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Annika Eisley was born on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 at 7:20am. She was 6.6lbs and 18.5 inches long!
Here is the (very very very very long) story (pics at the bottom!):
I went to my pre-natal appointment on Tuesday, February 5th at about 40 weeks, 4 days. They were keeping an eye on me because my blood pressure was suddenly a bit elevated at times over the past week- they had put me on Labetalol (high blood pressure medication) a few days prior since it wasn't terribly high, and had me coming in for an NST.
Well... the midwife took my blood pressure that day, and even with the medication, my blood pressure was suddenly very high, at 165/100. A few minutes pass, and I was brought to the room where they were going to do the NST, but instead the midwife walked in and said, "I think you need to have a baby today..." So I was told to go home, get my things, and go to the hospital. I called my husband and he met me at home.
They took some blood once I got the hospital, and they started inducing with Cytotec. I was so worried that this would turn into a C-Section. I had been hoping for a natural birth. Well, unfortunately this wasn't going to happen... the nurse came back and said my blood levels were suddenly elevated and I had developed pre-eclampsia. So they started me on a magnesium drip, IV fluids, Pitocin, and the Penicillin due to group B strep. I was now bed-ridden with a catheter, and wasn't allowed (of course) to move around... so I had to say goodbye to my goal of a natural birth!
The Pitocin was started at around 4:00pm, and contractions still weren't terribly painful by around 11:00pm. This all changed when my water broke with a huge POP! It scared me!
After that, the contractions quickly became extremely painful. Right before my water broke (they had checked me), I was about 2cm dilated.
Honestly I really don't remember much after that... my husband filled me in. I was in a daze through the contraction pain, and he was pressing on my back so hard during them that I have a bit of bruising (but it's the only thing that would help). They were coming back to back, and I was frustrated because I literally couldn't even change positions to help with the pain. There was nothing I could do but lie there. It also didn't help that the magnesium was making me extremely drowsy (fortunately I didn't get nauseous) and I couldn't even focus my vision correctly from it.
I finally asked for the epidural at 1:00am, and they had it in by 1:30am or so. The epidural also helped to bring down my blood pressure, so that was good at least. I was sad because I wanted to do it naturally, but so frustrated because I couldn't move or do anything to help, plus I already was hooked up to so many IV's and medications!!
They checked me soon after and found I was 5cm! So making good progress. Once again, after the epidural I didn't remember much. My husband got a break and I slept.
I started feeling painful contractions really low again at around 5:30am. I could feel her head moving down... I waited a little bit and then told a nurse that I was ready to start pushing. She checked me and I was 9 centimeters! Almost there!
Around 6:45am it got much more intense, and I was finally 10cm. It was nice because the epidural had worn off some, so I could feel more which made it easier to push. Pushing started at around 6:45am. They kept the room dark except for a light they set up. There was my midwife, a midwife-in-training, and two nurses in the room. Everything was very quiet and calm. They told me to push when I felt a contraction, and so it began.
Progress was made fairly quickly, pushing went really well, and she was out at 7:20am on Wednesday the 6th! (Let me tell you- it's a crazy feeling when the head is crowning... it stings and is just so weird. And when she came out it felt like immediate slippery relief!) They placed her right on my chest, and waited for the cord to stop pulsing until cutting it. She had a go at nursing pretty much immediately, and scored 9 & 9 on the APGAR! She was really a trooper during the whole process. Everything looked really good and healthy, so she seemed unaffected thus far by the sudden pre-eclampsia. She was 6.6lbs, and 18 inches long.
Then they took her and toweled her off and gave her to daddy, who got to hold her while they finished stitching me up. I had one second degree tear, and two minor tears on the sides. The stitches stung a little bit, but not too bad thanks to what was left of the epidural.
I was moved a post-partum room, but remained in bed unable to move, hooked up to the magnesium until Thursday the 7th... it made me so loopy and I felt terrible. Daddy took care of her diapers during those days, and brought her to me whenever she needed to be fed. To be quite honest, she hardly ever left my arms during the first night.
By Thursday late morning I was unhooked from absolutely everything, and was able to take a shower (AMAZING) and start walking around. Boy does it take it out of you being in bed for almost 48 hours!! I was still loopy and had a hard time walking (and peeing, at first), but all started to heal quite well. She is nursing sooo well, and my milk started to come in Thursday/Friday.
By Friday I was able to move a lot more fluidly, and was finally discharged at around 4:00pm. I have been sleeping mostly when she sleeps, (except for bathroom, food, shower, and this babyandbump update) and I am so fortunate to have such a good sleeper and nurser. She is making recovery much easier on me! My husband also has been absolutely amazing, doing almost everything for me including getting me snacks at 2:00am feedings and cleaning, laundry, you name it.
I am starting to feel much better. My blood pressure seems to be getting better, and I was told to skip medication if it stays under 140/90. They said it might take up to 6 weeks for it to get back to normal. My stitches *feel* like they're healing well, although I haven't actually looked at them...
I am so happy that things went calmly and well, despite having the problems at the very end. So now that I've literally written a book, I am going to end it with some pictures!
Here she is a few hours after birth, before her bath:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/annika1_web.jpg
Here's daddy having snuggles with her:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SIDEBYSIDE1.jpg
Here's me after my first venture up and about to the shower:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/annika6_web.jpg
And here she is looking super-dooper cute as we change her to take her home:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SIDEBYSIDE2.jpg
ps: It's true... I find it absolutely impossible to remember what the pain felt like during contractions!!
