Sorry to have left y'all hanging on the last post... I just didn't want the post to get too long so I figured I'd split it into three but since I've taken so long I'm just putting the rest of it into this one post. Get ready for a novel!

I'd have posted much sooner but things have been crazy around here! Poor Violet has some serious acid reflux and cries so much, sometimes inconsolably for hours. She's on a medication for it and even had an x-ray done to see if she had any problems with her GI tract. Luckily everything showed up normal, we just have to wait out the med for it to work.. More on that later though.

Read Part 1 here.

So continuing...Tuesday, February 28th
By this time it was around 1:30 and we were on our way to Labor & Delivery so they could continue to monitor Violet's heart rate. They were expecting me in triage so when we arrived they immediately took me back to change and set me up on the monitors. I was still crazy nervous about baby girl's heart rate but at the same time I knew deep down that I would definitely be meeting her today and that part was just SO exciting!! My mother's intuition had helped me get us to the doctor that day and my intuition again told me Violet was going to be just fine! We called our parents to let them know what was going on and to prepare them just in case they needed to come to the hospital soon!

My L&D nurse, Michelle was so awesome (why didn't I think of taking pictures of any of my nurses?! Ugh. I could kick myself for that) and continued checking the monitors and reassuring me that everything was ok. She told us too she was sure the baby would be born today but of course would be leaving that decision to my OB. By 2:30 Dr. O showed up and I was so relieved to see her because I knew she'd have a plan. She was her usual laid back self when she came in but Ronnie and I totally knew what she was going to say before she said it: c-section.

Dr. O felt that since I was not dilated at my last appointment that there was no way I had made that much progress by today. Her biggest concern was that Violet was in so much distress that she wanted to get her out and not put her through a long labor by inducing me. So c-section it was. Ronnie and I already expected her to say that so we were prepared. I seriously had no qualms about it. I just wanted Violet here safe and sound!

It was about 2:45 by this time and Dr. O told Michelle to get us set up and ready for the surgery! We made sure the grandparents were on their way, the camera was ready and Ronnie and I just did a whole lot of (slight) freaking out and cracking nervous jokes.

 

The daddy to be in the hallway outside the OR where they were prepping me. I love this pic!

They had pretty much just cut me open right here but of course I didn't feel a thing so I was feeling good! It wasn't until later that I felt some incredible pressure and tugging and got pretty nauseous. Good thing I had an amazing anesthesiologist and Ronnie by my side, they were on top of things, always asking how I felt!

Two minutes after they cut me open, Violet was here!!! (We have pictures of when they first pulled her out but I thought I'd save you from that gore ;)

Unfortunately she had passed her first stool (meconium) inside the womb so she had inhaled it which was a big issue and on top of it, her cord was wrapped around her neck so nurses and a neonatologist rushed in to suck all the yucky stuff out of her and to get her breathing properly. She had basically come out the color violet and needed oxygen. Everything they did took about 10 minutes and I still had yet to see her. All I could see was this and all I could hear was a bunch of low talking. Scariest 10 minutes ever.

I kept asking Ronnie what they were doing and he would tell me and then assure me that she was ok. Poor baby, I could hear her muffled cries under the oxygen mask. I was just incredibly worried the entire time - I just wanted to see her!

But I finally got to meet her a few minutes later and it was perfect. I swear she was smiling at me ;) I got to kiss her a couple times and they whisked her off to the NICU.

Unfortunately Ronnie and I didn't get to take that typical new family picture just the 3 of us which makes me sad but I know it was way more important to get her to the NICU quickly. It took a few hours for my anesthesia to totally wear off so I was laid up in my room unable to move. That sucked. When I finally got feeling back, I was having the worst contractions ever. The nurses told me this was normal but it freaked me out. So after some sleep and getting to where I could finally get out of bed, I was able to visit my girl in the NICU. It was already close to 3 am the next day. I hate that I had to go that long without seeing her but Ronnie and our parents got to visit her a lot that first night so at least she had her family with her :)

 

I didn't get to hold her until maybe a full 24 hours later, that part was rough. I hated not snuggling her. When I finally did get to hold her though, I was SO nervous!! She was just so teeny and fragile. I was glad most of her tubes had been taken out so it was a sign she was slowly but surely getting better. The moment I held her was just amazing and it was worth the long wait! I was so excited that my milk had already come in so I got to at least bottle feed her. It was perfect.

I was discharged from the hospital on Friday, March 2nd which was pretty funny because that was the day I was scheduled to be induced! They even called me on Thursday to verify that I would be coming to the hospital that night - the lady was shocked when I told her I had already had the baby 2 days before. ha! 

Violet however needed to stay in the NICU for one whole week while on a week long dose of antibiotics to clear up her infection, most likely from the meconium she had inhaled in the womb. Having her stay there was torture for us but in a way it was a blessing in disguise.  First, I was able to go home and actually rest which helped me heal from my c-section super quickly. And second, ask any parent of a NICU baby and they'll tell you that the NICU is kind of a mini baby boot camp - you learn SO much! Our NICU nurses were amazing and every time we visited Violet they had us do all the checking of her vitals, changing her diaper, cleaning her umbilical cord, bathing her, changing her clothes and of course, the feedings. They really taught us a lot and we grew really comfortable with taking care of our fragile little baby (while under the watchful eye of our helpful nurses!). We're grateful for that week because they took such good care of her and got her totally healthy! We felt much more prepared for bringing her home the next week!

