Britney & Bob + 3: Sarahlynn's Birth Story

Technically my due date was not until October 20, but with my other babies I have come 4 to 5 days early. So I was tentatively thinking October 17. But the week before this date I started getting anxious for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason was my dad (as explained in a previous post). I really wanted my dad to meet and hold the baby before he left for California which was the day of my due date. The second reason I was getting anxious was because my doctor who I love was leaving out of town for a week and a half.

My poor husband heard me sob and cry every night, stressing over this baby coming. For most of my third trimester I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions. However over the last week they had ceased to exist. I felt pretty good, too good. I felt like she might just stay in my belly forever.

On Wednesday, October 15, the Braxton Hicks contractions came back. Nothing painful, but maybe a bit regular; maybe one every 6 to 8 min. I layed down that night after putting the kids to bed and timed them. 7 min, 10 min, 16 min. I started feeling discouraged again.

Finally I did something I should have done from the very beginning; I turned my heart to God. I prayed for peace and patience. I acknowledged that it need to be his will, his timing. It took a good cry, but peace did come and I felt that everything would work out in the end.

Now, I was NOT expecting a miracle or my prayers to be answered right away, but God is gracious and glorious. Not minuets after I crawled back in bed, did I feel my first painful contraction, then another. I started timing and they started coming fast. The farthest apart was 4 min and closest was 2 min. I told Bob that this might be it. He was so tired I don't think he it quite registered. I got up because the pain was getting too intense to just lay there. Around 11:00 the contractions were about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes apart and painful, but not excruciatingly. I told Bob and this time it registered. I called my mom and she hurried up to our house. I kissed my other two babies good-bye (but they were still sound asleep).

Since Bob's back was still recovering from his surgery and this was going to be a long night, I drove myself and Bob to the hospital. It really wasn't too bad as long as I was not turning a corner while having a contraction. :)

We got checked in a bit after midnight. (Which is exactly like my other two. I always go into labor at night.) The nurse said I was dilated to maybe a three, but my contractions were slowing down. They said I would need to stay in triage for an hour to see if this was true labor. I explained that my husband just had back surgery and also needed a place to lay down. The nurses were wonderful and let us check into a room right away instead of waiting. There was a couch that folded flat and made the perfect bed for Bob.

I decided to start walking the halls since that was when I felt the most relief. Bob joined me a half hour later. We looked like quite a pair shuffling the halls. :) By 1:30 when I got checked again I was at a four. Progression! By 2:00 I had hit my pain thresh hold and was ready for an epidural. But first I had to be hooked up to an IV. The nurse, Janna (who was the best nurse ever!), tried first in my left arm. She couldn't get the vein. So she tried in my right hand. She wasn't able to draw the needed blood, but the IV was able to flow so she left it there. She stuck me in my left hand to draw blood, but when getting the needle out the vein popped. (Days later my poor arms and hands look like I've been beat. :)

Now with all that behind me it was time for the epidural...but then there was an emergency c-section. So I endured on. At 5:00 the anesthesiologist came in. He was a man of very few words, but he got the job done. (Though on this epidural I felt a lot of pressure when he put it in and a dull ache in my right leg. Though it was gone quickly.)

At this point I was at a 6 and they thought my water had broken. I took a nap, kind of. But I was able to get some rest. Bob did too. At 7:00 the nurse checked me again. The baby was crowning! She said to roll back over, close my legs and don't sneeze. :) She paged the on call doctor, since mine was officially out of town. Dr. Moyer came quickly. She was a superb doctor. I REALLY liked her. She was sweet, light hearted, and made the atmosphere very low stress and happy.

Finally it was time to push. It only took half a push and baby Sarahlynn was here; 7:28 am! Oh happiness! Oh, the joy of hearing that sweet little yowl! Hers sounded like a cat.

They put her on my chest and it felt so wonderful, yet so foreign. I wasn't sure how to hold this tiny baby. But I enjoyed every second holding her warm pink body close to mine. As they cleaned her up the nurse brought over her umbilical cord to show me. There was a perfect little knot in it. The doctor said she probably tied it around 20 weeks when she was small enough to move around a lot. She called Sarahlynn a miracle baby because the knot was kind of a tight one, yet it gave her no complications. We are so very thankful!!!