Baker's Birth Story | Part I

Babies are unpredictable.

Babies make their own plans.

And thats just what our baby Baker girl did.  She was ready to make her debut - completely against the 'plan' we had made.

So, lets start from the beginning:)

Friday morning, after meeting our Grayson a few days before on his birthday, we decided to take Parker and Jolie to meet him for the first time.  Of course these two were completely infatuated with him - hugging, kissing, and loving on our new favorite little guy.  

All the pregnant feels came about as I watched my girls interact with him - I absolutely couldn't wait another minute for Baker to make her debut.  I was literally counting down the hours and the minutes until she would be here.  The night after we met him (Wednesday) I started having dreams about Baker and was awake at all hours thinking about how it would be when July 14th finally arrived.  The weekend seemed like it would just drag on and on before Tuesday would come.
After leaving the hospital, we went to lunch and the indoor playground at the mall to let the girls run off some energy before heading home for dinner and a relaxing evening at home.  About 5:30pm, after Parker woke from her nap, I noticed her eyes to be really red - raccoon circles and really puffy, as well as some sticky goop.  She looked miserable.  Jolie had some of the same, but less red and less puffy.  It was after office hours, so I called our pediatrician's nurse helpline because I knew I needed to get whatever this was sorted out before Tuesday came. I needed my baby girls well before I left them for 4 days.  The nurse advised us to take them to Urgent Care..

pink eye (aaack.)

..and Jolie, bless her heart, had a middle ear infection.

The child never once complained about her ear hurting, so who knows how long she had it.

After a quick visit with the doctor, two popsicles and a handful of prescriptions, she sent us on our way with promises that all would be well by the time we were scheduled to have our baby girl just 4 days later.

 After a long and eventful evening, we finally made it home around 8:30pm.  I ate a pear and peanut butter toast while I made dinner for the twins, and almost immediately I felt 'off'.  A few days before that I had eaten a pear while at work and it had upset my stomach, so I was sure that this was the case again.  Blowing off the crampy pains, I fed the girls, bathed them and got them into bed for the night.  Jordan and I sat down to watch a movie around 10pm.  By 11:30pm I had become super uncomfortable- Braxton Hicks were all over the place, and felt much stronger than ever before.  I had just seen Dr. Walsh two days before that, and she had assured me that I was good to go for next week's delivery with no signs of labor - so I just assumed my body was 'getting ready'.  In bed by midnight, I fell asleep without any thought of feeling uncomfortable.

3AM

I woke for what I thought was a need to go to the bathroom, but when I sat down on the toilet, I couldn't pee.  I was having contractions that had become more painful than what I felt at 11:30pm, but tolerable.  Yet- I still couldn't fall asleep.  

So, I started to time them.  Or tried to, anyway.  They were still pretty erratic, but they were definitely happening way more than I had experienced before.

4:30AM

Still awake.  Still in 'pain', I started recollecting all the things I had read about labor.  What was active labor?  I had no idea.  I hadn't ever experienced it before, so I pulled out my phone and sought out advice from Babycenter and WebMD.  They described true contractions as being one that would start at the bottom and work its way up and around your back.  At the time, I was having just pain around my lower abdomen, so no way was I in labor. 

5AM

Still with the most annoying pain ever, I started to think about all the last minute errands that we had planned for that weekend.  I needed to get my nails done- mani and pedi was at the top of my list for Saturday morning.  I needed to finish packing the twins bag for staying with their BB and Papa.  I needed to confirm my dry bar hair appointment for Tuesday morning before arriving at the hospital for my scheduled c-section at noon.

We also still needed a handful of baby items to be fully prepared for Miss Baker's arrival.

Our last date night was scheduled and I was dying for some sushi.  

5:30AM

I decided to get in the shower.  I swore I had read somewhere that a shower could slow or put comfort into false labor pains.  I also thought maybe if I got hydrated I would be able to feel better.  

A bottle of water and a warm shower. That would do the trick, right?

6AM 

I was convinced, I am in labor.  

I got out of the shower and attempted to fix my hair in between crazy contractions that had since performed the way the website I browsed just a couple hours earlier had promised.

From the bottom of my abdomen, up to the top and around my back - and lasting 30 seconds to a minute. 

Pain.  Terrible, TERRIBLE pain.

I was in labor.  Mildly panicking, I finally woke Jordan - 

"Babe..you should probably get up and finished packing your bag.  I am pretty sure I'm in labor."

He sat there for what seemed like forever, blinked a couple times at me, and finally responded:

"What?"

"Get up."

