We get checked in and they said I was still only 1 1/2 centimeters dilated so that they were going to go ahead and start my pitocin drip that night, but they would keep it at a low dose. They also gave me an Ambien so that I would get some sleep. Off to sleep we go and they wake me up at about 6 am and say they are going to take me off the pitocin because there had been some occasional dips in the baby's heart rate and they weren't sure exactly why. We were going to wait until my doctor got there that morning to figure out what we would do. She gets there about an hour later and does the most painful exam to determine if I was dilated any more. She said the baby was further up than it had been in the office that week. I told her that I did in fact have a full bladder and she said that could have made a difference so she would try the painful exam again. I was in tears after it! Aaron said he couldn't handle watching me in pain like that! He then pulled up a stool and sat close by the entire rest of the morning! We determined that I was maybe at a 2 or 3 cm dilated so the night of pitocin had really not done too much. They decide to start up the pitocin to a stronger level and see how the baby tolerates it.
I must also add that I had the most wonderful nurses that totally eased my anxiety and were just great. The nurse told me that morning that there were a lot of c-sections scheduled and only one anesthesiologist so to let her know when I was starting to feel the pain of the contractions so that I could get my epidural before I was in too much pain. Well apparently there were also some emergency c-sections and when I decided I wanted my epidural, I ended up having to wait a bit. The contractions got to be pretty bad.....I used my breathing techniques to get through them and Aaron was a big help through them as well. I finally got my epidural about an hour and a half after I wanted it!
Throughout all of this, there was still more occasional drops in the baby's heart rate. The nurse decided to turn off the pitocin again and wait and hear from the doctor to determine what to do. The doctor told her to try one more thing that may help if there was some kind of cord problem. So they tried this intervention and it did not help, there were still dips in the heart rate. So we waited about 2 hours then for my doctor to get there and she checked me again for dilation. I was not dilated any more than before and she decided that there must be a problem with the cord or something that is prohibiting the baby from moving downwards. The pitocin is what would help the baby, but I couldn't handle (or the baby couldn't handle) a strong dose of it. So it was decided that I would have a c-section. Once this was decided, it was so quick! Everyone was hurrying around trying to get my anesthesia going and prepped for surgery. It was absolutely a whirlwind. I couldn't believe that in such a short time we would get to meet our little one.
Aaron gets scrubbed up and they get me all ready to go. I am starting to feel pretty groggy but am still awake and alert. The doctor had predicted she thought it would be a boy. She had asked what our names were and we told her our girl's name but told her we still didn't have a boy's name. While they are working on getting the baby out Aaron and I are avidly trying to figure out the boy's name since in about two minutes we would be meeting our new son...or so we thought!! When we heard the doctor say, "Hello, Abigail Michelle!," we were ecstatic. The joy and excitement that we were feeling at that moment is indescribable. They briefly held her up so we could see her and then whisked her away to get cleaned up. Once she was cleaned up Aaron got to make the announcement to the families in the waiting room. The pictures from him sharing the news are priceless and I would give anything to have been there to see it in person!
On this note I have to include that I knew my mom was going to be there for the delivery, but my dad surprised me and showed up to. It was a very nice surprise and I was so glad he was going to be a part of it all. I got to see them before I went into the c-section and I was so glad that they got there in time to see me before and to then also be there for the birth and announcement of Abigail Michelle.
I was taken to recovery and I think I was in there for about 3 hours. Apparently my blood pressure was high and so they were monitoring that for awhile. I was so out of it at this point and so extremely tired, that this time period is a little rough to describe! I remember Aaron in there at some point and my parents coming in to say hi, but other than that, not much else. Once I guess they decided my blood pressure was okay they wheeled me by the nursery where I got to see our little one pretty much for the first time. It was so amazing to see her! I just couldn't wait to hold her. They were going to get me situated in my room and then bring her up to me so I could hold her.
Meeting Abigail for the first time is just something that I could not even put into words. I am sure everyone who has experienced childbirth and having a child would agree. Aaron and I were just so happy and could not believe this amazing little thing was ours. She was the most beautiful thing (am I already being biased?) we had ever seen. Everyone is right when they say that having a child changes you...it certainly does. I have so much love for this tiny little child. It has also been so neat watching Aaron with her. He is totally smitten with her. It makes me melt inside (okay maybe I am being a little too mushy now! SORRY). She is definitely going to be a Daddy's girl!
Anyways, I could go on and on about how great it feels to be a parent and how wonderful our little on is! I could post a million pictures, but don't worry I wont, atleast not in this post. I am sure most everyone has seen most of the pictures by now. But I will continue to post new ones!!
I know this post was long, but I wanted to try and document the day as well as I could! It was such an unbelievable experience! Thanks for everyone's support and wishes along the way!!
Abigail Michelle White Stats:
Born June 4, 2009
4:24 pm
6 lbs. 4 oz.
19 1/2 inches long
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