40 weeks: Eloise is here!!

Eloise decided to make her entrance into the world at 1:07 am on the Fourth of July, 2013! She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19.5" in length at birth. 

Contractions began about 7:00 AM on July 2nd and progressed throughout the day. I labored from home while Evan was at work using Hypnobirthing techniques I'd been studying. I knew I had a prenatal appointment scheduled for 4:15 PM, and I'd had a couple other episodes in the last couple weeks where contractions had started and fizzled out, so I didn't alert anyone to the contractions until the afternoon. I think it was around 1:00 PM when I called Evan and our doula, Carrie. By 3:00 my contractions had been about 5 minutes apart lasting a minute each for a couple hours, the guideline to head to labor and delivery, so I called to see if I should go to my appointment or head straight to L and D. I was advised to keep my appointment, so we loaded up the car with the hospital bag just in case and went to the appointment. By the time we arrived contractions were about 4 minutes apart and when I was checked I was dilated to 5 cm and in active labor. Our doula met us at labor and delivery about an hour later after we were settled into a room. The 33 hours between admission and delivering Eloise are a blur, but I labored with the support of Evan and the doula getting through each intensifying contraction one by one. My goal was a natural birth and we did things like breathing, relaxation, visualization, counter pressure, body positions, and the birthing tub. By noon the next day I was dilated to 9 cm, the very end of the transition phase of labor, pushing begins at 10 cm. Unfortunately that's where my labor stalled. Over the next 9-10 hours we tried several strategies including more body positions such as lunges, hands and knees, and swaying with Evan through contractions, breaking my amniotic sack, etc. Each time the midwife came back to check my progress we felt defeated to learn I was still stuck at 9 cm despite all the efforts. My labor was going "off the grid" long and once the amniotic sack is broken risk of infection becomes an issue. Additionally, my temperature was indeed running a little high during labor. Our next step was Pitocin, a medication designed to induce or speed up labor. Disappointing, but in the end all that was really important was a healthy baby Eloise. Around 10:00 PM I received an epidural prior to the administration of Pitocin. Due to my scoliosis (curvature of the spine), the anesthesiologist had two unsuccessful attempts at placing the line and called in a second anesthesiologist who eventually successfully placed the line. Pain relief was almost immediate and I was able to sleep an hour or so while the Pitocin was being administered. What a difference that made, I woke up to feeling like Eloise was about to come out and I had plenty of energy to push. After about an hour of pushing, out she came! Eloise was placed immediately on me skin-to-skin and I'll never forget the image of her little alert eyes and wiggling body coming into my arms as she wailed a beautiful wail! Magnificent is a word that comes to mind! 

We were left alone in the room for about an hour to soak it all in and revel in the presence of our baby, Eloise, who was finally with us. After the usual protocol of weighing and bathing, etc, we were all wheeled upstairs to our postpartum room where we spent the remainder of our stay. We felt very supported and cared for by all of the staff at the hospital. I ended up with a first degree tear requiring a few stitches and bled out about 2-3 times as much as I should have immediately following delivery which left me very anemic and requiring a little closer monitoring. Additionally, with all of the spinal punctures from trying to place the epidural line, I have been leaking spinal fluid which is not that dangerous but does cause an intense headache similar to a migraine. The pressure of the spinal fluid being off makes my brain sag down which causes pain. I have been on narcotic pain medication for the headache and hope to resolve the leak without further intervention. Caffeine, staying horizontal, and hydrating are all things we're trying first. Eloise has been breastfeeding like a pro and she barely lost any weight in the first two days! We got home Saturday around 4:00 PM and have been enjoying our time together, mostly just staring at Eloise. It's all about feeding, pooping, and sleeping. All of which are absolutely thrilling for us at this point! Our hearts are overflowing.

Five seconds after Eloise entered the world:

Getting weighed:

First bath:

Going home from the hospital: