I seriously get giddy every time I hear people's birth stories. I love them! Birth is such a powerful and personal experience, and with all the millions of cells and parts and pieces and pushes, it is truly a miracle each time a sweet baby comes into this life. I am forever grateful that Lydia's development and arrival were safe.
So... the birth story!
Michael and I went in for my 39 week doctor's appointment praying that I would be at least somewhat progressed. The last few appointments had been zero zero zero everything and it didn't look like my body wanted to have this baby anytime soon. But we wanted it soon! Besides the obvious torture of 39 weeks pregnant that is sleeplessness and overpowering excitement and general whale-ness, Michael also started medical school in a week. So we wanted her OUT so that he could at least have a few days with her!
We chatted happily with the doctor as he prepared to listen to the heart as always. He placed the doppler on my belly... nothing. He moved it around and tried in a different spot... nothing. He tried staying positive, but our thundering hearts were the only ones we could hear. FINALLY after what seemed like an hour (probably a minute) he caught the rush of a heartbeat. Phew! So there was that for a little scare. Then he measured my belly, which had actually shrunk a centimeter since the last week. This was concerning, and we were scheduled for an ultrasound an hour later. Michael and I grabbed a quick lunch (complete with a diet coke so baby girl would be nice and movement-y!) and drove to the ultrasound clinic.
Lydia had been measuring small the entire pregnancy. She always clocked in around the 20th percentile. Because of this, I got frequent ultrasounds with her - about once a month! I loved it :). (I'm sure my insurance company did not.) So we knew the procedure pretty well. This time was different; the sweet nurse didn't say much to us besides the fact that she was "extremely small" and that our doctor would be calling us shortly. We left feeling slightly confused but mainly just bummed that we were nowhere near having our baby, with my body being stubborn and her body being teeny tiny.
We headed to Target to buy some last minute things for the nursery - bins and (luckily) trash can liners for the diaper pail! Those were really the only things left on my massive baby to-do list. Of course the Target by our house was out of the bins I wanted (they're always out of what I want), so we took the short trip south to the "better Target". As we were pulling into the parking lot we got a call from our doctor! He calmly but very seriously told us that baby girl was measuring less than the 5th percentile in everything and that she was experiencing intrauterine growth restriction and may be at great risk for a stillbirth. He said he collaborated with another doctor and they both agreed we should get her out sooner rather than later. He then asked, "I have an opening in labor and delivery at 5:30pm, so in an hour and a half. Does that sound okay?" We were thrilled! We wanted her safe and with us as soon as possible. The doctor explained that this would probably be a c-section, but we would monitor baby and try for a vaginal delivery if things were going well. What a crazy phone call! We hung up and just cried and smiled and hugged in the car. We were so close to meeting our girl! Then we did what anyone would do and ran into Target anyways to get those bins :).
My bags had been packed for weeks and my typed and color-coded checklist was all marked off - so at home we basically just did dishes and made sure everything was spotless for when we came back from the hospital with our new bundle. (And embarrassingly I spent the most time trying to figure out what you wear to the hospital when you're about to have a baby? I always thought it'd be in the middle of the night and I'd go in my pjs hahaha.) We took a few hideously huge selfies and then drove off to the hospital.
After getting all the necessary pricks and pokes and everything was all hooked up we felt safer knowing that baby girl was being constantly monitored. The good news - we'd leave with a baby! The bad news- my body didn't know that! HA. So I received multiple rounds of drugs and procedures to help speed things along, but it was slow. And painful! The drugs were making me contract but I was still only at a 1. I finally caved and received some fab pain killers around 4am so I could get a bit of sleep. They were holding off on the epidural (you can't be on one too long), but by 8am I was dying. Throwing up all the time, contracting a minute apart, shaking from pain. The nurse said she was getting the anesthesiologist, but then we didn't see anyone for a miserable 40 minutes. Finally my doctor walked in, saw me, and immediately called the anesthesiologist and I got the epidural within two minutes! The epidural came with lots of fun side effects (chattering teeth that would not stop, wetting the bed - so classy!, catheter, more throwing up, stuck in bed, etc), but it also meant no pain! So I tried to sleep on and off throughout the day as we just waited for my body to progress. Also pro-tip, you can't eat once you get your epidural. So eat something first! I missed that memo and let me tell ya, ice chips with flavoring are gross.
Finally after about 12 hours of this I was progressed to an 8.5! All the nurses were setting things up and the pediatric nurses had a special little station for baby girl all ready. We were still planning on her weighing in at about 5.5 pounds and they were prepping to rush her off to NICU after delivery. At around 8pm my doctor said, "You're at a 10! It's go time!" I was so excited but SO SCARED! This is what I'd been nervous for my whole pregnancy - delivery! Will it kill? Will it take forever? Will I get tired? Will I totally get destroyed down there?? But okay - go time, here we go! Michael was holding my hand the whole time and my mom and dad and all the nurses were there cheering me on!
I pushed for about 20 minutes and felt oddly like a rockstar - "Ya! Awesome push! You are doing so good!" Haha. Then at 8:15pm on July 31st, our Lydia Sue was born! I didn't even believe she was real since they rushed her to the little station and she didn't cry, which made me nervous. I wanted to see her! I wanted to hold her! Finally after about 8 minutes with the nurses they confirmed she was healthy and strong and bigger than expected at 6 pounds 1 ounce! Michael tearfully carried her to me and placed her on my chest - the sweetest moment of my life. I just sobbed with love as this new tiny creature, fresh from heaven, looked up at me with her huge blue eyes. She had a perfect darling nose and the sweetest rosebud lips and the softest skin you've ever touched. Lydia was here! I simultaneously felt inadequate yet completed by this precious spirit.
The next few days in the hospital were spent in a sleepless happy daze of cuddling and learning to nurse and taking pictures and being greeted by the kindest visitors (and sushi finally!). All was well. Lydia was healthy and here and mine. We were officially a family of three :).
