When Kenzie was born we had all 100+ close family members up at the hospital, coming in and out throughout the laboring process and after delivery to see her, hold her, take pics, etc. I swear it was a constant amazing stream of support that filtered in and out of the room. This time, it was Brett, Kenzie and I- which made for a completely different labor and delivery experience. Here's the tale of how Honor Rose made her grand entrance into the world.
Tuesday, October 23rd- Appointment with the midwife. I was 1 centimeter dilated and she swept my membranes. I was disappointed because I had some decent cramping and contractions prior to my appointment and hoped to be measuring a little more than just 1 centimeter! Brett was a great support and took me walking all afternoon around Ala Moana. More cramps but nothing too exciting.
Wednesday, October 24th- 2 am started having decent contractions that were strong enough to keep me awake and uncomfortable. They were about a minute long and 6 minutes apart. I had a MOPS meeting at 9 am and almost decided not to go but at about 7 am the contractions started to fade and space out. Since I just adore my MOPS meetings, Kenzie and I went for it. I had sporadic contractions all throughout the meeting but nothing strong enough to really captivate my attention. After the meeting, Kenzie and I went over to a dear friends house for a little girls play date afternoon. Contractions still were firing off- but nothing too strong or regular for me to whip out my iPhone app and time them. We came home, Kenzie went down for a nap and I thought I better get going on my last three open orders just in case things were going to get good! While sewing, my contractions picked up pace and intensity. Still, only about 6 minutes apart. Triage wants them to be 4 or 5 minutes apart before coming in so we waited it out. Brett has amazing support at work and they let him come home to help me labor it out! It was great to have him there to squeeze through the painful ones! I finished sewing the three dresses and packaged them up for shipping then headed to bed. Contractions were fading and spacing out so I didn't get too hopeful and was able to fall asleep in no time.
Thursday, October 25th- 3 am- waves of really strong contractions began. Strong enough to make me want to punch my sweet slumbering husband (don't worry, I didn't!). I got out the good ol iPhone and started timing them. At first they were about 8 minutes apart but by 5 am were getting closer and stronger. I woke Brett up and we started to make an action plan and pack for the hospital just in case things were going to get real soon. 6 am- I took a long hot shower and had Brett time contractions. They were now averaging about 4 to 5 minutes apart and were getting intense enough for me to grip hard on anything nearby and squeeze through the big waves. We still didn't have any idea of what to do with Kenzie so my focus turned from self to trying to find someone to hang out with her for the day. It was so early that I wasn't able to get a plan in place but decided to call the midwives to see what they recommend I do with these horrid pains! The midwife on duty asked me to take a bath and labor at home until I couldn't stand it anymore. She said I could always come in and get checked to see if it was the real deal or not. Brett and I finished packing up the car, got Kenzie up and dressed and left for the hospital at around 7:30 am. I had him swing by Burger King (barf) on the way so I could have my "last meal" just in case. We arrived to Triage, checked in and went into an NST room by about 8:30. The monitors showed my contractions about 5 minutes apart and as the midwife said "mild" (which scared me for when things got "intense" according to her terminology!). She checked me- 4 centimeters- of course, the borderline dilation where they could still send you home or you could stay. She gave us about 5 different plans of action and left Brett and I to decide what we wanted to do. After really thinking about it- I was honest with myself and we went with the plan to get admitted, get an epidural, have her break my water and see how things went from there. The original plan was to first have her break my water, see how things went and then get an epi if I couldn't stand it. But, as I was laying there waiting for the nurse to come in and get the paperwork started the contractions intensified and that husband-punching sensation returned. The nurse also said that the epi guy would be busy for another hour or two in a c-section so I might want to get the epi as soon as possible. After experiencing contractions for almost 2 days straight, I was getting to my max pain tolerance and as I explained to the midwife- I was "over it at that point." ha!
By that point, I was able to get a hold of a wonderful new friend who was on her way up to the hospital to get Kenzie for the day. I was so thankful because in that small NST room Kenzie was bouncing off the walls and really causing a ruckus! I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through labor with her there the entire time! It was a huge relief when Brett took her out to meet up with Salla and I could just return focus on Honor and getting her out!
It took what felt like a year for paperwork to get completed and for us to finally move into a room in the Labor and Delivery wing. It was the size of our bottom level in our house so Brett and I had plenty of room! We settled in and got comfy- well he was comfy and I was back to wanting to punch him through the pain. We endured the contractions which were now intense, close and pain medication free. Brett gave me great back rubs as I swayed through the big waves. It was quiet, dark and peaceful in the room- but we sure were missing family like we had last time. A year later (or really probably about an hour or so) the sweet amazing man with the epidural rolled into the room. He hooked it all up, and I was able to not feel the contractions for the first time in two days. Amazing. Or at least, I thought.
The midwife came in to break my water and hopefully speed up the process. Meanwhile, the nurse had me lay over on my left side to help spread out the epidural and keep baby from settling and stalling labor. While laying there, I started to feel the epidural creep up higher and higher and my left eye felt droopy and numb. Bring on the nausea, panicky feeling of not being able to feel my legs and the tightness of the contraction in my ribs. I was a hot mess. I wasn't in pain but I was the furthest from comfortable that I could ever imagine. Brett and the nurse did everything in their power to help me calm down and get comfortable but all I could think was "I don't know" what would make me feel comfortable. I was about to lose my mind when the nurse decided to shut off the epidural. Honestly, it was an out of body experience. I was in a fog- couldn't decide what position felt better, if I needed to get sick or not, if I was sweating or shivering. After a while, the numbness started to go away and I could feel my body stabilizing back into normal. I was able to get comfortable sitting straight up, was able to get sick a little bit and shortly there after was finally feeling okay again.
The nurse rechecked me, fully dilated and ready for go time! I was able to feel the contraction tightness enough to know when to push and when to relax. Brett was by my side the entire time with great encouragement and care. I couldn't have done it without him! With the whole crew in the delivery room, it was time to get baby sister out. 30 minutes or so later, Honor Rose made her grand entrance into the world with the most pink skin and adorably chubby cheeks. She was a dream come true! All 9 months of pain, discomfort, weight gain, swelling, mood swings, sweaty messes and all- everything was finally worth it.
It was incredible how different two labor and delivery experience can go, yet I swear I ended up with the same exact kid twice in a row. Both girls had hair, jaundice and the same turtle nose. Both girls were gifts from God, sweet and perfect in their own way. It was a great experience to have just our immediate family there, although we sure missed all the support and love we had during Kenzie's birth. Sitting with my two girls on the hospital bed, and watching my husband smile at his beautiful family- life feels complete.
The most encouraging text came to me the morning Honor was born- "you get to experience a miracle with God." After reading that- I knew that no matter what happened that day, no matter how much pain or heartache I felt- I was experience a miracle with the Creator. And, Honor Rose is a true testament to the miracles of life that God blesses us with when we choose to Honor the King!
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