Thanks for reading! Next time I'll post more on her time in the NICU! and catch y'all up on some pictures ;)

Updated to add NICU Story.

Violet's Birth Story - Part 1

Things are hectic in our household lately! As people always say, babies get their days and nights mixed up and Violet is definitely mixed up. Today she is 2 weeks and 1 day old and fussiness and all, she is the most precious thing in the entire world. She has turned our lives upside down in the best way ever. Functioning on little sleep is hard but well worth it. We're taking her to her first pediatrician appointment today and I can't believe what a big girl she is becoming each day. It's about time I start to tell y'all her birth story :)

It all started on Sunday, February 26th, my due date. My parents invited Ronnie and I over for a BBQ in celebration of Violet's impending arrival. Up until that night, I'd been set on the fact that I would end up being induced, as scheduled for Friday, March 2nd. Before leaving my parents' though, I made a potty stop and stood up with some horrible cramps. This got me thinking that maybe I was wrong, this baby might be coming sooner than I thought!! That night I got very little sleep and had some weird pains which I would find out two days later were actually contractions!

The next day, Monday, Feb. 27th (also our 6th anniversary of dating!!) I called into work because Ronnie's car had broken down and he needed to take my car to school. He thought Violet would be here soon too so he knew he couldn't miss school in case he needed to miss other days that week. When I called in, I knew my boss was slightly irritated (he's never been understanding!) but I didn't care. It wasn't just about the car - I had awful back pain, pressure so bad I could barely walk and I was just about done. That day for sure made me think that Violet would be coming sooner than Friday! Before Ronnie left that morning I told him, "This is the first time I can say I am officially DONE with being pregnant."

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

I went into work despite all the pain I was feeling. Since I was now convinced that Violet would be coming soon, I wanted to be sure that I tied up all loose ends at work. Ronnie was off school so he drove me to work, after a stop to McDonald's (my pregnancy breakfast staple!). I had a big glass of cold orange juice with breakfast and it hit me around 10:30am that despite drinking it I hadn't felt any movement from Violet. I tried not to freak myself out but I just knew something was off. I gave it some time, moved my belly around and talked to her trying to get some action. I felt one kick but it wasn't enough. I continued to work though and thought I'd just give her some time. An hour later I still felt nothing so I drank some cold bottled water to try and get a reaction. Nothing...Cue the freak out. 

I immediately called my OB's office and  explained the situation to the nurse. After putting me on hold for what seemed like forever, she came back on the line and said that they wanted me to come in asap so they could monitor the baby. Knowing I had to wait for Ronnie to pick me up, she said to be there by 12:30.

Ronnie knew something was up because when I called him to come pick me up, he was ready for it! He had showered, taken care of some errands and was ready to come get me. At 12 on the dot, he showed up to my work and I tell all my co-workers that I'll see them in 6 weeks. I just KNEW Violet was coming. Again, Ronnie was prepared because he had loaded our bags and the car seat in the car  :) We made it to the doctor's office at 12:30 and on the elevator ride up, Ronnie and I talked about this possibly being our last time together as non parentals. It was a crazy thought but we took a "last" picture just the two of us just in case ;)

Once we got in the doctor's office, I was immediately hooked up to a heart monitor. My OB's nurse Amanda is so amazing and totally calmed my nerves when we got there. Even after seeing how high Violet's heart rate was, she didn't act like it was an emergency so Ronnie and I stayed calm and enjoyed just laughing and talking in that room while I was monitored.

Amanda came in a couple times to check on the monitors and after telling her I still felt no movement, she gave me cold water and some chocolate candy to try and get Violet to move. I felt maybe one slight kick but it wasn't enough. She said Violet's heart rate should be fluctuating and not staying so consistently high so that was definitely a cause for concern. All throughout, I was getting those same cramps but the nurse said the monitor wasn't picking up any contractions so she wasn't sure what the cramps were. Since my OB, Dr. O, was at the hospital, the nurse called in Dr. K to come check on me. He was a nice older man and after watching the monitor, he said the same thing the nurse had except this time he said that I was definitely having contractions. I guess I do have a high pain tolerance because they didn't feel as painful as I thought they would be. I never even thought they could be contractions! Dr. K made me feel my belly at the same time I felt the "cramps" and said "Don't you feel that tightening in your belly?". I did and immediately felt stupid for not knowing they were contractions all along! ha. He didn't seem overly concerned but decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to continue to be monitored. He told us "I can't say for sure what Dr. O will say but there's a good chance you might have this baby today!".

Luckily the hospital is attached to the office building so it would take us just a couple minutes to get over to L&D. We were shocked, excited and definitely nervous. We walked over, tightly holding hands and even getting a little teary eyed. (Ok, I think I full on started crying.) I was so scared for Violet's safety and I was nervous about being induced much earlier than I had mentally prepared for. We talked about how perfect our girl was going to be and how we couldn't wait to be parents soon. But we weren't prepared for just how soon we would be meeting her...

updated to add:

• Part 2 
• NICU Story