Here I sit, just a week out from giving birth to our first baby, Abigail Sue. So many times throughout today I have had to stop and reflect on what was taking place at each specific moment in time one week ago. Throughout this first week with our sweet girl I have replayed the day in my head or to someone. What a whirlwind of a day it was, one we will never forget. I don't want to forget the small details of that day and the days before. It is so evident to me that God was at work throughout the many events that unfolded.
Abby Sue's birth story starts back on Tuesday, October 21st, when we went to our 38 week appointment. At this appointment we found out that miss Abby was breached. This was bizarre to us, as Brooke, one of our best friends, was breached with her baby, Mickey, just two months prior. At 37 weeks, only 3% of babies are breeched. This news sent us (by us I mean me) into shock and changed the course of our week. We scheduled a version to be done on Friday and spent the week going here and there, doing everything we could to turn our little girl. If there was ever a week that was an emotional roller coaster, it was this one. On top of all this, it was my conference week with parents that I had arranged, since I would be on leave during conferences. I knew I at least had to make it through Thursday before this girl could come!
We ran to the chiropractor straight from the doctor's office on Tuesday. On Wednesday we went to Agape. There is a physical therapist who comes into town once a month to work with therapists at Agape and she has worked with breached babies. This particular Wednesday just so happened to be the Wednesday she was in town. I had conferences until 5:15 and she was willing to stay in town to try to flip the baby. Leaving Agape, we thought we had Abby flipped - the process Tina and Kristin used to try to turn Abby hurt but not near as bad as it hurt at the doctors office when Dr. Pranger tried to work on her a little bit. We left encouraged and excited - Dr. Pranger offered for us to come in Thursday morning for quick ultrasound to see if Abby was indeed head down. If she were head down, we would not have to have the version performed on Friday. When we went Thursday, her head was still up. Where, on Tuesday her head was on the right side of my stomach, Thursday morning it was on the left side. We left the doctor's office feeling a little discouraged. We would have to go through with the version. We knew from Brooke's experience how painful the process of the version would be on Friday. If the version did not work, we would most likely schedule a C section for the next week. If it was successful, we would wait for labor to start on its own.
All week it was my prayer that our girl come in the way that God had planned for her, whether that be C Section or naturally. We knew we could try everything we wanted, but ultimately, it was already planned out.
Kristin and Amy came over on Thursday evening after I got home from conferences and a haircut. They tried to work on my belly a little bit more. On Friday we went at 9:00 AM for the version. I was so nervous for this as I knew how much pain it was going to cause me. I could hardly make it through without tears at the doctor's office and I knew how much more the doctor's were going to push and try to manipulate my stomach in this attempt. I was so thankful for Brooke at this point, as she had been through the same thing with Mickey. The version was just as painful as I thought it was going to be. Dr. Hines and Pranger worked for about 25-30 minutes, trying to turn the baby. At one point they took a break and asked me if I wanted to keep going, as I was in a lot of pain.
I just remember asking them, "Well do you think you're going to get her flipped?"
Their response was, "That's a fair question, I'm not sure that we are."
At that point we decided to schedule a C section for the following week as our stubborn little girl was not going to be moved and there was no point in afflicting more pain than necessary. After talking they said they could do it either Thursday or Friday. Having already run through every single possibility of birth scenarios throughout the week, I knew immediately that Friday was Halloween and we did not want a Halloween baby!! The earliest we could schedule it for was 39 weeks, which was October 30th. I quickly suggested Thursday. After talking it through, we decided that we would try one more version before going to C Section on Thursday. Since they would need to give an epidural for the C section anyway, they wanted to try to flip baby one more time with the epidural, as I would not feel it as much. Mark and I agreed to this plan. We left Covenant knowing that miss Abby would be coming in less than a week - one way or another!
Mark had arranged for me to have a massage after the version, the sweet guy! I was very sore from the version for the next 4 days. We spent the next 6 days making final preparations of our home, anxious for Thursday to come. We went back to the doctor on Wednesday. Throughout the week we had begun to question whether we should even try the version again or just go straight to C Section. The first version had caused me so much pain, and while I wouldn't be able to feel the second one with the epidural while they were performing it, we knew I would feel it after. Dr. Pranger strongly encouraged to try it again, but was honest with us, sharing that there was probably only a 5% chance that we would get her turned. However, he felt like we should try everything we could in order to be able to deliver vaginally. Dr. Pranger told me a few different times that if for some reason they could get her to turn, then chances are I would deliver on Halloween. This was the last thing I wanted to hear! We stuck to our plan to go through with the second attempt at a version, both knowing in our head that we would most likely be having a C Section.
