Nora's Birth Story

Early Friday morning, on March 4th, at 1:00 am, I was awoken by a contraction.  As I laid in bed trying to go back to sleep, the contractions kept coming and they were quite painful.  I thought maybe I was just thirsty, so I got up and drank some juice and tried to go back to sleep...but they kept coming and coming and coming and all I could hear in my head was Andrew saying to me, "you better start timing them."  So I did what every wife does, I listened to that little voice in my head, and started timing them.  They were 10 min apart, then 7, then 5...It was about 4 am then.  I figured it was probably the real deal and I really didn't want to go into full blown labor prior to having a c-section, so I got up and wrote out instructions for the kids for my mom, who was going to stay with them. I texted my mom around 5:30 and told her what was happening and asked her if she thought I should wake Andrew up, haha.  Of course she said, "yes."  I woke Andrew up at 6 am, told him I was having contractions and that I was going to take a shower.  He got up and just started going about his normal morning routine.  While I was in the shower, my mom called him and asked him what I was doing.  Confused, he came into the bathroom, while I was straightening my hair.  He asked me what I was doing.  I stated the obvious.  Haha, I have no idea why he was so confused.  That's what every girl in labor does right before having a baby, right?  I told him I thought I needed to go straight to the hospital, as to labor and delivery, not to our pre-op appointment.  He started packing his bag, I finished getting ready and packing my bag, and then my mom came over to watch the kids.  Lo & Drew woke up right as we were getting ready to leave.  We kissed them goodbye and headed to the hospital.  I text my doctor on the way, just to give him a heads up and get his opinion.  Being the awesome doctor that he is, he immediately called me right back and told me that I should definitely bypass pre-op and go straight to L&D. 

Once we got to the hospital, the nurses checked me in and hooked me up.  They let my doctor know that I was there and was indeed having contractions and had my c/s scheduled for 10 am.  Andrew and I hung out until 10 and nothing happened.  They then came and told us there was an emergency and that I would be next.  At this point I was STARVING!  Poor Andrew was too, but was nice enough to not eat anything because he knew I couldn't.  I was begging the nurses to just put a little sugar in my IV.  They wouldn't oblige.

I started having more frequent and more painful contractions.  Finally around 12, it was go time!  They came and got me and had Andrew get dressed.  As I sat on the OR table, with the nurse holding my hands, I was nervous, but ready!  Ready to not be in labor, ready to not be pregnant, and ready to meet this little girl!  I was anxious about the c-section since I had had such a rough time the last time.  However, I also knew what to expect and what my body was probably going to do. I was able to verbalize to the nurse and anesthesiologist that my blood pressure was more than likely going to drop right after the spinal was placed and that I was probably going to be super nauseous during the c-section.  Prior to this day, I had also spoke to my doctor about how awful I felt when he was sewing my uterus back up.  He had told me he would try his hardest to make things easier on me this time if he was able to do so.  And he was true to his word!  I was so very thankful for this and for him this day.

The anesthesiologist came in and put in my spinal, like clockwork, I got nausesous.  The NP that was helping him out was very very nice and did a great job at keeping the crummy feeling at a minimum.  Soon after, Dr. Sterling came in and got things started.  Andrew came and sat beside me and held my hand until the baby was getting pulled out.  At 12:26 pm sweet Nora Sue was born!  She came out with a set of lungs!  Her apgars were 9 and 9.  Andrew brought her over to me, so I could look at her.  We both couldn't believe her full head of beautiful blonde hair, so different from Lo and Drew. He took her back to the room while they finished sewing me back up and cleaning me up.

Shortly after, they took me back to the room.  There were a handful of nurses surrounded by my baby.  No one was talking to me, so I finally asked if she was ok.  Come to find out, she had swallowed a little too much amniotic fluid on her way out and was having a little trouble breathing.  Without going into too much medical lingo, she needed to be monitored a little closely for a few hours.  I text my friend Binh, who just happened to be the pediatrician that would be taking care of her, lucky me!  It's so nice sometimes to be in the medical field and have awesome friends whom you trust!  He came right up and did as promised, took great care of her and got her back to me as soon as possible.

Sweet Nora was in the transition nursery for about 6 hours.  That seemed like forever right after having a "little" surgery to have a baby you had been carrying for 9 months and dying to meet.

 

The nurses were finally able to bring her back to us.  I couldnt wait to hold her and feed her.  Andrew and I ooed and awed over her and her pretty blonde hair and waited patiently for my parents to bring Lo & Drew up to meet her.

Lo was so excited to meet her baby sister!  She sat next to me and held her and just stared at her with the biggest grin on her face.  It was so sweet!  Drew really could have cared less, he didnt have a clue what was going on, haha, sweet little man.

We were so blessed to have such great care, both by my awesome OB, Dr. Sterling, and by my wonderful friend, Binh, who took such great care of our sweet Nora Sue.  I really can't say enough about how great they both are and were to us.

We got to go home after two days in the hospital and couldn't have been more excited to go home to Lo and Drew and begin our new life together with Nora.  We are very blessed, very very blessed indeed.  Thank you God for another perfect little miracle!