Lyla's Birth Story

Just a warning this entry is long ...

On the day you were born ... well, the story actually starts many days earlier than April 14 because daddy had it set in his head that our baby would be born on March 27 - even though the due date was April 7. Daddy had two reason for picking that date ... first, he was anxious and second, he was avoiding a diamond birthstone! Needless to say, Daddy's date didn't happen and Mommy's prediction of April 1 was starting to look pretty good. I was having contractions all weekend but turns out they were just practice as April 1 came and went without a baby!

Our 40 week appointment was scheduled for April 6 but it got cancelled because another baby was being born. We rescheduled for April 8; you were overdue! At our appointment the midwife (Kim) checked me and I was 3cm and 75%. We were pretty excited that progress was happening but baby still wasn't ready! After our appointment I had some pretty strong contractions but they came and went without a baby.

Grandma Nancy was getting very anxious for baby's arrival; so much so she almost started driving after our appointment on April 8 without even knowing if anything would really happen. Aunt Heather had to convince her to wait until we called! However, since she had Good Friday off from school she drove up to help encourage baby's arrival. She also wanted to see big brother Steven.

Even though we had grandma available as a babysitter the weekend came and went without a baby!

Aunt Lori was anxious, too. She told me that she would come to take over after Grandma left but it turned out that grandma decided to stay!

On Monday, April 13 we had a non-stress test (NST) and sonogram to check the amniotic fluid level because the baby was overdue. The NST was 20-minutes on the fetal monitor to check the baby's response to contractions and make sure the heartbeat accelerated. Everything on the NST checked out fine. The amnio test, though, was as positive. The sono tech told us that it measured 6 and that was low. She did give us a printout of a face shot - it was really neat to have such a clear picture of the baby's face!

After the test we met with Kim, one of the midwives. At first she told us everything was ok because the fluid level was 16. Tommy and I looked at each other because the tech told us 6 - Tommy was mad! After Kim re-read the results she back tracked and told us we should really think about stripping my membranes or breaking my water. We decided to go ahead and do the membranes at our appointment and come in the next morning to break my water if it didn't happen overnight. I was a little disappointed that we could let labor happen more naturally but I wanted a healthy baby and my body was so tired that I felt I needed to try this. Stripping membranes is not fun but I definitely felt contractions after she did it.

On our way back home after the appointment I called mom and Lori. Lori was already on her way and I think mom wanted to jump on a plane as soon as she could! I was really happy that Lori decided to come - it was really nice knowing that my sister was going to be here with us and especially since it was her birthday!

That afternoon and evening we waited and waited ... I was contracting but nothing too strong and nothing too consistent. I went to bed and the contractions all but stopped. The night came and went without a baby!

We got up early Tuesday morning and got ready to go to the hospital. We were told to get there between 7 and 7:30am ... we were running a little late but it was so hard to leave Steven! On our way to the hospital Sheila, the other midwife, called me because she was under the impression we were going to be at the hospital by 7. Tommy was mad again because it seems that we really had a hard time communicating with Kim! He also was really concerned with the pain he had in his knee; needless to say I didn't really have too much sympathy for this "knee pain". We did get to the hospital right around 7:30 and they hurried us to our room right away.

We went through the normal paperwork and signatures while Sheila was talking to us about how the day would probably progress. She was telling us to keep walking, what positions would help the baby face my back and timing. It was a lot to process because we were still trying to process the fact that our baby was on its way!

This photo is pretty early in the day when they had me on the intermittent fetal monitor to watch the baby during a few contractions. It was so nice to only have to do this periodically rather than being strapped down to the bed the whole time. I am getting figerprinted for the baby's records. I don't know how that can be official but I guess its the best way to know that she is mine!

When she broke my water I was expecting the gush that I felt with Steven but I didn't feel anything. I guess that confirms that the fluid level was low (or the baby's head was acting like a plug!). Overall it was pretty anti-climactic.

So we started to walk the halls and when I felt a contraction I would sqaut and breathe deeply. We did that for about an hour and the contractions really started coming. At that point we called Lori and asked her to come to the hospital because it was probably going to be sooner rather than later. I kept walking in our room and Tommy was tasked with blowing up the birth ball. While getting the ball out he couldn't figure out the pump (did it need an adapter or not?), he couldn't find the plug and then I came out of the bathroom to find him doing modified push ups using the ball. I immediately scolded him; I didn't need him to hurt himself or that darn knee while I was in labor!

Soon, my contractions started coming closer together and much stronger than I had ever felt. It was like someone had tied a rope around my hips and was pulling the ends away from me really hard. I really felt the burn under my belly. I opted to deliver without any pain medication so my yoga breathing was really coming in handy. Focusing on my breath really helped to keep the pain manageable - I knew all that practice would come in handy one day!

As the contractions built, I remember rocking on the ball and leaning on the hospital bed when the contraction grew stronger. I really did turn in to a cave woman like they said I would at our childbirth class. I don't remember that with Steven but after 28 hours your memory is shot. At this point we were only at about three and a half hours so I still have a good memory of what happened.

Transition was tough although it went very quickly. I started to sweat and moan a lot...I know that my sister knew the time was close but I am not sure if Tommy was clued in. The urge to push came and I remember Lori telling me to climb on the bed and lay on my side. I am glad she helped me get to my side because it was a much more comfortable delivery than stirrups! However, I was almost laying sideways on the bed so I think it was a little awkward for the midwife.

At this point I don't think I opened my eyes until they laid the baby on the bed. And boy, did I scream and Tommy's shirt, arms, pants or the bedsheet will never be the same because I had quite a grip on whatever it was (remember, eyes were closed so I don't know what I was holding). I probably pushed for about 10 minutes and the baby came out so easily. When she was born they laid her on the bed next to me and I remember asking "is it a boy or girl". Tommy couldn't tell because the cord was in the way and he told me he didn't want to be wrong so he didn't say. Finally someone said "it's a girl!" She was really blue and wasn't crying so I told her to cry (that's about the only time I think I will willingly want her to cry). The midwife rocked her side to side and she began to cry. Tommy got to cut the cord and we loved on her for quite some time. It was so important to me to hold her right after she was born and I am so happy that we got the chance to do that!

Lyla Jean was born on April 14 (Aunt Lori's birthday) at 12:23pm. She weighed 9lbs 10oz and was 21 inches long.

Recovery went so so. I was bleeding quite a bit so they kept me in delivery for longer than normal. Lyla did her part though and latched on right away and stayed there almost the entire afternoon.

Her big brother came to meet her with Grandma and Grandpa Clark in tow. It was great to be together for the first time as a family!