I’m back!

And now for the long awaited birth story.

Even as I sit down to write how Paisley came into this world, I still don’t believe it. But my life is full of moments and events that I have planned out, but as you may know and I have learned, that God’s plans are sometimes different.
So with that said, I give you the birth of Paisley Evelynn!

It all started Tuesday February 23rd when I went to my 38 week appointment. I found out that I was 4cm dilated and 70% effaced, which was all fine and dandy but I also had a new development at that appointment…high blood pressure. Never before in this pregnancy or any other have I had this problem, but there it was. So my midwife decided to strip my membranes and told me that she would prefer me to have the baby today (2-23) or tomorrow (2-24). Also, whenever I thought that I was in labor to come right in because she expected me to go fast. I was allowed to do some walking on Tuesday after my appointment, but from that point on I need to be pretty much on bed rest.

What?!?!

Are you kidding me?

I then made it my personal mission to to walk this baby out before I had to deal with preeclampsia. Unfortunately I headed to bed Tuesday night disappointed that labor hadn’t begun, and hoping tomorrow would bring better news.

Mid-morning on Wednesday I began having some contractions and wondering if it might turn into something promising. Hallelujah no bed rest for me! When they started coming every 5 to 10 minutes (still random) Sam decided to stay home from work and I called my midwife to let her know that I thought I was in the early stages of labor. She told me to go ahead and come in to be checked out. By that point it was 2pm and the boys were down for a nap, so my mom left work to stay with them while we ran up to the hospital. I really didn’t think we would be staying yet, so we left everything and everyone at home.

Once we got to the hospital I was sent to triage to be monitored. I hadn’t progressed at all and frankly my contractions weren’t that strong. But when my blood pressure was crazy high they decided to run some tests on me, which all came back pointing to me bordering on preeclampsia. My midwife had a serious talk with me and we decided it would be best for her to keep me at the hospital and break my water.

At this point I was already sad things weren’t going my way and my birth experience wasn’t going to be intervention free. About 5:30 they were getting everything set up, we told they family to go ahead and come to the hospital because Paisley was coming today, and we made our way to the labor and delivery room. Then we just sat, waiting for my midwife to make her appearance to get this show on the road. When she came in I could tell I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Because of my high blood pressure she needed to either break my water or start me on pitocin (okay I got that), but because of my high blood pressure she couldn’t do either. (What, that doesn’t make since?!?!)

Now here is where the bomb is dropped. She needed me to get an epidural. (because my blood pressure wasn’t under control now with really no pain, it definitely wasn’t going to behave itself once the pain of labor really kicked in.) The epidural was supposed to lower my blood pressure. I was not happy. Anyone who knows me, knows that those are fighting words! Honestly, I would rather die then have any epidural (which is another story entirely!)

*Let me say though that I DO NOT condemn ladies who do have epidurals, it’s just not for me. And I have learned through experience.*

Once I realized that I had no choice, I surrendered to having an…gulp…epidural. (defeat) But I didn’t go down without a fight, haha!…just ask my mom and Sam! Can I just tell you that I love my midwife! Not only did she laugh when I joked awkwardly about my discontent with my situation, but she truly grieved with me that I couldn’t have the birthing experience that I wanted. (what a lady!) 6:30 rolled around and I had just gotten my epidural and had my water broken. (and as a plus, my blood pressure had dropped…which is what they said) All seemed fine and dandy until an hour passed and my midwife said that I had made no real change…4cm and 80% effaced. I wanted to be like, thank you epidural for slowing down my labor…but I was a good girl. 😉 We then decided to start me on a little pitocin.

A little bit before I received my epidural my dad, sister (Stephanie), and my boys arrived. (My other sister couldn’t make it because she was in Oklahoma with work. 🙁 Her first birth to miss!) I was so glad to see them…but especially my little men. This was going to be the last time that we would be a family of four. (tear) But I loved having them hang out in the room…it was and will always be a family affair!

Another hour passed and I began to feel some pain in my cervix during each contraction. I actually liked that because I could feel what my body was doing and I had a good gauge on progress. Around 9:30 I told Sam, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I had Paisley by 10 pm because then I would only be in labor for 3 1/2 hours.” He laughed and said, “Yeah it’d be cool, but your contractions are still too far apart and I don’t know if they’re strong enough yet either.” In his defense, he was looking at the monitor.

