Most people who know about this blog have already heard the great news that we are the proud parents of a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Keira Elisabeth Wardrip! For those interested in knowing more about her grand entrance into the world, read on (warning: this is a very long post!)...
For the most part, my pregnancy was uncomplicated, except for some issues with high blood pressure. Most likely my elevated blood pressure was due to my anxiety (or should I say extreme fear) of all things medical. My doctor was very cautious about monitoring my blood pressure very closely throughout my pregnancy. At about 25-26 weeks, my bp had spiked, so my doctor required me to stop working and take it easy at home. Initially, this was a shocking change for me and hard to accept; however, it did turn out to be a blessing to be able to rest a lot, eat well, and not have the stresses of work hanging over my head. On the other hand, being home for 3.5 months before Keira's birth made time go by very slowly.
The last trimester of my pregnancy progressed smoothly. At 37 weeks, my doctor checked my cervix and I was about 2.5 cm dilated. She said, "Well, you could go into labor today or in 3 weeks; there's no way to know for sure." At this news, I was super excited and thought for sure my labor would start soon (boy, was I wrong!).
The next 3 weeks came and went without any inkling of labor starting. At each doctor appt, my cervix was still the same as it had been at week 37. By now, I was beginning to get impatient and time literally felt like it was standing still. Eventually, my doctor concluded that she'd let me wait a few days past my due date for labor to start, but if nothing happened that weekend, she wanted to induce my labor the following Monday morning. Basically, her reasoning was that she was still concerned about my bp and didn't want to let me go too far past my due date.
At this point, I was still confident that labor would start on its own (I still had 5 days until the scheduled induction) and I really did not want to have my labor induced. I began taking several long walks each day, hoping this would get things started. Alas, Monday morning, June 15th, arrived and I still had not gone into labor (4 days past my due date). As a result, Noah and I headed to the hospital, with my mom in tow and his mom scheduled to fly in later that afternoon.
I checked into the hospital at 7am and by 8am they had the IV hooked up and were pumping me with pitocin. After a while, I started feeling the contractions and they steadily got worse and worse. I was doing pretty well breathing through the pain, but at a certain point, I got super nauseous from the pain of each contraction. I had reached my breaking point and asked for the epideral. Although I had had high hopes of being able to endure labor without any pain medication, I must say it was a wonderful relief to not have to experience the immense pain of each contraction. This reprieve allowed me to rest and gave Noah and I the opportunity to finalize our baby name choices.
Sometime around 8 or 8:30pm, the doctor checked me and said my cervix was now fully dilated and it was time to start pushing! With the help of the nurse and Noah by my side, I pushed and pushed for about 2.5 hours, unfortunately, to no avail. When the doctor checked me, she said the baby had not moved into the birth canal at all and the baby was positioned sunny-side up and at a diagonal angle. The doctor's solution: c-section.
At this point, I was more scared than anything. Remember my extreme fear of all things medical?...well, my anxiety level went through the roof as they prepped me for surgery and wheeled me into the ominous operating room. I don't remember much about the surgery because they ended up giving me something to help me relax since I was so scared and couldn't stop shaking. When the surgery was all over, I remember being woken up and when I opened my eyes, Noah said we had a baby girl. Someone placed my hand on my chest, and sure enough, there she was, right on top of me. I couldn't believe it!
As the doctors and nurses finished tending to me, Noah escorted our new baby girl to the nursery where she was given the vitamin K and eye ointment, etc. Shortly thereafter, we were all reunited in our room and I was able to begin nursing right away. I don't think I got a wink of sleep that night, not because Keira was keeping me up, but because I was still processing the day's events and trying to grasp the fact that I was now a mom. What a monumental experience!
The rest of our hospital stay was mostly good. At times, it was difficult to tolerate the constant comings and goings of nurses, doctors, and various other hospital staff; however, the overall care I received at the hospital was outstanding. I must say though, it was a glorious day when we were finally able to go home!
Keira Elisabeth Wardrip
Moments after her birth
Mom & Dad in love with their new baby girl
Heading home with our precious cargo
