As I have shared before, this pregnancy was very different than with Hunter. Fortunately, I felt and looked a lot better with Kinley than with Hunter. Unfortunately, I had to go through my pregnancy with Kinley without my parents and extended family who were all such a huge part of my pregnancy with Hunter. That being said, Paul and I both decided early on in the pregnancy that we wanted my mom to be present for the birth of her second grandchild, as she was there for Hunter's birth.
So towards the end of my pregnancy, my mom and I began talking on the phone daily, sometimes up to 2-3 times a day just to check in and see if I 'was feeling anything'. My mom was pretty much on stand by, and ready to pick up and fly out here as soon as she got that call. Well, this went on every day since I was 36 weeks pregnant because I was dilated so early (which by the way means absolutely NOTHING in terms of when your baby will be born). After weeks of anxiously waiting for any small sign that labor was looming in the near future, my mom finally chose a date and flew out on Hunter's birthday, April 2nd. My sister had arrived two days earlier, so now that all the pieces were falling into place, my mom, sister, and I began 'operation get this baby out':) We did everything imaginable, drank red rasberry and black cohosh tea, walked for hours, jogged (yes, I actually jogged), went down slides, and when none of the above worked I elicited the Midwife services for some help.
On April 5 ( my due date), I went in for my previously scheduled appointment and the midwife on call decided to strip my membranes (sorry if this is TMI). She told me if nothing happened within 12 hours, then it probably wouldn't work, but that I could come back the next day and she would strip them again. Well, 12 hours went by, and all I felt were painless, but very frequent Braxton hicks contractions coming every 5-7 minutes. I was convinced this was just another false alarm because , silly me, I did not feel any pain, and by gosh I was not going to the hospital until I felt some sort of pain. So besides having fun timing them with my mom, Shannon, and Paul, I made up my mind that this was definitely not labor and went to bed as usual. Well, I did not sleep at all because these contractions, although still painless were getting very annoying and coming very frequently. When Paul woke up to go to work around 6:30 am, I decided I should tell him that I had been up all night (because naturally I let him sleep through this boring part of labor). He was convinced this was it, but I told him to go to work and I would call him if anything changed, i.e when these contractions start hurting. Why I ever wanted to feel pain, I do not know!
Anyways, as soon as Paul left, I showered and then ran downstairs to tell my mom I think I felt something real. I waited another few minutes and it happened again, and this time I was sure this was real.....I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen at the same time that my uterus hardened. I remember thinking, 'Oh this is what a contraction is, and also thinking that this really is not that bad'. Little did I know the excruciating pain that was building up with each minor contraction. I was so excited that I was actually feeling something, that I wasn't even bothered by these beginning labor pains.
As soon as I got to the midwife office, the nurse hooked me up to a monitor and immediately said 'Oh, you are definitely in labor'. The midwife examined me and agreed that there was no doubt that I was in labor, but that it was too early to go to the hospital. My birth plan specifically stated that I wanted to wait as long as possible to go to the hospital, so naturally I agreed. The midwife told me to give it a few hours and unless the pain became unbearable to come back to the office to get checked. So Paul left work and met up with my mom, my sister, and I at my favorite local bagel shop and we enjoyed our 'last meal' before our little one arrived. As this point I was still laughing through my contractions. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely uncomfortable, but definitely doable. I practiced my breathing (which I am sure made the people at the bagel place very nervous seeing how I looked ready to pop) and just kept reminding myself that the contractions do not last forever.
Finally, two hours later I arrived back at the midwife office to be examined. After learning that I was 5 cm dilated, we were promptly sent to the hospital. Right before the midwife sent us to the hospital, she decided we should talk about the different options for pain medication. I thought that was rather convenient timing. I told her I really wanted to try as many alternatives before even being asked about an epidural...whether that was all natural methods like distraction, heat, massage, or change of position or in the form of an IV med (being a nurse, I already knew in my head I would gladly accept fentanyl). The midwife and my labor team (mom and Paul) both agreed with the plan, and with that we were sent on our way, knowing there was no turning back...haa haa.
Upon arriving, I was able to enjoy the hot tub, get up on the birthing ball, and 'relax' in a rocking chair as I listened to my labor mix courtesy of Shannon. After a few hours of 'enjoying labor', the midwife broke my water and then all bets were off. My water was meconium stained, which meant that baby had to be monitored very closely. We were reassured that this was common during delivery, and that there would be a whole team of specially trained nurses from the NICU that would be present at delivery to help assure that our baby does not aspirate any meconium. I was an anxious wreck, but got through it with my husband by my side and my faith that our little one would be just fine.
The contractions started coming VERY frequently and were no longer fun. In fact, at one point my sister tried to crack a joke, and I immediately snapped at her and said 'Shannon, this is not the time'. After the contractions leveled off, of course I apologized. After about two hours of hard labor, the midwife checked me again and I was still only 5 cm. I was so frustrated that I hadn't progressed since my water was broken, and decided to ask for something to help me sleep because I knew I needed to regain my energy if I was going to go through the rest of labor without an epidural. I received fentanyl, rested for 30 minutes, and then began using all my strategies to continue to fight through each contraction.
After two more hours of hard labor, working through tears and sweat, and enduring some very painful positions to help turn baby, the time had finally come to start pushing. An entire team of about 10 nurses, two residents, and my midwife began preparing for delivery. It should have been very intimidating having all these strangers gowned and gloved in my room watching me push and anxiously waiting to whisp my baby away for further assessment. However, in the midst of all the pain and anguish of the actual delivery, thankfully that was not the first thing on my mind. I pushed for about 45 minutes, and then out she came. I remember Paul and my mom abruptly asking, 'What is it?', and I clearly remember the midwife holding our baby up and proudly asking Paul, Well, what do you think?'. Paul is the one who announced IT's A GIRL! While Kinley was rushed to the warmer on the other side of the room surrounded by all the nurses and residents, Paul and I held hands as we anxiously waited to hear our baby girl cry. Crying was a sign that the meconium did not enter her lungs. Only a few minutes passed before we heard the most beautiful sound that just brought both of us to complete tears. The nurse yelled over to the midwife, 'she looks good, she looks good'. Those words were enough to allow me to just breathe a sigh of relief, and I just remember saying 'Thank-you' over and over again to everyone in the room.
Kinley received an apgar score of 7 and 9, which is amazing considering the potential that loomed over our baby. Paul was asked to come cut the part of the cord that was still attached to Kinley, and I remember him telling me how beautiful and wide awake she looked. She weighed in at 7lb 8 oz, which is 1 pound bigger than her older brother was at birth. I had to wait what seemed like forever before I got to hold my baby girl, but all the waiting and all the pain all became worth it the minute I laid eyes on Kinley Jane.
Words can not express our love for our daughter. She is such a wonderful addition to our family, and we are so grateful to God for allowing us to raise this beautiful little angel. I decided the best way to show what life has been like with 'Kinley-Boo' is to share a slideshow that my sister put together depicting life these last few weeks. Enjoy:)