We were scheduled to be at Covenant at noon. This in and of itself caused me enough anxiety, as I knew I couldn't eat before. This girl doesn't like to skip a meal, let alone two! We spent the morning bustling around the house, waiting for the clock to hit 11:00, when we could get ready to head over.
When we arrived at Covenant, they got us to our room right away. They got the IV started. started checking heart tones and soon the anesthesiologist came to start the epidural. Dr. Hines and Pranger came in to start the version at about 2:00. As they started I could still feel them pushing on my stomach up higher, so they ran another dose through, numbing me up to my chest. This was just bizarre to me. They proceeded with the version, making some progress but then Abby's head slipped back up. They took a break and strategized some more - but at this point Mark had a grin on his face and they were pretty confident they could get her to turn. At this point, I was also pretty confident that I hadn't prepared myself for this!! I questioned whether I would be able to make it through delivery as my mindset had been prepared for a C Section. I also knew that if they got her turned, that we could be in for a long haul ahead, as they would induce labor. Suddenly the C Section was sounding like a pretty good idea.
At 2:30 we were able to send a message to family and friends that they got the baby to flip!! What a blessing and gift from God. We have to trust God and his plans - for they are far more than we can imagine for ourselves. Dr. Pranger soon revamped our plan and said the earliest I would deliver would be 9 or 10 pm - but more likely it could be the following morning. My heart was at peace about this for the first time in two weeks. At this point, God gave me an overwhelming sense of peace about it all - switching mind sets for delivery, potentially have a Halloween baby, all of it. My parents came back from the waiting room- excited as they had heard the nurses say they got the baby to turn. Plans for the day quickly began to change! Dr. Pranger checked me and I was dilated to a 3 and my cervix was looking favorable. At this point they also let me eat a little bit of food since I hadn't eaten since 10:00 the night before.
Can I just say I had the best nurse that day? Seriously, another precious gift from God. Lisa was scheduled from 11:00 am - 11 pm that day. Typically she works from 7 AM until 3 PM, but for some reason (only a gift from God), her schedule was a little different that day. She was amazing. She worked so hard all day.
Dr. Pranger came back to induce labor at about 3:30. During this time I could not feel a single thing- as the epidural was still running very strong. I was mentally going crazy as the nurses and doctors were moving my legs and checking my cervix every so often and I could not feel a thing. At one point one of the nurses was asked to move my legs out a little bit. I looked down and noticed that my legs were bent and spread open - which in my head they had been straight the whole time. This baffled me so much. I wanted to move my butt but could not not matter how hard I tried.
The epidural wore off around 5:30 and Dr. Pranger was planning to come back to check me between 6 and 7. If I was ready, he was going to break my water. He came back at about 6:30 and sure enough I was dilated to a 6, so he broke my water. At this point the contractions came on strong and I could feel every last bit of them. They started strong in the back and worked their way around. I had been planning to get another dose of epidural anyway, but at this point, I was positively sure there was no way I was going to go through this without an epidural! Hats off to those women who go through labor without an epidural- you are my heroes! Dr. Pranger was certain to tell me that we were looking at 10:00 as the earliest I would deliver, but that in many cases, women labor for about 10 hours after labor is induced. The nurses told me I could have the epidural at any point, since I still had the IV from the version. However, not knowing how long we were going to be in this for, I didn't want to get it too early, for fear the I'd be bed ridden, not able to get up and move for another 9 hours. My butt was already numb from sitting in the hospital bed for 6 hours. At about 6:45 I got up to go to the bathroom and at that point I remember calling the nurse for the epidural and wanting it FAST. Those contractions were painful and I could not imagine suffering through those for 5 more hours. The anesthesiologist who was working happened to be in a surgery when the nurse called for the second dose, so they had to call the anesthesiologist in who had been working earlier in the day to come from home. This frightened me as I thought for sure once they called for it I'd only have to make it through a couple more contractions. Not the case! Right around this time my parents came back from grabbing a bite to eat and getting my moms sub plans ready for the next day. What a relief this was as I was headed into a rough 2 hours of contractions. The picture that stands out to me the most during this time is Mark holding my hand, my mom wiping my face with a cold wash cloth, the nurse rubbing my back and my dad using a hospital pamphlet to fan me down. I was a hot mess. Literally. My temperature spiked to 102 and I threw up the sandwich they had allowed me to eat earlier. After what seemed like hours, the anesthesiologist finally arrived. I remember telling a couple of the nurses to let him through so he could get to my IV and get that epidural going. It took a minute for that to kick in, and the contractions eased. I could still feel them but they were much more manageable.
