Image Map

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Ella's Birth Story




And so it begins...

On Friday, September 12, 2014, I had an appointment with the OB because I was a few days past my due date (September 9, 2014). The plan that day was for a non-stress test, an ultrasound to check the fluid around the baby, and an exam from the doctor.

The non-stress test went great! Baby passed with flying colors. I texted Dave and my mom to tell them everything was going great. Next, I headed to get my ultrasound. It was relatively short.  The tech didn’t say much, except to show me that baby was giving a thumb’s up on the monitor.  She didn’t seem concerned or hint that anything was wrong, so I headed to my appointment with the doctor confident that an induction would be scheduled for Monday the 15th.

I had to wait forever for the doctor to come in. I read every magazine in the exam room, all the while, becoming more impatient and more uncomfortable. Finally, Dr. Colella came in and one of the first things he said was, “I’m about to make your weekend a whole lot more interesting.” I thought maybe he was going to tell me I was going to have to be on bed rest, but the doctor said he was going to induce me that day due to low fluid surrounding the baby. He stressed that it wasn’t an emergency, but that there was enough of a concern that we shouldn’t wait until Monday to start the induction. We decided I’d report to the hospital at 2pm.

I was nervous and excited at the same time. I couldn’t believe that it was finally time to meet our baby, but I also knew that inductions could take a very long time, and that I’d have to spend all of that time at the hospital instead of laboring at home like I’d hoped. I called Dave on the way home and I could tell he was really nervous because he would barely talk to me, he just kept saying he’d meet me at home. The next phone call was my mom.  She was also very nervous/excited, but I let her know that she didn’t have to leave work because it would take awhile until I was actually in labor.

When I got home I put the sheets in the washer because Ali, Dave's sister, was staying at our house, and I wrote up directions for taking care of Georgie while we were at the hospital. Dave got home about 20 minutes later and we added the last minute items to our hospital bag.  We left the house a little later than 1:30. I was told to eat before I got to the hospital so we stopped at Wawa on the way. I downed an Italian hoagie and a few BBQ chips.

Getting in one last bump shot before reporting to the hospital

We got to the hospital a little after 2pm and had to wait a few minutes to check in. Another couple from the same practice was also being induced for the same reason we were.  They were having a boy and the nurse taking us up predicted that we too, would have a boy. Dave and I just kind of smiled in acknowledgement...we already "knew "that ;)

We settled into the room where they would give me Cervadil to soften my cervix.  The midwife Lauren Butler administered it to me at 3:25pm and said that Dr. Murphy would check how I was progressing about 12 hours later.  I had been told that I could need up to 2 doses before even taking the next step. In other words, we were going to be waiting around for awhile!  Mom and Hannah arrived at the hospital around 6pm and we all hung out, watching tv and talking. I got my “clear foods” dinner tray. It had orange water-ice, chicken broth, lime jello, and apple juice.  Not surprisingly, I ate most of it!

Mom and Hannah left around 9pm, right when I was starting to get uncomfortable. I could feel pressure and pain from what I assumed were contractions. Dave and I were confused because we both thought I wouldn’t feel much with the Cervadil, that it would only soften my cervix. By about 9:45 they were extremely uncomfortable and I buzzed the nurse. She told me I could get morphine for the pain and so she started an IV.  The morphine helped for about a half hour before I started getting really uncomfortable again. I tried breathing and counting through the contractions before Dave convinced me to ask for more morphine.  They increased my dosage but it didn’t help at all. 

I was getting a contraction less than every two minutes and was in a lot of pain. I was also exhausted and would fall asleep for the minute between contractions only to be woken up by the pain of them again. I paged the nurse and we asked what my options were.

Around 2am, Dr. Murphy came in and explained that they couldn’t give me any more morphine. She said my options were to just work through the contractions or to take out the Cervadil and administer an epidural.  I was only 2cm at the time and I had wanted to wait much longer. I was scared the epidural would wear off before the most intense part of labor began. After talking to Dave, I decided to go for it anyways.

At this point we were moved to Labor and Delivery, to the room where I would deliver our baby.  Around 3am, the anesthesiologist came in and administered my epidural. I immediately felt better don't even remember falling asleep. While I was sleeping, the nurse began the Pitocin. I woke up around 6:30am and felt like my water had broke. When the nurse came in I told her, she checked, and assured me that my water had indeed broken.  She checked me and I was 5cm dilated. She was really pleased with my progress. We asked how long until I would be at 10cm, and she said most women progress about a centimeter an hour, which would put us at about 11:30 before I would be ready to push. Dave called my mom and she said she’d get ready and head up.