A few minutes later I began to feel pressure like I needed to use the restroom.. but only during the contractions.  When I informed my nurse she told me that I wasn’t ready yet and to tell her when the pressure was constant.  About two minutes after that my midwife walked in and asked me how i was doing.  I told her and she decided to check me, which she then stated, “Wanna have a baby?  Her head is right there.”  thank you nurse so-and-so, I do know my body! As they were getting things set up for delivery, my dad took the boys who had fallen asleep in the room out to the waiting room.  We debated on whether they could stay with the curtain pulled shut, or if they should leave.  And since I didn’t know how crazy things would get or if they would wake up crying, and not have a way out, we decided they should go.

Two nurses from the ER sat in on my delivery so they could be semi ready for couples coming into the ER needing to deliver. My midwife kept telling them throughout my delivery, “its just never this easy, its never this easy” It was those nurses, my midwife, Sam, my Mom and my sister Stephanie… this was her first time.  She was excited.  My midwife then told me to give her a “practice push” and when I pushed Paisley’s head halfway out she said, “Stop, Let Me Get Ready!” …Then the waiting game began.

Waiting Game?

You see to be at the end of labor, my contractions were still weirdly far apart.  So we waited for anther contraction and for me to feel pressure.  It was so calm and quiet, we just joked and laughed about how awkwardly long it was taking for me to contract again.  Then I will never forget what my midwife said, “Wow she has some hair.”  Which I thought wasn’t that unusual since both boys did… but the part that got me was she reached down and styled her hair in a mohawk.  How much hair did she have I wondered?!

Finally another contraction and I pushed maybe 2 more times and my sweet Paisley entered this world.  I took one look at her and said, “She’s so tiny.”  Sam said, “She’s not tiny for 38 weeks.”  True. . . she would’ve been a BIG baby by 40 weeks.  But she was perfect and had such a dainty cry…. *sigh* … I just love that girl!  The nurse weighed her and she was 7 lbs 6 oz and measured 20 inches long.  My little girl, man i just cry thinking about it.

I asked what time was she born and the nurse said 9:56 pm.  I stopped in shock and said, “Told you Sam. . . I had her by 10 pm.” My midwife asked me how I was doing and I told her that even though nothing went my way, everything turned out okay and both Paisley and I were okay and undamaged.  She was forgiven….haha!

For those of you who have made it to the end of this long story… good for you.  Here’s a quick summary in two lists in case there’s a test later.  Haha!

Hates
………….
-High Blood Pressure
-Epidural
-Nurse so-and-so

Likes
………….


-Midwife
-Family
-Knowing my body
-Paisley
        


Got it?! 😉

I’m back!

And now for the long awaited birth story.

Even as I sit down to write how Paisley came into this world, I still don’t believe it. But my life is full of moments and events that I have planned out, but as you may know and I have learned, that God’s plans are sometimes different.
So with that said, I give you the birth of Paisley Evelynn!

It all started Tuesday February 23rd when I went to my 38 week appointment. I found out that I was 4cm dilated and 70% effaced, which was all fine and dandy but I also had a new development at that appointment…high blood pressure. Never before in this pregnancy or any other have I had this problem, but there it was. So my midwife decided to strip my membranes and told me that she would prefer me to have the baby today (2-23) or tomorrow (2-24). Also, whenever I thought that I was in labor to come right in because she expected me to go fast. I was allowed to do some walking on Tuesday after my appointment, but from that point on I need to be pretty much on bed rest.

What?!?!

Are you kidding me?

I then made it my personal mission to to walk this baby out before I had to deal with preeclampsia. Unfortunately I headed to bed Tuesday night disappointed that labor hadn’t begun, and hoping tomorrow would bring better news.

Mid-morning on Wednesday I began having some contractions and wondering if it might turn into something promising. Hallelujah no bed rest for me! When they started coming every 5 to 10 minutes (still random) Sam decided to stay home from work and I called my midwife to let her know that I thought I was in the early stages of labor. She told me to go ahead and come in to be checked out. By that point it was 2pm and the boys were down for a nap, so my mom left work to stay with them while we ran up to the hospital. I really didn’t think we would be staying yet, so we left everything and everyone at home.

Once we got to the hospital I was sent to triage to be monitored. I hadn’t progressed at all and frankly my contractions weren’t that strong. But when my blood pressure was crazy high they decided to run some tests on me, which all came back pointing to me bordering on preeclampsia. My midwife had a serious talk with me and we decided it would be best for her to keep me at the hospital and break my water.

At this point I was already sad things weren’t going my way and my birth experience wasn’t going to be intervention free. About 5:30 they were getting everything set up, we told they family to go ahead and come to the hospital because Paisley was coming today, and we made our way to the labor and delivery room. Then we just sat, waiting for my midwife to make her appearance to get this show on the road. When she came in I could tell I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Because of my high blood pressure she needed to either break my water or start me on pitocin (okay I got that), but because of my high blood pressure she couldn’t do either. (What, that doesn’t make since?!?!)

