Sadie's Birth Story

Sadie's birthday caught me a little by surprise. She came a week before her due date and I guess I felt a little unprepared. Wednesday, February 5, I went to my regular check up with my ob. I was dilated 2-3 cm. and about 60% effaced. It was a snow day for the kids so we picked up the kids from a friend's house and headed home. I spent the day doing laundry and general house upkeep. All day I felt like baby had dropped. At dinner that evening I had a couple of contractions that caught my attention because they happened in a not so typical place/location. I had been having contractions for weeks, but they usually came when I was seated in a reclined position - like relaxing on the couch at the end of the day. We put the kids to bed and I continued contracting regularly but quite far apart all evening. I took a shower and they stalled out. Around 10:30 I decided to go to bed. I never slept. The contractions were coming about 20 minutes apart and were strong enough to prevent sleep. Matt says I fell asleep once between contractions. I got out of bed around two and tried walking around the house - the contractions once again stalled out. I sat in our rocker for a few hours and they picked up to around 10 minutes apart and were strong enough that I couldn't talk through them. Matt  got up and decided to call our doula and my mom and his dad to start them moving. My doula arrived around 4 a.m. and we spent the next few hours trying to get the contractions more regular and consistent. I would get in a good rhythm and then change positions and they would slow way down again. Finally around 7 a.m. they were down to five minutes apart, strong, and consistent so we headed to the hospital. I got checked in - I was now dilated to a 5/6. This was really happening today.

My labor was drastically different from my previous three. My labor with Hailey was so long, but it built steadily. Micah and Mariana were both inductions so I had pitocin pushing things along. Those labors were so hard but relatively fast (especially Mari's). This time I was all natural and my water was still intact. Each contraction was intense but less intense than I had previously remembered. I was just so tired from being up all night and at times the contractions would just slow way down again. I finally started feeling the need to push, but again, it was not nearly as intense a pressure as I had known before. My doula said it was in part because my water was still intact. The checked me and it was all systems go...I was surprised a little, they broke my water and I started pushing. Of course the change in position stalled out my contractions a bit and I struggled to work with my body. But Miss Sadie was born at 10:54 a.m. on February 6, 2014.

 

They put her up on my chest right after she was born and I just remember that she looked exactly like Mari looked when she was born. Everyone agreed. They took all of her measurements and then we got her nursing. She took to it very readily and hasn't stopped since.

Unfortunately things got a little rough for me after this. If you don't like blood stories, skip this paragraph.  My nurse kept coming in to press on my stomach/uterus. She kept saying it felt nice and tight like it was supposed to but I was still bleeding way too much. I had moderate to heavy bleeding for the next few hours that was not letting up. The doctor who delivered Sadie was in to check on me once. She came back about three in the afternoon with a new plan. They suspected I had a blood clot stuck in my uterus and they needed to get it out. They were right. I'll spare you the details but it was a very unpleasant experience - and one I did unmedicated because Hailey, Micah, and Mari were due to arrive shortly. However after the procedure, my bleeding slowed down to normal. Apparently in order to flush out the clot my body was just throwing blood at it - only it wasn't washing out.

Finally at 4:00 I was able to eat - something I hadn't done since 4 a.m. But with visitors I still couldn't sleep. The kids came to meet their new sister. Matt had called Hailey at school right after Sadie was born to let her know she had a baby sister. They were all more than excited to hold her.

 

 

 

We are so thankful to God for His great mercy and for the wonderful gift of new life in Miss Sadie Leann!