The last time I posted was the early morning of the 30th, saying I was in labor.
We met up with our midwife around 4:00 a.m. at the hospital (we had been planning a homebirth but switched at the very end, since it didn't feel quite right to me- couldn't explain it, but just a strong feeling I couldn't shake).
It was my most intense labor yet, as I went from 3cm to 8cm in about an hour. I had a hard time staying on top of the contractions since things were moving so quickly. Transition wasn't fun- I was hot and then cold, and then would throw up, only to repeat the process again.
When my water broke, there was thick, dark meconium, which was concerning. Just as we were all noticing it, my daughter's heartrate dropped from 150 to about 50 and stayed there for a little while. My midwife had me flip on my hands and knees with my butt in the air while she reached inside and pushed on my dd's head just a tad, to back it away from her cord. This helped and her heartrate resumed to normal levels, only to lower again when her head once again engaged- signaling cord prolapse.
The decision was quickly made to have a c/s and I was rushed to the OR. The delivered my daughter via c/s and she didn't cry.. it felt like forever waiting for those first few sounds of life. She wasn't breathing and they took her away immediately. My husband was just devastated and in a state of shock, not knowing what to do. I told him to go with our daughter, but he hesitated- knowing how upset I was and that another c/s was the last thing I wanted (I had one with my first and had a VBAC with our second). I told him I just wanted him to be with our daughter and to know that she was okay.
Finally we heard a small cry and my eyes just welled up with tears.
She had severe meconium aspiration and wasn't breathing on her own.
They decided to transfer her by ambulance (after intubating and sedating her) to a level 3 NICU about 10 minutes away.
They sent another ambulance for me, so that I could be at the same hospital.
I was able to see her later that evening and I was thrilled to see her, but it was difficult to see all the tubes and wires attached to her, and the IV in her head.
She continued to make a little progress each day, and they took the breathing tube out, replacing it with an oxygen hood, and then eventually replaced that with a nasal canula for oxygen.
She was treated for pneumonia with antibiotics (due to the meconium in her lungs). When she was a day and a half old I nursed her for the first time. It was tricky to nurse and hold her while she was on oxygen and with the wires everywhere, but she did well with it and kept her oxygen levels up, so I was able to continue nursing her for all feedings.
I stayed in the hospital for four days and then DH and I moved into the Ronald McDonald house next door (amazing charity- I will always support them in the future) so that I could be there to nurse her at every feeding, including those in the middle of the night.
Finally, we were able to take her home yesterday, after about a week in the NICU.
We are so happy to be home and I've really never been so tired in my life. Her older brother and sister are thrilled with her and are very intrigued by every little thing that she does. She's snoring here in bed next to her Daddy now.. and although I'm dealing with some serious post partum depression issues, I feel so blessed to have all of us now healthy and home.
~Eileen
dd born Jan.30th at 7:39 a.m. 8lbs12oz, 21" long
We met up with our midwife around 4:00 a.m. at the hospital (we had been planning a homebirth but switched at the very end, since it didn't feel quite right to me- couldn't explain it, but just a strong feeling I couldn't shake).
It was my most intense labor yet, as I went from 3cm to 8cm in about an hour. I had a hard time staying on top of the contractions since things were moving so quickly. Transition wasn't fun- I was hot and then cold, and then would throw up, only to repeat the process again.
When my water broke, there was thick, dark meconium, which was concerning. Just as we were all noticing it, my daughter's heartrate dropped from 150 to about 50 and stayed there for a little while. My midwife had me flip on my hands and knees with my butt in the air while she reached inside and pushed on my dd's head just a tad, to back it away from her cord. This helped and her heartrate resumed to normal levels, only to lower again when her head once again engaged- signaling cord prolapse.
The decision was quickly made to have a c/s and I was rushed to the OR. The delivered my daughter via c/s and she didn't cry.. it felt like forever waiting for those first few sounds of life. She wasn't breathing and they took her away immediately. My husband was just devastated and in a state of shock, not knowing what to do. I told him to go with our daughter, but he hesitated- knowing how upset I was and that another c/s was the last thing I wanted (I had one with my first and had a VBAC with our second). I told him I just wanted him to be with our daughter and to know that she was okay.
Finally we heard a small cry and my eyes just welled up with tears.
She had severe meconium aspiration and wasn't breathing on her own.
They decided to transfer her by ambulance (after intubating and sedating her) to a level 3 NICU about 10 minutes away.
They sent another ambulance for me, so that I could be at the same hospital.
I was able to see her later that evening and I was thrilled to see her, but it was difficult to see all the tubes and wires attached to her, and the IV in her head.
She continued to make a little progress each day, and they took the breathing tube out, replacing it with an oxygen hood, and then eventually replaced that with a nasal canula for oxygen.
She was treated for pneumonia with antibiotics (due to the meconium in her lungs). When she was a day and a half old I nursed her for the first time. It was tricky to nurse and hold her while she was on oxygen and with the wires everywhere, but she did well with it and kept her oxygen levels up, so I was able to continue nursing her for all feedings.
I stayed in the hospital for four days and then DH and I moved into the Ronald McDonald house next door (amazing charity- I will always support them in the future) so that I could be there to nurse her at every feeding, including those in the middle of the night.
Finally, we were able to take her home yesterday, after about a week in the NICU.
We are so happy to be home and I've really never been so tired in my life. Her older brother and sister are thrilled with her and are very intrigued by every little thing that she does. She's snoring here in bed next to her Daddy now.. and although I'm dealing with some serious post partum depression issues, I feel so blessed to have all of us now healthy and home.
~Eileen
dd born Jan.30th at 7:39 a.m. 8lbs12oz, 21" long
