Isabelle's Birth Through Mommy's Eyes!

OK it has been 12 WONDERFUL weeks since I gave birth to my perfect little girl. I was reading back through the blog the other day, yes I started back at Dec. when we found out we were pregnant and read all the way through to the present or should I say cried all the way through! Tears of joy no doubt and just disbelief that I finally made it through a pregnancy and I have this perfect little girl to love everyday. We are so so so in love with Izzie Grace! I never knew you could love someone so much. I mean I love my family and my WONDERFUL husband so so much as well but I just never knew that love I would be filled with the night of Aug. 4th 2007 at 5:48pm. So as I read back through her birth through Scott's eyes (which I thank him so much for blogging that for me or I would not have it for her to see one day) I thought HMM maybe I should blog the birth story through my eyes for her as well! So here it goes!

Thurs. Aug. 2, 2007
Thurs. morning Scott had worked all night and I had spent the night with mom. I woke up still really swollen, I had started swelling really bad that Tues. I headed out to my weekly doctor's visit with Dr .Basham. I arrived and waited for a bit. I was called back and they did the regular urine sample, weight and blood pressure. The nurse was concerned that my BP was pretty high(I do not remember the numbers) and my ankles were extremely swollen. So I was put into a room as usual and waited for Dr. Basham. She came in and looked at my what she called "Shrek feet" and said she was not happy with my BP at all. She continued to check my cervix and I was not dilated at all and Izzie was still high above my pelvis. (I was 37 weeks and 6 days) She thought it was a good idea for me to go to Baptist East and check in. Now at that point it sounded like I would be staying and having her by the next day, it sounded like she was going to induce me. So I was excited and scared. I started crying on the way home stopped by school to tie up a few things yes school was starting in just 4 days! I got home packed out bag and off we went as I drove because Scott was ASLEEP. Remember I said he had worked all night so he was out of it could not hold his eyes open.

We arrived at the hospital and in a birthing room, not an observation room, I thought yes this is it I am going to have this baby. Well after several tests and blood work they had my BP under control with no signs of pre eclampsia and they did the unthinkable I was sent home. I was so mad I was ready to have her. So needless to say we went home and I kept thinking all night ok 2 more weeks I can do this or water just please break!!!!!!

Fri. Aug. 3, 2007
Happy Anniversary Dad & Mom, yes it was their anniversary! I went to school it was opening day and left around 9AM to go to the scheduled BP check. I went into the Middletown office to see Dr. Basham as she had asked. I kept thinking now everything will be fine and she will say see you next week. I did not feel any different still swollen and tired but not weird at all! I sat in the waiting room for about 20 minutes very calm! I was called back gave my urine sample and weight check and then the BP. The nurse took it and said WOW it is higher than yesterday, so for a minute I though YEAH maybe this will change her mind and she will induce then I though OH NO what if she puts me on bed rest for the next 2 weeks (I am 38 weeks today) I will go crazy. So I waited and she came in and looked at me and I looked at her and she said are you ready and I said yes just induce me I am only 2 weeks early. So we chatted about the risk of her coming early but 2 weeks was not bad. So she agreed and said ok go in tonight and let them do some cervical ripening and I will have them start induction in the morning. I said "this is for real right, they will not send me home" and she smiled and said "this is it I am on call this weekend and you are having this baby." Excited I left and called Scott and then mom and then Beth and Wendi! This was it. So I headed back to school to finish the day and get the room ready for the sub to start the school year!

