I thought a good starting point was Adisyn's birth story. I'm going to pick up where I left off from my StorkNet journals. What a great way to start off the New Year!
January 4th, 2012 –
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| Me & Mark when we arrived at the hospital |
5:00am – We arrived at the hospital for my scheduled
induction. We were exhausted because we didn’t get a lot of sleep the previous
night from both anticipation and for the fact that I was having a lot of
contractions. We timed the contractions and they were anywhere from 6-10
minutes apart. We were very close to driving to the hospital when they got to
be 6 minutes apart, but they didn’t last more than a half an hour at a time. I
told Mark that we needed to make it to 5:00, but I really wasn’t sure if we
would!
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| Waiting for Adisyn's arrival |
We were so excited to know that we’d be meeting Adisyn
today, but there was still the anxiety in the back of our minds. Adisyn was
diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction, which is why they induced at 37
weeks, which is considered full-term. The nurse at the hospital told us that a
lot of babies are diagnosed with this, but don’t actually have it but you don’t
truly know until delivery. Still, with the threat of the placenta cutting off
its supply completely, induction was only option. It was very frightening for
us to know that she had this diagnosis, because Ada had a very severe case of
this. Mark actually asked the high risk doctor if they felt like something
could be genetically going on that wasn’t detected thus far and he said that it
is always a possibility. It felt like we
still weren’t in the clear, we were still worried about Adisyn’s health but we
had some comfort knowing that she passed all her tests throughout the
pregnancy. But still, there’s that uncertainty.
9:00am – My doctor came in and let me know the plan for the
day. He was going to break my water, but he wanted to wait until I received my
epidural. He checked my cervix and found that I was just 2-3 cm dilated. I was
surprised because I was having a lot more contractions which were increasing in
intensity so I thought I would’ve progressed more. I decided to get my epidural
then because I didn’t want the labor to progress to the point when my
contractions were too close and too intense. Having had a very horrific
experience in the past, I wanted the labor to be as relaxing as possible so we
both could take it all in and enjoy the miracle that was taking place.
10:00am – My epidural appeared to be only on my right side.
I was worried about this because I had the same thing happen before. As I lay
on my left side, I slowly felt the effects on that side as well. I was relieved
because I didn’t want this to create an unnecessary anxiety.
12:00pm – My doctor came back by (apparently he had a
surgery in the meantime) to break my water. Mark was so excited to see the
whole process! My doctor explained everything as he did it and his prediction
was that I’d be delivering sometime around dinner because I was about 4 cm
dilated. I was texting my sister and my friend with the play-by-play of how
everything was progressing. They both thought that dinner time was a little too
optimistic because it sounded to them like it was going to be a long night for
us.
12:45pm – I started feeling a lot of increased pressure. The
nurse checked Adisyn’s heart rate and the said “I think things are moving very
quickly”. She checked my cervix and I was at 7 cm dilated! I asked her when she
usually alerts the doctor and without hesitation she said “I’m going to go
right now!”
1:00pm – The doctor came in and I told him about my
increased pressure and the need to push. He checked my cervix and said “wow! I
think we’re ready to go – this is going to be the fastest delivery I’ve ever
had!” As everyone was preparing the area, I began to cry. Mark looked at me and
was worried something was wrong. Instead I was realizing that this was all
surreal to me. I waited for this moment for so long but I was so terrified! What
if something was wrong? How do we know if she’s safe and healthy? He comforted
me when I told him what was wrong and made me feel so much better.
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| Just born!! |
By this time I was ready! I then said to my doctor “She’s
ready! I don’t think I can hold her in any longer!” He laughed and told me that
it was ok to push. I felt very calm and relaxed. I was taking in every moment. I
felt when I needed to push and was making good progress. Mark was very
encouraging and excited at the same time. I loved having him beside me the
whole step of the way!
1:08pm - Adisyn Hope was here weighing 5 lbs, 5 oz! It was a
magical moment when I heard her roaring lungs cry and all of my fears went
completely away. She was immediately placed on my chest and I held her in my
arms. Mark was a proud daddy and took all the pictures he could and he cut the
cord! I looked up at him, as I held
Adisyn in my arms and we were so overwhelmed with happiness. We dreamt about
this day for so long and it was finally here. She was perfect and the delivery
couldn’t have gone any smoother. We
loved and appreciated every minute of it!
My doctor made the comment about Adisyn’s placenta and he
said that it was very small. This could be the reason why she was a little
smaller in size or it could be an indication that the placenta was beginning to
break down. Either way, Adisyn’s size was larger than the high risk doctors
predicted, which a good thing is in this case! The NICU staff was in the
delivery room just in case, but it was a great feeling to see them leave. She
was perfectly healthy!
3:00pm – We were finally placed in a “Mother-Baby” room. Mark’s
parents were on the floor waiting, and they were so excited to finally meet
her! The nurses took her measurements and tested her for jaundice. Adisyn
measured 18 ¾ inches long!
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| Proud daddy! |
The rest of the day and night pretty much ran together. We were
so overwhelmed with all the nurses, the newborn pictures, visitors, phone
calls, lactation consultant, birth certificate, pediatrician, OB, and I think
there were so many other people that I just lost track of everything because we were
exhausted! That night we took turns sleeping. We were so terrified to let her
sleep without watching her! We knew that we had to get over this feeling, but
for the 1st night we just couldn’t bear to not be awake! We realized
that this was irrational, but we waited so long for this moment to be in the
presence of our little girl, but she was just so tiny, frail and helpless in
our eyes. We just wanted to be there with her.
Adisyn and I were discharged on Friday and she weighed 4
lbs. 15 oz. We stayed an extra night to make sure Adisyn was receiving
substantial nutrients from breastfeeding exclusively. As the night went on
though, they were worried that because of her size, she would require
additional calories. They suggested a combination of formula and breastfeeding,
which actually was reassuring because we had a better gage of how much she was
taking in. After returning home, I started weaning off of the formula as my
milk came in and just used the formula in cases when we weren’t sure if she was
satisfied, but I didn’t have an ample milk supply yet to keep up, even with
pumping. It’s an ongoing learning experience, but we’re starting to get the
hang of it.
Now, having a baby after a loss we realize that we view life
and our child’s existence differently. We know we’re going to overreact at times;
after all, we’re new at this. At first, we were worried at every little
movement or lack thereof. Was she breathing? Is she moving? Is this normal?
But, now that we are getting use to things a little, we feel so much more at
ease. We both think of Ada daily and we always will. As Mark and I were lying
on our bed one night I just began to cry again. I love this moment with Adisyn
is living and breathing in front of us, which is such a blessing to witness! At
the same time, we wish Ada was able to share this moment with us. Then I
realize, she always will!
We feel so blessed to have Adisyn as our sweet little girl.
We look forward to our next journey as we watch her grow. I did realize amidst
of all of this that Mark and I make a great team! I am so thankful for such a
wonderful husband, our sweet little Adisyn and our angel in heaven, Ada.
