Well let's just say that baby #5 makes things a little more challenging. Such as ensuring that I get her birth story done...here we are almost 3 months later and I'm just now writing it down!!! Life has been a little chaoitic but it's really not her fault. It's just been an adjustment with 2 kids in school at two different schools and trying to find the time to sit and write. BUT better late than never, so here we are.
So on the morning of Wednesday September 6th I woke up per usual around 6:30 to get Lincoln ready for school. I hadn't slept well all night. Originally I had chalked it up to the fact that I had worked the previous two nights for labor day and was just over tired. Now looking back I'm wondering if I wasn't having contractions. But I woke up with some bloody discharge and I was having some mild regular contractions. I told my mom when she came to pick Lincoln up and told her to keep her phone close, that I might be in labor. I had an appointment with my doctor later that day so I was just going to wait to see what she said.
I went to my doctor appointment at 9 am after having dropped Landon and Lorelai off with my Aunt June. I was still contracting but they were only about every 15 min. At my appointment I was 3 cm and completely effaced!! whoo hoo! I'd made some progress from the last week!! Dr. G told me she felt this would go quickly but to call when the contractions became unbearable or more regular. She said since I had experience to just trust my instincts and to call her when I felt I was ready.
I was really nervous that she wasn't going to be able to come in for my delivery so I wanted to go into labor that day so she could be there since she was on call.
Well I picked up my kiddos and went about my day still contracting. This labor seemed more like Landon with the contractions only being every 20 min or so with periods of more frequent contractions.
By the evening I was not feeling like cooking so I called up my mom and dad to go to dinner and take the kiddos. We just didn't want to have to call them in the middle of the night. My biggest hang up was that it was Landon's first day of preschool the next day and I didn't want to miss it. So we all worked out a plan for mom to take him and june to pick up Linc.
Adam and I went home to start to pack and wait for my contractions to pick up. My friend Bri just happened to text me and ask if she needed to bring her camera to work. I told her I was just getting ready to text her and that yes she did. She worked out a plan for her to be able to take pictures during labor. I'd wanted birth photos with landon but Adam thought it was weird so he said no, and I didn't push it, then with the girls I wanted them again because I wanted pictures of Laynie in case they weren't able to revive her. Well I had Bri all set up for our scheduled c-section and then they came even earlier than we thought so you just have to roll with it, but this time I really wanted them. i wanted those emotional moments captured to remember forever because I knew this was going to hard on me in so many ways.
Around 8:15 I called Dr. G and she told me to come in, she said she could tell by my voice that I was in labor. Gotta love her attention to detail.
When I got to triage they had some difficulty locating my cervix, it was far to my right and with her head being very low it was hard to tell how dilated I was, but I had a bulging bag of water. Once they were able to locate it I was 4 cm...so the resident called Dr. G and and she wanted to admit me.
The trickiest part of it was that the one Dr that I didn't want in my delivery was of course on call for their group. Now I had had several conversations with Dr. G about how this particular Dr. was not to come to my room. I was already an emotional mess and this Dr. and I have had some bad interactions and I just didn't want that negativity and fakeness in my room during such an emotional time for Adam and I. So when the resident told me she would update the Dr. on call I told her no, that I didn't like that Dr and it wasn't going to happen. So luckily one of my favorite staff Dr's was on so she was my go to! I told them I was ok with Dr. Marsden stepping in if Dr. G wasn't able to be there.
Now that we had a plan in place it was time to get this labor moving. Adam was exhausted so he slept while Bri kept me company as I walked the halls. Since I was keeping her updated on my labor it turned out that she got to be my nurse to ensure that she was able to take pictures.
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| boy or girl?? we will know soon! |
So Bri and I walked the halls for what seemed like hours before I started to get tired around midnight-1 am. While I was up walking my contractions were anywhere from 3-5 minutes. But when they checked me I was only 5 cm still with my bulging bag of water. I still wanted to wait to break my water because I knew how much more painful the contractions would get. So I decided to try and rest.
I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think around 3 or so I was still 5 cm so we decided to break my water. I also had a dose of nubain so I could rest. Unfortunately I was only contracting about every 10-12 minutes, One would think I would be able to rest in-between much like I did with Landon, but no such luck. I was much more anxious this time and my mind and anticipation of the next contraction wouldn't let it happen.
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| getting anxious to meet this little one |
By 8 am I was 7-8 cm. I wasn't contracting a whole lot, anywhere from 5 minutes to 10-12 still. You can't have a baby quickly with those contractions. Bri decided to hang out to be there to take pictures and Courtney came on for the day. Dr. G came in around 9:30-10 and I still hadn't made any change. So it was at that time that we decided to start some Pitocin. The Evil but necessary drug. Pitocin makes me nervous especially going natural. So we decided to start me out at 1 milliunit. and let me tell you...even with at just 1mU...those contractions got much more intense!!! I was finally contracting every 5-8 minutes which is definitely better, but not quite where we needed to be.
