push.  I push and Hannah's head is crowning!  I push again and she is born!  She came out screaming!  My baby is crying!  So not as the doctors told me would happen!  This was at 8:07am the time I was supposed to be induced!  Rick calls the kids!  We are ecstatic.  God is good to us! 

The doctors were amazed at her short cord!  Her cord was so short it would have never prolapsed!  The room was in a buzz with so many people I am amazed!  There was a whole team working with Hannah and then a there was me the doctor and the nurse with me!  Rick calls a few people, I text a few people too!  Hannah cries the whole time until they get her wrapped up in a blanket.  They ask me if I want to hold her before they take her down to the NICU.  I felt that was a gift to hold my baby.  I was mentally prepared that I'd not get to hold her.  I was so so thankful!  I could not wait to have my children see their baby sister. 

I got to hold her for about 10 minutes.  Then the nurse needed go weight her and do her blood sugar checks.  While this was going on Rick's mom and Rick's Aunt Jill come in and see Hannah and see me.  They were so thankful she is doing so well!  They loved her at first sight!  The nurse got Hannah's foot prints, weight, blood sugar.  Then the nurse discovered her blood sugar levels were too low.  She needed to go down to the NICU this was because of her low birth weight.  Rick will be going with her. I will get cleaned up and changed and then the nurse will take me down to see my baby in the NICU. 

NICU and I am going down to see her soon.  I eat a quick few bits of breakfast and the nurse then lets me go down to see my baby. She takes me down but everyone else needs to go wait in the waiting area for the NICU and then be allowed in when you could go in. 

I was allowed to stay with my baby and not have to stay in my room 330.  I spent the day with her, holding her hand as she lay in the warming bed.  She slept so tenderly.  I did ask if I could hold her and the nurse said of course!

What a gift to have my baby here with us and breathing on her own!  God is good! 

Holding Hannah! 

Cassie made a bunch of really neat things which we used a bunch of it while we were in the NICU!  Beppe brought a plant and a cute balloon! 

Here are the flowers Beppe brought! 

Part 2 continued soon! 

 

Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Blessings, Sandi (Hannah's mommy)