Friday, August 9, 2013

Sayde's Birth

Sayde Grace
7 lbs. 3 oz.
21 3/4 in. long
   
     
     Sayde was five days overdue before labor began. An induction date had already been scheduled in advance for the next week, but I was praying that I wouldn't have to do that and that she would be a natural labor and birth process...and that is what happened! God answered our prayers.
     Five days after her due date, contractions started random over the whole day. That evening we called my in-laws, Jeremy's parents, just to let them know that something had started and that they could probably wait until morning to come into Rochester to be with our two kiddos, so we could go in to the hospital. Jeremy's dad hung up saying they would talk about it, but then called back shortly to say they were on the way that night...third babies can be much faster than the ones before. By midnight when they arrived and in a period of 20 minutes, the contractions suddenly became real labor contractions and were closer together than what was advised for me to come in for since I was attempting a vaginal birth after having had a cesearean with Hudson. We called into the hospital ahead of time and told them we were on our way.
     When we got there all the rooms were in use or in need of cleaning, so we were told to wait in the family waiting room until one was made available. No one else was in there at the time. The ending of the movie Dirty Dancing was playing on the TV and by the time that was over we were brought to a room. Jeremy was joking about how I still had to make him watch that movie sometime, but I wasn't paying much attention! Next I met my midwife who was on duty that night and liked her immediately. She was a positive person and confident not only in herself but also in my ability to give birth to a happy, healthy baby girl.
     Back in the birthing room, I was able to try all kinds of non-medicated pain management. I sat on an exercise ball, got into a big bathtub that was in the room, sniffed essential oils that helped with nausea, and learned how to breath and "sway" during the contraction while the midwife or nurse held me. These all helped alot! Standing up and walking around made a huge difference, though being up all night I was so tired. In previous births I had an epidural, pitocin, and all the major medical interventions. Sayde's birth was by far the more comfortable experience overall. The only thing I wish I had been more prepared for, what was the most uncomfortable and painful, was the breathing through contractions. When my mom had babies in the 70's she went to lamaze classes with my dad and learned all about how to breath during labor. Being an athlete of some sort and running marathons does not prepare a person for the type of breathing and strength needed to birth a baby! Thankfully my midwife could tell me how and I made it through that 3 1/2 hours.. the fastest labor ever for me.
     Around 5:00 am or later baby's heart rate began to show distress on the monitor, much like Hudson's had, and a group of OB doctors and residents came into the room. I knew from experience this was not good. I was told I would need to push baby out very quickly in order to avoid another c-section. That motivated me to push her out. The OB doctor saw her head descending and walked away saying, "she's gonna have a baby!"...A very pink, healthy and crying Sayde Grace was born at 5:25 am. I was able to hold her immediately while my midwife took care of other things. After I had delivered the placenta she showed me that along with the umbilical cord...there was some part of it that may have been wrapped around her after her water sac broke and causing the heart rate trouble. A similar thing had happened with Hudson. I am so thankful that my third baby was delivered by a midwife, a successful VBAC. This was not an easy birth, but with God He made it possible and involved the right people at the right time to help.
     We had Sayde's name picked out months in advance and after we saw her we knew that it was right for her.  It is an English name and more traditionally known as "Sadie." It has the same meaning as my sister Sarah's name, "Princess," and we came up with our own spelling of it because we thought it was prettier. She is our little lady. Since it was kind of a stressful birth it took a couple days before she began to latch on, nurse well, and sleep better for small stretches of time. She is now starting to fill out and gain weight, look around at our faces and listen to all the sounds in our household. It's a new experience to have a newborn in the home with two other loud/active children to entertain her. Hudson and Annalise love their baby sister. We're so proud of how gentle and loving they have been toward her.





Sayde and Harper - Baby cousins only one week apart in age!


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