Here is the (very very very very long) story (pics at the bottom!):
I went to my pre-natal appointment on Tuesday, February 5th at about 40 weeks, 4 days. They were keeping an eye on me because my blood pressure was suddenly a bit elevated at times over the past week- they had put me on Labetalol (high blood pressure medication) a few days prior since it wasn't terribly high, and had me coming in for an NST.
Well... the midwife took my blood pressure that day, and even with the medication, my blood pressure was suddenly very high, at 165/100. A few minutes pass, and I was brought to the room where they were going to do the NST, but instead the midwife walked in and said, "I think you need to have a baby today..." So I was told to go home, get my things, and go to the hospital. I called my husband and he met me at home.
They took some blood once I got the hospital, and they started inducing with Cytotec. I was so worried that this would turn into a C-Section. I had been hoping for a natural birth. Well, unfortunately this wasn't going to happen... the nurse came back and said my blood levels were suddenly elevated and I had developed pre-eclampsia. So they started me on a magnesium drip, IV fluids, Pitocin, and the Penicillin due to group B strep. I was now bed-ridden with a catheter, and wasn't allowed (of course) to move around... so I had to say goodbye to my goal of a natural birth!
The Pitocin was started at around 4:00pm, and contractions still weren't terribly painful by around 11:00pm. This all changed when my water broke with a huge POP! It scared me!
After that, the contractions quickly became extremely painful. Right before my water broke (they had checked me), I was about 2cm dilated.
Honestly I really don't remember much after that... my husband filled me in. I was in a daze through the contraction pain, and he was pressing on my back so hard during them that I have a bit of bruising (but it's the only thing that would help). They were coming back to back, and I was frustrated because I literally couldn't even change positions to help with the pain. There was nothing I could do but lie there. It also didn't help that the magnesium was making me extremely drowsy (fortunately I didn't get nauseous) and I couldn't even focus my vision correctly from it.
I finally asked for the epidural at 1:00am, and they had it in by 1:30am or so. The epidural also helped to bring down my blood pressure, so that was good at least. I was sad because I wanted to do it naturally, but so frustrated because I couldn't move or do anything to help, plus I already was hooked up to so many IV's and medications!!
They checked me soon after and found I was 5cm! So making good progress. Once again, after the epidural I didn't remember much. My husband got a break and I slept.
I started feeling painful contractions really low again at around 5:30am. I could feel her head moving down... I waited a little bit and then told a nurse that I was ready to start pushing. She checked me and I was 9 centimeters! Almost there!
Around 6:45am it got much more intense, and I was finally 10cm. It was nice because the epidural had worn off some, so I could feel more which made it easier to push. Pushing started at around 6:45am. They kept the room dark except for a light they set up. There was my midwife, a midwife-in-training, and two nurses in the room. Everything was very quiet and calm. They told me to push when I felt a contraction, and so it began.
Progress was made fairly quickly, pushing went really well, and she was out at 7:20am on Wednesday the 6th! (Let me tell you- it's a crazy feeling when the head is crowning... it stings and is just so weird. And when she came out it felt like immediate slippery relief!) They placed her right on my chest, and waited for the cord to stop pulsing until cutting it. She had a go at nursing pretty much immediately, and scored 9 & 9 on the APGAR! She was really a trooper during the whole process. Everything looked really good and healthy, so she seemed unaffected thus far by the sudden pre-eclampsia. She was 6.6lbs, and 18 inches long.
Then they took her and toweled her off and gave her to daddy, who got to hold her while they finished stitching me up. I had one second degree tear, and two minor tears on the sides. The stitches stung a little bit, but not too bad thanks to what was left of the epidural.
I was moved a post-partum room, but remained in bed unable to move, hooked up to the magnesium until Thursday the 7th... it made me so loopy and I felt terrible. Daddy took care of her diapers during those days, and brought her to me whenever she needed to be fed. To be quite honest, she hardly ever left my arms during the first night.
By Thursday late morning I was unhooked from absolutely everything, and was able to take a shower (AMAZING) and start walking around. Boy does it take it out of you being in bed for almost 48 hours!! I was still loopy and had a hard time walking (and peeing, at first), but all started to heal quite well. She is nursing sooo well, and my milk started to come in Thursday/Friday.
By Friday I was able to move a lot more fluidly, and was finally discharged at around 4:00pm. I have been sleeping mostly when she sleeps, (except for bathroom, food, shower, and this babyandbump update) and I am so fortunate to have such a good sleeper and nurser. She is making recovery much easier on me! My husband also has been absolutely amazing, doing almost everything for me including getting me snacks at 2:00am feedings and cleaning, laundry, you name it.
I am starting to feel much better. My blood pressure seems to be getting better, and I was told to skip medication if it stays under 140/90. They said it might take up to 6 weeks for it to get back to normal. My stitches *feel* like they're healing well, although I haven't actually looked at them...
I am so happy that things went calmly and well, despite having the problems at the very end. So now that I've literally written a book, I am going to end it with some pictures!
Here she is a few hours after birth, before her bath:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/annika1_web.jpg
Here's daddy having snuggles with her:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SIDEBYSIDE1.jpg
Here's me after my first venture up and about to the shower:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/annika6_web.jpg
And here she is looking super-dooper cute as we change her to take her home:
https://filmsnouveau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SIDEBYSIDE2.jpg
ps: It's true... I find it absolutely impossible to remember what the pain felt like during contractions!!
xxxx
huge congratulations - love her name too it is beautiful x
