Kaydence Mila

   Our gorgeous girl made her entrance on Friday, December 27th, 2013 at 4:49pm. She weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long. We fell in love with her instantly and we have never been happier! Here's the story...

   My due date was December 23rd, and I had my 40 week appointment that afternoon. Throughout my pregnancy I had a little bit of trouble with high blood pressure, but it was never anything the doctor was too worried about - just something to keep an eye on. At my 39 week appointment he had scheduled an induction for the 26th if I hadn't gone into labor before then. I was dead set on a natural labor and birth, so I had decided to postpone being induced. It seems I tried all of the wives tales for going into labor on my own, just short of castor oil! When I went in at 40 weeks, my blood pressure was high again - higher than it had ever been. We finished the appointment and took it again, and it was still high. My doctor made me promise to take it easy over Christmas, and to plan on the induction. I was upset, and prayed every day that labor would start before then.

   Packing up the car and getting ready to go to the hospital at a scheduled time to have a baby is a surreal feeling. Brent and I spent the day cleaning the house and double checking to make sure we had things ready. I was scheduled for 9pm, so the wait seemed long. I tried to nap around 6pm but only slept for about 15 minutes. I woke up, showered, styled my hair, and put on a little bit of makeup. If I had to give up my plan, I was going to look decent in the process! We got in the car and Brent mentioned that it was our last night before we became parents, and it finally felt real for me. We grabbed a bite to eat, then headed to the hospital.

   I have never been a patient in a hospital before, so that alone gave me knots in my stomach. We got checked in and I had to sign some paperwork before changing into the beautiful and flattering gown that they provide. After I changed, Brent came in with a small gift bag and to my surprise it was a Vintage Pearl necklace with Kaydence's name on it. He hugged me and told me that this was the moment we've been praying for, and of course I started crying. I got a hold of myself and walked out, ready to start the induction.

   Around 9:45, the nurse administered a pill that would help ripen my cervix and get the process going. The first round didn't do much, and I was still only dilated a little bit when she gave me the second round 4 hours later. Brent and I had both just fallen asleep, when my water broke at 3:30am. I woke up quickly and thought "Surely I didn't just pee myself!" and Brent went to get the nurse. I was dilated to a 2 at that point. At around 5am, they started me on a Pitocin drip. It didn't do much right away, so it was turned up about a half an hour later. Shortly after that, my contractions were just a few minutes apart and quickly getting stronger and more painful. I can say now that there is NO way to prepare yourself for how contractions feel. I was in a bit of shock at how much more they hurt than I had expected! I did my best to focus and breathe through them, but after 6 hours, I opted for the epidural - and it was fantastic ;) 

   I slowly progressed to a 5, then stopped and was stuck there for 4 hours. The nurse informed me that the baby was low in the birth canal but that her head was crooked, and the further down she got, the more crooked it went. The nurse spent over 2 hours trying to turn the baby's head by having me switch to different positions and using a birth ball. At one point, I was on all fours and using an oxygen mask. My nephews came into the room and looked like they saw a ghost :) Kaydence still hadn't moved and I hadn't progressed any further. She wasn't reacting too well to the Pitocin at that point, so the nurse turned it down because it was starting to affect her heart rate. 

   The nurse had been updating my doctor throughout the day, and at around 4pm she told me that we would most likely have to do a c-section. I hadn't prepared for that, even though I knew it was a possibility. So, not only did I already cave and change my mind about going un-medicated, but now I wasn't even able to have her vaginally. I felt like a failure, and I had a meltdown. This was not what I had planned (when will I ever learn that my "plans" are in all actuality out of my control?)!

   In what seemed like an instant, I was being wheeled to the operating room - scared to death but trying not to show it. I saw the doors open and felt like I was in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Doctors and nurses in scrubs, everything looking so sterile and cold. Huge lights hung from the ceiling. Next thing I knew, there was a curtain on my chest, the doctor was testing and asking me if I was numb, and then it started. I felt tugging and pulling, but no pain of course. My doctor and the nurses carried on a normal conversation (can't remember what they talked about) like cutting someone open was a piece of cake. When they brought Brent in, I was already opened up and he sat behind me, holding my hand. My whole upper body was shaking uncontrollably, and I felt very cold. A few short minutes later, I heard my doctor say "There she is! Ooh, she's a good looking baby!". I heard Kaydence whimper once, and I immediately started crying. The first thing Brent said was that she had hair. He went with the nurse so she could clean the baby up while I got stitched back together. Brent was so excited that he almost walked out of the operating room without showing her to me! The moment I laid eyes on her, every negative feeling I had disappeared and I didn't care how she got here - just that she was here, she was healthy, and she was mine.

   One of the nurses told me to cross my arms so they could transfer me back to the hospital bed, but when I tried, I realized that my right arm was completely numb and I couldn't move it. I was freaked out but he told me it was normal and that I'd get feeling back soon. They wheeled me back to the delivery room, and after a while they brought Kaydence in. We immediately had skin to skin time, and she nursed successfully for almost an hour. I've heard people talk about the intense love they have for their babies, but there's just no way to describe it. She stole our hearts!

   The first two days of recovery were hard, but I started feeling a lot better on day 3. We're blessed with family who helped out right away, and Brent's daddy instincts kicked in immediately - he's been awesome about holding her, changing diapers, basically being my slave as I recover, etc.! 

   Now that she's here and we're settled at home, I feel a little better about the way everything happened. I still have a sense of sadness and loss about not delivering her naturally, but I am so thankful that we're both safe and healthy. 

   Thank you again to everyone who prayed for us throughout our journey. She is worth every single minute and I can't wait to watch her grow!

~Kirsten

       "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
                                                                --Hebrews 11:1