Our Birth Story
Here we are. Almost year after we met our sweet Melody. As I look back on all the memories we have created this past year, I'm reminded of our biggest, scariest, most joyful memory so far - the day we met.
I'd love to share with you as many memories as I can remember from Thursday February 2 when we were admitted to Friday February 3 at 5:45 when we met Melody for the first time. So.. here goes.
Thursday afternoon we had our usual weekly appointment with our midwife. Except this week was week 40 and we were 4 days past our due date. While we were on the schedule to be induced the next day, I had gone ahead and packed our go-bag and other hospital necessities just in case Melody decided to come on her own.
Clearly, that did not happen, but the midwife suggested we have a final ultrasound and go ahead and come back that evening to begin labor. With new plans and the anticipation of Melody arriving that evening (which did not happen either), we walked down to the ultrasound lab.
It was then our technician told us Melody was measuring in at about 10 POUNDS. I knew I looked giant, but geeze!
We left the hospital at about 4:00 in the afternoon and couldn't check in to L&D until 9:00. So, we had 5 hours to kill in Ada, Oklahoma. Garrett and I decided to have a nice dinner at a little Italian place because we knew that wasn't going to happen again for awhile. After that, we meandered through Wal-Mart looking for any 'extras' we might have forgotten - like Oreos, comfy pillows, and red bull for Garrett.
At 9:30 we were admitted into L&D, I was hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor, and told to 'get some rest for the big day'. So I watched A Million Ways to Die in the West, Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, and Ground Hog Day (twice) instead of resting while Garrett slept on the couch.
At 4:41AM, anxious and terrified for 'the big day', I pulled out my bible app and read Isaiah 41:10 over and over again. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you." Deep breaths and I could do this. It was around this time that I had my first contraction, and Melody's heart rate dropped.
After she was stable and they had a heart monitor wrapped around my giant McDonald's sized belly, I texted Mom and asked if she would please please please come sit with me.
Sometime later in the morning, more family arrived and sat in our hospital room, but I hadn't progressed any farther than a 2 all night. At 9:00AM we moved to a labor room and they started me on pitocin.
In case you haven't had to induce labor before, pitocin is the worst and makes you feel like someone is driving a semi over your body. During all this fun, I had to wear an oxygen mask because Melody's heart rate still kept dropping. The possibility of a c-section was discussed, but no serious plans for it were made. It wasn't all bad though; Garrett sat next to me and we sang songs for quite a while. He was the best during all of this.
Around mid afternoon, I got up to use the restroom, and since, I was very adamant on staying modest, I had Garrett walk behind me holding my gown closed while I wheeled my IV pole. Uh-oh. Either I peed all over Garrett's feet or my water broke. (Did I already mention he was amazing?) Embarrassed? Yes. Excited that Melody would be here soon? Yes. In Pain? Oh, yes.
The nurses called my favorite person in - the anesthesiologist. He gave me an epidural, and I told him (multiple times that evening) that he was my favorite.
It was almost dinner time, and the midwives were trying to get me to move along since I was stuck at 5 cm. They insisted that I, numb from the waist down, roll on to my stomach with a birthing ball between my legs. During this tango, the back of my gown flew open and there went any sort of modesty (but honestly, what was I thinking? Modesty during labor? Yeah, right.) While they helped me roll around like a paralyzed cow, I noticed someone's legs in my bed and panicked. "Who's legs are those?" I yelled. Oh, wait. Those were mine. I just couldn't feel them.
Finally on my stomach, Melody's heart rate again got dangerously low.
Right before everyone in the waiting room was going to leave for dinner, the midwife came in and said "We think you're going to have to have a c-section. Sit tight though. The doctor's on his way." Where was I going? I didn't even know my legs were mine.
Not two minutes later, a gang of nurses comes into our labor room, escorts our moms and Garrett's sister out, throws scrubs at Garrett, and begins wheeling me out of the room.
I think Garrett had it the worst, because they told him to wait in the room alone until they had me ready to go on the surgery table.
Don't let his smile and thumbs up fool you. I chose this picture of the other because he looked absolutely terrified in it. |
Back in the surgery room with my gown used as a curtain from my waist down, I was told "Don't panic if you see smoke coming from behind the curtain." Smoke? What? It was then that I started shaking. Not just like shivers. Full on body tremors. (I was later told that this is common from the adrenaline and the pain medicine)
James Blunt playing in the background and barely blinking while staring at Garrett's eyes, I hear the electric saw start up. A few seconds later the saw stopped and I hear the sweetest sound - Melody's cry.
It was like a literal weight was lifted off of me just hearing her voice.
The nurses ask Garrett to help with weight and height and to swaddle her up for the first time. Remember how the ultrasound tech said she would be about 10 lbs? Yeah, no. She was a whopping 7 lbs even.
Our sweet Melody had made her appearance into this world, and we were the luckiest parents alive.
Thinking of meeting our little girl for the first time still makes me weepy and happy and overwhelmed with God's glory and grace. Of all the memories we've made over the past year, this one is still my favorite.
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