Dear Claire,
While you are only 2 weeks old, someday you might want to know how you entered this world. So before mommy brain completely takes over we wanted to write down your story. We could sum it up in two words “not easily”, but we thought you might want to have a few more details.
Your due date was Friday, February 11 and although we thought you may be late, we secretly hoped you would arrive on time. Early Friday morning mom started having mild contractions coming every 20 minutes apart. We were cautiously optimistic that these contractions were not Braxton-Hicks and you would be making your arrival sometime that weekend. Friday afternoon, mom’s doctor ordered an ultrasound and a non-stress test to monitor your heart-rate. We patiently watched the monitor as it recorded your heart rate and started picking up mom’s contractions. After that we went for an ultrasound, we hadn’t had one since we found out you were a girl in October. You were sucking on your toes; it was adorable. The ultrasound tech estimated your weight at 7lbs 6ozs, give or take a pound. We were surprised by the weight estimate; we assumed your weight would be in the mid 8’s. Mom’s doctor checked her dilation, which was still 1cm, same as the last couple of weeks. We left the hospital hopefully that we would back that night or early the next morning.
By Friday night mom’s contractions had increased to 10-15 minutes apart. While not too painful, the contractions kept mom up all night and in turn dad was up all night as well. By Saturday morning mom’s contractions were 10-12 minutes apart. We thought for sure we would be at the hospital by early evening. By dinner time that night, the pain was intensifying to real discomfort but the frequency had only increased to every 7-10 minutes apart. The doctor's instructions were to go to the hospital when contractions reached 3-4 minutes apart for about an hour. As we were approaching late evening mom’s contractions were 5-7 minutes apart and the pain was growing in intensity. Mom and dad were getting very tired and knew that this would be another sleepless night. Mom was unsure about going to the hospital since the contractions were not 3-4 minutes apart; despite Dad’s best effort to fudge the math. Mom worried they would send us home. Dad convinced mom that going to the hospital was a good idea, just to get checked out. So around 11:00pm on February 12 we went to the hospital. To our delight, mom was 5cm dilated, all the waiting over the last nine months was finally coming to an end. Around 1:00am mom got an the epidural, which made everything much better. :)
We tried to get some sleep but were too excited to get any real rest. At 3:45am mom’s water broke. We thought for sure this was a positive sign and that things would start progressing. At 6:30am, the nurse checked mom - only 6cm dilated. At that time they gave mom pitocin to increase contractions. That was an intense hour; the contractions were coming faster and faster. Although mom had an epidural you were resting on my sciatic nerve (the nerve that runs from your lower back down your leg). The epidural does not help this type of pain, as we unfortunately found out. Each contraction would send shooting pains down mom’s back and into her left leg. Dad massaged mom’s back with each contraction. By 7:30am mom was fully dilated and exhausted, and dad had been on his feet rubbing mom’s back since midnight. The lack of sleep and back pain had finally caught up with mom. The nurse instructed mom to start pushing when she felt the urge. Mom’s epidural had interfered with the urge to push, so the nurse told us she would have to turn off the epidural. Mom was panicked by this decision, but we knew it was necessary to meet you. The first hour of pushing was not very productive; mom had a hard time getting in to the rhythm of pushing. By hour number two things had improved, mom got into a rhythm, but you weren’t moving very fast. Mom asked dad about 50 times if he could see your head with each push. By hour number three, mom was completely spent but still determined, despite pleas for a c-section every third contraction. At 10:15am we were far enough along for the doctor to come in and the warming tray to be brought out. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Mom mustered all her strength to push you out the remaining way. After 3 hours and 4 minutes of pushing, Claire Rose was born.
The doctor laid you on mom’s chest. We couldn’t believe how adorable you were all pink and chubby. The first thing the doctor’s asked us was: ‘How big did the ultrasound tech say she would be?’ In unison we replied “7lbs. 6ozs, Why?” The nurse asked: “Did you have the ultrasound performed here?” Again in unison “Yes” After they cleaned you up, the nurse put you on the scale, and “9” popped on the screen. We were shocked, 9lbs even. We thought you would be in the mid-eights, but 9lbs?!?!?! After cleaning you up they gave you back to us, and dad held you for the first time while the doctor tended to mom. You scored on 9 on the Apgar scale, dad was hoping for a 10 but your body temp was a little low. We got to spend the next hour getting to know you. Something tells us you may be hearing this story one or two times during your teenage years. We wanted to write it down so we didn’t forget any details of you.
Love,
Mom & Dad
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