Announcing. . .

Nora Pearl Ertl. Our newest little sweet pea was born Saturday, June 28th at 2:03 am. She weighed in at 8 lbs., 6.7 oz. and was 20.75 inches long.

To those who are interested in all the details, here goes (be forewarned, there is talk of labor and delivery ahead):

I started having back pain around 2:30pm on Friday, June 27th. I figured it was normal pregnancy related aches and pains, so I didn't think too much of it. Less than three hours later, I was in so much pain I could hardly walk, but I wasn't having timeable contractions, so I didn't think that I was in labor. We were supposed to go have supper at Mike's aunt and uncle's house, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat, nor would I be good company - so we called and cancelled our plans with them and I called my midwife at 5:51pm. I had to call through the office answering service, and I'm pretty sure that the guy was laughing at me - I know that I didn't sound as though I was in labor, but I didn't know what else it could possibly be. At the end of the call, before he called the midwife, he said, "And you think you are in labor?!?" I said that I honestly didn't know what was going on, but my instructions from the hospital said to call if you are in constant pain, and I was definitely in constant pain. My midwife advised me to go to the hospital to get checked, so Mike's mom came to get Aayla - who I had to hobble to the car to kiss good-bye because in my foggy state I almost forgot - then we were off to the hospital.

Now, most people are somewhat prepared to head to the hospital as their due date approaches, but I am not most people. I fully expected Nora to be late and that I still had plenty of time to pack my bag and prepare for my hospital stay, but that was not the way it worked out. I was in too much pain to pack or even care if anything was packed, but you really don't need too much at the hospital, so I wasn't too worried.

When we got to the hospital (6:47pm), we checked in at the ER and they got me a wheelchair and took me to the Birth Center to Triage rm 1. They monitored me there for a while - they found that I had a fever over 100' and that Nora's heart rate was over 200bpm. This obviously was not good news - my midwife headed right to the hospital, on her way calling the on-call OB doctor "just in case." I was admitted at 8:00pm. Knowing that the on-call OB was coming in scared me pretty badly. I knew just how this birth was supposed to go, and having him on stand-by (very nice man though he his), was not in my birth plan.

I was on constant external fetal monitor and given Tylenol to bring down my temperature. Given two antibiotics and oxygen at 8:45pm as well as having blood drawn to determine the cause of my temperature. No cause was ever found, but after all of these interventions, my temperature did come down, my back pain went away, and Nora's heart rate dropped into the acceptable range (130-150bmp). They kept me on monitors, but I was able to walk around and labor in the tub, so all was acceptable in the world. My contractions were regular, 4 minutes apart - but they weren't doing anything.

Around midnight, my midwife suggested that maybe we should consider breaking my water. She had done this with Aayla, and it was incredibly painful, so I wasn't too sure. She made the point that if we didn't speed things up a little, I would be even more tired and less able to deal with painful transition when it came - so we decided it would be best to do it. It seems the high heart rate wasn't the only sign that Nora was distressed, there was plenty of meconium in the amniotic fluid too. So, the on-call pediatrician was called and notified that she would need to be at the hospital when I delivered.

As with Aayla, breaking my water was the impetus my body needed to REALLY get labor moving. In two hours, I was ready to push - I think it came faster than everyone expected, because my midwife told me to wait if I could, the on-call pediatrician was still on her way. I don't know how anyone is able to not push at that point. In Lamaze they tell you to pant through the contractions, blow in short repeated bursts, etc. - but it's not the contractions. My body was pushing her out whether I was ready or not, and there was no stopping it! Nora was born after 7 short minutes of pushing (which in the moment felt like forever)at 2:03am, then she was wisked away to be worked over.

They worked on her for probably 30-45 minutes before I could have her since she had swallowed alot of meconium and they had to keep suctioning her out. Then I got to hold my precious babe for about 5 minutes and try unsuccessfully to nurse her, and they took her again. I really don't know how long they worked the second time, because I was so dozey (I was put on pitocin and some other medication after her birth to stop the bleeding), and I just could not even think straight any more. When they were done with her, Mike got to give her a bottle (never thought I would be OK with a bottle in the hospital, but it was to be her only one - she hasn't had one since), then she was taken to the nursery so that we could rest.

At 4am I was on my call button asking for my baby back - I had rested enough, and I was ready to see my sweetie. I think that is my favorite part after birth - everyone else is asleep and it's quiet and I get to acquaint myself with this new little person for as long as I want with almost no interruptions.

More pictures to come , but for now I have two kiddos who need mommy.