A Chloe Story

On Friday, November 6th, I went to my regular weekly checkup. My ob/gyn commented that while I was measuring 35 weeks (uterus size), my overall weight gain was low. Since I have a history of low amniotic fluid (Michael's birth was induced due to this but only 9 days early), she said we should schedule an ultrasound to check everything out. I was able to schedule it for Thursday.

During that week, I felt terrible- tired, uncomfortable, maybe even a little bit sad? I have never really minded being pregnant or been in a rush to give birth but this time, I was quite eager to be done. I know I've mentioned before that this was my hardest pregnancy. For at least 2 weeks prior, I had lots of nesting-type behavior going on and my thoughts were consumed by a never ending to do list.

Due to the way I was feeling, I thought that my fluid would again be low but I thought they would monitor me for a few days and that the baby might be born the week of Thanksgiving. I didn't really expect to give birth that same day.

Mike left work early and came with me to the ultrasound. They very quickly determined that while the baby was doing great, the amniotic fluid was too low and labor would have to be induced. The only thing I was worried about initially was going to see the boys before heading to the hospital (we were in a medical building right across the street from the hospital). I hadn't seen Michael and Liam since the morning when I took them in to school. Due to our hospital's "no visitors under 16" policy, I knew I wouldn't see them for another 2 days.

My doctor gave me an hour to go see them and then get back to the hospital. So we made a lightening trip to pick up the boys and quickly made arrangements for their care. Mike dropped me off at the hospital- I told him that since a) I wasn't in active labor and b) It could be a very long night, he should go home, get a shower, hang with the boys and make sure they were settled at home before coming back to the hospital. I know leaving me made him a little nervous but I assured I was fine. All I was going to do was check in and lay in bed while the nurses set everything up- the boys needed him more than I did in that moment. He reluctantly agreed.At the hospital, the nurses got me settled and hooked up to monitors and I.V.s and reviewed some medical information. My doctor came in and checked me (ugh!) and said that I was actually 3cm dialated. So my body was already gearing up for birth- thank heavens! I knew this would make the whole labor process easier.

I started out in a small room they use to monitor when they aren't sure if you are staying or not. Finally, the nurse transferred me to a delivery room. It was probably around 6:00pm at that point. I asked the nurse if she thought the baby would be born the same day. She said- You are definitely having the baby before midnight. This made me both excited and nervous...FOUR WEEKS EARLY? I know babies have been born earlier & done just fine but when you are the one in the situation, it's a bit scary. I made my peace with the idea that the baby might need to spend some time in the NICU--I needed to mentally prepare for that just in case.

At some point, the doctor broke my water. They had already started pitocin and around 10, I started to feel more intense contractions. I typically wait a while before getting an epidural. I didn't wait quite as long this time. I was very aware of how tired I felt and remembered rather vividly how quickly my labor goes from "Hmm, that's a bit uncomfortable" to "Holy @%$&&&". No, I do not actually curse at all...in fact, the more pain I am in, the less I talk. So I put in my order for the epidural and it was done pretty fast. This was surprising considering that labor and delivery was ridiculously busy that night.

Right after the epidural was in, the nurse checked me and said I was ready to push. My doctor came in to confirm that and everything was in place for the main event. This part is a little boring--because it was so blessedly short. The epidural did its job but I was able to feel what I was doing & push effectively. Four pushes--It's a girl!

If you can believe it, before her whole body was out, Chloe had actually turned her head and let out a cry!!! My sassy girl ;)

Short & sweet! I did not need any stitches- God bless her dear little head! After I held her briefly, a nurse from the NICU came in to check her out because apparently she had made some grunting noises. Everything was fine and she probably just swallowed some fluid on her way out. I was so, so thankful!!

The only unpleasant part of this was that I felt very shakey after Chloe was born. I kept getting chills and just felt drained. This was probably due to the epidural and also the adrenaline rush from giving birth. We had some time with Chloe and then off she went to get her full check up. I got to eat a bagel :) Mike headed home after spending some time with me.

When the nurse came to move me to a regular room (this hospital does not do the whole birthing suite thing--bummer!), I started to pass out when she took me to the bathroom. I heard the nurse hit the call button and ask for help...I remember smelling salts...and listening to the nurses talk...I tried to answer their questions but wasn't sure if I was actually talking or not. Then I got sick. So fun, right? Luckily, I started to feel better after that episode & that was the worst moment.

So there you have it--not the most exciting story but we are thankful for a happy, healthy baby girl who has already captured all of our hearts!!