Right after my epidural
About an hour later our daytime nurse came to check me.  She said my cervix was completely gone. I thought that meant I was 100% effaced but that I still had to wait to be 10cm dilated, but she said that it meant I was 10cm and ready to push.  The nurse told me a lot of first time moms labor down for awhile and had me just wait it out for a little while. My mom still wasn’t there, so we waited close to an hour.  When the nurse came back in I told her I felt really strongly that I had to have a bowel movement. She said that meant I was ready to push. Dave texted our family and told them they could start heading to the waiting room.

 In the time I had to wait for the doctor to check me, my mom showed up. We all felt like the beginning was very laid back and not like anything we had seen in the movies. The doctor who would deliver me, Dr. Bowers, came in and checked me around 8:30am. He decided that it was indeed time to push and at first I did it by myself while Dave and my mom were busy sending updates to family and friends. I was told a few times that most first time moms push on average 2-3 hours.

I was amazed that my body could tell me it was time to push, at how instinctual it was. After about a half-hour of pushing it was becoming more intense and tiring. Mom and Dave each took a leg and helped coached me as I pushed through the contractions. The doctor was in and out during this time, and there were even times the nurse was busy prepping the table of tools.  During these times, I would push on my own and Dave and my mom held onto my legs.

About 45 minutes in, my pushes were becoming less effective and I was getting more and more tired. The baby’s heart rate was dipping during my contractions so I had to use oxygen during each contraction. Dr. Bowers explained that baby was not progressing down the canal and he brought up forceps as an option for aiding in my delivery. He said, “You do not need a c-section”. Meaning, if things kept going the way they were I might end up with one. The forceps would help prevent that.

We agreed to the forceps. Even though I wasn’t feeling any pain, it was uncomfortable having the forceps put in.  The last sets of pushes were extremely hard and I remember saying I couldn’t do it. There was even a time I felt I couldn’t breathe. My mom said later on that my legs and belly/uterus were literally shaking after each push.

Finally, after about an hour and a half of pushing, Ella Grace Hird was born at 9:47am.  She was pulled out and no one announced if she was a boy or girl! I thought I heard someone say something about a penis, but obviously I misheard! Finally, the doctor announced it was a girl! She was put on my chest right away and wiped off while she lay there. We all cried. Dave cut the cord. 




Ella had a full head of dark hair and dark blue eyes. She was able to do skin to skin with me for a short period of time before the delivery nurse took her to weigh her. She weighed in at 8 pounds even. 


Because we were surprised, we had only a list of names for each sex. Ella remained unnamed the whole time we were in Labor and Delivery but Dave and I both knew in our heads the whole time that she was Ella. When we got to the recovery room, I looked at Dave and said, “It’s Ella, isn’t it?” He agreed, and Ella was named!


Soon after, everyone started arriving in the Mother & Baby Room.  Dave's aunt and uncle, Patti and Mike were first, with flowers and beautiful clothes for Ella.

Everyone else filtered in after. Mom rejoined us followed by Aunt Hannah, Aunt Laura, Dad, Laurie, Dave’s Dad, and Ali. Everyone was ecstatic to meet Ella and learn her name.












It was an exhausting, emotional, beautiful, wonderful day.


Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Third Trimester


Symptoms:
Heartburn, major, major heartburn. I ate Tums like candy, including in the middle of the night. Weird dreams. A touch of insomnia. Swollen feet and hands. Wedding rings came off around week 30. Pregnancy face really set in around 25 weeks. It was harder to move and breath but I still enjoyed being pregnant right down to the end of it all. Looking at these third trimester pictures makes me want to do it all over again.


Aversions:
None. None at all.


Cravings:
Cereal in a major way. Hot fudge sundaes and milkshakes. Chocolate-banana smoothies from Wawa. Canned or fountain Coca-Cola over mounds of ice, with a straw.


Maternity Clothes:
I loved the Liz Lange Maternity Tanks from Target {and still do, post-partum}, and a few maxi skirts from Motherhood Maternity. I had a few maternity dresses but a lot of my wardrobe was maxi dresses I already had in my closet. Flip-flops. I didn't realize that my feet had really grown until I tried some shoes on after I had Ella. Had I been pregnant in any other season I would have had to buy new shoes a size up.


Bump:
Loved everything about having a bump! It got uncomfortable towards the end but even then I loved it.


