We went directly to the fourth floor of the hospital and raced to check-in after being told that two other women were also just sent there to be induced. When we arrived, the lady told us to go eat (it would be a loooong time until I got to eat again) and come back in an hour when our room was ready. I decided that my last meal should be filling and healthy so we hit up Jamba Juice and a bagel shop. Surprisingly we were not really nervous. We knew it was time to meet our baby girl!
The labor and delivery room seemed cozy and comfortable. Nurses came in and began the routine questions, IV, and blood work. After about two hours I was given a pitocin drip to start contractions. Now I had heard horror stories about this labor inducing drug (close and painful contractions, stress to the baby, and increased risk for a c-section), but was keeping a positive attitude.
Forty five minutes later, and some real contractions, Leila's heart rate took a dive, twice! Doctors were called. They rushed in flipping my body from side to side to see if they could get her heart rate up. I really had no idea what was going on (not sure what Jeff was even doing)...total shock. They broke my water, attached a heart rate monitor to her head, and took me off the drug for the time being. Also during that time the Dr. told me that if Leila's heart rate dipped again they were not taking any risks...she would be delivered by cesarean section. This was not what I wanted, but the goal of the day was a happy and healthy baby and mom. I, of course, would agree to anything that would help make this goal a reality.
I was put back on pitocin two hours later and within the hour (alright so I no longer had a sense of time, just go with it) Leila's heart rate dropped for the third and final time. I was checked again by the Dr. and since I was dilated to 6, they took me off to labor on my own...no c-section!!! Sometime in the next five hours I had more pain than I could imagine, got the epidural, rested, more super painful contractions, used up all my pain pump meds, and asked for more drugs. Well...too late...no more epidural for me...it was time to push. I pushed for an hour and a half before the doctor came in to deliver my baby. To his surprise, Jeff worked his butt off too;)
Finally, Leila was placed on my chest, eyes wide open taking her first look at her new world. The three of us (I forgot the nurses were in the room at the time) sat together for over an hour before it was time to go to our recovery room.
Once we were in our room, we met the nurse on duty and Leila got her first bath. She slept on my chest for the next three hours (there was NOOOOOO way I was putting her in her hospital bassinet). When the sun came up our life as a family began:)
Hello world!
Smiling at Aunt Valerie
We were one of the few lucky couples that did not have to share a recovery room. Jeff had his own bed!