At about 8:30 Dr. Pranger came in and I was dilated to an 8. At this point Abby decided to be a little stinker yet again, as she was still head down, but she had her hand right up by her face. Dr. Pranger had to try to move her hand. Thankfully he was able to, otherwise we would have been heading to C Section. That girl...
I rested from 8:30-9:30 as we would likely start pushing the next time Dr. Pranger came back, if I was ready. When Dr. Pranger came back at 10:00 I was dilated to a 10 and Abby's head was at +2. We were ready to roll. Dr. Pranger asked if I thought we could get her delivered before 12:00. Our nurse (who was AMAZING) had started her shift at 11:00 AM and was scheduled to work until 11:00 PM. I wanted so bad for Abby to come before 11:00! I started pushing at 10:18. At about 10:30 Dr. Pranger assured me he thought we could get this girl born before midnight. Pushing was nothing like I ever imagined. Let's just say the epidural was fantastic. I truly enjoyed that part of labor, as Mark was holding one of my legs, watching, and our parents were in the room. I pushed for 30 minutes- as Abigail Sue came at 10:48 PM. She was 6lb. 5.2 oz and 20 1/4 inches long. What a miracle and what a day.
We love our sweet Abby Sue and love this new journey we are on. Seriously, what was life like before her? I love watching her sleep, her sweet faces, seeing her eyes roll to the back of her head while she is resting peacefully, the little grins that come across her face, her scrunched up "burp" face, the list could go on. I already don't want my little peanut to grow up!
Abby Sue's birth story starts back on Tuesday, October 21st, when we went to our 38 week appointment. At this appointment we found out that miss Abby was breached. This was bizarre to us, as Brooke, one of our best friends, was breached with her baby, Mickey, just two months prior. At 37 weeks, only 3% of babies are breeched. This news sent us (by us I mean me) into shock and changed the course of our week. We scheduled a version to be done on Friday and spent the week going here and there, doing everything we could to turn our little girl. If there was ever a week that was an emotional roller coaster, it was this one. On top of all this, it was my conference week with parents that I had arranged, since I would be on leave during conferences. I knew I at least had to make it through Thursday before this girl could come!
We ran to the chiropractor straight from the doctor's office on Tuesday. On Wednesday we went to Agape. There is a physical therapist who comes into town once a month to work with therapists at Agape and she has worked with breached babies. This particular Wednesday just so happened to be the Wednesday she was in town. I had conferences until 5:15 and she was willing to stay in town to try to flip the baby. Leaving Agape, we thought we had Abby flipped - the process Tina and Kristin used to try to turn Abby hurt but not near as bad as it hurt at the doctors office when Dr. Pranger tried to work on her a little bit. We left encouraged and excited - Dr. Pranger offered for us to come in Thursday morning for quick ultrasound to see if Abby was indeed head down. If she were head down, we would not have to have the version performed on Friday. When we went Thursday, her head was still up. Where, on Tuesday her head was on the right side of my stomach, Thursday morning it was on the left side. We left the doctor's office feeling a little discouraged. We would have to go through with the version. We knew from Brooke's experience how painful the process of the version would be on Friday. If the version did not work, we would most likely schedule a C section for the next week. If it was successful, we would wait for labor to start on its own.
All week it was my prayer that our girl come in the way that God had planned for her, whether that be C Section or naturally. We knew we could try everything we wanted, but ultimately, it was already planned out.
