Happy birthday baby girl! I got to meet you yesterday and remembered what it is like to fall in love all over again! We named you Georgia Linn and you are so sweet and just perfect.
Your birth story:
Your due date was July 19 by ultrasound and July 22 by my last menstrual cycle so technically you were born right on time. On the 21st my water broke right after my nap at around 2:30 in the afternoon. I was very excited because I knew you would be born at least in the next 24 hours. I wasn't contracting and contacted my midwife who told me to stay home for 12 hrs and come in after that unless my contractions are every 5 minutes. So we ordered some food, went on a walk,I listened to my relaxation music and watched TV. I went to bed around 10, unfortunately i wasn't able to sleep because my contractions started just enough to keep me up. So around 4:30 I got up and we were on our way to the hospitAl. I called the hospital OHSU to let them know we were on our way when they told us they had no beds and I had to go to a different hospital! I was quite upset... 9 months of driving an hour one way to see my midwife all for nothing and now I had to go somewhere else! So we decided on providence St. Vincent hospital because they had midwife program and a level 3 NICU ( just in case). We checked in around 6 am and met the obstetrician on call Dr. Hendrickson. I could not see a midwife since I hadn't gotten my prenatal care there. We liked Dr. Hendrickson and when she confirmed no beds at Ohsu we got settled to have our baby there. We met our nurse Heidi who was great and had 2 natural deliveries and we felt comfortable and gave her our birth plan.. We decided to eat breakfast and see if my contractions would advance and get some sleep. I wasn't able to sleep because continued to have contractions just not too regular.
Around 12:30 we decided to start pitocin to augment my contractions because I was dilated only 4 cm (and had been since my last prenatal visit). I was very reluctant to start pitocin because I really wanted a natural delivery and had no confidence I could do it on pitocin...I read a lot about it and know it causes severe contractions and doesn't give your body the time to work up to it. I had it with Roxanna and had contractions that were painful and got an epidural. however for that delivery i had never even considered a natural delivery. But, it was nearing 24 hours since my water broke and there is concern for infection the longer you wait to deliver and typical cut off is 24 hours. So we agreed to pitocin. I think it started at 1 pm at a low dose 2 units/ hr. I started harder contractions immediately but could handle them if I was standing. After 20 minutes they turned it up to 4 and the contractions got much harder and closer together. Now I wanted to be in the shower so I would stand in the shower and have water run over me when I had a contraction. They were 2 minutes apart I am guessing but hard to be sure...the pain was pretty profound. Another 20 minutes and they turned it up to 6 units/ hr and I lost all control of time and situation. The contractions now felt continuous without a break and I started vomiting in the shower. I could barely speak and Gary was concerned and called the nurse in. I told him I had to have an epidural because I couldn't fathom multiple hours of this pain. You know the scene in Princess Bride where Wesley is being tortured and they turn the machine all the way up...that's how I felt. My nurse said she thought I looked like I was near complete and would check me, if I was close then wouldn't need epidural but she called anesthesia right away anyway. She checked and I was only 6 cm...I wanted some pain relief! The anesthesiologist came right away and it took every ounce of my self control to sit to get the epidural. Like I said there were no breaks in contractions just constant pain with intermittent spikes and my anesthesiologist had a hard time doing epidural because I would tense up and move...it was impossible not to. They gave me fentanyl to help me sit still. Not sure how long it took him...maybe 20 minutes. When he was done I stood up and said "I need to push". The anesthesiologist looked shocked, they checked me and said the head was right there and I was complete. I was told I wouldn't get that much relief for 15 minutes so not sure if will help but will take the edge off. Obstetrician came in and I pushed for 20 minutes I was told. I could feel you move down which I could not feel when I had Roxanna. I felt and saw your head and was told the cord was around your neck and it was tight and couldn't be reduced. Then the OB doctor stood up and said " you are going to feel some pressure". I guess your shoulder was stuck and was also entangled in the cord. My nurse called for more help. your daddy said she had to reach inside me and untangle cord and dislodge your arm...he was worried that she broke your arm! You came out and your daddy cut the cord and announced "It's a girl!" It was 2:51 pm. But they were concerned because you didn't cry immediately and instead of putting you to my chest, they took you to the bassinet to check you out. You were fine and perked up less than a minute. Your apgars were 8 and 9 and you were then given to me. You were wide awake and wanted to nurse immediately! It was amazing! So different then Roxanna who was so sleepy. You nursed for almost an hour and then they weighed and measured you...7 lbs 4 ounces, 19 3/4 inches. Then you were all mine. We knew your name of course would be Georgia Linn. Your daddy was so excited and emotional and loved you instantly! My nurse said my labor was like a "runaway train" and that's exactly how it felt . I was so happy you were healthy that even though my labor wasn't "as planned" it didn't matter because now you are in my arms and I love you more than I can say.
