Olivia Dell

since it's already been 18 days since my child has entered this world, i figure i best write out her birth story before i forget much more of it.  i will start off by saying that i had an amazing labor and delivery, and would totally do it again (not ready for another child now, if ever- but it was quite pleasant, if i do say so myself)!

my 40 week doctor appointment found me already 2 days over due, with not much progression in dilating or effacement. so my dr. scheduled me for a fetal non-stress test (NST) on Monday, February 25th. of course i was hoping i would never make the appointment and i thought i came pretty close. on the Sunday before, i started having painful contractions when i made my sister go for a walk with me. they continued when we went to the Irvine Spectrum, and then through dinner with my dad and stepmom. the drive home was awful and i didn't know how i was going to make it. i vowed to get in the bathtub as soon as i got home. well, it worked a little better than i thought because my contractions stopped as soon as i did and they never came back!

so, on Monday, i joined the slew of other women at the fetal testing center for my NST. it wasn't painful, and it was quite nice to hear LW's heartbeat for 20 minutes, followed up by an ultrasound. everything still looked good and she was very healthy.

i had a follow up appointment with my OB on Tuesday to go over anything that may have showed up during the NST (which there hadn't) and to talk about induction. After a quick cervical check that demonstrated no change, my dr. inquired about my feelings for inducing- to which i was very supportive of. before i knew it, i was scheduled for induction in less than 24 hours, and needed to report to the hospital at 5am! dave and i decided on a nice "last supper" at Morton's (my favorite steak house) that night before we greeted our wee babe.

we tried to get to bed early, seeing as how we needed to get to the hospital around 4:45, so hit the hay at 8:30. i was woken up at 11pm with contractions that, of course, wouldn't quit. what the heck!? all i needed to do was schedule an induction to go into labor? sign me up. i laid on the couch watching TV for 2 hours timing them to see if they were real, and when they started coming on 3 minutes apart, i woke up Dave. we took showers and headed to the hospital! i knew they couldn't turn me away, even if i wasn't dilating.

because i arrived in active labor, i wasn't technically an induction and they had to contact the doctor to get new orders. i still was only 1 CM so they hooked me up to pitocin to augment my labor and get a good pattern going.  i labored without meds from about 3:30-7:00am, at which point my nurse asked if i wanted an epidural. for some reason i thought you had to be at least 4CM before they would let you get one, so i was shocked. she told me i could wait, but that the anesthesiologist had a C-section at 7:30, so that if i wanted one before 9am, i should get it then. DONE. the contractions weren't unbearable yet, but why did i need to experience it? meh. the epidural was fabulous and within 45 minutes of getting it, i dilated to a 5!

my doctor came in around 8 and broke my water. she said i had meconium, which meant LW had already gone #2 in utero. she said it was good i was in labor and that we would definitely meet the wee babe that day to ensure she was safe and healthy. i labored painlessly all day and around 3pm i was 10CM and almost completely effaced. at this point, my right leg was completely numb- i couldn't even lift it without assistance. throughout the day, the nurses had been monitoring LW's responses to contractions and i wore an oxygen mask off an on. i didn't mind because it seemed to help her handle them better. they had me flip back and forth laying on my sides to also keep things progressing. i also had an intrauterine monitor inserted onto LW's head so they could better monitor how she was handling everything. all in all, i had a slew of tubes and cords attached to me that day.

my doctor came in and checked and casually mentioned that i was having a contraction and that i should push. what?! i'm not ready for this! but it wasn't that bad and somehow i impressed her with my pushing skills. i have to stop here and say my Dr. was the most amazing woman and my hero that day. she was encouraging and optimistic about my delivery, even when i assumed all along i would end up with a C-section for one reason or another. she made me feel capable and like i could do anything.

because i had meconium in my water and LW was having slight acceleration after contractions, my dr. warned me there would be a pediatrician in the room that would check out LW right after delivery. that meant i would see her for a few seconds and then they would take her a few feet away to make sure everything was ok. even though it wasn't what i had planned, i just wanted her to be ok. after maybe an hour of pushing, my dr. told me we were only a few pushes away. i couldn't believe it- this was all too surreal. i saw her whip out the scissors for an episiodomy and heard the snipping, but didn't feel anything. shortly thereafter, my dr. told me to push and then wait as LW entered the world! (semi-graphic picture below)

i couldn't believe i had just given birth and had my very own baby to show for it. after my few seconds with her, they took her away to monitor her. she was having very rapid breathing and her color was very pale. it actually got a little scary for about 10 minutes when the stupid machine kept beeping and i couldn't see anything. Dave was the ultimate dad and wouldn't leave her side as they made sure my LW was ok.

there was talk about taking her to the NICU at CHOC and then to the NICU upstairs, but before anything was finalized, LW surprised everyone and "recovered." they decided just to take her to the transitional nursery and monitor her for a few hours. before they took her, we got to spend our first few moments with each other. ( i love this photo and get teary eyed everytime i look at it. i love the look on her face).

before i knew it, they were taking her upstairs with Dave, and i was being put back together. after about an hour, they moved me upstairs to the Mother Baby Unit and i finally got to be reunited with my wee babe around 10pm. it was late, but they initially told me she would be in the nursery for 24 hours! so only being there for 5 was fine by me.

Olivia Dell Wood

February 27, 2013

Born at 4:42pm

6 pounds, 3 ounces

20 inches long

i will never forget my pregnancy or my labor and delivery. but i have to say that having my beautiful child with me is going to rock my world. she is already worth the sleepless nights and hormonal cry fests. I love you, sweet Olivia!