Macy's birth story

I guess my birth story starts on August 17th 2011. I went in to see my midwife for my 39 week check up, I was 38.6 weeks at the time. I went in fully expecting her to strip my membranes, when I asked her she said they will not do it until I'm exactly 39 weeks. I went home slightly disappointed but was comforted to know I could go back on the 18th in the morning and she would do it then. All that afternoon I was having some crampy contractions that lasted into the night. I didn't sleep well and woke up on and off due to the contractions. I ended up waking up at 4:45am to take a shower and get ready for the day since I couldn't sleep well, later I went back to bed and slept for about an hour before Will woke me up.

On August 18th we all got up, ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I was just about to drop the boys off at my friends house so she could watch them for my appointment when my midwife office called. My midwife had a delivery early that morning and wanted to reschedule so she could eat and shower. So my friend took me on the walk, it was Joshua's first time riding a big boy bike with training wheels on it. He LOVED it!!! The walk lasted about 30 minutes or so in the heat, we ended just in time for me to leave for my appointment. Once I got to the office I weighed my self ending this pregnancy at 155.5 pounds then she checked for dilation, 3cm and about 50-60% effaced, then she stripped my membranes. On the way back to my friends house I had a couple of what I thought was the start of contractions. I stopped at Walmart to get Joshua's half birthday present and cake mix for the 19th: ) Then I went to my friends house. We stayed there for a long time and wanted to go on a walk but it was at least 94 degrees although it did feel much hotter. So we decided to go to the mall instead to walk around in the AC. We arrived at the mall around 1 walked a couple of laps with Michael the boys, my friend and her boys then I decided I should get checked by my midwife. We arrived at her office around 3:30pm and at 3:43 I was 4cm and 80% effaced.

After seeing my midwife we agreed I would go home and she would call me at 6 to see what I wanted to do. So my friend took me back to her house, I loaded the van up and we went on our way. I picked the boys up some McDonald's for dinner as well as a snack wrap for myself then we went home. Once we got home I got the boys settled with their food and a movie while I bounced on my ball. Around 5:04 I could no longer talk through my contractions. Michael arrived at the house around 5:55pm and my sister arrived to pick the boys up around 6:00pm. By the time my sister showed up I could no longer walk or talk through the contractions and had to get down on my hands and knees to rock on my ball through them. At 6:25pm we were on our way to the hospital so we probably didn't arrive to the ER until 6:35, So I probably wasn't checked until 6:45 or 7 and I was at 5.5 cm... I don't remember how effaced I was. I went from hugging my ball on the floor on my hands and knees to hugging the ball on the bed, to sitting on the toilet to finally in the bed kind of laying on my side a bit. At one point I felt sitting on the toilet rocking back and forth helped me a lot during contractions. I had people in my room needing me to answer questions about my health and insurance so I went out signed a form then ran back in the bathroom to deal with the contractions. I remember at one point I asked Michael to page some one to come check me, the nurse said someone would be in soon. As I was sitting on the toilet I felt the urge to push, felt it again and told him to tell them I felt like pushing! Immediately we had 4 or more nurses in the room with my midwife and Michael getting ready to deliver. When my midwife came in I was on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor not feeling like I could get up to move. She told me we needed to get to the bed so we could deliver Macy better, I remember shaking my head a couple of times (no) but eventually making it to the bed (probably in a minute of her asking me). Once I got to the bed I pushed three times... Maybe, and Macy came out big and healthy. It was quite the whirl wind of a delivery that is for sure. I was only in my room for an hour before she was born at 7:46pm. She weighed in at 9lbs 1oz and is 21 inches long. I was able to hold her right way, with my eyes closed through most of it because I was SO tired. Since I was out of it the nurse asked if she could take Macy to clean her up. I agreed and just relaxed there for a bit. Immediately they started getting the placenta out and cleaning me up. I didn't tear at all, I didn't have any problems getting the placenta out and I didn't have any time for an IV!! : ) YAY I beat the system.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, probably two hours or so. I was able to nurse Macy successfully and the nurses decided it was time to clean me up and get me to recovery. Well they successfully got me to the bathroom when I started feeling light headed. I knew I was going to pass out so the nurse had Michael bring over the wheel chair so I could sit down and get back in bed faster. On the way out the bathroom door I passed out, they needed two nurses to lift me out of the chair onto the bed and I was immediately given O2 and laid flat on my back. While I was laying there they decided I needed an IV for fluids and some pit to help stop the bleeding. The nurse calculated that I had lost double what a normal woman looses at delivery of blood. That was NOT good at all. I later found out I was hemorrhaging and lost 900cc's of blood when a normal woman looses 300 or a little bit more. The nurse tried two times in my right hand to start the IV and finally succeeded in my left arm, my veins kept collapsing. I was put flat on my back for what felt like forever, I drank lots of juice and ate a plain sandwich while we tried to watch a bit of a movie. Around 10 or 11pm I was finally able to be moved to my recovery room. They brought in my new bed and moved me over to it then wheeled me to my new room. I was able to Nurse Macy much more there and she is doing great!

Around 12:30am I felt like I needed to use the bathroom so they laid me down in bed, tested my blood pressure then sat me up and tested it. I failed miserably so I had to lay back down until I was back to normal again. At 2pm we tried again and I passed the blood pressure test. It's so funny the things you celebrate after just having a baby.

So far I have no other complications and Macy is doing well. When Macy was first born the nurses thought she might have a sugar level problem since she was born so big but they tested her blood and everything is looking great. I just hope she continues to breastfeed so well. My nurse had to bother me at 1am, 2am and again at 3am, now it's 4am on the 19th and I'm finally allowed to sleep. They won't even bother me until 7am!!!