Evangeline's Birth Story

On Tuesday, March 23, at about 7:30pm I started having contractions.  They quickly went from 8 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart.  We left for the hospital and checked in around 11:30.  I was only 2cm dilated and wasn't progressing, so I eventually went home around noon the next day.  They told me that I would probably be back later that night or the next day.

Sure enough, on Thursday the 25th Jordan and I decided to go out to dinner knowing that we probably wouldn't get another chance before we had a baby.  As soon as we got into the car my contractions started back up.  I timed them through dinner, unable to eat, and once they got to be 2 minutes apart we decided we'd go back in.  We got to the hospital around 10:30 and I was 5cm dilated!  The midwife happily announced that we would be having a baby that night!

I really wanted to go for a natural, unmedicated birth.  My contractions really weren't that bad for the first several hours, and I told Jordan to sleep since he may not get another chance for a while.  He had been up since 5 that morning and was so tired.  So, he slept, and I labored quietly until 1 when they decided to break my water.

That's when my contractions started to hurt.  At 3 I was 7 cm dilated, and I asked for a pain killer to take the edge off.  At 4:30 I was 9.5cm and they told me that I could go ahead and start pushing whenever I wanted.  I think I started pushing around 5.  I kept looking at the clock, thinking that I would probably push for an hour and she'd be here.

Nope.  I pushed for 2.5 hours then was told that if I pushed much longer they'd have to do a c-section.  They told me that I should go ahead and get an epidural to slow down my labor enough for me to sleep, and we'd try again in a few hours.  I was disappointed, but I agreed.  They gave me the epidural and I was SO TIRED.  I fell asleep around 7:30 and woke up at 9:30 with a horrible pain in my side.  I thought that my uterus had exploded or something.  They told me that I was having a contraction and that I could push whenever I was ready.  It was so much different pushing with an epidural because I couldn't feel anything.  I pushed for 2.5 more hours.

She was so close!  They could see her head!  They could see her hair!  But, she was posterior, meaning that she was facing up instead of down and she just would not come out.  I was completely exhausted.  Finally, the nurse who had been helping me told me that I had two choices.  I could have the labor slowed, rest some more and try again in a few hours, or I could have a c-section. 

I knew that if they slowed down labor the same thing would happen.  And I was so exhausted, I physically couldn't take it anymore.  The doctor and midwife came in to talk to me, then left Jordan and I to discuss our options.  We were disappointed, but we decided the best thing for both me and our baby was to have a c-section before things got worse.

As they were prepping me for the c-section I seriously felt like I was going to be crucified.  I had my legs strapped down and my arms out to the side, and everyone was really quiet.  One of the nurses peeked around the curtain before they started and asked if I knew why I was there.  Confused by her question I replied, "So you can get this baby out of me?" Everyone laughed.  Apparently "For a c-section." was the right answer.  They brought Jordan in, and we both go ready to meet our daughter.

I'm fairly certain that they didn't give the medicine enough time to fully kick in before they started.  They told me that I would feel no pain whatsoever, just some pressure.  Well, I started to feel a lot of pain under my ribcage, and I notified the nurse.  It wasn't unbearable, but I could definitely feel it.  I felt them pull my stomach apart, and I could definitely feel them pulling her out.  It was 12:30 pm on Friday, March 26 when I heard a shout of "It's a girl!" and the sound every parent wants to hear: her first cries.  She has such a beautiful cry!

I barely got to see her before they took her away to be weighed and all the other stuff they do.  I didn't see her again until 2 hours after she was born.  And I have barely let her out of my sight since then.

Evangeline Arwen  was born on March 26, 2010 at 12:30, weighing 6 lbs 13.7 ozs and 19 inches long.  She is the source of so much joy and happiness, and I love her more than I thought I could ever love someone.

The recovery has been pretty normal.  I lost a little too much blood during the c-section, so my heartrate has been pretty elevated.  I think the last I heard, I am borderline anemic.  Nothing serious.  I'm sore, of course, as most people are after major surgery, but I get to gaze upon her perfect face, and it somehow makes everything so worth it.

I love you so much, Evangeline, and I am so glad that you are here now.  I am completely addicted to you, and sadly, you already have me and your father wrapped around your little finger.

First family picture, still in the OR

 Being weighed for the time

 All bundled up, only a few hours old

All three of us, taken when she was about 28 hours old

Happy Birthday, Evie.