Kristin and Amy came over on Thursday evening after I got home from conferences and a haircut. They tried to work on my belly a little bit more. On Friday we went at 9:00 AM for the version. I was so nervous for this as I knew how much pain it was going to cause me. I could hardly make it through without tears at the doctor's office and I knew how much more the doctor's were going to push and try to manipulate my stomach in this attempt. I was so thankful for Brooke at this point, as she had been through the same thing with Mickey. The version was just as painful as I thought it was going to be. Dr. Hines and Pranger worked for about 25-30 minutes, trying to turn the baby. At one point they took a break and asked me if I wanted to keep going, as I was in a lot of pain.
I just remember asking them, "Well do you think you're going to get her flipped?"
Their response was, "That's a fair question, I'm not sure that we are."
At that point we decided to schedule a C section for the following week as our stubborn little girl was not going to be moved and there was no point in afflicting more pain than necessary. After talking they said they could do it either Thursday or Friday. Having already run through every single possibility of birth scenarios throughout the week, I knew immediately that Friday was Halloween and we did not want a Halloween baby!! The earliest we could schedule it for was 39 weeks, which was October 30th. I quickly suggested Thursday. After talking it through, we decided that we would try one more version before going to C Section on Thursday. Since they would need to give an epidural for the C section anyway, they wanted to try to flip baby one more time with the epidural, as I would not feel it as much. Mark and I agreed to this plan. We left Covenant knowing that miss Abby would be coming in less than a week - one way or another!
Mark had arranged for me to have a massage after the version, the sweet guy! I was very sore from the version for the next 4 days. We spent the next 6 days making final preparations of our home, anxious for Thursday to come. We went back to the doctor on Wednesday. Throughout the week we had begun to question whether we should even try the version again or just go straight to C Section. The first version had caused me so much pain, and while I wouldn't be able to feel the second one with the epidural while they were performing it, we knew I would feel it after. Dr. Pranger strongly encouraged to try it again, but was honest with us, sharing that there was probably only a 5% chance that we would get her turned. However, he felt like we should try everything we could in order to be able to deliver vaginally. Dr. Pranger told me a few different times that if for some reason they could get her to turn, then chances are I would deliver on Halloween. This was the last thing I wanted to hear! We stuck to our plan to go through with the second attempt at a version, both knowing in our head that we would most likely be having a C Section.
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| Last picture of just the two of us before leaving home! |
We were scheduled to be at Covenant at noon. This in and of itself caused me enough anxiety, as I knew I couldn't eat before. This girl doesn't like to skip a meal, let alone two! We spent the morning bustling around the house, waiting for the clock to hit 11:00, when we could get ready to head over. When we arrived at Covenant, they got us to our room right away. They got the IV started. started checking heart tones and soon the anesthesiologist came to start the epidural. Dr. Hines and Pranger came in to start the version at about 2:00. As they started I could still feel them pushing on my stomach up higher, so they ran another dose through, numbing me up to my chest. This was just bizarre to me. They proceeded with the version, making some progress but then Abby's head slipped back up. They took a break and strategized some more - but at this point Mark had a grin on his face and they were pretty confident they could get her to turn. At this point, I was also pretty confident that I hadn't prepared myself for this!! I questioned whether I would be able to make it through delivery as my mindset had been prepared for a C Section. I also knew that if they got her turned, that we could be in for a long haul ahead, as they would induce labor. Suddenly the C Section was sounding like a pretty good idea.
At 2:30 we were able to send a message to family and friends that they got the baby to flip!! What a blessing and gift from God. We have to trust God and his plans - for they are far more than we can imagine for ourselves. Dr. Pranger soon revamped our plan and said the earliest I would deliver would be 9 or 10 pm - but more likely it could be the following morning. My heart was at peace about this for the first time in two weeks. At this point, God gave me an overwhelming sense of peace about it all - switching mind sets for delivery, potentially have a Halloween baby, all of it. My parents came back from the waiting room- excited as they had heard the nurses say they got the baby to turn. Plans for the day quickly began to change! Dr. Pranger checked me and I was dilated to a 3 and my cervix was looking favorable. At this point they also let me eat a little bit of food since I hadn't eaten since 10:00 the night before. Can I just say I had the best nurse that day? Seriously, another precious gift from God. Lisa was scheduled from 11:00 am - 11 pm that day. Typically she works from 7 AM until 3 PM, but for some reason (only a gift from God), her schedule was a little different that day. She was amazing. She worked so hard all day.
