Adalyn's Birth Story

Just like with Drew, I wanted to post Adalyn's birth story here as a way to document the event forever! Warning: it's long!

As much as I had hoped to go natural with Ady, she had to be induced like Drew. Both of my kids ended up being induced at 40wks6days at the same amazing hospital here in Cleveland. Ady's was set for 10am on Monday, July 28th and I slept like a baby the night before. We woke up around 7, showered and headed to Dunkin Donuts with Drew, Gramma, Poppa and Uncle Bean. After enjoying sprinkle donuts with our little guy, Derek and I took him to school for the last time as a family of 3. We then head to the hospital to get checked in and get the show on the road.

Our induction was scheduled for 10am, but due to some other births, my IV wasn't placed until noon with pitocin not being introduced until 12:25pm. At that time I was around 3.5cm dilated and 50% effaced. Soon after, at 12:50pm, my water was broken and my membranes stripped by the hospitalist that's part of my OB's practice. I had hoped to have my wonderful OB again (Dr. Jean Reinhold), but figured Ady would come during the day, meaning we would get the hospitalist. Unlike Drew's induction, the contractions came quickly as I started feeling them at 1:20pm. Only 40 minutes later, at 2pm, they were unbearable and I was at 6cm. Worried that Ady would come quickly, I requested an epidural and within 30 minutes they were at my room.

The Cleveland Clinic hospital system is a teaching program and I had no issues with residents being in the room hands-on during my delivery. That being said, I get so nervous with epidurals (and husbands aren't allowed in the room) that I wanted the attending only to place the needles. I could tell something went wrong during the epi placement as my right leg at one point was in excruciating pain. Fortunately they were able to stop that quickly, but we then found out that the epidural was intrathecal. Apparently this happens a lot and we were reassured everything would go as planned. I should have known better.

Over the next hour, my contractions were much more manageable, but by 3:45pm, they once again became painful. I was given a different dose of epi, but at 4pm my heart rate decelerated to 37bpm. I wasn't aware of this until after the fact as I was a bit drowsy and managing my pain, but at one point there was about 7 people rushing around my room. I focused on Derek's face as much as I could and he calmly told me everything was going to be ok. Within 15 minutes, they were able to get my heart rate back up and Ady was trucking along as usual.

At 5pm, I was checked again and was at 9cm, almost ready to go. They let me labor a bit longer so that Ady could work her way down but around 5:30 I got a surprise visit from my OB. She was on call that evening and I could have cried. She knew how much I wanted to have her again for the birth and came directly to my room upon arrival to the hospital. After another 30 minutes of laboring, it was 6pm and time to push. My OB and her resident got in position and I mentally shifted into 'go time'. It might be odd, but I really wanted a mirror this time to see the experience. I loved being able to see the top of Ady's head come down the birthing canal as I pushed for a bit. 21 minutes later and probably a total of 8-10 pushes, there she was.

At 19.5 inches long and 8lbs 15.4oz with a full head of black hair, Adalyn Lawren came out, screamed once and Derek and I balled like babies. Since Derek didn't get to cut the cord with Drew, he chose not to cut the cord for Ady due to his superstitions. After a quick check by the ped due to some meconium in my water, they placed Ady on my chest and I was in love. Derek and I stared deep into her dark slate blue eyes and couldn't believe how perfect she was.

But that's where my recovery nightmare began.

Around 7:15pm after some bonding and swooning time, my right upper back and neck became very painful. What I thought was a pinched nerve only worsened over the next 3 hours. I was only able to lay flat on my back and had to nurse Ady for the first time laying on my side. It was terrible that I could barely move my head, therefore I couldn't even look at my daughter. After tons of tears shed from pain as well as a couple upchucks, I was given zophram, an ear patch, tylenol, caffeine and perkaset. Nothing worked and the anesthesiologists said I was suffering from a 'spinal headache'. Let me just tell you that it was NOT just like an ordinary headache and only 1-2% of those getting an epidural suffer through this. I could barely get to the bathroom  to the extent that I chose to just go into a bedpan while laying down and I ended up throwing up a couple of times as well. It was debilitating, excruciating and I would give anything to go back and have given natural birth without the epidural.

By around 11pm that night, I realized that I was supposed to be in the recovery room cooing over my new bundle of joy when, instead, I'm laying on my back with my baby up in the nursery and barely able to move from terrible pain. The nurses all had such depressing and helpless faces on as there was essentially nothing they could do to ease the physical or emotional pain. Eventually I was rolled in my bed up to the recovery room (as opposed to wheelchaired up with my baby in my arms) and situated in my room. The doctors explained that I might need a blood patch to fix the hole in the spinal fluid column but that couldn't be done for 24 hours.

Super swelled thanks to nonstop fluids being pumped into my IV

Throughout that night and into the next day, I continue nursing without being able to look down at my daughter and tried my best to lay extremely still. I was being pumped with fluids but the task of getting out of bed to urinate was so painful, the nurses had me just go in a bed pan a couple times. Lovely, right? Eventually it was just before 2pm and I was to get the blood patch shortly, when another anesthesiologist came in and said technically you are supposed to wait 48 hours and it would not be done that day.

Devastation.

I had essentially already missed the first 20 hours of my child's life and now I was going to have to suffer through the pain for another whole day? They did, however, say they would pull out my spinal catheter shortly and that I was supposed to keep chugging fluids as much as I could. It was around 5pm when the anesthesiologist came in to remove the catheter. It was a quick process of just turning on my side and them simply pulling it out. I didn't feel a thing and went back to bonding with Ady laying on my side.

My parents and brother brought Drew up around 8pm to meet Ady and I was able to lift my bed up a bit for him to see her better. Worried that he would notice I was in pain, I did everything I could to act like mommy was A-ok and everything was fine and dandy. Everyone took another turn holding her and then it was time to get Drew home and into bed. He kissed her cheek and said he loved her before heading out of the room.

After more bonding time, it was around 10pm that I needed my 385th bathroom break of the day. The nurse came in to help and as I sat on the side of the bed I realized the pain wasn't rushing in as usual. Thinking it was a fluke, I walked to the bathroom, did my thing and walked back to the bed only to well up and explain to Derek that the pain was tremendously less. It was to the point where I could sit up in bed and look at Adalyn while I nursed. Over the next couple of hours, I was actually starting to feel back to normal. It was absolutely amazing and none of the doctors or the nurses could explain why. Normally a spinal catheter removal doesn't do anything for spinal headaches, but for me it did. I can't explain how happy I was to actually start my recovery with my beautiful baby girl. And on top of that, Ady was passing all of the standardized testing with flying colors and the nurses all commented about how she was one of the best babies they'd had in their care.

Drew's adorable shirt from Zoey's Attic on Etsy!

We stayed about 4 hours past normal discharge just to make sure I was well enough to go home and finally on the evening of July 30th, we were out of there. I dressed Adalyn in the homecoming outfit I wore home from the hospital and made our way home as a family of 4.

Sidenote: we realized her straps were too high before we got in the car.

For the past 9 days she's been a champion eater and sleeper and is putting on plenty of weight. Unlike with Drew, I was fully recovered around a week after birth and am feeling awesome. Overall, I'm so thankful the hospital pain was on my end. As parents we always say we'd rather be in pain than our children and I'm so glad Ady didn't have a single issue while there.

Happy Birthday again sweet girl. Can't wait to start our journey as a family of 4!