Preparing for Baby:
As you can see from pictures, we got a majority of Ella's nursery done by 36 weeks. I washed what few clothes we had and we put out the baby swing and rock'n'play before baby's arrival. Read lots of books and became obsessed with the bump app and my birth club. Spent lots and lots of quality time with our first baby, Georgie.


Who Knows:
Everyone! There was no hiding the bump in the hot summer weather.


Friday, October 3, 2014

The Second Trimester



Symptoms:
Morning sickness had faded out by the end of the first trimester. I continued to get awful migraines into my second trimester. I finally asked for a prescription for something stronger than Tylenol and was given a script for a medication approved for use during pregnancy. It was a lifesaver. I got my last major migraine the day of my 16 week appointment. Other than that I felt great during the second trimester and really enjoyed being pregnant.

Aversions:
None at all. Occasionally, things didn't appeal to me, but no more than when I wasn't pregnant.

Cravings:
My cravings for all things sweet really kicked into gear during the second half of my pregnancy. This was unusual because I was never really a dessert person, but all of the sudden I couldn't get enough sugar! I loved things like pancakes, donuts, pastries, and pop-tarts. I also became a big fan of cereal, specifically craving Smart Start and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Maternity Clothes:
I started wearing maternity jeans around 16 weeks, though I could still (uncomfortably) fit into regular pants. At work I wore a lot of dresses with leggings. I started really needing maternity, or maternity-like, clothing around 23 weeks.

Bump:
I thought my bump popped around 16 weeks but it wasn't noticeable to others for a few weeks after that! I'd say strangers started noticing around 25 weeks. I loved, loved, loved having a bump!

Preparing for Baby:
We bought a few things here and there but not a lot because we didn't know the sex {although we were both leaning towards boy}. I started purchasing for the nursery...things like a cloud mobile, a hot-air balloon art print, and a few other items. My mom bought a crib for her house but we hadn't picked out our own yet!

Who Knows:
Everyone! We announced our pregnancy on Facebook during the 20th week of my pregnancy. I shared with my students around the same time.



Thursday, October 2, 2014

The First Trimester



Symptoms:
Morning sickness kicked in around 6 weeks and let up around 13 weeks. Those 6 weeks were more than enough for me! Nausea pretty much around the clock, throwing up at random times during the day, headaches and migraines, and exhaustion. Thank goodness I had a student teacher during this time in my pregnancy because I was certainly not a very effective teacher!


Aversions:
Different things on different days. The only food item I can say that consistently grossed me out was cooked shrimp. Not fried shrimp, but like shrimp scampi shrimp. The thought of it was enough to make me sick.


Cravings:
Gatorade. I drank a ton of it early on in my pregnancy and then pretty much stopped drinking it cold turkey. I loved the strawberry lemonade flavor, and whatever the green flavor was. I also craved ruebens for like a week straight at one point during the first trimester.


Maternity Clothes:
The sweatshirt in the picture above was a maternity sweatshirt from Asos, but I definitely didn't need to be wearing it. I just wanted to! I didn't really sport any maternity wear during the first trimester.


Bump:
I didn't really have a bump to speak for during the first trimester, although I was dying for one!


Preparing for Baby:
I purchased a pregnancy journal and a book or two about pregnancy. We knew we are going to be team green so I didn't go crazy shopping for baby. I did buy a pair of gray and striped gray leggings waaaaaay before I was pregnant!


Who Knows:
By the end of the first trimester, all of our family and many of our friends knew we were pregnant. My superintendent also knew because I was considered high-risk until about halfway through my pregnancy and needed to leave work for doctor's appointments. We waited much longer to "officially" announce it on Facebook.



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Our Journey

Now that we've finally welcomed Baby H {{Ella}}, Dave and I wanted to share our story. While we haven't exactly been secretive, many people don't know all of the details of the path we took to get to this point. I have a tendency to be long winded, but I will make this as concise as I can.

Because of a thyroid disorder I was diagnosed with at a very young age, Dave and I knew going into starting a family that we would require some sort of assistance getting pregnant.  Not knowing exactly how much help I would need, I met with a Cooper Hospital reproductive endocrinologist (RE) in April 2012, before we got married. The RE assured me that I would only need some minimal help by way of fertility drugs (most like injectable medications) and that I would conceive pretty easily that way.

