I became a mommy one month and one day ago. It was the role that I was waiting for my whole life. It has been an exciting time, but also very tiring. I don't think I've ever been more tired, even when I was pulling all-nighters in college. But, I wouldn't take any of it back because having my baby has made me the happiest I have ever been!
I became a mommy on April 28, 2011 to Madelyn, also known as Maddy :) My due date was April 28th. Everyone in my family have had their babies at least one week early, but Maddy was not coming. I had an appointment on April 26 with my OBGYN and she thought that everything looked and sounded normal, but as she had me sit up, she thought I looked kind of big and I had not dropped. Since I was approaching my due date and because she thought the baby could be big, she asked me to come in the next day for another ultrasound. My husband and I went in for the ultrasound the next day and they found that the baby looked approximately 6.5 pounds, so she definitely was not big. However, they also found that I was low on fluid and the placenta was starting to calcify - meaning my placenta looked as though the gestational age was around 42 weeks. This was very concerning to my doctor and she had me admitted to the hospital immediately. She inserted a balloon with medication that would start to get me dialated and then they were going to induce me in the morning.
We checked in at the hospital and just waited. At approximately 9pm all of the nurses rushed into my room and didn't tell me why... at first. They just hooked me up to an IV and then told me that they had lost the baby's heartbeat and couldn't get it back for a a minute. I was freaking out, but they assured me that everything was okay.
At approximately 3am, all of the nurses rushed back into my room again because they lost her heartbeat again. They transferred me to a gurney and took me to the OR - they were going to deliver the baby right then. However, once we got to the OR, Maddy's heartbeat was back. The doctor checked me and found that I was dialated five centimeters - and I didn't even know it. The doctor that was on-call said that since we got her heartbeat back and I was already that far along, it might be worth it to try to deliver the baby naturally. So, they took me back to my room.
I began laboring more and more as the early morning hours went on. I had gone into the hospital with the plan of delivering naturally without any medication, but would not feel bad if I needed to have something to relieve the pain. The contractions got worse and worse and at about 7am I couldn't take it any more. So, I elected to get the epidural. Approximately ten minutes after the epidural kicked in, all of the nurses came rushing back into my room again - they lost her heartbeat. But, this time they weren't going to take any chances - we were going to the OR and they were going to deliver the baby then!
As they were rushing me to the OR, I couldn't help but cry. All of the nurses seemed so concerned and scared for me... and seeing these women that see labor and delivery everyday scared, I was so terrified. Was Maddy okay? I couldn't stop crying.
They prepped me and they delivered Maddy at 7:56am on April 28, 2011. She weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 20.5 inches. She was perfect. Why had her heartbeat slowed down and why had it looked like I had not dropped? My crazy baby had got herself all wrapped up in the umbilical cord. The doctor delivered her and as they were taking her out, we heard her say, "This baby had herself hogged-tied." They cut the umbiglical cord, washed her and brought her to us - and introduced us to our "little drama queen" - yes, the doctor called Maddy a drama queen.
Luckily I elected to get the epidural when I did, because if I had not, I would not have been awake when they delivered my precious baby. The pain during labor wasn't all that bad - I think I could have taken more, but something kept telling me that I needed the epidural. I kept fighting the voice in my head, but eventually I gave in - and again, I am so glad that I did because I was able to hold my baby after she was born!
Since having Maddy, it has been an adventure. It has been the best adventure of my life.
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