Adleigh's Birth Story

About 3 weeks ago I started majorly swelling and my blood pressure shot up: so I got put on bed rest. During this period I gained about 8 lbs of water weight... No bueno! So at my 38 week appointment Doctor set me up for a Sonogram the next week but at that point he was mostly worried she was huge!

At the Sono they guesstimated she was about 8.5lbs and had a head that was two weeks ahead of schedule in size.


Adleigh's last glamour shot.

Doctor then pulled us into a room to talk to us. Her amniotic fluid levels were 3x times the normal amount which is bad and can cause still births. But... She hadn't dropped fully so with that much water, when my water breaks, there was a high possibility of cord prolapse or turning breach. So he was unsure whether to induce me or not.

He called the high risk doctor in Dallas and was told that they would have induced me at 38 weeks. So after passing a Fetal Stress Test, I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday.


My motivational shirt :-) Just before we checked into the hospital at 3am!


Brian was tired :-) He did sleep for a little bit.

We checked into Room 317 and found out there were only two post labor rooms available that contained two real beds. There were 3 of us there, so I was determined to "win" and get Brian a real bed, not a couch.

And I was winning :-) the others girls were only dilated to ones and I had come in at a 3.
So the nurse hooked me up to the pitocin and all the other lovely equipment that comes along with giving birth. I was already having contractions but was surprised how fast they became consistent. I was having six every ten minutes but they weren't terribly painful.

At 8 the doctor came and I had only dilated to a 4 which was disappointing but he decided to break my water to help. That was the most disgusting feeling and soaked everything. The doctor said I lost about 3 lbs of fluid in the initial gush and lost even more over the next few hours.

He also put an internal heart monitor on Adleigh's head so he could keep a really good eye on her. That's when we found out she had brown hair :-) I was excited she wasn't bald!

Brian's parents showed up right after that and we kept ourselves entertained looking up Goldendoodle puppies and playing Ticket to Ride on the iPad. Oh and eating Popsicles :-) I sweet talked my doctor into letting me have more than just ice chips.

Soon I stopped enjoying myself and the contractions got really painful. It was actually more the hip pain that was getting to me, I felt like my pelvis was being ripped apart (we found out later that when he broke my water she flipped positions to sunny side up and lodged herself at a weird angle in my pelvis).



Brian did AMAZING through all of the pain! His mom was there to help of course (reminding me to breath haha). But Brian stayed by the whole time and massaged whatever I wanted, got me drinks between contractions and talked me through each contraction.

Unfortunately my blood pressure sky rocketed and Adleigh's heart rate did as well. So the nurse turned the pitocin down to practically nothing and we both calmed down. I then opted to get the epidural and what an amazing feeling that was!

After that it was a breeze! I didn't feel any of the contractions but could actually still move my legs and feet fairly well. The nurse came and checked me a little later and I was a five!

Two hours later (around noon) the doctor came and checked me again and I was still a five. He told me that he had thought he would be coming to deliver me. So instead he had the nurse up the pitocin and wanted her to check me in two hours.

Well the contractions got more intense, my BP went up, Adleigh's heart rate went up and after two hours I was still a five. :-(

The two ladies that I had been beating both delivered. The doctor came and told me I had about an hour to progress or it was off to the C-section room for me since Adleigh was showing some distress.

She came in at 2:45 and I was actually feeling the contractions which the nurse said sometimes happens right before you deliver. So we were all hopeful... And our hopes were dashed... Just a five.


Pouting after I was told about only being dialated to a 5.

I was then told to prepare for a C-section and I started bawling. It wasn't that I afraid of the C-section, I felt cheated of the birth experience. And the doctor and I had talked previously and he explained that if I needed a C-section most likely all my births will be C-sections. :-(

Brian got me calmed down and we knew it was best for Adleigh to get her out fast. So they wheeled me into the operating room.


Last picture of us without a child.

Once they got me set up and partially cut open they let Brian come in. I made sure there was a chair for him so that he wasn't standing and able to see over the curtain because if he saw anything he might have passed out.


On the operating table... I was freezing!

After a few more minutes we heard her screaming and we both started crying... The doctor said she was facing the wrong way and came out wide eyed and looking at him. :-) Brian got to go over and see her get cleaned up and "cut the cord". The doctor left it longer so that Brian could cut it.


Getting all cleaned up!


Brian getting to cut the cord.



Then they finally brought her over to me and we had about 5 minutes together. Brian then got to take her to the nursery while I got sewed back together.







We both spent lots of time in recovery because we both had really high fevers. They said if she had been inside of me one more day then she would have come out really sick :-(




Mamaw and Papaw getting to see her in the nursery.


Finally getting to hold her!


Daddy's turn to hold her!

Luckily everything turned out ok and we were finally all together. :-)


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