The Bodily Bunch: Kylee Violet

Here is Kylee's birth story, my 100th post :). If you don't want to read it that's fine. I do this mostly because I need to write it down before I forget. Don't worry, there aren't any gross details in this birth story. Though I guess it depends on what you consider a "gross detail."

I was scheduled to be induced on June 14. I was sort of assuming I'd go earlier than that because Kara came on her own 11 days early, but I am glad Kylee didn't come sooner because it allowed me more time to get the house unpacked. The day before, a nurse called me to tell me how it'd work. Basically, you wait for them to call you and tell you that you can come in. You have about an hour from that point to get to the hospital. If it's really busy then you don't go in till later and I guess if it's REALLY busy you might not get a call at all. Thankfully, I got a call at 8 AM after I'd had time to shower and get ready. My mother-in-law came up to get Kara and then Trevor and I headed off to American Fork Hospital. It was a really weird feeling to be walking into the hospital to have a baby but not being in labor. With Kara I was hunched over in pain; this was so easy it almost felt unreal. We checked in, I got changed, and by 9:15 my doctor came in to break my water. I was measuring 3 1/2 cm at that point. I'd been at around 2 cm for 4 weeks prior to this point. And, during the previous night I was experiencing semi-regular contractions on and off for a couple hours. I'm glad I didn't go into labor during the night. That would've made for a miserable labor/delivery.

My nurse, Becky, was awesome. I was her only patient so she was there the entire time. She got me hooked up to everything and started my antibiotics (I was group B Strep positive). At first, I didn't really feel much. Then I felt a few dull contractions. Becky kept telling me that there was no one in front of me so the anesthesiologist could be there right away, if I chose to have an epidural. The first time she told me this I didn't think I had to rush because the contractions weren't that bad. The second time she told me this I thought, "She keeps telling me he can be here right away...maybe I should listen to her." At that point I was experiencing strong contractions so I gave the go ahead. And boy, I'm glad I did. I swear in the 10 min it took him to get to my room I was in agony. It seemed like once the bad contractions decided to start they came with a fury. This was about an hour after the doctor broke my water, by the way. The nurse checked me and said I was at a 6, then she called out the door, "She's at a 7, get the anesthesiologist in here."

So, I made it farther epidural-free with Kylee than I did with Kara. Not that that was my goal. While getting the epidural I had to try to keep myself from shaking because I was in so much pain. I have really bad back labor, which I've heard is more painful than front labor. Before the epidural kicked in I felt a ton of pressure in my bottom, though I didn't have the urge to push. I'd like to say that all was right in the world shortly after getting the epidural but that's not true. It really only took effect on my right side so the nurse rolled me over to my left side. Then, there were these two spots my left side, one in the front and one in the back, where I could still feel pain. This was at 10:30. The nurse checked me and said I was at 9 cm. She said if the epidural didn't fully kick in (after the guy came back to up my dose) in five minutes we'd just start pushing because it's not worth being in all that pain if you're ready to have the baby. The only problem was that I'd only been on the antibiotics for just over an hour and the minimum time they want you on it is 2 hours, with 4 hours being preferable. Thankfully, the epidural kicked in and I was pain-free. So I just sat there, ready to have a baby, for another hour and fifteen so Kylee could get as much antibiotic in her as possible.

Despite how long it took for the epidural to kick in I preferred this experience over Kara's. I could still move my legs and feel when I was having a contraction, but with Kara I was completely numb and my legs were dead weight. They had to tell me when to push because I had no clue.

At around 11:45 Becky checked me again and I could tell that Kylee was right there, ready to come out. She said we needed to start pushing soon because Kylee was showing a few signs of distress during contractions. Trevor and his mom were out getting lunch so I texted Trevor and told him he better get back or he'd miss his second daughter's birth. At this point I'd been on the antibiotics for over 2 hours so Becky called the doctor. He came in right after Trevor and Sheryl walked in and after about 3 contractions Kylee was born at 12:14 PM. I think I pushed for 5 minutes. Awesome.

She came out SCREAMING and the first thing I said was, "That's not blond hair!!" I was excited about that. They put her on me right away, which is one of my favorite moments after giving birth. It's so exciting to meet your little one for the first time. Then Kylee was cleaned up and I got all taken care of (it took longer to deliver the placenta than the baby!). After that we just snuggled for an hour before they moved me to my room. It was great. I was able to nurse her right away, which I didn't get to do with Kara. I don't remember why exactly. I just remember they took Kara off to be bathed and whatnot before I had the chance to try to nurse her. I liked my experience at AF hospital more than UVRMC and this was one of the reasons why.

So, almost exactly 3 hours after the doctor broke my water little Kylee was born. More than half of that time I was ready to have her but I sat around so the antibiotics could be in my system longer. They never even had to give me Pitocin because I progressed so quickly. It was a fast labor and delivery and now I know to call for the anesthesiologist the second I walk in the room. :)

Having a new born is hard, but there are things about this stage you just don't get with any other stage (which I try to remind myself of all the time). I love all the little squeaky noises they make, the way they smell, how difficult they make waking up look, when they laugh in their sleep, how their arms move like little robots, when they curl up into a ball, the tiny sneezes and hiccups, the little snorting sound they make when they cry (okay maybe that's just Kylee. She sounds like a little piggy. It's so cute!), and their oh-so-soft skin and hair that feel like you're touching a cloud. I definitely bonded with Kylee much faster than I did with Kara and I have Kara to thank for that. She made me a mommy and forever changed my heart. I love my two little girls so very much. Oh, and I love Trevor too. He made it possible for me to have these wonderful children and he's a great daddy. So, thanks, hun! :)