Hattie Laura Allen is Here

On Wednesday, October 28th, Fred and I got up early and arrived at the Kaiser Roseville Hospital at 6:08 am. After some paperwork and getting all set up in my room, the doctor checked me. I had not dilated at all -- not a big surprise to me. I got the pill that helps to soften the cervix. Then it was just a waiting game to see if the pill was going to work. At 12:30 I was checked again, and I was about three and a half centimeters dilated. Wow, that was more than we were thinking it would be. We were excited, this was going faster than we thought. So at about 1:00 pm, they started the pitocin on me. This caused the contractions to really start happening. They started coming more frequently, consistently and painfully.

By about 6:30 pm, the pain was getting to be really intense. I was still only dilated to a 3 / 4 so I knew I had a long way to go and I knew I wasn’t going to make it without an epidural. So I said epidural please. The pain was so bad my whole body started shaking uncontrollably. The contractions were coming every 2 minutes now and they seemed unbearable. One thing I learned about pitocin. Oxytocin is what your body produces to stimulate the uterus to contract. Pitocin is a synthetic form of oxytocin. When you use pitocin instead of oxytocin, your contractions are much harder and more intense. Anyway, I could feel those hard contractions and I couldn’t stand it much longer. Even though it scared me to get the epidural, at that point I felt there was no other way. The anesthesiologist came in and started her preparations. I was scared because I knew I needed to stay completely still and yet I was shaking uncontrollably. Fred, the nurse, and the midwife were there helping me calm down and breath. I was able to do it – stay still while she stuck the needle in my back. I was so glad when that was over. I got the epidural at about 7:15 pm and I immediately started to feel relief. By 7:45pm, I had no more pain, the shaking stopped, and I was able to relax and rest a bit.

At 10:05 pm, I felt the baby move a big move and then I felt a gush – the baby had broken her water. After that, I started to feel the pressure of the contractions a lot more. Because of the epidural, it wasn’t painful, but I could just feel the pressure. I was checked again at 10:45pm and she said I was a 6 or 7 and 90% effaced, so I was definitely progressing, but we knew for sure now that she would be born October 29th, not the 28th. At around 11:30 pm, I started shaking a lot – I hated the shaking, it made my body really tense. I tried to relax but it was very difficult to do. And I was starting to feel a little more pain again as well, but it was bearable. At 1:40 am I was checked again. This time I was a 10 and the baby’s head was at +1 – which meant it was almost time. They decided I would start pushing at about 2:30 am. It was really about 2:50 am when I actually started pushing. Just before I started, my epidural medicine ran out. My nurse didn’t refill it. She for some reason was convinced that I was going to push 3 times and have the baby. After about 3 times of pushing, I think she finally understood that it might take awhile and she replaced the epidural bag. But I think it was too late. That second bag never kicked in. I know the epidural must have worked a little bit because the pain was not as bad as when I had Mabel, but I also know that it didn’t completely work because I could completely feel my legs. Whatever the reason, pushing was definitely painful. I found myself wishing the contractions would come more frequently so I could hurry up and get that baby out of me. It hurt really bad and it didn’t seem like I was getting anywhere. Finally the head started coming out and then it really, really hurt and I really, really wanted her out. I didn’t think I was going to make it and then finally, I felt the head push through. And then the body came easily after that. I was so relieved to be done with that. They took her out and held her right over me with a towel and toweled her off as she cried her first little cry. I kept asking if she was okay, is she crying enough? Was she loud enough? Is she okay? I was reassured that she was fine and I was so happy. They put her on me and I held her skin to skin and just cried. I think that moment was the best moment of all – just delivered, knowing the worst is over, and holding her for the first time, knowing that she was finally here and she was okay and she was mine. It’s amazing. I don’t know if anything can compare to that feeling.

I got to hold her skin to skin while I delivered the placenta and everything else and while the midwife sewed me up. No internal tearing this time – horary!!! Just a 2nd degree normal tear – what a relief. I was so happy to hear that. Now I know my recovery will be much faster. After holding her for a little while, she seemed interested in nursing, so I thought I might as well try it. After a little trying, I actually did get her to latch and start nursing and a minute later, Nurse Linda came and took her away for her tests. I wish I would have said no, let her nurse for a little while because by the time I got her back, she was sleeping and had already forgotten how to nurse.

Hattie Laura Allen was born at 4:13 am on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 in Roseville, Placer County, California, United States of America. She weighed 9 pounds 10.5 ounces and measured nearly 23 inches long. When they pulled her out, that was the comment from all the people there – wow, look how long she is. I talked to another midwife later that morning and she said she has seen 23 inch long babies before, but never longer. And many of the nurses had never seen a baby that long. She passed all of her tests. She loved lying under the heat lamp – she stretched out her legs and put her arms up above her head and just laid there – so cute.

At about 6:30 am, they moved me to my new room up a floor – room 353. This is where I would stay until I went home. Joy and Grandma Beverly were the first to arrive as visitors. Next my family came – my mom, Grandma Hill, Sharyl, Jenna, Dad and Mabel. Mabel was so excited to meet her little sister. She was so cute with her. She just wanted to hold her and hug her and kiss her. Her smile couldn’t get any bigger – she was just so excited. It was so cute, and I was so glad to see that. Just as they all left, Ben, Mattie, and Allie arrived. Allie did not like her mommy holding Hattie. And then Uncle Jeff came for a little while. After everyone left, Fred was there for a little while and then decided to go home and get some sleep.

I would normally have gone home that next day, but because of a few little complications I was having I had to stay one more day. Cherish came to visit me on Friday, and Mabel and Fred came again as well. On Saturday, October 31st, we got to take our little darling home and begin our new adventure as a family. I was put on bed or couch rest for the next week, so I knew it would be a challenge, but it wasn't really that bad, and things are getting a little better everyday. We adore our new little angel and feel so blessed to have her in our family.