Sadie's Arrival (long post)

Madeline Sadie arrived into a flurry of activity. Inside of me, she was a super active baby - constantly on the move. On the morning of Sept 4 (Labor Day) my contractions began. I didn't think I was really in labor at first - they were sporatic, and she was kicking like heck each time they happened. I'd always heard that babies get quiet. Not this one!

Around 9:00 I woke up Jason - they were about 6 minutes apart. He got up and got ready, and the contractions got wierd - some hurt, some were like Braxton Hicks, none were at any sort of pattern. At 10:00 or so I called the Dr to see what was up. My OB wasn't on call - the one who was said I most likely was in labor, taht I could go in and get checked, or I could wait at home a while hoping they get regular. I chose to stay home where I was comfortable and asked mom and dad to come get Katie so that we could be ready to go when needed. I had planned that the minutre they became regular we would leave - I was GBS (strep B) positive, so needed to be at the hospital in plenty of time to receive antibiotics so that it wouldn't affect the baby.

At 4:00, Jas and I decided enough was enough - the contractions were anywhere from 3-20 minutes apart, but strengthening beyond the "oh ouch" stage. So we went in. I had a great contraction in the parking lot as we walked in. We got in, they checked me, and I hadn't progressed - I was still 1 cm, barely effaced. They watched me for 3 hours, and I only had 3 contractions. Of the 3, only one was a little bit painful. At the end of 3 hours (around 8 pm), they sent me home - I was still 1 cm.

We got in the car and headed to Moe's, figuring Mexican food is what brought Katie around, so it was worth a shot. At about 8:30 pm we got to Moe's and as I got out of the truck, a huge contraction hit. I was PO'd to say the least, but we went in and got food while another hit. We got home and I tried to make it through half a burrito as the contractions became regular. They got down to 5 minutes apart, and I decided to go to bed. They hurt, and I was gettting cranky. I needed some sleep. I managed to get upstairs, adn they started coming 4 minutes apart consistently. And they hurt like all hell. I got even crankier. I didn't know what to do. I hadn't progressed as of 2 hours before. I thought we had lots of time. I started trying to get ready to call the dr and go back to the hospital as the pain increased and the down time between contractions decreased to a minute or so. It all started happening so fast that I just finally told Jas to load the car and help me get out - it was too much for me.

Along the way I told him to speed. Of course there was traffic. Thank the gods we only live 5 minutes from the hospital. We got there and had to go in through the ER - it was about 10:10. Jason left the truck in front of the ER entrance, grabbed a wheelchair and we sped through the halls looking for Labor and Delivery. Of course the hospital was vacant and there was no one to ask which way to go from where we were. The ER receptionist was oh so helpful (she asked me if I was in labor during one of my contractions - I said yes (an idiot born every minute), and she said again (because apparantly she couldn't hear) and I yelled, yes - please help me!! and she got an attitude and said "go to the third floor", not explaining where. She is on my do-not-like list.)

We made it into Labor and Delivery and they buzzed us on back to a delivery room at 10:17. The same nurse who had released me earlier (Cheryl-Ann) helped me into bed as I screamed that I wanted drugs immediately. She calmly told me she had to check me first - she did immediately adn I was 9 cm! The room became a flurry of activity - people running in and out, my legs going up in the air, the contractions hitting and the urge to push overwhelming. I had to wait through a couple and try not to push - then the Dr on call told me I could go ahead. I pushed but got swallowed in the pain, I pushed again and her head came out... again, and her shoulders followed by the rest of her. She cried softly immediately and I was so relieved - Katie had had her cord so tightly around her neck that she was a 3 on the Apgar scale, so I was so happy. The baby would be fine. But then they took her immediately away.

I watched as they started suctioning. I asked if she was ok, and all the nurses hovering said yes. But she wasn't pinking up. Even I could see it. She cried a bit, though, so I thought it was ok. They kept suctioning. Finally, they brought her to me for 30-60 seconds and placed her on me. She was so beautiful. She was completely swaddled, and all I can remember is her little mouth was like Katie's, eyebrows like her daddy's, a round face like me and tons of dark hair. Then she was gone.

They told me they were taking her to the NICU to get her on oxygen and pink her up. I accepted this without another thought, except that I hadn't had time to get the antibiotics I needed, and I was scared she was at risk for a GBS-related illness (pneumonia most likely).

When they took our newest member of the family from my arms, the room cleared immediately. It was weird to be alone in a room after the tornado of activity. There’s nothing stranger than being pregnant one minute, surrounded by people and having the baby and everyone gone the next. I remember laying there in shock, my mind completely numb, trying to process what was happening.

Two hours passed with no word. My parents arrived with Katie and Jason's parents arrived. We laughed and talked. I got a couple of percocets and a motrin and began to feel human again. Katie was such a good girl, hugging and loving on me, telling me everything was ok and she couldn't wait to meet her sister. We talked about the name a bit - Jas and I still weren't sure. And we waited.