I went to a doctor’s appointment 3 days after my due date and made plans for the impending induction. My doctor had said all along that she wouldn’t let me go more than a week past my due date and I was 2 weeks past my due date with Sky and 2 ½ weeks past my due date with Brad. So I had pretty much resigned myself to an induction. I was scheduled to have cervidil applied one week after my due date to hopefully get things started and then to be induced 2 days later (with pitocin). It turns out that I didn’t need either!
On Sunday, July 12, I started really feeling yucky-too tired for church, etc. I pretty much rested in bed most of the day. I had been bleeding for a few days before that so I knew things were in process. Ken’s mom wasn’t coming until Tuesday night and we had been hoping that she would be able to watch Sky and Brad while we were in the hospital. But soon the contractions came quicker and stronger and it became apparent that we wouldn’t be waiting until Tuesday. So I called my friend Christine who had offered to watch the kids and she came over with her 2 boys, Timi and Michael.
When we got to the hospital around 6:30pm, I was 4 cm dilated. I went through the routines in triage-blood pressure, urine test, blood draw, etc. and was soon admitted and moved to the labor and delivery room. I immediately asked for my epidural and was in a much better frame of mind once I got it. There were a few complications: my blood pressure dropped quite low after the epidural was put in and I ended up vomiting. But things soon evened out and Ken and I began the wait for our sweet baby girl. I had tested as strep B positive and so I had to have 2 bags of antibiotic administered before giving birth. That took until 11:30 pm and they also gave me 2 bags of iv fluid (not sure why-I wasn’t dehydrated and I ended up being swollen for days afterward).
By then my contractions had slowed way down so they administered pitocin to speed things up again. It was so nice to watch the contractions peak on the monitor and not feel them at all! Ken worked on his computer and I watched tv for a while. When they came in to check things around 1:30am, they saw Lila’s head and called the nurse midwife.
After 2 pushes, Lila was out and I noticed right away how much smaller she was compared to my other kids (Sky was 8lb. 5 oz. and Brad 9lb. 13oz. at birth). Ken got to cut the cord. When they weighed her she was only 6lb. 13 oz., a full 3 lbs. lighter than Brad!!! Because of that, I had no tearing or repairs. What a blessing! I was immediately struck with how beautiful she is. She has long slender fingers and the sweetest smile. There was an initial concern about a small hole in Lila's heart but that seems to have fixed itself. I've heard it's a pretty common thing among infants.
They gave us a full hour to bond alone with the baby, which was so nice. Then they moved us to the second floor recovery room to “sleep”. The maternity ward is decorated with a beach cabana theme and they have a beach painting with a button in the middle. Dads get to push the button and Brahm’s lullaby plays in each room throughout the hospital, signaling to everyone that a baby has been born.
We left the hospital about 32 hours after the birth, anxious to get home to Sky and Brad and introduce them to their new sister (and relieve Christine). We are very thankful for a great delivery and a healthy baby!
