Emma–

Hi Launi!
I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, life has been crazy in that wonderful way that kids make it 😉  Thank you SO MUCH for those placenta capsules, they were a lifesaver. Winter is not my best season, and our birth plan didn’t quite go as planned…
On Tuesday evening I started having surges every 15 minutes. They stayed at every 15 all night long. I was very relaxed and comfortable, but so excited I simply couldn’t sleep. About 8am on Wed they stopped. I was so disappointed. A few hours later they started coming again, some close together, some farther apart (about every 10-40 min) all pretty strong but not increasing in intensity. All day that went on. By 10pm that night they were about 5 min apart, and they stayed that close until 3am when we decided to go to the hospital. I had a nice shower, packed my bag, so excited to meet my baby. I really had the feeling she was trying to come. By now I was 2 days without sleep, pretty tired, and something just didn’t feel right. It hurt. I was doing everything I could but I felt like I was being ripped apart somehow. Lets just say it wasn’t quite what I expected. My stomach was pretty queasy so I avoided food.  So, we took Beckett to my sister in law and off we went. Of course on the 15 minute drive to the hospital I only had one contraction. One. After 6 hours of every 5 minutes. The nurse checked me and I was still only dilated 2cm, the same as I had been at my appt a few days earlier. The nurse when she checked me asked if I had a septal wall. Having seen several doctors for pap smears and infertility treatments, and never having heard mention of such a thing I said no, but I did have a retroverted uterus, which made for a tricky angle sometimes. Then we went home. I sent Mike to school, but started having contractions (yes, contractions) again by 7 am so his mom came to stay with me to help with Beckett.  I couldn’t keep anything down at this point, nor could I relax. I took several hot baths and listened to my cd, which helped tremendously, but I wouldn’t say I was comfortable anymore. My contractions started every 15, and got closer and stronger-finally following pattern. At 1 I was ready to go to the hospital again. We checked in about 2, and again they checked me. Still only at a 3. The nurse looked at my poor exhausted face and offered to keep an eye on things for an hour before discharging me. Since I finally had Mike with me we did opening exercises, and guess what? Over the next 40 minutes I dilated to a 5. It works I tell you! When she checked me again, she too asked if I had a septal wall, and a double vagina and double uterus. Which on day 3 of no sleep or food and REALLY getting uncomfortable did not go over well. They wanted to look at my ultrasound pictures to make sure I didn’t have an entirely double reproductive system. So they called Dr. Berry.
Apparently I did have a septal wall. (fortunately I only had a double vagina, caused by said septal wall) Some are membranous, some are fibrous, this was a very thick, fibrous wall that was preventing my cervix from dilating. And it had to be removed so that I could continue to dilate and have my baby. Amidst being checked for all of this, while having now very painful contractions, my water broke. When I say “broke”, I was being checked during a contraction, and they broke it for me.  And what would you know, it was green. I just started crying. All my happy, natural birth plans falling to pieces. I got my epidural, my pelvic floor “reconstructed” (ie. cut out, from top to bottom), and antibiotics (because wouldn’t you know it I was strep positive)…and after the antibiotics were infused I got pitocin. Voila, birth plan nearly annihilated.
I will say, that after I got my epidural I was able to relax. Friday morning at 1:47am Emma was born. I was able to do my birth breathing, and wouldn’t you know it they told me to push and push and just as an experiment I did. But it didn’t work. When I did my birth breathing Dr Berry just cheered. I had an episiotomy, of my own free will because at this point I just wanted to hold my baby. And she was so beautiful. Despite telling me that I would have to wait to do skin to skin so they could suction Emma, he put her right on my chest for a moment while Mike cut the cord. She was back in my arms as fast as could be and I was in Heaven.
When we got ready to discharge, and I mean we were walking out the door, they informed us that there had been a mistake and they had lost my placenta. We had spoken to EVERY single nurse we had and told them we were taking it, and filled out all the paperwork, and still they had messed up. On the way home we stopped to fill my perscriptions and both babies started crying while Mike ran in. So I started crying. And that was how we started out.
However. It sounds crazy, but I really think I would have been SO much worse had I not known how to relax and listen to my body. I made it through 3 days of labor without sleep and food and was able to dilate using opening exercises. We did okay over the weekend, Emma took naturally to breastfeeding, and I got some rest. Monday Mike came and picked up placenta and it was amazing. I had so much more energy! My bleeding completely stopped (I’ll take only four days of that any day!), and I healed very quickly. I didn’t end up taking ANY of the percocet or colace, just didn’t need it. I had enough milk to feed Emma AND 5 1/2 month old Beckett- and he was eating 28 oz per day!
I have heard a lot of moms say recovery was worse than delivery (especially moms who had an epidural). But I rubbed vitamin E on my nipples and had only one day of soreness. I felt great, great enough to tackle life with two babies on my own! I’m healthy and happy, and so is Emma. I’d call that a success. 🙂
Anyway, just wanted to share our story and a few pics! Thank you so much for the class- I was exceedingly appreciative of all we learned. And Mike was so prepared. He went from being terrified of birth and everything that comes with it to mr amazing. He was so helpful, so prepared and that was ALL thanks to our class.
Thank you for everything Launi!
XOXO,
Amielee

PS- We were able to finalize Beckett’s adoption on November 21 and bless both babies together on December 18th. Beckett was sealed to us on Dec 20. We have felt so blessed this Christmas season with such beautiful babies. And how fun to bless them together 🙂