Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tingle Baby Story


I went to the doctor on Friday afternoon, February 26, 2010. I had been feeling some funny pains for a couple of days...not contractions, just pain...like she was trying to push her way out without any contractions. The few contractions that I was having were not regular...just a couple a day. When I told Dr Yeagley about the pain, she had Lori (ultrasound tech who happens to also be a labor and delivery nurse) check me. At 3:30 on Friday afternoon, I was dialated to 4cm and was 50% efface. We let the kids go home with Grandmother Tingle and Molly just in case Friday night was the night. I was starving so we ran to Panda Express for some orange chicken/mandarin chicken and rice. It was my last meal of the pregnancy. I had a feeling it would be. I told Peyton I needed to get in as much protein and carbs as I could because I really thought I was going to need them. We left Panda Express and went to Walmart for some last minute items. I really wanted to walk to try to help bring on labor, but I was so tired and sore that I couldn't make myself walk. I got what I needed and we headed home. Peyton was really sleepy and even though I had started having contractions around 8pm. I told him he really should get some sleep just in case. I think he started dozing off around 1000. I called the doctors office at midnight once the contractions were 8 minutes apart...at 8pm, they were still 11 minutes apart and slightly irregular. The funny thing is that only about every third contraction actually hurt...even a little. My stomach got hard, I knew it was a contraction, but they were not painful. Being already dialated to 4cm, I thought it best not to wait. The doctor agreed. I woke Peyton up and told him it was time to go to the hospital. We walked into Southern Regional at 1230 on Saturday morning. We went through registration and then to triage. In triage, they determined that my contractions were not coming as closely together anymore. I had two in the whole first 30 minutes I was there and they were not big. But, my head was hurting and my blood pressure was high. They decided to do a cath to get a urine sample...straight from the source. Sure enough, there was protein in my urine and I was suffering from the beginning stages of pre eclampsia. I had pre eclampsia at 37 weeks with the twins. They started an IV and put me on a magnesium drip to keep me from having any seizures (which is the real risk with high blood pressure). The nurse who moments before told me she was going to have me go for a walk to try and get the contractions started, was suddenly telling me to relax while she got me setup to move to my labor and delivery room. The show was just getting started. I knew that I would have my daughter in my arms soon. After settling down into my room, they got the pitocin started and gave Peyton a blanket. We needed to rest. Fat chance of that. I was beginning a marathon of no sleep. It's all very blurry for me from this point. I called my mom and told her to take her time it would be hours, but I was in the hospital. The next time I called to tell her she should go ahead and come up because they had broken my water, it was 6:15 and she was already getting off of the exit at 19/41. She never went back to sleep after I called her. She got up, washed some clothes, went to the grocery store, packed her bags, and headed to the hospital. The kids were at Peyton's parents house and he called them to let them know. The plan was that Rabun, Mary and Adriene would come over when it was closer to time and Molly and Michael would keep the younger kids. I don't remember much about the next few hours, it seemed like every time I looked at the clock, an hour or two had passed. They checked me at some point and I was at 6cm and 90% effaced. I think I got the epidural around 7am or so. It hurt much worse than the first time. I think it was because I had two really big, painful contractions during the epidural. The minute it was in, I told the doctor, he was a god. I felt immediate relief. (I should point out that for the first several hours, I didn't really feel the contractions. The nurse actually asked me how I couldn't be feeling them. This was before the epidural and they were only 3 minutes apart. But when they started, they were hard from the first one I felt.) I posted a comment on Facebook to let everyone know the epidural that I was dying for was finally in. I had several friends call to tell me how funny they thought it was that I was posting during the actual labor. What else would I be doing. I was lying in the bed, suddenly feeling no pain, too anxious to sleep, and my cell phone was right there....too easy. It was nice to get those immediate words of encouragement back from some of my friends. Words of encouragement mixed with congratulations and hope it goes quickly!! It took so long to get from 4 to 6 that I was sure we were stalling