It's over!!!

The waiting - that is. Oh, I know...the rest has just begun!!

So this is how it went down: (brace yourself...it's long!)

After my early morning contractions, I was able to get up, shower, and wait for Dr. Allen's assessment. I had progressed to 2cm with just the Cervadil (we came in Sunday night to boost things). At that time he broke my water (about 8:20) and predicted :) a 5:30ish birth with 3:00 being the earliest. Also at this time, our nurse started the induction process with Pitocin, the most common (I guess) form of induction. I had already been having hard contractions since early morning, but by 10:10 the contractions were extremely painful, so we went ahead and started the epidural - it was wonderful! I went to 3cm shortly thereafter. When Dr. Allen came in about 10:30, they all got concerned (very quickly) that he her heart rate had dropped and had stayed that way for four minutes. He said that if she didn't straighten out in the next minute, literally, that we would be going in for a c-section right away. She did. She was just playin'. It wasn't funny to us. At lunch I had already made it to 5cm, which Dr. Allen said showed significant progress. About 3:20, I started feeling some tightness. It was just uncomfortable at first, but soon it was full-blown, tear-wrenching contractions. I had only had the epidural for less than six hours, and it was gone. The anesthesiologist gave me one, and then another re-dose of the numbing juice, but nothing. So at 4:00 I was getting a new epidural. Yes, TWO epidurals.

Dr. Allen had to leave, so Dr. Chwe took over and said 6cm at 7ish, spoke of possible c-section if no progress, mentioned one other episode of her heart rate dropping, and said they would have to monitor it. I was napping through until the next check because I was EXHAUSTED, but the nurse called Dr. Chwe in a few minutes earlier (8:10) than planned because her heart rate was still not cooperating. With other factors including her heart rate being too low, her being without her amniotic sac for more than 12 hours, me still having no further dilation progress, he suggested a c-section - in 15 minutes. We got our family back together - they had all gone off in respective ways because we thought it was going to be a long night; I had a nervous breakdown because things were happening so fast, but I felt immediately better when Michael bent down over me and just started praying. For me, for the baby, for the surgery, everything. In addition, I kept saying silently to myself that God is in control and that this was all going as He planned. I promise that was the only thing getting me through this because I was so scared. We were back in the OR by 8:30, and the time of her birth was 8:57. The surgery was great, but she was having a few problems. They took her to NICU because of some fluid being in her belly and lungs, but everything was fully matured.

She weighed in at 7lbs and 8ozs and 20 inches long. They have to keep her for the 48 hours in the NICU because of the fluid issues, but everything should be fine!! Look at our beautiful baby girl.