Cora's Birth Story

Cora in the nursery; Cora in my arms in our post-partum room; Cora in her Lola Emma's arms
Cora is already just a week away from turning 4 months old and I haven't written down her birth story! Now is definitely the time before I forget everything.

Cora's original due date was January 3, 2013. I remember feeling so pleased with myself because I had estimated her due date to be January 2, 2013 so I was tickled when my doctor's date was just a day off. Anyway, throughout my pregnancy my doctor would voice some concern because I looked too puffy, and towards the end of my pregnancy my blood pressure started rising and I had protein in my urine. She was afraid that I would get preeclampsia and would have to have the baby early. I was always able to keep things in check though so as we started nearing the end of 2012 I felt some relief. For those of you that don't know, once you get in your third trimester of pregnancy you start to see your doctor more often. At 36 weeks, you start going to the doctor every week until the baby is born. I went in for my 36 week check up on Monday, December 3. My doctor measured my amniotic fluid levels and was concerned that it was too low, so she asked me to come back that Thursday and to try and drink in as much fluid as possible until then. She warned me that if we came back in and my fluid levels were still too low then it would be possible that she'd have to get the baby out.

I didn't really think it would happen, so I kind of shrugged it off. I made sure to tell my family and work though just in case it actually did happen. On Wednesday night, Adam and I pulled things together for the dogs in case his parents had to come take care of them. I half heartedly put together a hospital bag just putting in the very bare essentials, because I really did not think it would happen. Thursday morning came and we went to my doctor's office. She measured my levels and was still concerned. They had decreased. Adam and I waited in the hallway while she called to consult with another doctor. She came out of her office and let us know: It was go time! I called my mom when we got out to the car and started crying. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. Surprisingly, my mom didn't cry. She was just very calm and said she would get a flight down.


Waiting for baby!
We got to the hospital and checked in. They hooked me up to get my vitals going and to start a pitocin drip. My doctor came in around eleven and broke my water. Then we played the waiting game! My contractions really weren't bad for a while. I could feel them but it wasn't too bothersome. Every time the nurses and my doctor came in they were surprised I still had a smile on my face, so they'd turn up the pitocin. After a while the contractions started to really hurt and my smile was gone. For whatever reason though, I had trouble letting them know how bad the pain was on a scale of 1-10. It's hard for me to put pain into perspective like that because I've never felt pain at a 10. Finally, with some encouragement from my doctor, I was ready for the epidural. Of course when I was ready for it I had to wait because the anesthesiologist was in surgery. After about an hour or so of waiting he was available. I have to say that this part was not scary at all. I was a little apprehensive just because of all the stories you hear about epidurals, but it wasn't bad. I'm not afraid of needles though, even this incredibly large one, so that might have helped. It just felt like a little pinch and the pain is gone very instantly. I ended up taking a nap while poor Adam paced with nervousness.

Time kept ticking and I wasn't getting much closer to giving birth. Every time my doctor came back in I wasn't dilated much more than the last time she had checked. Initially when she heard that my mom wouldn't make it to Dallas until early evening she thought my mom would miss the birth. Of course my mom landed and made it to the hospital and I was still in labor. I was so glad that she made it before Cora got here. Hours went by and finally around 2 am my doctor talked to us about whether or not we wanted to do a c-section. At that point I had been in labor for 13 hours and had only dilated 5 cm. She said that it wasn't mandatory yet, that we could continue waiting it out but that she really felt that I would end up needing a c-section eventually. She didn't want me to end up getting a fever either, putting both Cora and me at risk. I discussed it with Adam and my mom and we all decided it was time to meet Cora!

I've never had any kind of surgery so I was incredibly nervous and scared. I was shaking so badly, although most of it was from the epidural. I just kept praying the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Act of Contrition over and over. It felt like forever until Adam was able to come into the operating room. I was so glad when I finally saw him! I could hear my doctor and her nurses talking, I think it was just about normal stuff but I couldn't really tell you. I was too focused on worrying about the surgery, but it felt like Grey's Anatomy. After feeling some pressure and tugging, our doctor said that she was getting ready to pull Cora out. My anesthesiologist warned me that I'd feel a lot of pressure, and he was not kidding! I can't really explain exactly how it felt but there was so much pressure I felt like I was going to throw up. Luckily I didn't! After a few minutes our doctor told Adam to get his camera ready. At 3:16 a.m. on December 7, 2012, Cora arrived!


She's here!
Adam was flustered but snapped a few pics. Everything was just going so quickly. I couldn't see her though since the blue sheet was in between us, but I instantly started crying as soon as I heard her crying. The bond I felt instantly was inexplicable. I was just so happy that she was here and alright. The nurses called Adam over to take pictures and watch Cora as they cleaned her off and got her measurements. I was still open on the operating table so he actually got to see all my guts, but luckily he wasn't affected by it! Cora weighed in at 5 pounds, 13.8 oz and measured 18.9 inches long. I can't remember her scores now, but she scored very high on her Apgar! My baby was healthy and I couldn't ask for anything more.

I felt a big sense of longing though since I hadn't seen her still. She was getting cleaned and inspected while my doctor was still closing me up on the operating table. I don't know why, but I always try to be pleasant, so I didn't ask when I was going to see her. I knew it would happen eventually but I didn't want to rush anyone since I knew they were taking care of her. Finally a nurse came over with her so I could meet her. I couldn't help but cry some more.


Meeting Baby Cora for the first time
As soon as she was there, she was gone again. They whisked her away to the nursery and Adam made sure to go with her while my doctor continued to close me up. I am pretty sure it took them longer to close me up than it took to take Cora out. Finally they finished and wheeled me into a post-op room. I was exhausted. I wished I had my phone so I could talk to my mom or Adam, but I just waited. Eventually Dr. Staud brought Adam down to see me and he showed me pictures he took of Cora in the nursery. Apparently she was bruised up pretty badly on her shoulders and down her back from being in labor all day. Her forehead had a little point on it too from squishing against my pelvis every time I had a contraction. Poor baby must have been more exhausted than I was! At least she was here and healthy and I couldn't have been happier.


ETA: Apparently I need to run these memories past Adam before I publish! Cora's apgar scores were an 8 and a 9. Also we decided on the c-section closer to 12:30 but had to wait in line, which is why she wasn't delivered until 3:16. I did end up breaking into a fever too right as I was getting rolled into the OR, but luckily it was mild enough that it didn't put either of us at risk. Apparently I still have pregnancy brain :)