out. Kim and Chelsey came in around 1000 and I was just as I was telling Chelsey that I didn't feel any pain at the moment because the epidural was in, I suddenly had a contraction that I felt. It was followed very closely by another. Peyton had walked Rabun out. He was heading home for a while and we told Mary to take her time coming in about an hour before because things were progressing slowly and the doctor was certain it would be a while still. I grabbed my phone and called Peyton. I told him that I was suddenly feeling the contractions again along with a lot of pressure and I that he probably needed to hurry back in because I knew that it something was happening. Just as he came in the room, the nurse was checking me. She turned to him, laughing and said, you won't believe this, she's at a nine plus and is ready to go now. I dialated the last three plus in less than 15 minutes. Things really started to fly at that point. They began breaking down the bed and getting ready to put my legs into the stir ups. Peyton, Mom, Kim, and Chelsey were all still there. We had discussed the night before that only Peyton and I would be in the room when the baby was born. I had been open to my mom and his mom joining us, but his preferance was for it to be the two of us. I agreed. The moment the nurse said, anyone who needs to leave the room should leave now, I changed my mind. I told my mom to stay. I really didn't want to be without her at that moment and she has never been in the room when any of her grandchildren were born. I looked at Peyton and he didn't seem to care at the moment who was there. I was in so much pain and we just wanted to get it over with. I asked Kim and Chelsey to grab our two cameras and to take as many pictures as possible. "Take pictures of anything and everything. The cameras are digital so I'll delete whatever I think is inappropriate afterwards." Chelsey was white as a ghost for a minute, but she picked up a camera and she stayed. In fact, she posted a comment about not wanting to look on her Facebook page during the actual pushing. I really laughed at that the next day when I saw the message. From the minute my legs were up it moved really fast. One of the nurses wanted to call the doctor. The other wanted to wait until I did a couple of pushes to make sure I was really moving the baby first. Two practice pushes and they made me stop pushing. She was moving alright....too quickly and the doctor was about to miss the delivery. The worst pain was when I couldn't push. It's just cruel to make someone wait when their body is screaming at them to push. Doctor Youngblood came in and told me to hang on a minute longer. He had one glove on and he just needed to get the other one on before I pushed. I told him he had missed the first nine months of the preganacy and if he didn't hurry he was going to miss the delivery. It's the only time I laughed during the delivery. We had just seen one another at an appt that Monday for the first time. I had appointments with the other doctors, but not him. I ended up pushing three or four times (in sets of 3) with Dr Youngblood. After two pushes, he asked me to give him one really, slow steady push. He told me if I went slowly through that one, we would have one head and likely no stiches. I did what he asked and suddenly, he was suctioning out her mouth. One more push and the rest of her body was out. He had to take the cord from around her body. It was wrapped twice....body, not neck. She screamed from the beginning. No reason for concern about her breathing, that was obviously not a problem. Peyton cut the cord and our daughter was born. I cried like a baby when they put her in my arms. I have never felt so much love for a little person. Those first moments when you hold your baby are just amazing. I had wondered if I could really love a new little one as much as I did the other kids. My beautiful litte girl was born at 1115 on Saturday, February 27, 2010. I've had three daughters now and all three were born on Saturdays. She looks just like her daddy. This morning, I looked at a picture of Sabrina when she was born. I knew she looked like this new little sister, but honestly you can't tell the picture is not of Amelia.

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

You are amazing!! I can't wait to see her in person. However, this only words post will not suffice - pictures please!!

Bobbie T said...

Okay, Jenn. Pictures added. I might add some more later. I have to go through and edit a couple and then see which ones Peyton agrees to post. I got some pretty graphic shots that will never see the light of day too.

Jennifer said...

Yeah...you may not want to post the graphic one! However, the ones that you did post are great! She does look like a Tingle baby - especially those eyes! Thanks for posting them b/c I couldn't see them on the email that you sent. Let me know if we can come see you this weekend. I'm itching to hold that baby!!