That evening Scott and I went to eat with Dad, mom & Sarah. We ate at Outback Steakhouse, I ate light as directed from the doctor. Scott and I then went to Babies R Us to get some nail clippers, brush and comb. We then headed over to Baptist East. Scott was video camera happy and it was so funny. We hope to get those videos converted soon so we can share them! We checked in I had a great nurse. She started my IV and put Izzie on the monitor well tried to keep her on the monitor (she never cooperated much with that monitor) she hooked me up to the contraction monitor and put in the cervical ripening medicine. The nursery nurse came in and got the warmer ready and had us sign some papers and got our thumb prints for the souvenir birth certificate. She said I would be getting a sleeping pill so I could rest YEAH right I did not fall asleep until around 3 or 4 AM. I was uncomfortable and swollen it was awful I just laid there listening to Isabelle's heartbeat and feeling her kick me!
Sat. Aug. 4, 2007
About 8AM A new nurse came in and she was super as well. She took out the cervical ripening medicine and let me get up to go to the bathroom. It was time for PITOCIN!!!!! She started the pitocin after she checked me and told me I was 1-2 dilated & 70% effaced, we were excited!!!! So now we wait. I had started having some contraction on the monitor over night and now it was time to get labor going! Scott's mom came and shortly after my parents arrived. Mom stayed in the room and Dad would come in every so often. Beth came to visit and brought me a cookie bouquet ( boy did I want to eat those cookies). The nurse kept coming in and turning up the Pitocin but I was not feeling the contractions. I just kept eating my ice chips!Wendi & Abbie came to visit and we were just waiting on Dr. Basham to come in and break my water. I had not been checked again so I thought well when she checks me I should be a few more CM dilated! Boy was I wrong she came in at 3pm and broke my water and said I was only 1CM I was disappointed. She broke my water and boy was that weird. She said not to be discouraged we were just starting labor. So she left and the nurse came and cleaned me up, so now that my water was broke I was confined to bed. Remember I was still not really feeling the contractions at all...until about 5 minutes after my water had been broken. Boy I started feeling them. So the nurse was going to give me medicine in my IV since I was only 1cm they did not want to give me an epidural yet. Well I had that medicine when I had my first ectopic and oh no I was not taking that medicine it made me so so so sick. So I agreed to just try and breathe through them. Well it started getting INTENSE! The contractions started coming very close together I just closed my eyes and started to breathe. I tuned everyone out except for Scott. He joined me at my bedside and held my hand. I did not even see Rita come in or Maryanne. I was breathing. Boy was it hurting I said "Anyone who does this naturally is STUPID" More power to you out there who have done it with NO MEDS! Hats off to ya ...NOT ME!!!
5pm-Tears start streaming down my face eyes still closed tuning everyone out. Dr. Basham comes in, she asks what is wrong and I tell her "it hurts and is intense I feel like I can't get a break from the pain" She checks me and guess what NO CHANGE. So she looks at me and says "you can continue to labor I am fine with that OR I can go in and get her out" quickly I reply "I just want her out" so it was done we were going to have a C-section. I was not progressing and she was not coming down. So they began to prep me and Scott, mom and Doris began packing up our room.
Mom looked at me and said "the next time I see you, you will be a mommy" I started to cry and she hugged and kissed me and cried too. It was all so surreal what I had been waiting for and dreaming about forever was getting ready to come true it was going to be real I would hold that baby in my arms so soon. They wheeled me to the OR, Scott waited outside while they prepped me on the table. Dr. Basham had me lean on her while they tried 3 times before finally getting my spinal in. As I was curled over on her chest we chatted. She said "can you believe it this time you get a baby no ectopic this time" It was hard to believe her and I had been in that OR together 3 times and none of those time would result in any good news until today! Once the spinal was Dr. Basham asked Scott if he had his camera and he was brought in to sit right by my head. They anaesthesiologist started putting meds into my IV and told me to tell her if I felt nauseated and I did my BP had dropped so she gave me some medicine to fix that. As
Dr. Basham began cutting I was feeling much better. Scott and I kept looking at each other and in a few short minutes they anaesthesiologist says "now you will feel pressure and pulling" and boy did I I said "yeah I feel it" then Dr. Basham said "what time is it?" and with that the nurse said 5:48pm and we heard that precious cry that sent tears streaming down my face as I laughed and said listen to her. Scott was crying as he leaned over and kissed me through his mask! Next thing I know Dr. Basham has her holding her over by my face and said "here she is". She continued to cry as they cleaned her up. they let Scott over to take pics. I kept saying "I have waited so long to hear that cry" Then the nurse had Scott sit down and she brought Isabelle Grace Collins to her daddy.
Scott held her down by my face and I leaned up and kissed her soft cheek. The anesthesiologist took the camera and snapped a pic of all 3 of us!
After a few minutes They took Izzie up to the nursery and Scott went with her. Dr. Basham and I could not believe she weighed 7lbs. 1oz. we thought she was going to be a big baby! Dr. Basham asked me after she sewed me up "so what do you think?" and all I could say was "she is PERFECT". After about 1 1/2 hours in recovery they took me up to the third floor. Coming off the elevator I saw everyone and they stopped my bed by the nursery window and the nurse held her up for me she was crying and all I could do was smile & cry. I remember mom coming over and saying "you all did good sweetie, she is so pretty". After about 30 minutes along with some unpleasant dry heaves they brought my baby to me and I held her for the very first time!
And the rest is in the blog! I know this was probably boring for just anyone but I wanted it down in my words not only for me to have but for Isabelle to read one day when she is older.