We found out in June that we were going to be welcoming a little girl to our family. We had the name Kennedy picked out since before we even started trying or thinking about trying. I also have always loved Grace for a middle name so we picked Kennedy Grace to be our little ones name. I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy without any complications. I had one small issue with my heart skipping a beat or two, but after talking with my OB she said it was fairly common and told me to increase my fluid intake. It didn't help the fact that there are not many opportunities to hydrate at my job or the fact that it happened to be the hottest summer on record. :) I spent most of my time indoors due to the crazy heat. I was even able to wear my wedding ring up until about week 36 and at that point I had some swelling. Due to the fact that I had a smooth pregnancy I assumed I would have a normal delivery. I never even gave a c-section a second thought. We were due Oct 26th. That day came and went even though I was convinced she was coming early. We scheduled our induction for Oct 29th which just happened to be my nephews birthday but also happened to be one of the only days my OB was on call. We called labor and delivery early that morning to check in and see if they were ready for us. We were put on hold for a few hours so I tried to go back to sleep for a few hours (that didn't work). I called again an hour later and they said they had several deliveries at the time and said they would have the charge nurse call when she was done. Finally she called about 9:45 and asked if we could be there at 10:30 and I said you bet we can. We got to the hospital and got settled and the nurse started my IV. They hooked me up to Pitocin (which starts your contractions) and said we would go up by 2 every 20 minutes or so with a max of 30. This was also the day of crazy super storm Sandy. I was feeling no pain and watching the news coverage with my husband for most of the day. I was only dilated to a 1 when we got there and after several hours of Pitocin with no pain somehow I dilated to a 4. At that point my OB broke my water and then the fun began. I had planned for a natural birth with no drugs or an epidural. (Even though everyone thought I was crazy) we brought our own birthing ball, aromatherapy, distraction by watching my favorite Christmas movie (Christmas Vacation), and massages from my husband. The contractions came on strong. They were frequent and intense at that point being at 30 of Pitocin. I was stuck at a 4 for it seems like forever. I am not even sure what time of the day it was at that point but I am guessing maybe 9 or 10 pm. Finally I broke down and asked about the epidural. I stuck through it as long as I could and I just felt exhausted. I ended up with an epidural about 30 minutes after I asked for one and immediately felt relief. It was the best thing since sliced bread and worth every penny. I would highly recommend it! :) after the epidural I dilated to an 8. I think some relaxation did my body some good. Soon I was able to start pushing after 20 hours of labor. At that point I thought the end was in sight. My nurses were all so great and I went though 6 of them with all the changing shifts. I pushed for 2.5 hours and Kennedy did not want to come out. It turns out I do not have a pelvis shape that will allow me to have a natural birth. At that point my OB said we have to have a c-section. I was relieved. Finally at 5:57 am on October 30th Kennedy was born weighing 7-11 and 20.75 inches long with a full head of hair! Recovery was rough with some vomiting and nausea and a whole lot of shaking. After I was loaded up with about 25 different meds ( not really but it felt like it) we were taken to the mother baby floor where we finally were allowed some rest. Not so much. There were so many people in and out of our room we didn't really get any peace and quiet for the rest of our stay. As a nurse I know this is necessary and just part of having a baby, but my husband was annoyed. :) We ended up staying Monday night in L and D and Tuesday and Wednesday night in the mother baby floor and my doctor let us go home on November 1st. We are so in love with our little girl! That crazy experience was all worth it. Lucky for me I had my husband and mother to take care of me while I took care of Kennedy. They were both such a big help by doing housework, making meals, taking me and Kennedy to appointments and keeping me on my medications. It took a few weeks before I could sleep in my own bed due to my incision I had to sleep halfway sitting up. It took several weeks to
heal and was pretty painful at times. If and when we have another baby our doctor said we will have a scheduled c-section. I am ok with that:) I hope this does not scare anyone who is pregnant now or wanting to be. Everyone is different and has different experiences. Just keep an open mind because it definitely does not always go as you plan. :)
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