Welcome to the World Baby Jane

Jane Lucy Stringham

September 19, 2012 

6:20 am

7 lbs 8oz

19 1/2 inches

As soon as I was admitted to the hospital, my mom booked a flight to come up.  I am so glad she has been able to be here, she has helped me so much!

Ashlyn came too, the kids were so excited to see her.  I am so glad she could come.

Hannah is beyond excited to have a baby sister.  Especially one who looks so much like her.

Jackson is less than excited about being ousted as baby of the family.  He wants nothing to do with her, but also wants me to have nothing to do with her too.

I can't believe we are a family of 5!

My dad happened to be on business in Seattle and Portland so he was able to come too!

Her Birth Story (the long version - for my remembrance):
On Tuesday I began having contractions in the morning and they lasted all day.  They never hurt at all.  They didn't seem to be consistent in their timing or duration, but they did last all day.  I had a feeling that real labor must be near and I told Jack that maybe the next day we would have a baby.  That night he was so excited he just wanted to go to the hospital, so he had me time my contractions that evening.  As I wrote down each one I realized that they were coming every four minutes.  But they didn't hurt at all, so there was no way I was going to go to the hospital just yet.  Everything I had ever read and been told was that you shouldn't go to the hospital until the contractions are very painful.  Also, no one accidentally slept through labor, right?

So despite Jack's desire that I go to the hospital to get checked, we went to bed around 10:00.  At 2:00 am I woke up to go to the bathroom.  I was still having pain-free contractions, but when I went to the bathroom I also noticed some blood.  I knew labor must be imminent, despite not feeling any pain.  Since my past labors went fairly quickly and also because I was positive for group B strep and needed antibiotics, I felt strongly that it was time to go to the hospital.  I woke up Jack and called a friend to watch the kids (thank goodness for friends who are willing to watch your kids at 2 am!).

After dropping off the kids we headed toward the hospital.  By the time we got there it was about 3 am.  I still wasn't in pain, but the contractions felt stronger and were coming every 2-3 minutes and I felt a sense of urgency.  But I guess since they didn't see pain on my face, the triage nurses ignored me for quite some time. Finally I was taken back to triage and hooked to a monitor, it was around 3:30.  The nurse there checked me and saw that I was dilated to 4cm.  I had been dilated to a 4 for over two weeks so they said they would probably send me home.  I explained to him that the contractions didn't hurt, but they were close together and that my labors go quickly and that I really needed antibiotics for group B strep as soon as possible.  The told me I could stay hooked up to the monitor for an hour since I did have GBS and then they'd decide what to do.

For the next hour and a half, Jack and I were left alone in a triage room, no one ever came to check on us.  I began to bleed more and the contractions began to be painful, though bearable.  I watched them on the monitor, coming every 2 minutes.  Finally a nurse came in and said they would be admitting me.

They moved me to a delivery room around 5:00 am.  By this time, the contractions started to become really painful.  With each contraction I squeezed Jack's hand so hard, he said he didn't know I was so strong.  I asked for an epidural right away.  The nurses took their time explaining some admissions paperwork to Jack, took my blood to see if I had enough platelets to get an epidural, monitored the baby's heart, etc.  But no one ever checked my cervix.

Finally a nurse anesthetist came into the room to give me an epidural.  The contractions were coming one after another.  He told me to sit on the edge of the bed and bend over while he put in the epidural.  The contractions were so painful I told Jack I couldn't do it anymore.  Sitting on the edge of the bed was nearly unbearable   The nurse anesthetist told me to arch out my back and stay perfectly still while he placed the catheter into my spine.  I knew staying still was very important, but it seemed almost impossible.  While he took his time attempting to place the catheter (there is evidence on my back that he tried more than once) I began to feel that the baby was coming out of me!  Since I needed to remain still I waited until he was done and then I announced, "The baby is coming out NOW!"  I laid down and Jack looked under the sheet and said, "Oh my gosh, it really is coming!"

The nurse anesthetist grabbed his supplies and left the room as fast as he could.  I never got any medicine running through the epidural!  This labor was going too fast, there was no time for pain medicine!

Jack told the nurses that the amniotic sac was coming first and that there was meconium in it.  The room filled with panicked nurses and respiratory therapists, but it was 6:00 am and there we no OB's around.  Jack put on some sterile gloves and got ready to deliver.  Just then an OB stumbled into the room (he looked like he must have just woken from a deep sleep) and broke the amniotic sac.  I saw it splash everywhere.

"Can I push? I have to push!"  I kept saying to the nurses.  "Just do whatever is natural," the nurse said.  I was terrified.  Without an epidural, I thought pushing her out would be the most painful part.  I half-heartedly began to push, but was too afraid to give it my all.  Just then an OB from my doctor's office came in and took a look.  She told me the baby was posterior.  She was able to easily flip the baby with her hand.  Once she was turned, I pushed again and she came out so easily.  It was over like that!  And I was wrong that the pushing would be the most painful part.  It really didn't hurt at all, it was more of a relief than anything.  It was actually very cool to be able to feel her come out.

They took her away from me right away to make sure she didn't have meconium in her lungs.  Jack stayed with her and I watched from a distance.  She looked so tiny compared to my other two kids, I couldn't wait to see her.  They found that she didn't swallow any meconium so they gave her back to me.  I felt overwhelmed with relief that the pain was gone and all I wanted to do was look at my baby's face.

We had to stay in the hospital for 48 hours since I hadn't had time for antibiotics for GBS during labor, they needed to watch Jane and make sure she didn't get it.  During our second day there they put Jane under lights since she had moderately-high levels of biliruben.  Luckily she had no signs of GBS and the lights took care of her jaundice right away, so we were able to go home.

She is such a beautiful baby and such a sweet addition to our home.  I love her so much and I am so glad she is here.  Already I can't imagine my life without her.