One week ago (Tuesday, September 11, 2018) I woke up around 4:30 am and just felt “off”. At 37 weeks pregnant, I was used to waking up at all hours of the night, but I’d usually go to the bathroom and then fall right back to sleep. That morning though, I got back in bed but quickly realized I wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep. I went into the girls’ room and got in bed with Hadley, but that was even more uncomfortable. So I just went out to relax on the couch. I pulled up the news on my phone. It was September 11th so there was a lot of remembrance coverage and that was making me sad. Facebook was a lot of the same so I turned my phone off and just kind of went in and out of sleep for the next hour or so. Around 6:30 I got a call from Hadley’s preschool that they were on a 2 hour delay and less than a few minutes later, received word from my school that we were on a 2 hour delay. It was one of those mornings that you actually thank God for the delay because you just weren’t ready for the day to begin!! 

In the time between the delay call and leaving for school, a lot was happening (and it wasn’t sleep)! Basically, there were things happening that were leading me to believe my water broke. I’d never experienced this before because Hadley came so late and water was broken in the hospital, and Everly was a scheduled C-section with no signs of labor. So I really wasn’t sure, but there were just enough things happening for me to wonder and really think that’s what was going on. I was also having intense contractions. Some I could talk through, some I couldn’t. They were pretty random though. It was enough that I downloaded like 3 contraction tracker apps on my phone that morning and toggled through all 3, but it would go 30 minutes, sometimes longer before I’d have another one.

I got ready and left for school but called my mom on the way. She convinced me to call the doctor and let them know what was going on. I was hesitant to do this because I was only 50% sure and the other part of me really didn’t want to spend the day in L&D for them to send us home (this happened with Hadley). But I had another contraction around that time and it was just enough to make me call and get some advice on what I should do.

I left a message but a nurse called me back right away. She said to go to L&D right away. We were planning on delivering at Parkview North so she suggested we go there (instead of Parkview Whitley) just in case I was in labor or something was going on. Since I was already on my way to school to a meeting at 9:30, I told Chris I’d meet him at home between 10:30-11 and we’d head up to the hospital.

I didn’t bring any bags or finish packing toiletries or last-minute baby items. Partly because I didn’t want to jinx myself and have to tote everything back in the house, and partly because I believed we’d be coming home that day. We got to the hospital (I think) around noon- I’m not sure because everything started to become a blur. Contractions were consistent on the way to the hospital and getting more frequent. I could still talk through them, but had to do some breathing and was definitely feeling more certain that something was going on. 

Once we got checked in, the nurse explained that she could do a test to see if my water had broken. I had no clue this existed!! She also hooked me up to monitor baby’s heartbeat and contractions, which were becoming even more intense. There were so many people in and out and so much going on, but somewhere amidst it all, I remember the nurse saying we were going to be here awhile, if not having the baby today, so if we needed to make plans with work and kids, do it now. From there, it became even more of a whirlwind because I was planning on one more week at school! I had so much to do. Chris called my mom to update her and make sure she could pick up the girls, and I got busy with emails & texts for work. I was a little upset because it was 9/11 and also I knew Dr. Drake (my doctor) wasn’t at Parkview North on Tuesdays. I asked the nurse about waiting until the next morning, September 12th, but she said no. Chris and Lindsay reassured me that it was a good day to have a baby and a date that needed all the love it could get. 

Soon after, the nurse confirmed that my water had broken and that they were calling Dr. Drake to get my C-section scheduled right away. Also at this point, my contractions had become so intense that I couldn’t talk and was in a lot of pain and a lot of discomfort. The nurse explained that they wouldn’t be giving me anything because the baby was coming soon and they wanted her awake and alert. I agreed but this was one of the toughest points in the day!! We were originally told Dr. Drake was on his way over from Parkview downtown, but then a different Dr., Dr. Lugo, came in and explained he would be doing the c-section instead. He was nice and reassuring- and I was in a lot of pain- so I was ready. More and more people stopped in to prepare for the surgery, which was scheduled for 2 pm, and before I knew it, we were heading back to the OR. As always at Parkview North, the nurses are beyond exceptional and they made me feel as comfortable as possible. 

I watched Chris’ face light up as he first saw the baby and he leaned down and said, “I think she has dark hair!” (We had always joked about this because both the older girls have such light hair and look nothing like me). At 2:40 pm, Isla June was finally here! We both teared up hearing her cry for the first time and I braced myself for her weight: 9 lbs 1 oz (and 2 weeks early) and 21.5” long. They brought her over to me almost right away and we got to snuggle. Initially, recovery was fine, but just like last time with Evie, the anesthesia made me extremely sick to the point they had to give me a shot to make me stop throwing up! After that, I felt much better and recovery has mostly gone smooth so far. 

Isla is doing really well and is long and super skinny like Hadley. I think she looks a lot like Everly, but many people have commented that they see Hadley. She has darker skin compared to the other girls and lots more hair. She had her 1 week well-check today and everything looked great except for a little bit of jaundice. Her big sisters are absolutely in love with her.  

 

Tags: baby, Birth, Isla