On January 28th at 11:29 pm, our beautiful little Presley Taylor joined our family. She was a teeny 5 lbs 14 oz bundle of sweetness. We are smitten beyond words and can't stop staring at her.
This birth story was so so different from Kai's since he was born in Tokyo, Japan and that was a CRAZY experience. You can read it
here
It was a normal Thursday, and I had my weekly doctor appt at noon. She said I was still
only 1.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced, same as last time. I guess I wouldn’t be
having this baby for 2 weeks. I expressed a little concern to my doctor that I didn’t feel as much movement as I thought I should, and asked if we could do an
ultrasound. She said a non stress test would be better because research shows
that once you have a non stress test with good results after 37 weeks, there’s
only a 1% chance of stillbirth. I said ok then, let’s do it. I made an appt to
come back that day at 4:30 for the test, since it was the only available time
slot they had. I figured I would get the test and discover baby was perfectly
healthy, and then feel dumb for worrying so much. (which happened with Kai so many times).
Here I am with Kai at my doctor's appt, unaware that I would be having baby girl that night!
Kolby came home from work a little early and I rushed off to
my non stress test at the hospital. I checked in and then sat in a chair where
they hooked me up a monitor to measure my contractions and baby’s heartbeat. They
also did an ultrasound-type thing to measure the amniotic fluid. The nurse said
the fluid was a good amount, which was a relief. She also told me the placenta
was on my right side, where baby’s legs/feet were, so that may be why I didn’t
feel as much movement. Already I was starting to feel like I had worried for
nothing. I even talked to her about
working there at the clinic, since it was a dream job for me. Perfect hours,
nothing too complicated, and I would get to work with pregnancy and baby stuff which
I love! The nurse told me everything was looking good on the monitor.
They left me hooked up to the monitor for another 30
minutes, and I watched anxiously to see if anything seemed abnormal. A few
minutes later I happened to have a small contraction, just a painless Braxton
hicks, and I noticed baby’s heart rate drop pretty low. I also noticed that the
heart rate started to drop after the contraction started, which is called a
“late deceleration” and indicates fetal distress (I had just reviewed all this stuff in a nursing school book). But it was just one time, so I wasn’t sure if that meant
anything serious. I heard the nurse call
the doctor outside, and it seemed like she was talking about me. Pretty soon
she came in and explained that the drop in heart rate was concerning. She said
she had also noticed when she checked the fluid on the screen earlier that the
umbilical cord was at the bottom, and could be getting compressed each time I
had a contraction, or could be around the baby's neck.
Then a doctor came and talked
to me and said “So you’ve been feeling less movement? How long has it been
going on?” This was always a hard question for me, because I never feel much
movement with my pregnancies. I said “Well that’s hard to answer, because some
days she’s active and I feel like she’s fine, but other days there’s not as
much movement and I don’t know what to think...it’s been happeneing on and off
for a few weeks now.” He then said that
he had spoken to my doctor, and that due to the decreased movement I was feeling
and the heart rate dropping that low, and since baby was full term (39 weeks) they
felt I should be induced right away.
Wait, WHAT?! Induced now?!
As strange as it sounds, I felt like this was some kind of
joke. Everything had been fine, until that one contraction.
I felt mostly excitement, but definitely had some anxious
thoughts coursing through my mind. How long had baby girl been having her heart
rate drop like that? Should I have come in much earlier, like 3 weeks ago? Did
she have permanent damage? Was it really necessary to induce me because of one
contraction? Shouldn’t they do an ultrasound first?
I literally felt like my body was in shock. Everything became really foggy.
I texted Kolby and my mom said "OH MY GOSH they want to induce me now!" Kolby wrote back saying he would get everything ready to go.
I went upstairs to the Labor and Delivery floor all alone,
feeling like I was floating in some kind of strange dream. It seemed to good to
be true that I would meet baby girl soon. I was anxious to hold her in my arms
and know she was ok. Maybe that one contraction with the heart rate drop was a
fluke. After all, it was just one contraction, and it was just a painless
Braxton hicks... and what if I hadn’t come in for the non stress test? Would she
have been fine and come on her own in a few days?
My hospital bag wasn’t packed, I had no makeup on, we
hadn’t finish deep cleaning the house,
we hadn’t taken Kai on some final family of 3 dates before baby girl came, we had reservations to tour the new provo
temple that night....these zillion different thoughts raced through my head as I
anxiously paced down the hallway, rode the elevator, checked in, and was taken
to the delivery room and told to change into a gown. I looked over and saw the baby incubator
bassinet on the side of the room, which made things a little more real. I was
going to deliver my baby in here, in the next 24 hours!
I had to take a selfie to start documenting the whole process, and to show my nervous/excited/deer in headlights face.
How did this happen? Last night we had been walking around the beautiful ice castles in Midway, enjoying an outing as a family of 3, adoring and loving on our sweet little Kai. We were talking about a few more outings we wanted to do before baby girl came. If only we had known she would come the next day...
The first room they put me in, the nurse spent an hour
trying to get the computer to work. All the while I was sitting there anxious and
wondering if baby girl’s heart beat was still doing the dropping thing. The
nurse said baby’s heartbeat was looking great, so no need to worry. I remember
sitting in the room alone, still in shock that this was all happening. I looked
over at the little baby bed and warmer, and couldn’t believe my baby girl would
be in there in the next 24 hours. I was texting my mom and Kolby and trying to
think of any important things I needed Kolby to bring. It was honestly just so
overwhelming that I couldn’t think straight. It felt like a strange dream that I was going to wake up from at any moment.
After an hour of trying to fix the computer they moved me to
a new room with a beautiful view of the mountains and city lights through the
massive windows. The room was huge and so very clean, unlike the Japanese one I
had stayed in while birthing Kai. I could already feel that this was going to be such a better experience than Japan.
Just being in a nice clean spacious modern room was so
exciting for me, since last time was so horrific in Tokyo. (I still love you Japan!)
6:15 pm: The nurse inserted the IV and said she was starting me on
Pitocin. I started to get more contractions but nothing painful yet,
thankfully! Kolby finally arrived with his mom, and she was so happy and
positive which helped me stay positive, too. Thank goodness for good mother in
laws! We chatted excitedly about baby girl, and that made the whole experience
so much more fun and relaxing for me. Kolby’s sister and brother in law then
showed up and it was so fun to have them there too. They were the official videopgraphers/photographers/birth
coach. Shelbi, along with being an
amazing birth coach, even painted my nails and combed my
i-didnt-know-i-was-giving-birth- today hair. Who better to have for support
than my mother in law, who's had 8 kids, and my sister in law, who's had 3? They
were so sweet throughout all of this and I am so grateful for them.
After about 45 minutes, I was bored and decided to put makeup on. Hence why I look all dolled up in some of these photos, which my brother teases me about. But that's the new trend these days...look glamorous while giving birth, which I agree is funny, but why not..? If it makes you feel more confident and put together, then do it.
7:00 pm: My doctor came to check on me and said I was dilated 2.5 cm and 70% effaced, which was
good news. She broke my water , and I had no idea until afterwards when she
told me she had done it and I was like ohh is that what that warm gush of fluid
was?? Glad that’s a painless procedure! After that I think they increased the
Pitocin dose and that, along with my water being broken, made my contractions
stronger. They still weren’t to the point where they were painful yet, which
surprised my nurse and in laws since they looked like pretty big contractions
on the screen. The nurse said some girls are already bawling in pain at this
point. I guess every girl and every labor is just different! Because I am
definitely no tough cookie.
The anesthesiologist
came in to talk to me about my epidural. I’m a special case since I fractured
my back and now have a rod and screws where they would normally put the
epidural. He explained that because I might have a lot of scar tissue in that
area, it would ebe harder to feel where the needle goes and they might
accidentally puncture the dura, which would give me a horrible headache when I
finish the epidural. I got flashbacks to my deathly headache in Japan when they
took the epidural out, and remembered how that was honestly the worst pain I
had ever felt. It really did feel like there was a knife going into my head
over and over again. I couldn’t nurse Kai, couldn’t change his diaper, couldn’t
do anything because the pain was so bad unless I was laying completely flat. So
basically, this would be a big risk to do an epidural again.
He explained the second option was to do something similar
to a spinal block, where they would directly inject pain medicine directly into
my spine. He said the only catch was that it would only last 2 hours, and it
wouldn’t be as effective as an epidural, but close. So basically I had to have the baby within 2 hours of getting it or it
wouldn’t do anything. And of course he said the third option was to not have
any kind of anesthesia and just get a few pain meds through the IV, which
wouldn’t do much for the pain. I immediately ruled that one out J
After talking with Kolby and really thinking about it, I decided to go with the
epidural. I was taking a chance that this anesthesiologist was much more
skilled in inserting epidurals than the Japanese doctor was , and planned to
say a prayer that all would go well and I wouldn’t get a headache.
They checked me again an hour or so later, but I was still
only at a 2.5. They upped the Pitocin again, and I was bracing myself to feel
those crazy painful contractions. I remember the nurse coming in at least 4
different times saying “Ok, we’re upping the Pitocin again...”
8:30 pm: I had pretty much decided on an epidural and was waiting
for the anesthesiologist to come back and give it since the contractions were
getting strong and very painful, but he got caught up in a c section and w
asn’t available. So I waited. And then he was stuck in another c section! I was
starting to get really scared he wouldn’t ever be able to come back. My worst
nightmare was giving birth without an epidural. I’m a wimp, I know! The contractions were really starting to hurt though. I couldn't breathe through them.
Finally he did come back, he had spoken with my doctor and she
had suggested something about injecting morphine and fentanyl right into my
spine. He strongly felt like a this was a better option than an epidural. I
decided to trust him, but I was nervous about timing it right since once he
gave the spinal injection, I needed to have the baby within 2 hours or it would
be pointless.
I trusted him since he really seemed like he had my best
interest in mind. He gave me the injection and I didn’t even feel the needle go in, which was
great since when they gave me an epidural in Japan, it took them 4 different
tries and was a horrible experience.
