At my 38 week appointment, Baby J wasn't moving as expected and failed her NST (non stress test). We were told to head to the hospital and be prepared for a possible induction and early delivery.The 20 minute drive to the hospital had my mind flooding with worries, possible complications, etc. As soon as we were hooked up to the monitor, the baby sailed right through the NST. Apparently someone was sleepy and just taking a nap earlier. All my worries were in vain. I am so thankful for a husband who helped make decisions and keep my head on straight. And hey, practice runs help prepare for the actual time, right? They also do a number on a woman's mind, as my man says :)
At 40 weeks and still no hint of labor, my doctor scheduled an induction. I was hoping Baby J would kick start things naturally. Many times we pray for our own will to be done rather than being surrendered to God's will. It is my constant struggle.
On the morning of May 21st, I was awoken with sharp back pains around 5 am. Is this it? Are they real? So I began timing. An hour later and bored of just sitting there with a stop-clock, I called home in Africa to talk to my mum. Finally woke up my husband around 7:30. He kicked into motion right away and began prep work. Bosses, co-workers, friends, and family were called. By 10 am, the contractions were steady at 2 minutes apart, holding for almost a minute long. When the nurse told me over the phone to wait till they were that way for 2 hrs, I thought she was kidding. What does she know??? This baby's coming any time. Right. First time mom here. Contractions fluctuated and spaced even farther apart. Great. Let's walk. So, off we headed to the shopping plaza. We walked and walked, stopping every so often to let a contraction subside.
By 2 in the afternoon, they were about 4 minutes apart and a good minute long. I was exhausted. My husband was the strong one. Constantly timing each contraction, applying pressure to my spine, cold compresses, coaching and encouraging me through it. I couldn't have done it without him. It was time. We were going to have this baby. Or so I thought. The drive to the hospital was brutal. Then I was only 3 cm dilated and they don't check you in till you're 4. We waited in the Triage room for an hour and by then I was between a 5 & 6. My friend, Katie, came to assist in the coaching and be our moral support. She was amazing.
Hour after hour passed. Walking (my original plan) was out of the question. The back pain was too great. I begged them to check me. We had only progressed to an 8. I was given 2.5 doses of Fentanyl through the IV. It lasted 15 minutes each. Enough to catch my breath. We tried a hot shower. No go. It was awful. Baby was in position and bearing down, but we still had too much cervix in the way (Don't push, they told me. Yeah? Try and stop me ;). The okay was eventually given & around 30 minutes later, at 23:23 on Thursday, May 21, 2015, our precious baby girl made her entrance.
Jacey Dea Warner
6 lbs. 6.7 oz
21.5 in.
41.3 wks
8-9 Apgar
David tells me I kept saying, "My girl. My baby girl." They say you forget the pain when you hold your baby. Not quite. Instead, an incredible feeling of love and joy overshadow the difficulty. Motherhood is an amazing privilege. Worth every exhausting moment.
Our pastor and his wife were her first visitors. We are so blessed with a loving church family.
Saturday afternoon, our new little family made the trek home.
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