By this point Parker and Jolie had woken up, and Jordan and I were moving quickly to get things in order before leaving for the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was quiet and peaceful.. aside from the crying pain I was in and crazy questions I was asking Jordan about those women that do this labor business naturally.  

Rockstars, you are.  All of you.  Seriously.

After arriving at the hospital, the nursing staff worked very quickly.

I was 6 centimeters dilated.  

Baker was ready to come.  Dr. Walsh was on call that weekend, and I had never been so thankful.

With my pain level being at a 15 (on a scale of 1-10, mind you), they were ready to wheel me into the OR for an epidural to make me more comfortable.  I was advancing, and they needed to get everything ready so that when Walsh arrived she was goo to go for bringing baby B into the world.

Obviously in between contractions. 

For whatever reason, I was really frightened.  I don't remember feeling this anxious with the twins' delivery.  I was wheeled into the OR - just like I had been just 2.5 years earlier, and even still it all seemed so foreign to me.  The entire morning was such a blur, and the hours began to run together - I felt like I had no idea what to expect.  My labor and delivery nurse was amazing.  She helped tremendously in calming my nerves while they gave me an epidural and prepared for my c-section.  I don't know how I would have felt if I didn't have someone like her to be there for me while Jordan was standing in the hallway waiting to come in.

Walsh busted through the OR doors and was ready to go - and I was SO ready.  Ready to meet our girl.  I started crying and couldn't stop.  I had been wishing for her arrival for the last several weeks and we were here.  The time was finally here to meet our girl.  During the c-section, Walsh complimented on my lack of scar tissue (which was a big concern of mine.. as I would like to have more babies and scar tissue plays a role in my ability for multiple c-sections).. the small talk made me feel much more at ease.  Everything was so very clear about the entire morning - where as with the twins, I remember being in a bit of a fog throughout the entire experience.

Finally I hear her baby cries.

Walsh pulled her out and unwrapped the cord that was around her next twice - as we had suspected during my sonogram at 37 weeks.

In those same moments I also heard Walsh and the nurses discussing meconium. Baker had already had her first bowel movement in the womb- which is usually a sign of distress.

The pediatric nurse swiftly took to cleaning her up and suctioning her lungs to make sure she had not aspirated.

Zero aspiration of the meconium was confirmed 

and the nurse was able to clear her airway of any sign of inhalation of the amniotic fluid that contained it.  

Ah- I was so thankful.  

Finally.  I got to meet our sweet girl.

Tears were flowing.  Lots of them.  I couldn't believe she was here!

Baby Baker was so alert.  She had her eyes wide open, looking around, staring at her mama and I'll never forget her little tongue going in and out of her mouth.  She was suckling the air, and I cant even describe how adorable it was.

 SO many happy tears.  I was very emotional as I held her in my arms. 

6 pounds, 13 ounces of tiny sweetness. 

After giving Baker the once over just one more time, the nurse gave the go-ahead and sent Jordan and Baker back to recovery to wait on me while I was stitched up.

Directly after leaving the OR, I was wheeled into the recovery room where I got to see uber my proud husband's face and that sweet baby girl again. 

He was a daddy for the second time (well, third to be technical).  I will never forget the swelling tears of pride in his eyes.  

There is something about that proud papa bear moment that makes my love for him overflow.

Skin to Skin happened almost instantly, and within just a few moments of being on my chest, Baker was ready to nurse for the very first time.  

 Just hours new.

Saturday came and went so quickly - and I couldn't wait until my big sister girls were able to meet her.  Jordan and I opted to keep her birth announcement limited to just very close friends and family for a couple days until Parker and Jolie would be able to meet her.  Those girls weren't able come to the hospital until after they had been on antibiotics for a full 24 hours as not to expose Baker to pink eye.

We wanted the most important people in her life to meet her before anyone else got the chance to.

Even though it was completely out of order for how things were supposed to go for delivery day, I wouldn't change it for anything.
..I didn't get my nails done.
..I didn't get my hair done.
..We missed out on our 'last' date night.
..and she was totally four days earlier than we expected.
But really.. I couldn't have thought of a better way to have her enter this world.  Who cares of our best laid plans.  Isn't that how is always works?  You make plans around something like this, and they are totally going to fall through.  Its sort if like and unspoken rule that I was attempting to break.

She completely surprised us on that early Saturday morning, but thats how our Baker Bree rolls.  She had been just one miracle surprise after another from the very beginning - starting with her conception.  

Part II .. our hospital stay, meeting her pseudo womb-mate bestie and future husband, and our first day home ..  to be continued.

Parker + Jolie's Birth Story