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| Man I look huge! |
So at this point it was 11 am and I had been up for 29 hours and contracting and laboring for just as long and this mama was TIRED. my pain level was at a 9 and I was just exhausted. I just had reached my limit. Adam and discussed at length as to whether to have an epidural or not. I even discussed it with Bri and Courtney. But I just knew I couldn't handle much more. I kept trying to justify it but to be honest I was over it. I was tired, I was anxious and nervous and I just wanted to meet this baby. Had I been contracting normally I think I would have felt differently but the truth was I wasn't. This labor was showing no end in sight and I wanted it to be over. The way to make it over was to increase the pitocin and get me contracting every 3-4 min. Well I just wouldn't have been able to handle that with everything else I was feeling. My contractions this time were a lot different than the first 2 times. I had A LOT of pain at my incision site, most likely adhesions and scar tissue, and it was making me anxious. So we decided to get the epidural. I had them turn off the pitocin until the epidural.
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ouch!! these contractions hurt!
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Dr. Scott came in and we discussed my fears of the epidural, mainly being how sensitive to the medication I typically am and I told him about my experience with my spinal (and not being able to bear weight for 14 hrs!) So we begin this dreaded (by me) procedure. Let me just say holy moly even with the lidocaine (which looking back always takes a while to work on me) that crap hurt! OUCH!!! But Dr. Scott was awesome and the minute I started to feel my legs and feet tingle he stopped giving me the test dose and then even decided to run the continuous dose at a lower rate than what was recommended for my height. And let me tell you I'm so grateful he did! It was the PERFECT epidural! It took away the pain but not the contraction! I felt each contraction but had ZERO pain! YES!!!
After my epidural Dr. G came in and rubbed lavendar all over my pillow to help me relax and began to increase my pitocin. it took about an hour to get me to 6 mU of pitocin and by that point I was contracting every 3-4 minutes.
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| post epidural and feeling good! |
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| baby heart rate! |
Shortly after I got my epidural Mom and dad showed up with all the kids. I have to say that these moments with them during my labor made me ever so grateful that I got the epidural. there was no way I would have been able to enjoy these last moments as a family of 6 without it.
Landon was absolutley adorable and was "yelling" at my belly telling the baby to "come out! come out now!" I'm so grateful Bri was there to take these pictures.
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| my little labor helper |
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| they loved to feel how hard my belly got |
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| This is probably my favorite picture! |
It wasn't long before I was feeling a lot of pressure, so out everyone went as the Dr. came in to set up for delivery. I decided to allow my mother in law in the room to witness the birth. She missed Landon's birth because he just came so quickly after arriving at the hospital, so this was her last chance and since she had been there since 2 am, I decided to let her be a part of this, it's something she will never get since she doesn't have a daughter of her own. Plus I love her and she's like my mom anyway LOL
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| It's go time. |
After just 2 pushes our sweet rainbow tie-breaker baby was born! Our beautiful Lynlie Rosemarie Kinley was finally here!! These next few pictures capture what I was feeling better than I could describe with words.
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| The moment I realized it really was a GIRL! |
I'd thought all along it was a girl and it was mildly satisfy and a major relief to know I was right and that she was here and healthy!! at 1:17 pm after a total of 3 pushes Lynlie was here! I have to say that pushing with an epidural is a lot different than without. Once her head came out I was able to sit back and listen to everyone and hear what they were saying. and it was a tad odd that everyone was saying how cute she was without knowing it was a she, and how chubby her cheeks were. The next thing to come out was her arm followed by her shoulders! Adam was supposed to announce the gender but he said her cord was in his line of vision, so as soon as she came out and as they were bringing her up to put on my chest I was able to see that it was a girl and I remember saying "it really is a GIRL". My elation and excitement cannot be properly expressed. I prayed so hard for this child and prayed for a girl, I prayed for Lola to have a sister here and God provided us with the perfect little girl to love.
I just have to say how thankful I am for my doctor. She is a gem. She has a heart of gold and has been my rock for the last 3 years, well really 6. She dealt with my anxiety and worry with ease and always brought me so much calmness and clarity. She came in on her day off to deliver me and I will never be able to adequately say thank you to her. She's amazing and I'm so grateful Bri captured these moments with her.
And my mom. My biggest cheerleader and the one who wanted to take all my pain and sorrow away over the last years. in all the commotion she had left the room when it was time to push. I really had wanted her there but there wasn't time to tell her. But when she realized Kim was in the room she came running back. She just missed the actual birth but she was there immediately after. I couldn't be more blessed to have such an amazing and supportive mom.
The following pictures are of the boys coming to find out and meet their new baby sister.
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| running down the hall to see if they had a brother or a sister |
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| its a girl! |
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| I love how excited my dad is |
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| oh there aren't words for this picture |
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| me and my 5 |
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| first picture as a family of 7! |
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| 8 lbs 7 oz of pure love and perfection |
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| daddy's first time holding her |
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| oh my girl |
Oh my sweet Lynlie. You are everything I didn't know my heart and soul needed. You are perfect and although you were my toughest pregnancy and delivery you were 3000% worth it. I couldn't love you more if I tried. I'm so grateful God entrusted you to us and that Laynie hand picked you for us. We love you baby girl!
