The Jelly Bean Journal: On the Day You Were Born

Our birth story is definitely an eventful one and one we will surely remember forever. When my original due date of December 9th passed with little action, it became evident that a timely arrival was not in the plan for us. At our doctor's appointment on the 11th, I was barely dilated (not even a 1) so we made the decision to go ahead with the induction process.

On Thursday, December 13th, we ate a quick dinner, hugged the little white dog and left for the hospital knowing that our lives were about to change forever.

We arrived at Beaufort Memorial Hospital shortly after 6 p.m. and were quickly admitted to a labor and delivery room. I was checked (still only a "fingertip" dilated), my IV was administered and I was given some medication to help soften my cervix. I also had a last minute ultrasound because the baby was so high. She was head down, but she was still positioned extremely high. In fact, she was so high that three different nurses commented on just how high she was. It was if they were all shocked that I was there. I started to wonder if we were doing the right thing by trying to induce labor. It was definitely a long and uncomfortable night. I was hooked to a monitor that tracked the baby's heart rate as well as any contraction activity I was having. Each time I changed positions (which was extremely often because the bed was terribly uncomfortable), the monitor would move and a nurse would come in to reposition the monitor. Although I took 2 Ambien, I might have slept a total of 2 hours the entire night. I was just too uncomfortable (and nervous) to sleep.

When my cervix was checked early Friday morning, it was a little softer, but I was still less than 1 cm dilated. Not very promising, but the doctor was committed to do everything possible to help us have a regular delivery. As planned, the pitocin started flowing, and as the morning progressed, the nurses continued to increase the amount of pitocin they were giving me. By 12:30 or so, I was 1 cm dilated, and my doctor went ahead and broke my water in hopes of bringing on labor. Almost immediately, I began to feel the contractions. And feel them did I ever! (The uncomfortable bed didn't help the situation). After some deliberation, I decided it was time for an epidural. I kept putting it off because I thought it might be the wee hours of the morning before I began pushing, and the thought of my legs being numb for several hours was a little unnerving to me. The nurse kept telling me I would know when it was time, and she was correct. I knew when it was time. When the tears started rolling from the contractions, it was time. Unfortunately, once I asked for the epidural, it was at least an hour before my wish was granted. Seems it was a busy day for epidurals, and I had to wait my turn.

Once the epidural was administered, the doctor checked me again, and I think I was a 2 at this point. I was also hooked up to an internal monitor to monitor the viability (strength) of my contractions. After about an hour, the doctor came back to check me again, and I think I had finally dilated to a 3. The internal monitor showed that I was having viable contractions, and under normal circumstances, the combination of the pitocin and the viable contractions should have thrown me into active labor and caused my cervix to dilate. In my situation, this was not the case. Although the pain I was feeling before the epidural was extremely intense, I was not in active labor yet. It had been almost 24 hours since we began the induction process, and I was starting to get a little frustrated. Around 5 p.m., the doctor checked me again, and I was still only a 3. At this point, the doctor said it was time to talk about our options. It was evident that the conditions were not favorable for a regular delivery, and it really didn't seem that anything was going to change anytime soon.

In my mind, I think I had already started to prepare for the possibility of a c section so I was not totally shocked when she said that a c section looked like our best option. She said we could wait it out a little longer but that the longer we waited, the higher the chances would be that the baby or I would become stressed. The last thing I wanted was to do something that would harm me or the baby so I said, "Let's go for it." Craig asked the doctor what time she'd be performing the c section, and she said, "Now!" I think he was more nervous than I was. In fact, I know he was. In no time, the nurse had me prepared for surgery and off we went. It was such a strange feeling. I was totally alert but I couldn't feel a thing. At 5:40 p.m.,on Friday, December 14th, I heard the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life -- baby Addison's little cry. What a wonderful sound it was!

After a brief visit with our little angel, Craig left for the nursery with her. He met the grandparents in the hall with her, and needless to say, everyone was truly amazed at her arrival. In the nursery, Craig helped weigh her, measure her, bathe her, and diaper her for the first time. Then, he watched as the nurse gave baby Addison Vitamin K and Hepatitis B shots and put antibiotic ointment in her eyes.

After surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room where I spent an hour or so. Once released from recovery, I was wheeled to my room (by way of the nursery). I got a few quick peeks at our little girl in the warmer and could not have been happier. After an hour or so, the nurse finally brought little Addison to the room for me to hold her for the very first time. Words cannot explain what an amazing feeling this was.

After a few moments alone with little Addison, several of our friends and family members came into the room to meet the newest member of the Norris family.

Little Miss Addison is one lucky girl. She has so many "aunts" and "uncles" who love her so much already. Craig and I are fortunate to have such wonderful friends to share this exciting time with.

The next few days were spent recovering from the c section and adjusting to life with our little girl. We stayed in the hospital until Monday, and although we were nervous about leaving the comfort of the 24 hour care we received at the hospital, we were anxious to get home and begin our new life with Addison.