Knowing that, Dave and I decided to wait to seek any treatment right away. Around February 2013 I started to get the itch and called to make an appointment with the original RE I met with. After finding out she had left the practice and was now with U of Penn in Philly, I decided to follow her there and make an appointment.  The appointment went well, and I really liked her but her hours were impossible for me to meet with her during the school year.  Dave and I thought it over for a few months and ultimately I decided to go back to Cooper in Marlton, where I met with the doctor originally.

My first appointment with Dr. Check at Cooper RE was in April. Like the doctor before him, he also believed I would only need the assistance of injectables.  At the end of our consultation, he called over the the specialty pharmacy with my prescription.  Unfortunately, the pharmacy did not take my insurance at the time.  We were looking at spending close to $3,000 out of pocket for that medication alone, which we were hesitant to do, so Dr. Check decided we could try a round or two of Clomid, which was much, much less costly under my insurance.

We ended up doing 4 rounds of Clomid from May-July.  It was awful.  Not only did I not respond AT ALL, it made me moody, emotional, and extremely exhausted. I was coming home from work everyday and napping for hours.

We took a break from treatments in July because of vacations.  During this time, one of my nurses somehow discovered that there was an error in the computer for insurance and injectable medications were in fact covered under my prescription plan.  This was the first of many miracles we would encounter along the way to conceiving. I had been on the phone twice with insurance and had gotten nowhere. I still can't believe that stroke of luck.

In August, I started my first round of injectables.  The plan was to monitor how I was responding to the drugs with daily blood work and ultrasounds to check my follicles. I felt like I was at the doctor every day for about 4 weeks, and basically was!  Once I was "ready", Dave and I would try the old-fashioned way to conceive. We got the news around Labor Day that I had over-responded to the drugs.  This meant that I had too many follicles (eggs) and had we gone forward with trying to conceive that cycle, there was a strong chance I would end up pregnant with multiples.  I think it was something like a 6% chance of triplets or quads, which might seem like nothing but is super-high compared to a regular person's chances. This was a risk we weren't willing to take, and so, after a month of treatment, we had to cancel the cycle. It was our first major set-back.

We started another cycle in mid October. By the beginning of November I had again over-responded. This time they offered for us to convert to IVF.  We had literally 15 minutes to make the decision in order to determine what medications I would take to cancel the cycle vs. go forward with IVF.  I cried hysterically for probably 14 of those minutes while Dave tried really hard to calm me down.  Ultimately we decided to convert.

The first week of November we had our first IVF cycle.  Normally, patients are on high doses of meds to produce as many eggs as possible for an IVF procedure. Because we were trying to have me not over-respond (remember, we didn't start the cycle planning for IVF) I didn't produce as many eggs.  I was put under local anesthesia while the procedure was performed.  They were able to harvest 12 eggs, 8 were mature, and 5 were fertilized.  We made the decision to transfer one embryo 3 days later.

Then we waited for 2 agonizing weeks.  Unfortunately our first cycle did not end in a pregnancy. It was devastating and we were feeling very down. We had now been actively trying to start a family for 7 months and we hadn't caught a break yet.

In the same phone call that I was told I had a negative pregnancy test result, the nurse mentioned that I could start for a Frozen Embryo Transfer right away if I wanted to. Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) is an IVF procedure with our frozen embryos, of which we had 3.  Again, I didn't have much time to think about it because the clinic closed for the winter holidays on December 22nd.  If I was going to do an FET before that, I needed to start treatment right away.

We decided to go for it and had our FET on December 20th, 2013.  This time we decided to transfer our 2 remaining embryos (our third embryo had not survived the thaw).  We knew this upped our chance of twins, but I think we were both so needing a success we were willing to take the risk.

Another agonizing 10 day wait...

Then, on December 30th (Happy Birthday Dad!!) I took a pregnancy test while Dave was in the shower (after he had been urging me all day).  My hands were shaking as I watched the test turn positive. I really could not believe it!!!  A blood test at the RE's the next day confirmed that I was pregnant (Happy New Year to us!!!), and the beta numbers for the blood test continued to double over the next 96 hours.

Throughout the beginning of my pregnancy I continued to take several medications, including daily shots which HURT!!!!!!  I was also closely monitored throughout my first trimester with biweekly ultrasounds and blood tests. The first 14 weeks were exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, but ultimately we made it through and were able to breath easier with each passing week.

We feel so fortunate that my insurance has such good infertility benefits.  We still had to pay a lot of money out of pocket, but in comparison to what it would have cost completely out of pocket, we are so blessed.


Thank you to our family and friends who offered support during our pregnancy, especially early on.  

We love you all!


Halle & Dave