It's a Wonderful Wold!: Harper's Birth Story Part 2

I was given a drug called Cervidil internally to begin labor. The doctor said I would feel mild cramping or nothing at all. Well, he was wrong. I had mild contractions every 3 minutes all night long. Good thing my mom was staying the night with me. She really helped me feel better.

In the morning they started me on Pitocin to speed things up. The doctor really wanted Harper to be delivered vaginally because it is a lot healthier for the baby. I labored all day long. My mom told me I did really well. I just breathed through everything and when people were too loud in the room or would start talking to me I would just hold up my finger asking them to wait a minute and breathe right through the contraction. I would say my pain level got to a 7 before I asked for an epidural in the evening. However, things changed very quickly again. Dr. McGee came back in to check on me and I started bleeding really bad. They tried to insert an internal monitor to monitor Harper but by then I was bleeding too bad and he said it was time for a C section. There were 2 other moms who were scheduled for C sections also but I was bleeding too much so I went first. Everything happened so quickly and since I was still on all the drugs I couldn't really comprehend everything that was happening. I remember the nurses coming in to prep me and wheeling me to the operating room. I saw my mom as I went down the hallway. I also remember the anesthesiologist talking to me about getting my epidural. The doctors and nurses were fabulous at keeping me calm.

Next thing I knew Tal came in all dressed in his scrubs and they got going. Before I knew it we heard crying and Harper Lily was born at 8:59 pm on September 20. She weighed 3 pounds 15 ounces and was 17.5 inches long. All of the doctors and nurses loved her feisty attitude. She never had to be on a respirator and although she was really small, she was okay. Tal was amazing through everything and immediately started taking care of Harper while she was in the NICU and I was still recovering.

I remember while they were stitching me back up the doctors and nurses were talking about playing the game "Mother May I." They were having a grand ole time in there laughing away. I also remember starting to shake uncontrollably and I was really cold. While Tal was with Harper my mom came in to the recovery room with me. I shook the whole time. It was the weirdest feeling. I was pretty wiped out after that. I don't really remember much else of the evening.

I didn't get to see Harper until the next evening because I was still on the anti-seizure drugs. It was absolutely the best feeling in the world when I finally got to hold her. She was just so little but absolutely adorable and precious. Definitely love at first sight for me.

Harper had to spend 2 1/2 weeks in the NICU. I spent everyday with her and would come home and sleep at night. Tal had to go back to teaching but would come to the hospital every evening for ou little family time. Again, the nurses and doctors were amazing and took wonderful care of her. They taught us how to take care of our little one. She had to have a feeding tube for a couple of weeks but then really took off and started breast and bottle feeding.

Here are a couple of pictures of us giving her a bath in the NICU the night before we brought her home.