On the day of her birth we went into the doctor's office for a non-stress test. The doctors were concerned by the small size of my belly and that I had stopped gaining weight around 35 weeks. After Abby's heart rate dipped on the non-stress test and the ultrasound confirmed she was small and the amniotic fluid was low, the doctor felt it was best to deliver her that day.
So we left the office, not in shock, but nervous. We stopped at the house and packed our bags, dropped Jordan off at a friend's house, and headed to the hospital.
They hooked me up to all the machines and monitors and started the pitocin at 2:15.
The calm before the STORM.I didn't really have a plan for pain management. I kind of wanted to see if I could go without an epidural but I was not opposed at all to having one if need be. The nurse had warned me that from the moment I asked for an epidural to the time I could get one would be an hour and to make sure that I factored that into my decision. I didn't. I had no idea how fast and furious the pitocin would make my contractions. At 3:45 I was BEGGING for an epidural. I had waited too long and there was no way I was going to make it another hour. The nurse ordered the epidural and then gave me some stadol to take the edge off while I waited for the epidural.
Except there was no time for the epidural. 30 minutes later Abby was born at 4:15 pm. The chord was wrapped around her neck--which explains the heart rate dropping on the non-stress test earlier in the day. She was a whopping 5lbs 1oz and absolutely perfect.
By the time the doctor and nurses had cleaned up and cleared out and it was just Luke, Abby, and I left in the room, I glanced at the clock and it was 4:45. Time for my epidural.
Like I said, her birth can best be described as 'fast and furious'.
We got to hold Abby for an hour and then they took her to the nursery to monitor her blood sugar and temps. Luke and I were moved to another room and then he headed home to care for Jordan.
Because she is so small and there was concern over her temperature dropping, we had to really make sure we kept her warm and bundled. This is right before a diaper change. The nurses had her in a long sleeve onesie top and then they took another top and put it on her like pants. Then they would swaddle her in three receiving blankets. She also wore her standard issue beanie and then they even put another knitted beanie over the top of that.
The next day Luke brought Jordan up to the hospital to meet Abby. He has been so excited to meet his little sister.
He really does love her so much!
Abby ended up staying one extra day in the hospital so they could continue to monitor her temperature and make sure she was eating well. They put me up in a triage room so I could stay with her and continue to nurse and care for her.For some reason it has been really hard to get a picture that shows just how small she really is. Here was one attempt. This was taken the morning we left the hospital. At this point she was 4lbs 11oz. Notice the arms and legs of her newborn outfit had to be folded over to fit.
Edited to add: When/if there is another baby there WILL BE an epidural. Natural is not my thing.
3 comments:
She is so cute and sweet!!!
I wonder what she wouldn't have looked like next to my last newborn that was a whopping 10.7! She would have made my newborn look like a 6 month old:) She's adorable, at least she was super tiny and I'm sure pushing her out was one swift push, right?
She is so darling Alicia! I've always wanted a tiny little baby. Enjoy her... as you know they just get big fast! I love seeing Jordan hold her... it is so precious. Congratulations and you look amazing!
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