Kendall Elizabeth Boots Birth Story

On Friday September 6th a little after noon I started getting bad menstrual type cramps and my Back was very achy. I also had lost my mucous plug in the morning when I first got up. I have had light cramps on and off for a few days so I didn't think too much of it at first. But the cramps kept getting worse and worse. They were pretty much constant. This is how my labor usually starts so I figured that I must be going into labor. I decided to take a bath and see if that would help. It did make the cramps feel better but I was so cold in there and couldn't stop shaking. Then we started getting a bad thunderstorm with hail and lightning so I knew I should get out. As soon as I got out the pain felt even worse and I could not stop shaking. I could hardly even dress myself because I was so cold. Kevin had gone to get himself and the kids something to eat so I called him and told him I needed to go to the hospital. Kevin had to go to court at 7:00 so my sister came over to watch my kids and My mom drove me down to the hospital. They got me into a room around 6:30 and hooked me to the monitor and I told them I think I have a fever. They took my temp and it was 102. My heart rate was 113 and Kendalls heart rate was 208. They said the fever was making her heart rate so high and that they would be starting Pitocin to get her out as soon as possible. I was still dilated to 3CM and 50% effaced like I had been at my last appointment on Tuesday. The first thing they needed to do was get some blood work and then start an IV. I was so dehydrated that it was almost impossible to get the blood work. I lost count after being poked 7 times. Finally a nurse got an IV in and then someone from the lab came and she was finally able to get the blood drawn. They pumped 2 bags of IV fluid in, then started the antibiotic and Pitocin around 8:30. At around 11:00 they were going to break my water but her head was still up high at -2 and the midwife was afraid the cord might come down in front of her head so they decided to wait a little longer. Finally around 3:00 a.m. I was dialated to 4CM and they were able to break the water. I think the midwife was expecting me to go fast after that. Little did she know my babies are way too comfortable and I never have short labors. I don't remember exactly when they started the Epidural but It was so painful when she put it in. I have never had one hurt going in before. She actually had to poke me twice because she didn't get it the first time. Then after it was in my right hip was hurting for about 5 minutes. Finally it started working right and I felt great. At around 4:30 I was starting to feel some pressure and realized my left leg was no longer numb. They checked me again and I was only at 5CM and 70% effaced.  I was comfortable enough to rest a little bit on and off. Around 5:20 I was starting to feel a horrible amount of pain and asked them to check me again. It was very depressing because I was still only 5CM and 70%. I asked the nurse if there was some way to turn up the epidural. They had me roll over to my left side.  She gave me a button to push for the Epidural but it literally did nothing. I was feeling like I was splitting in half by this point. About 15 minutes later they could tell I was about to jump out of the bed in pain and the Midwife told the nurse to Check me again just to see if something was going on. I was Fully dilated and her head was coming down. I could not even believe I had dilated the last 5CM in only 15 minutes after taking hours to go from 3 to 5. They got everything set up. I pushed about 1 1/2 times before the midwife yelled "whoa not so fast Stop pushing!" but my body just pushed her out while the midwife was unwrapping the cord from around her neck. She put her on me and Kevin cut her cord. Then the NICU had to check her out in my room. Then they let me hold her for a couple more minutes to get pictures and they took her down to the NICU.
She was born on September 7th at 5:56 a.m. at 38 weeks 3 day. She weighs 8 pounds 9 ounces and is 20 inches long.
I had to stay in bed until the Epidural wore off. My left leg was perfectly fine and I could move it with no problem but my right leg was totally numb still. I could not lift it up at all. It was the weirdest feeling. It was a couple hours after I had her before I could get out of bed. Even then my Right was still pretty much numb so I had to kind of pivot to a wheel chair. I got washed up a little and then My nurse pushed me down to the NICU to see Kendall. Kevin and Shelly came in too. My parents had gone in to see her earlier but were not able to hold her. I was able to hold her and Nurse her. She latched on really well and drank for about 15 minutes. Then My Nurse wheeled me into my room. Everyone was exhausted so they went home to get some rest. I slept for about an hour when I got to my room. After lunch I took my shower and then they brought me a breast pump so I could pump some Milk for Kendall. The lactation consultant was so impressed with how much I got out. I was too because usually I cannot get anything out with a pump even after my supply comes in. I walked that down the the NICU for her but I could only stay about 10 minutes because I was due to get my IV antibiotic too. Poor Kendall had an IV that they had put in her arm but it would not work right so they took that out. Then they put one into her belly button and it looks so red and sore. That one also would not work right because it went toward her liver. So when I was visiting her they asked me to sign a consent for them to put in a Picc Line. She has to have antibiotics because of my Fever and how our heart rates were high when I was in Labor with her. I was able to go back over again before they started the Picc line to feed her again and I held her for about an hour. Then they sent me out so they could sedate her to put the picc line in.
The started putting the Picc line in around 5:00 and told me it would take about an hour. Kevin came back to the hospital and we waited an hour and a half and still  hadn't heard from then. I pumped another bottle and we took it over and they were still working on her so we waited in a parent room until they were done. The line still hadn't gone in as well as they hoped but they said that it will be okay for 48 hours. She was still pretty groggy from them having to sedate her so I couldn't feed her yet. It was a little after 7:00 so Kevin had to go and get the kids from my Mom.
The nurse said as long as her cultures come back okay she could possibly come home with us on Sunday afternoon. If they find some kind of infection she will have to stay for at least a week. She had a fever this morning when she was first born but since then her temp has been normal. She also had some problems with her o2 and breathing this morning but that also has gotten better. I am really praying hard that she can come home Sunday. It is hard to bond with her and nurse her over in the NICU. I feel so lonely without her.