Welcome, dear Chiara Hope! ~ birth story

It is hard to believe that it has already been 7 weeks since this little spitfire made her entrance, the past few weeks have all melded together and seem more of a conglomeration of days and nights, a few distinct memories but certainly not enough to fill an entire seven week span. It always amazes me how post partum can feel interminably difficult, exhausting, and mind numbing, and then, before you know it, you are (mostly) on the other side and looking back it doesn't seem possible that it was as challenging as it felt in the midst of it all!


This recovery has posed its own unique challenges (as each and every one does!) and I really needed the past few weeks to mull over the details, think about all that happened, and work through it mentally.


Going into this delivery, I was very much on the fence about getting an epidural or doing another without it. For some reason, this was constantly on my mind and I just could NOT decide what to do, despite the fact that Sebastian's birth went incredibly smoothly and immediately after delivering him I felt like I could just do it all over again! This time, I kept having flashbacks of the feeling right in the middle of transition~ knowing that it's too late for an epidural, and the only way to get this baby out is by going through the rest of labor and delivery.  I just could. not. make. up. my. mind. if I wanted to voluntarily experience that feeling again when I could just get an epidural!


So, at Pat's request, I halfheartedly wrote up a birth plan to give to the doctors a few days before the due date, and decided to just see how things went. I felt extra nervous because there was one doctor in the practice I really liked, one that was decent, and one I really hoped would NOT be on call. I was so nervous that the one I didn't like would deliver, and felt that she wouldn't be supportive of anything!


In the days leading up to the delivery, I kept having prodromal labor. Hence a night or two of waking up and wondering, could this be it? opening up the contraction app on my phone and dutifully tracking each (utterly fake) contraction for a couple hours before throwing it down in frustration that it was going nowhere, I had just been up for a couple of hours, and Kateri and Sebastian would be up in just an hour or two!


The night of Tuesday, May 3rd was no different, and I started tracking those very light contractions at about 1:30 or 2 am. They didn't seem to be going anywhere and weren't even uncomfortable, and I remember thinking how annoying it was to get my phone and unlock it every time I started or stopped the contraction timer. Finally, at 3 AM, I realized it was going nowhere yet again, put the phone down and went to sleep!


I woke up suddenly at about 5:30 to a contraction that had a little more umph. I immediately started timing it thinking maybe, just maybe this could be IT!


The contractions continued and they felt stronger, so I jumped in the shower and told Pat, "Today is the day!" At about 6 AM, I sent a text to my mom saying "This is it!" We got the last few things ready, and then I realized I had never even called the doctor. When we called him, he asked me how often the contractions were coming, and, to be honest, I hadn't timed any of them other than the first, so I just said they were 3 minutes apart because I *knew* I was in active labor!


Kateri and Sebastian both woke up, and we got to hug them and kiss them before heading off to the hospital! Thankfully, we delivered at Prince William Hospital, which is only 15 minutes away and we didn't have to deal with rush hour traffic at all. HUGE blessing during labor!


We got to the hospital at about 7:15, and walked to the front desk in L&D carrying a huge exercise ball and suitcase, where we were asked, "So what are you here for?" That question always makes me laugh! ummm To have a BABY!?!!!! She asked me if I was there for an induction, "Nope, having some contractions!"


We immediately went to triage, and God really gave me a great gift in my amazing L&D nurse. She had 6 kids herself, and had delivered all of them unmedicated. She was so easy going, positive and empowering! She told me so many unbelievable stories about her sister who is a midwife in Africa and has 8 children. Anyway, she checked my progression and I was 6 cm already~ yay! Definitely getting admitted!


By the grace of God, my favorite doctor was delivering that day! What a huge blessing! After moving to the L&D room, getting my IV set up and starting my antibiotics, Dr G came in around 8:30. He told us that he had two C-sections today, and the first was scheduled at 10. If I was ready to deliver while he was in surgery, the nurses would call the doctor over in the office and she would come over to deliver.


I immediately thought, this will be interesting. If this labor is ANYTHING like my other two, there will barely be time to call the doctor in the office, let alone have her get over here in time to deliver! So I started praying that this baby would come BEFORE ten!


The contractions started to get stronger, and at about 9:30 I told the nurse I was starting to feel a bit pushy. Sure enough, I was 9.5 cm. I asked her if she could get Dr G because it wouldn't be long! Dr G came in about 9:40 and I asked him to break my waters. Unfortunately, there was meconium~ BUMMER, and meant that Chiara would have to be evaluated for aspiration.


I was SO SURE that breaking the water would immediately transition my body to the pushing stage as it had with Sebastian, but it didn't! That contraction after my water broke was so frustrating and I felt SO GUILTY, as if it was my fault for not having that baby already! However, in the middle of that very hard contraction, it gradually switched into a pushing contraction!


I heard Dr G say, "I see a ton of dark hair!"




That was a big motivator! Everyone was cheering me on and so positive, which was so encouraging! I delivered her head and the doctor shouted with urgency, "STOP PUSHING!"


Chiara had a tight nuchal~ the umbilical chord was wrapped twice around her neck. Dr G quickly unwound it, another push and here was our little Chiara Hope!


I distinctly remember someone shouting, "What time is it?"


And another person saying, "9:59"


9:59!! I had to laugh! I felt like it was a joke that God sent just as much as a gift and blessing. My favorite doctor delivered her AND she was born before 10:00 AM.


They immediately put her in my arms, left the umbilical chord attached, and did the entire infant assessment while I was holding her! One of the nurses, without us asking her to, immediately grabbed our camera and started taking pictures. I am beyond grateful for these pictures, taken literally seconds after Chiara was born!


She was 8lbs 1 ounce of pure perfection!

She came so fast, I couldn't even get ready to do skin to skin!

She was Not.Happy. about being born. Drying her off a bit!

Pat's expression immediately after delivery. Love this man so much!

Here you can see how purple her head was, due to the quick delivery and the tight nuchal. Thanks be to God it wasn't a longer delivery!



Pat holding Chiara for the first time

The amazing Dr G

My incredible nurse, about 30 minutes after Chiara was born!

You can really see the extant of the bruising in this photo. Thankfully, it cleared up very quickly!

So thankful to be holding this little one!

All in all, it was a very blessed and quick delivery! The labor was about 4.5 hours long, which is definitely my quickest. I am so grateful for all the prayers~ I know it is thanks to those prayers that everything worked out the way that it did!