Posted on Aug 11 within Motherhood
A Bundle of Joy
Last week turned out to be a different experience. Monday started out pretty normal with a few twinges that I wasn’t quite sure about. When Wednesday came around for my next Doctor’s appointment, my husband and I found out some information. My baby girl’s due date was for August 8th. She was still pretty healthy and active in the womb on Wednesday. The doctor said that if she wasn’t here by her due date, we would meet for another appointment and make the decision on when to induce. My husband and I basically had a plan. She would be here within the week before the following Friday. Wednesday was my birthday, so my husband was kind enough to treat me out before we headed home. That is when things started to change.
I woke up in the middle of night during Thursday feeling pretty crappy. For a quite a while, I wasn’t sure what to think, but I was able to get passed it. Part of me thought I was having contractions while the other part of me thought I was constipated for I suffered that during my first trimester. When I woke up Friday morning, I was still feeling pretty off. I decided a shower would probably help and that is when I saw the blood. Almost a year ago, we had a miscarriage so seeing blood was making me panic. I called my husband and then the hospital. The hospital told us to come in. I was in the hospital for about three hours before the dismissed me. They told me that I was at the beginning of a dilation of one. There could be a chance that I would be back over the weekend.
When I went home, I tried my hardest to stay comfortable and get as much rest as I could. My contractions started to kick in more around 8PM. They were not strong enough, and I wasn’t actually sure if they were true contractions. I went to bed that night and slept miserably. I kept getting up almost every 45 minutes because of the contractions. The following day it went even worse. My mother-in-law stayed the whole day with us. I went on three walks with her and dogs and even drove around before my contractions started to come quicker. At first, they were 30 minutes apart and then 20 minutes apart. By late afternoon, they were between 10-15 minutes apart. Around 6PM, I was at a point where they were at 5-10 minutes apart and hurting so bad. I finally caved and called the hospital. They told me to come.
After arriving at the hospital and getting all setup, the nurses decides to check me. I survived at home dilating to a six before coming to the hospital. I wasn’t going home this time. They set me up in a birthing room and finally brought the epidural to help me with the pain. Throughout the whole night, I was in and out. I was exhausted. I tried to keep a smile on and stay strong. It was pretty easy since the pain was gone, but I was still so surprised that I survived that much at home before finally coming to the hospital. My scare wasn’t over, though. I knew that when it came to pushing, I could have a chance of going into a c-section or tearing.
Around 5AM, my doctor came in and told me it was time to push. According to my family, my doctor was in a few times, but he allowed me to sleep. I was thankful for that. It took two hours before she finally decide to make her presence. I avoided my scare of having a c-section, but didn’t avoid the scare of tearing. According to my doctor, I tore really good. Recovery is going to take a bit for me. However, throughout it all, my baby girl was born. Leah Anne made her appearance at 7:12AM on August 7th 2016. She was born one day before her due date.
We had to stay in the hospital for two days afterwards. For that I was thankful. I am still recovering at home, but I am much better than I was before. The postpartum recovery scared me at first. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get back to normal, but I can see that time and rest help out the most. My mother-in-law has been a blessing helping me out when I cannot do much. My husband has been amazing. I almost wish he could take the whole two weeks off just to be with his little girl, but he is our income support that allows me to stay home. He is thrilled that she is here. Throughout my whole pregnancy, he said that he didn’t want to see any part of it, that he would most likely pass out from the blood. Well that changed. He watched the whole delivery and is still in shock that I went through it. He is very impressed and happy about me. I have to admit. I am a weakling. I cannot stand pain too much. He was very impressed on how I stayed at home till my contractions got so bad. It still surprises me.
I have attempted to breastfeed. So far, I thought it was going good. However, I have one breast that is very difficult to breastfeed on. It is inverted. After four days of breastfeeding on one breast and supplementing for the other, I keep wondering if it is wise for me to continue. Is she getting the right amount of breastmilk that will counter the supplement? We see the doctor on Monday so I will be sure to ask my questions then. I want to continue breastfeeding. It is something that I have always wanted. It is a connection with my daughter that no one can do. However, I know how difficult and tiring it can be. I just want to make sure that what I am doing is correct for her.
Well, that was a mouthful. Right now, Leah is sound asleep. She is probably getting hungry. I will try to bring another update about my small family, but updates are small right now. I am in the process of recovery and adjusting to being a new mom. Till next time!