Now here is where the bomb is dropped. She needed me to get an epidural. (because my blood pressure wasn’t under control now with really no pain, it definitely wasn’t going to behave itself once the pain of labor really kicked in.) The epidural was supposed to lower my blood pressure. I was not happy. Anyone who knows me, knows that those are fighting words! Honestly, I would rather die then have any epidural (which is another story entirely!)

*Let me say though that I DO NOT condemn ladies who do have epidurals, it’s just not for me. And I have learned through experience.*

Once I realized that I had no choice, I surrendered to having an…gulp…epidural. (defeat) But I didn’t go down without a fight, haha!…just ask my mom and Sam! Can I just tell you that I love my midwife! Not only did she laugh when I joked awkwardly about my discontent with my situation, but she truly grieved with me that I couldn’t have the birthing experience that I wanted. (what a lady!) 6:30 rolled around and I had just gotten my epidural and had my water broken. (and as a plus, my blood pressure had dropped…which is what they said) All seemed fine and dandy until an hour passed and my midwife said that I had made no real change…4cm and 80% effaced. I wanted to be like, thank you epidural for slowing down my labor…but I was a good girl. 😉 We then decided to start me on a little pitocin.

A little bit before I received my epidural my dad, sister (Stephanie), and my boys arrived. (My other sister couldn’t make it because she was in Oklahoma with work. 🙁 Her first birth to miss!) I was so glad to see them…but especially my little men. This was going to be the last time that we would be a family of four. (tear) But I loved having them hang out in the room…it was and will always be a family affair!

Another hour passed and I began to feel some pain in my cervix during each contraction. I actually liked that because I could feel what my body was doing and I had a good gauge on progress. Around 9:30 I told Sam, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I had Paisley by 10 pm because then I would only be in labor for 3 1/2 hours.” He laughed and said, “Yeah it’d be cool, but your contractions are still too far apart and I don’t know if they’re strong enough yet either.” In his defense, he was looking at the monitor.

A few minutes later I began to feel pressure like I needed to use the restroom.. but only during the contractions.  When I informed my nurse she told me that I wasn’t ready yet and to tell her when the pressure was constant.  About two minutes after that my midwife walked in and asked me how i was doing.  I told her and she decided to check me, which she then stated, “Wanna have a baby?  Her head is right there.”  thank you nurse so-and-so, I do know my body! As they were getting things set up for delivery, my dad took the boys who had fallen asleep in the room out to the waiting room.  We debated on whether they could stay with the curtain pulled shut, or if they should leave.  And since I didn’t know how crazy things would get or if they would wake up crying, and not have a way out, we decided they should go.

Two nurses from the ER sat in on my delivery so they could be semi ready for couples coming into the ER needing to deliver. My midwife kept telling them throughout my delivery, “its just never this easy, its never this easy” It was those nurses, my midwife, Sam, my Mom and my sister Stephanie… this was her first time.  She was excited.  My midwife then told me to give her a “practice push” and when I pushed Paisley’s head halfway out she said, “Stop, Let Me Get Ready!” …Then the waiting game began.

Waiting Game?

You see to be at the end of labor, my contractions were still weirdly far apart.  So we waited for anther contraction and for me to feel pressure.  It was so calm and quiet, we just joked and laughed about how awkwardly long it was taking for me to contract again.  Then I will never forget what my midwife said, “Wow she has some hair.”  Which I thought wasn’t that unusual since both boys did… but the part that got me was she reached down and styled her hair in a mohawk.  How much hair did she have I wondered?!

Finally another contraction and I pushed maybe 2 more times and my sweet Paisley entered this world.  I took one look at her and said, “She’s so tiny.”  Sam said, “She’s not tiny for 38 weeks.”  True. . . she would’ve been a BIG baby by 40 weeks.  But she was perfect and had such a dainty cry…. *sigh* … I just love that girl!  The nurse weighed her and she was 7 lbs 6 oz and measured 20 inches long.  My little girl, man i just cry thinking about it.

I asked what time was she born and the nurse said 9:56 pm.  I stopped in shock and said, “Told you Sam. . . I had her by 10 pm.” My midwife asked me how I was doing and I told her that even though nothing went my way, everything turned out okay and both Paisley and I were okay and undamaged.  She was forgiven….haha!

For those of you who have made it to the end of this long story… good for you.  Here’s a quick summary in two lists in case there’s a test later.  Haha!

Hates
………….
-High Blood Pressure
-Epidural
-Nurse so-and-so

Likes
………….


-Midwife
-Family
-Knowing my body
-Paisley
        


Got it?! 😉