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 15^th.

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.