Dr. Pranger came back to induce labor at about 3:30. During this time I could not feel a single thing- as the epidural was still running very strong. I was mentally going crazy as the nurses and doctors were moving my legs and checking my cervix every so often and I could not feel a thing. At one point one of the nurses was asked to move my legs out a little bit. I looked down and noticed that my legs were bent and spread open - which in my head they had been straight the whole time. This baffled me so much. I wanted to move my butt but could not not matter how hard I tried.
The epidural wore off around 5:30 and Dr. Pranger was planning to come back to check me between 6 and 7. If I was ready, he was going to break my water. He came back at about 6:30 and sure enough I was dilated to a 6, so he broke my water. At this point the contractions came on strong and I could feel every last bit of them. They started strong in the back and worked their way around. I had been planning to get another dose of epidural anyway, but at this point, I was positively sure there was no way I was going to go through this without an epidural! Hats off to those women who go through labor without an epidural- you are my heroes! Dr. Pranger was certain to tell me that we were looking at 10:00 as the earliest I would deliver, but that in many cases, women labor for about 10 hours after labor is induced. The nurses told me I could have the epidural at any point, since I still had the IV from the version. However, not knowing how long we were going to be in this for, I didn't want to get it too early, for fear the I'd be bed ridden, not able to get up and move for another 9 hours. My butt was already numb from sitting in the hospital bed for 6 hours. At about 6:45 I got up to go to the bathroom and at that point I remember calling the nurse for the epidural and wanting it FAST. Those contractions were painful and I could not imagine suffering through those for 5 more hours. The anesthesiologist who was working happened to be in a surgery when the nurse called for the second dose, so they had to call the anesthesiologist in who had been working earlier in the day to come from home. This frightened me as I thought for sure once they called for it I'd only have to make it through a couple more contractions. Not the case! Right around this time my parents came back from grabbing a bite to eat and getting my moms sub plans ready for the next day. What a relief this was as I was headed into a rough 2 hours of contractions. The picture that stands out to me the most during this time is Mark holding my hand, my mom wiping my face with a cold wash cloth, the nurse rubbing my back and my dad using a hospital pamphlet to fan me down. I was a hot mess. Literally. My temperature spiked to 102 and I threw up the sandwich they had allowed me to eat earlier. After what seemed like hours, the anesthesiologist finally arrived. I remember telling a couple of the nurses to let him through so he could get to my IV and get that epidural going. It took a minute for that to kick in, and the contractions eased. I could still feel them but they were much more manageable.
At about 8:30 Dr. Pranger came in and I was dilated to an 8. At this point Abby decided to be a little stinker yet again, as she was still head down, but she had her hand right up by her face. Dr. Pranger had to try to move her hand. Thankfully he was able to, otherwise we would have been heading to C Section. That girl...
I rested from 8:30-9:30 as we would likely start pushing the next time Dr. Pranger came back, if I was ready. When Dr. Pranger came back at 10:00 I was dilated to a 10 and Abby's head was at +2. We were ready to roll. Dr. Pranger asked if I thought we could get her delivered before 12:00. Our nurse (who was AMAZING) had started her shift at 11:00 AM and was scheduled to work until 11:00 PM. I wanted so bad for Abby to come before 11:00! I started pushing at 10:18. At about 10:30 Dr. Pranger assured me he thought we could get this girl born before midnight. Pushing was nothing like I ever imagined. Let's just say the epidural was fantastic. I truly enjoyed that part of labor, as Mark was holding one of my legs, watching, and our parents were in the room. I pushed for 30 minutes- as Abigail Sue came at 10:48 PM. She was 6lb. 5.2 oz and 20 1/4 inches long. What a miracle and what a day.
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| Max and Abby were born the same day! |
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| Our amazing nurse Lisa! |
We love our sweet Abby Sue and love this new journey we are on. Seriously, what was life like before her? I love watching her sleep, her sweet faces, seeing her eyes roll to the back of her head while she is resting peacefully, the little grins that come across her face, her scrunched up "burp" face, the list could go on. I already don't want my little peanut to grow up!
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