On August 31st, I was a week overdue and went in to the Dr's for a routine appointment. After taking my blood pressure, the nurse went and reported the numbers to the Doctor. Within seconds the Doctor returned to the room and said "How do you feel about having a baby today?" If you've read my previous post of this blog, you know I felt GREAT about that idea. It turns out that my blood pressure was dangerously high, and at this point it was unhealthy for the baby. They had decided to induce me. I was fortunate enough to be able to go home, pack up the car and meet Ben, than head into Mercy Hospital together. We even got to drop off Bailey at daycare together, which was great. We arrived at Mercy Hospital at 12:30, and after hanging out in the room for a few hours, they started the drugs to induce me at 3:00. Ben and I played cribbage for a few hours. (Of course he won every game, since my contractions were a distraction.) By 7:00 PM, everything was going well, and the Dr told me I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. Easy! I thought. By 1:00 AM, I was still pushing and was not making any progress. The Dr and nurse advised me that they wanted to turn off my epidural, because they felt that my ability to push successfully was lessened due to the drugs. So off the epidural went. Ouch. I spent from 1 AM to 4:30 AM pushing without any drugs, and trust me- I felt every push. By 4:30 AM, still no progress was being made. At this point, I had developed a fever, and the baby's heart rate was dropping. They put a respiratory mask on me to help me get oxygen, and started me on antibiotics through an IV due to the fever. The Doctor than calmly told me that they were going to try 3 more sets of pushing, and if they couldn't successfully get her to come out- than we were going to head in for an emergency C- Section. Due to how sick I was getting, it wasn't safe for the baby to stay in me anymore. I remember thinking at this point, there is no way I want to have a c-section after all of this work I have gone through to get her out naturally. I had been in labor for over 12 hours now, and I wanted to do it on my own. The Dr told me she could try using a vacuum to help coax Mackenna out. I agreed. And on my last push (with the assistance of the vacuum on her head) out Mackenna came! She arrived at 5:21 AM. When she came out, it was discovered that she was face down and had the cord wrapper around her neck. Because of her head's angle, she was getting stuck on my pelvic bone when I was pushing. The vacuum was my only chance at getting her out without surgery, and I'm so grateful for that. When she arrived, I remember hearing her cry, and they immediately put her on my chest. Than they moved her over to the glass bassinet and started checking her over. Ben went with her. I remember asking Ben, "What does she look like?" Ben said, "Shes beautiful." One of the nurses responded, "She has red hair!" I than thought they had put me on some type of new medication, because the last thing I expected was to have a daughter with red hair. Mackenna decided August wasn't the month she wanted to be born in, and waited until September 1st to arrive. The best part of Mackenna waiting until September to arrive? Now when I look at my wedding ring, I see my daughters birthstone. I always knew I wanted to have sapphires on my ring, and I never knew why. Now I have a reason. Mackenna was born at sunrise, and the weather was beautiful the day she was born. She was a good size girl at 8 lb 4 oz and 21 inches long. She has beautiful blue eyes, and as all the nurses commented- she looks just like her dad, and she has very long fingers and toes!
After my delivery, the hospital tested my placenta and her umbilical cord for the same infection that I had developed through my labor. Both of these things, along with levels of protein in Mackenna's blood work, all indicated that she was at high- risk of getting the same infection. Because of her age, she cant fight the infection and the visiting pediatrician decided it was best to put her on antibiotics for a day or two. On Sept 3rd, we were told that they would like to continue the IV antibiotics for 7 Days, so Mackenna would need to remain under hospital care. Although she showed no symptoms of the infection, it was a precaution. Ben and I were discharged after three days in the hospital, but allowed to remain at the hospital as 'boarders' for Mackenna's stay. Thank goodness for this. We knew weren't going to leave her side. After some encouragement from Ben, we made the best of our stay. As it turns out, those 9 days in the hospital were the best nine days of my life thus far. The three of us were able to spend time together that was uninterrupted by the stress of every day life. No dishes to do, no dog to walk, and food delivered by room service. The three of us shared one room, and had a great staff of nurses to answer all of our baby questions. I'll always look back on those nine days with tears of happiness. By the time we left the hospital, we were prepared parents. Ben (who only planned on taking a few days off of work) ended up taking 2 1/2 weeks off with us. I always knew that Ben would be a great dad, but I had no idea of how hands- on and involved he would be. The first time he held Mackenna, he looked at me and said "Thank you." Enjoy these photos that document our extended stay at the hospital. Note, the sweater- like cast on her arm is the cover for her continuous IV that she wore during her stay.
Ben, occupying himself while I was in labor, by reading Baby 411.
Introducing Mackenna.
The proudest Dad.
The proudest Mom.
Ben reading Mackenna her first book. She loved it.
What do you do to occupy your time when stuck in a hospital room? Practice using the car seat and swaddling with a pink bear, of course.
Not a happy camper with the IV on her arm. We won't be the parents that are nervous for their kid's first shots, trust me.
Her "going home outfit" that we used far before we were able to take her home.
How adorable is she?
Our 1st Family Photo.
Mackenna had lots of family visit her immediately.
(Insert photo with Mackenna & Abby. Coming Thanksgiving 2011!)
One of our favorite nurses let Connor help with Mackenna's vital check. He said that her heart beat sounded like "she is a giant."
And we had lots of great friends came to visit.
(Sorry to those friends that I forgot to take a picture of her with!)
And here are a few of my favorite photos, from the obnoxious number of pictures that we took.
That's enough photos for one week Mom!
At last, we were able to take our little peanut home. Good- bye IVs, security bracelets, and hospital food! Hello real world!
Thank you to all of the friends and family that brought us food, gifts, and magazines to read while we were in the hospital. We are blessed with great family and friends.
And Ben is now proud to say, that when he is driving, he has a "Princess on Board."
