Sanders' Saga: 2011

Sunday, December 4, 2011

I have another beautiful, healthy baby! I am so blessed. Our little Tilly was born on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 9:00am. She was 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 ½ inches long. Here is how it all went down.

Monday morning I had a doctor’s appointment and Dr. Beck said I was dilated to 4 cm and my cervix was “ripe”. He then asked me if I wanted to have my membranes stripped. I said well that depends. Then he interjected and said if it’s going to hurt? I said no I’ve had it done before it isn’t that bad. I said it depends if my baby due on Dec. 3^rd or Dec. 10^th. (By 40-week pregnancy guidelines I was supposed to be due on Dec. 10^th, but by the ultrasound measurements I was due on Dec. 3^rd.) I said if I am due on the 3^rd go ahead, but if I’m not due until the 10^th I want to wait because that is too early. So Dr. Beck reviewed his notes and said they determine the due date by the first ultrasound because you can’t be a week off in measurements that early on in the pregnancy. My first ultra sound said I was due on Dec. 3^rd so I had him strip my membranes.

The rest of that day was pretty normal. I had already walked a mile and a half that morning, but I wanted to walk again to get contractions started so I took the girls shopping at Costco and I was able to walk and get my shopping done at the same time. After that I got the boys from school and came home and made a ham and baked potato dinner. My contractions started as I was making dinner. They weren’t regular of course, my contractions never are. They didn’t stop completely though and so I packed a bag and we called to see if Chad’s sister Hayley would come and stay the night at our house in case we needed to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. At about 10:30pm we went to bed. I wanted to try and get some sleep/rest, but I had some hard contractions right after I lay down so I decided to go in. I wanted to be monitored just to make sure the baby didn’t go into stress or anything.

By 11:00 we were on our way to the hospital. I had contractions in the car and kept having contractions after we got into the triage room. Good signs. In triage I was only at 4 ½ cm. She said if I made any progress after one hour they would admit me, but if not I would have to go home. I kept praying for progress. I kept having contractions, but I didn’t have “a good labor pattern”. An hour later the nurse checked me and said I was at 5 cm! I was so happy. I kind of wonder if she didn’t have the heart to send me home, but whatever the case I was so glad I got to stay and have my baby.

I got up to my room and was all set up around 1:00pm. They started me on antibiotics because I was positive for group b strep (GBS). I needed to have two doses and each dose needed to be 4 hours apart, so they started them right away. I asked them why it is so important that women get antibiotics when they are GBS+ and she said they found that some babies were dying when the mother’s tested positive for GBS and that they found the best way to treat it was before delivery.

My nurse was Becky (Cole) Holt. She was also my nurse when I delivered Joseph. She grew up in Taylor and was just older than my sister Crystal. She called me Penny a couple of times. The second time I corrected her and said I am Mindy and she said, “I’m sorry, you look so much like Penny.” I just smiled. It was nice to have a nurse that knew my family and me.

Shortly after I was all situated Becky told me that my blood work came back and that my platelets were low. She said normally they should be around 150 and mine were at 105. She said that put me a risk for bleeding if I had an epidural. So I had a big decision to make, epidural or no epidural. My whole pregnancy I had been worried about getting an epidural because of my accident when I broke my neck. I worried that having spinal cord damage would be a problem when it came time to get an epidural. I had talked to Dr. Beck about it and he said it shouldn’t be a problem, but I still had a bad feeling about it. So when I got the news about low platelets I took some time to think about it and pray and talk it over with Chad. I decided that I would not get an epidural. Becky kept reminding me that after a certain point I couldn’t change my mind and that I needed to be sure. I told her I was sure.

My contractions were still irregular. I would have a good pattern then I wouldn’t have any for a while. I found that when I lay on my right side I would have contractions. When I lay on my left side I didn’t have any. Weird. I was able to get a little bit of sleep, for which I am so grateful. At 5:00am they started my second dose of antibiotics and they also started me on pitocen to help me get into a good labor pattern. The contractions were still slow in coming so they upped the dose every half hour.

At 7:00 am I got a new nurse. Becky and I were sad that she didn’t get to stay for my delivery. She said she had to work the next night otherwise she would just stay and help me have my baby.

