Special Delivery

Well, it's been a good long time since I've posted any updates to this blog.  However, I have just cause.  We have been quite busy rearing our newest addition!  On November 19, 2013, Kaityln Rose Hamilton completed our family unit!  Here is how her story began.

One would think that by my 6th pregnancy and heading towards my 4th delivery I would know the drill.  One would be wrong.  When it is said that all pregnancies and all deliveries are different, there is accuracy to that statement. 

I will be the first to admit that after the complications we had faced in prior pregnancies and in coping with prior losses, I was a little (a LOT) paranoid about all of the what if's of pregnancy.  While I absolutly LOVE being pregnant, I am way too obsessive to just go with the flow, I need to be able to control my situation more than pregnancy allows for.  However, I believe I made it through 38 weeks without making anyone want to disown me - well, I might have pushed my loved ones a little too far after the gestational diabetes tests, but I blame hormones!  Anyway, in previous pregnancies/deliveries, I did not feel contractions until it was just about go time and I was ready to start pushing or pretty close thereto.  That was not the case with this child. 

I had started feeling braxton hicks contractions pretty early on, but it was fairly obvious they were not the real deal.  After the 38th week my midwife, JoAnne, starting demanding that I report to the hospital for every twitch or twinge I felt (OK, perhaps that's an eggageration, but it seemed like it).  With my history of complications and speedy deliveries, she wanted to make sure I was in the hospital when I was ready to deliver.

After 3 or 4 "false" labor trips into L&D for observations, I actually did make it to my scheduled induction date.  I was scheduled to be induced once I hit 39 weeks because of my history.  JoAnne told me to report to L&D at 8:00 a.m. for our induction.  After we're there and settled, JoAnne comes in around 9:00 or so to get things started.  I had agreed to have my water broken, but did not want pitocin right away because I was trying to have a drug free delivery.  She broke my water at about 9:30 - we then started taking bets.  The nursing staff thought I was insane when I told them I planned to have her out before lunch.  Once everyone's weight/length guesses were recorded on the white board I got up and started the ritualistic pacing of the halls.  I was probably only walking for about 15 minutes or so when I started to feel some significant contractions.  I asked if I could labor in the hot tub for a while.  The nurse told me she would start the water and get the tub ready and I should go back to my room to let JoAnne check me before I get into the tub.  In the few minutes it took to wait for JoAnne to get to my room the contractions intensified drastically.  She told me that I was about 6 cm and she was no longer comfortable with me laboring in the hot tub because the hospital does not allow water births.  The pain went from a zero to oh-my-God-I'm-going-to-die in about 3 minutes.  I broke down and asked for the epidural.  As the anesthesiologist was administering my epidural I was unable to keep still.  He got the needle into my spine and administered a bulbous of the medicine when I demanded that I be checked because it was time.  The nurses all rolled their eyes at the overly dramatic, hysterical woman who is claiming it's time to deliver less than an hour after contractions even started, but they called JoAnne back into the room to pacify me.  Low and behold, I was at 9 1/2 centimeters.  Take that you cynical nurses!!!

After kicking the anesthesiologist out of the room before he could finish my epidural, JoAnne asked me if I wanted to push through the last half of a centimeter.  During my next contraction I pushed once and that got me to fully dialated.  She then told me that we could start to "really" push with my next contraction.  Next one came, I pushed once and out popped Kaitlyn.  The nurses were still prepping the delivery tray and getting their smocks tied up when JoAnne proclaimed, "It's a girl"!  The nurses were all baffeled that they missed it and that it really did happen that quickly.

My baby girl was born, after only 2 pushes, at 12:39 p.m. on November 19, 2013, weighing 7 pounds, 5ounces and measuring 20 inches long.  Turns out my dad won the bet for weight/length and I got to order lunch after all.  After 3 years of trying, to finally have my perfect, healthy little girl in my arms.... it was amazing.  This little person that I had only just met healed my heart and completed our family.  The pain of labor and delivery was well worth it to have my heart feel so full and complete again.

I must admit that, at least a part of me is sad that this delivery is our last planned baby and all the firsts we watch Kaity achieve will be the last time we watch those firsts with a child of our own.  But I'm also excited to move onto the next chapter of our family life and watch my little babies grown into medium humans and then full-size adults.  I know it's early, but I look forward to the day when I get to help my own children and their spouses go through these reproductive years themselves.