10:15 pm: It kicked in quickly and I couldn’t feel the contractions anymore.
Phew! Now I needed to have this baby within 2 hours.
Somewhere around this time the doctor, nurse, and anesthesiologist were all standing there watching the baby’s heartbeat and my contractions on the screen. They looked concerned, and it made me a little nervous, but I was reassured by the fact that my doctor was right there and I knew she would intervene if something went seriously wrong. I think baby girl was having some signs of distress, so they were watching things closely.
10:45 pm: The doctor came back to check on me a few minutes later and
I was at 5cm. Yay, things were progressing!
Right after she checked me I started to feel lots of
pressure down there, like a head was pushing to come out. I remember telling the doctor and nurse over
and over, “Ummm I feel like the baby’s head is pushing and coming out!
They
just kept saying “oh yeah that’s normal, you’ll feel lots of pressure.” I was
like you don’t get it, I really think the head is coming out!! This went on for
about 30 minutes, and finally the doctor checked me and looked shocked when
she said "WHOA there’s the head, she is crowning! You’re at a 10!"
She seemed a
little panicked and was yelling for a nurse to come in. She told me not to push
yet. I couldn’t believe she was coming out already! I asked the doctor if she
could see any hair on baby’s head and she said yep!
11:29 pm: Once the nurse was there, the doctor told me to give a
push. Out came the head! She told me to push again, and out came the rest of
sweet little Presley. Everyone in the room was oooo-ing an ahhh-ing over her. I
didn’t hear her cry, but they quickly placed her on my stomach so I could do
skin to skin and then I heard that sweet little cry.
Sadly, I can’t remember much of how I felt here, except that
it all happened so insanely fast that my head was spinning. Earlier, a nurse
had told me that she guessed I might have the baby around 6 am the next day,
and here Presley was arriving at 11:29 pm, much quicker than I expected.
Everyone was gathering around me and gazing at little Presley...there were so
many people and it was all kind of a blur.
I looked at her and saw the cute
hair on her head and was so glad she was here, but it was so surreal, and it
had seemed way too easy. I mean only 2 pushes?! And painless ones at that?! It
seemed too good to be true. I must be dreaming. I remember Kolby just staring
at her and talking to her with all the love in the world, saying “oh my gosh
she’s so beautiful, and she looks just like Kai!” He couldn’t take his eyes off
of her and it was so cute. I was so
relieved to hold her and know she was ok, but I still couldn’t wrap my head
around it.
Kolby was so smitten with her, it was adorable!
If someone would have told me 10 hours ago that I would be having baby girl that night, I
would have laughed and said yeah right!
I remember the doctor delivering the placenta and I was anxious to know if it looked too
small, since baby had measured small throughout pregnancy and I had been
worried maybe there was something wrong with the placenta. Dr said it looked
normal, so I guess I had worried for nothing!
They took her over to weigh her and she was 5lb 14 oz. Wow!
So tiny! Then Kolby held her, and then he brought her back to me for some more
skin to skin and to nurse. She was the sweetest tiniest thing and seemed to know how to nurse already, which was great.
I seriously can't believe how fast all of this happened. I woke up as a mom of 1 and went to bed as a mom of 2 that night.
When I look back at the birth video when I am first holding Presley, I look like I'm just in shock, unemotional and expressionless. It's kind of sad, but it just goes to show how fast it all happened, which left me in this daze, trying to catch up to it all. Most of all, I can't believe how easy it was. 2 painless pushes and I got the sweetest most perfect girl?!
Later on they asked me if I wanted to go with her and see
her get bathed and assessed. Yes definitely! It was 1 am and I was neither tired nor hungry, I just wanted to be as close as possible to my baby girl since last time with Kai they took him away and wouldn't let me see him. I just couldn't believe that I actually got to hold and bond with my baby this time. It was such a good night, and I never wanted it to end. I didn't want to go to bed...I wanted to stay up all night and just stare at our beautiful little girl. Kolby was out cold in about 5 minutes though, and I stayed up with our little sweetie.
Middle of the night kissing my girl.
The other thing I couldn't believe...I had no pain after birth. With Kai, that had been the worst part. I couldn't sit or walk for 2 weeks and I had no pain meds (Japanese don't believe in pain medicine). This time around, I didn't even need pain meds and I felt so good. Also, the hospital had the best food in the world. I ate like a king in there. They literally had the best salmon and veggies I've ever had in my life. I would have loved to stay a little longer, just for the food ha.
Going home!
What a beautiful experience this birth was! I'm so grateful my brother and sister in law were able to capture it in a beautiful video and photos. Check out their Facebook
here (Cocoa Productions) where you can scroll down a little and see my birth video! You'll love it. It might even make you tear up like it does me every time :)
We love you Presley Taylor, more than you'll ever know! Your birth day was magical, and you did so amazing coming out so quickly and smoothly. We are already so proud of you, and so proud to show you off to everyone. You're truly the most beautiful girl we've ever seen.
xoxo
-Mom and Dad
