Kate's Birthday! (Her birth story)

September 27 started out like a typical Thursday but ended much differently than I ever would have imagined.  ~I was anticipating Kate making her arrival the coming weekend since it was a full moon and it would have been the exact time (38.5 weeks) when Aubrey arrived (not that it has anything to do with this pregnancy).~  I dropped Aubrey off at Mother's Day Out and then I headed to my OB appointment where I met up with Seth. I was a little upset to find that I had not progressed much since the week before. I was 3 cm dilated and 40% effaced.

Taken a few days before Kate's arrival

As I was talking to my doctor, for some reason (I believe it was the Lord's doing) I asked if she was going to do another ultrasound before I delivered to see if the baby was in the right position and the cord was not wrapped around her throat or something (Kate was very active in the womb so anything could have gone on during her gymnastic routines!). She said no more ultrasounds but she would hook me up to the fetal heart monitor just to reassure me. Well, Seth left after we saw the doctor because there really was nothing to be concerned about since everything up until this point indicated we were fine.

Well, once I was hooked up to the monitor, I started contracting. (I think was a result of the doctor checking me) When my doctor came to check on the baby and me, she timed the contractions 4-5 minutes apart. Kate had fallen asleep so the doctor had me moving and rolling around to get her to wake up. She noticed that Kate's heart rate would drop during some of the contractions once I rolled over to my right side. Next thing I knew, she was sending me to ultrasound to make sure the fluid and cord looked good...which it did. Then, she sent me to the labor and delivery unit to be monitored. I called Seth and told him what was up. He was at lunch so I told him to just finish up since I didn't really know what was happening yet. I didn't anticipate being admitted because I couldn't really feel the contractions and besides...I wasn't supposed to have her until the weekend!

Pictures were taken from my "push" gift that Seth gave to me when he arrived at the hospital! 

Well, the contractions slowed and Kate's heart rate was stable so it was looking like I was going home....until she checked me again. I had dilated and effaced more in the two hours I was there. She said I was staying and being admitted because I was in labor, early labor, but she wanted to monitor me now that she saw some issues. So at 1:30, I called Seth and we sent out the messages that it was time (even though I was still in denial about the whole thing)! When my doctor asked if I wanted to start Pitocin and get the ball rolling, I said no. I wanted to let it happen naturally and since I was already progressing pretty well, I wanted it to just happen like it did with Aubrey.

Daddy excited about Kate's arrival

An hour went by and the clock was ticking. I didn't want to have the baby in the middle of the night and disturb the doctors (I know it's there job but I just don't want to inconvenience people, I'm weird I know). So, after some discussing and reevaluating the situation...I agreed to start Pitocin and get the epidural(~4:15). Once the drugs started and they broke my water, the nurse suggested this rocking method to get the baby to drop quicker. I would roll onto one side for a few minutes and then the other. As I switched to my right side, the doctor rushed into the room and said," roll back over." The heart rate dropped again...while on my right side.

Everything after that was kind of a blur. My doctor stayed with me the entire time watching the monitor and trying to get the baby dropped ASAP. This was extremely uncomfortable and exhausting for me. I was wearing oxygen at that point. Every moment she dropped further, the more her heart rate would drop (my doctor was not relaying all this info to me at the time). When she fully dropped, the doctor said, "we've got to get this baby out NOW!" Seth ran to get the nurse who had stepped out for just a moment. So, it was just me and the doctor in the room and she told me, "you pushed Aubrey out in four pushes, I need you to get her out in like two pushes!" I was so scared because I felt exhausted at this point. All I could do was PRAY that the Lord would give me strength and get this girl out safely. As I laid there with oxygen on my face, exhausted, and afraid, I just cried out to Jesus because I knew that He was my only help and hope in that crazy moment. Seth was such a good encourager as I told him I couldn't do it and he kept reassuring me that I could.

So, in like three pushes, Kate was here! Once she arrived, she was perfectly healthy! We discovered why her heart rate kept dropping. That energetic baby had made a knot in her cord so anytime I laid on it, her heart rate dropped. And as she dropped into that tight birth canal, it pulled on that knot causing her heart rate to drop. When she made it all the way down the birth canal, the doctor later told me there was was no heartbeat. That was reason the doctor wanted to get her out ASAP. It was an amazing relief to hold her and know that all the stress was gone. As I looked back on the events of that day, I saw the Lord working in many ways protecting Kate (the doctor listening to me about my concerns with the cord and allowing me to get on the monitor which showed I was in labor and her variable heart rate and then starting Pitocin and getting the epidural and the doctor being there as Kate progressed.. and right before delivery when things could have gone very bad).

My mom and Valerie were there during most of the action. They ran out when the doctor said it was time to push. I'm thankful they were there to pray for me and support me. Other members of our family arrived later that evening to meet Kate. Aubrey came to meet his new sister the next morning. He brought cupcakes and balloons to celebrate his new sister's birthday! He also enjoyed handing out candy to anyone he passed in the hospital. He wasn't interested in Kate at first ...until she started crying and moving around.

What another amazing birth! The Lord is good and worthy to be praised!

You can view the pictures from Kate's birth here.
And you can read Aubrey's birth story here.