My contractions started to get more painful around 8:00am. I sat on the birthing ball for a while and that helped with the pain. At 8:30am Dr. Beck came in to check on me and break my water, I was at 7 cm at that time. I got on the birthing ball again after he broke my water and that helped the baby drop down after only one or two contractions and I started to feel some pressure. I had the nurse check me again and I was at 8 cm. Contractions were still getting progressively harder, but I was able to breathe through them. Dr. Beck came in again around 8:50 to check the position of the baby. She was a little sideways or something and he said he wanted me to push through one contraction while he turned her into the correct position. When I pushed she turned and dropped down and I dilated to 10. He hurried and got suited up and on the next contraction I pushed and got her head out. Which hurt like crazy. (If I were a swearing woman I would choose different words.) I thought oh good only the shoulders are left, those are easier than the head. Wrong. The shoulders hurt even worse, but then I was done!!!

I feel so blessed that the hard part of my delivery went so quickly. Dr. Beck commented that I went from 8cm – 10cm really fast. I can’t remember his exact words, but I guess women don’t go from 8 cm to having their baby delivered within 10 minutes very often because he’s delivered a lot of babies. Chad was glad that my delivery went quickly too. He said that when I decided to go natural he had worries that my delivery would drag on and on and that I would start asking for an epidural and it would be too late.

When Dr. Beck started stitching me up after a few stitches he got to a tender spot and I flinched and then he said sorry, I forgot you didn’t have an epidural. He pulled out a needle and gave me a shot to numb me. It was about that time that we noticed Chad was sitting down on the chair, and was very pale. The nurses and I started asking him if he was ok. His eyes were open but he didn’t respond at all. The nurses had to get some smelling salts to bring him back around. It was weird. He said he felt numb and like he was floating. He said he could hear us, but he couldn’t answer. He said that smelling salts worked really well and brought him back immediately.

The delivery of Tilly was a lot like when I delivered Joseph. So now I know for sure that my epidural wasn’t working when I had him. Although when I delivered him it wasn’t as painful when it came time to push, as it was when I had Tilly so maybe it worked a little bit. Or maybe the fact that he was only 5lbs 14 oz. verses Tilly’s 8 lbs 1 oz. was the kicker.

Natural delivery was painful. I don’t know if I want to ever do it again unless I really feel prompted that I shouldn’t have an epidural. It was bearable right up until time to push. I got through it, but it wasn’t a picnic that’s for sure. Recovery has been easier though.

Tilly is doing well. It is always an adjustment and there lots of worries when the baby is so new and little, but we are getting along. The kids love her. Marlee is adjusting to getting booted out of the baby position fabulously. She has had a couple of jealous moments, but she has adjusted better at this point than any of the other kids did. She loves babies so much that I think she doesn’t have room in her heart for too much jealousy. It is cute to see Karalee with the baby. She is a big help. It is so fun for me to watch my kids reach the 3rd to youngest place in the family when they don’t feel threatened by a new baby anymore. They can just love them. Spencer and Bryant are very helpful and love to sit and hold Tilly as long as possible. I love that they love babies so much.

I am so grateful Tilly is here and that everything went well. I am grateful I am able to bear children. Children are such a blessing. My quote for today is from Elder Anderson’s Oct. 2011 conference talk. “It is a crowning privilege of a husband and wife who are able to bear children to provide mortal bodies for these spirit children of God. We believe in families, and we believe in children. … ‘Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth … him that sent me.’” (Mark 9:36–37).

Love,

Mindy

Chad's sister Deserie came home from her mission on Temple Square in Utah on Wednesday the 9th. We had a homecoming dinner that evening that was a lot of fun. It is good to have her home again. My kids love her, so do Chad and I. She is a good example to them.

Chad and Elliot in their matching Chase shirts

Heather, Deserie and Jade

Brenda and Maya, with Macaia, Jace and Nate in the background

Calvin and Marlee

Deserie had an appointment with her Stake President to get released right after the dinner so she was still dressed up, complete with name tag and she and kept a companion with her until her official release. Karalee was excited to have Deserie home, one of the reasons being that we got to have a party. I think she might even like parties more than I do. That's saying something.

On another note. I am 36 weeks along today. Only 4 weeks left, give or take a little, until we get to meet our new baby girl!!

I still feel really good. I walk a little over a mile and a half three times a week and ride my exercise bike and do light weights on my arms once or twice a week. Hopefully that will help all the baby weight come off faster this time around.