So, last Tuesday, 7/5, I had my Dr. Appt. The baby did not come on the 4th of July! Nan checked me and I was dilated to a 2, she could feel the head, and my cervix was "favorable". She stripped my membranes and told me to go walk. Hopefully I would go into labor in the next 24 hours. Well, I did all of those things and still, the baby was not coming out! So, she said if the baby didn't come by Thursday (7/7), she would need to induce me on Friday the 8th.
Here I am around 7;00 AM, Friday morning, heading into the hospital to be induced-
I got the 2 best nurses, Chris and Kristen. They got me all checked in and ready. This was my home for the day- LR2.
They immediately got me going on the pitosin. And I settled in for the (long) day. Jim and Whitney came down around 9:00 AM. And then the waiting began. My progress was very slow. Around 11-12ish, I was still only a 2-3. They went ahead and gave me the epidural and that's when things got going. I went from a 2-3, to a 6 in just a couple of hours. The nurses declared this baby would be here by 3:00 PM! We were stoked! Around 2:00, everything slowed way down. The baby had turned. Meaning, it was face up instead of face down. And the heart rate began to drop. My awesome nurses started doing their magic. They flipped me on my side with a peanut ball between my legs. They kept flipping me every half hour. They also got me some extra oxygen and upped my pit. I did this for a couple of hours and got to an 8! Plus, the baby moved back to the right position. Oh! And my water broke all on it's own too! Dr. Grauer was not on-call. But when she heard I was at an 8, she cancelled her appts for the rest of the day and came down to deliver. I love her! But, when she got there, I was still at an 8, my cervix was pretty much dissolved, but there was this little lip of my cervix in the way. So, we continued the side-to-side, peanut ball trick. I started to hear whisperings from the Dr. and nurses about a possible c-section. I was NOT going to let that happen. The Dr. asked if she could go up and move the lip with her hands. Heck Yes!
That's when everything got going! Boom! By 6:00 PM, I was ready. Everything started happening at once. All of these nurses came running in and getting things ready. I had a low platelet count, so a specialist was there ready in the wings with blood if I needed it. I started to push around 6:45. Shift change was at 7:00PM. But my nurses did not want to leave me. So we had a full room of staff gathered around me while I pushed. Jim and Whitney were sitting on a couch on the side of the room. They had such worried looks on their faces. I couldn't look at them while I pushed. Jeremy was right next to me the whole time and I concentrated on him. My epidural had pretty much worn off at this point. But that was ok. I think it helps me to feel the contractions and helps me to push harder. I pushed for a good 45 minutes. It was hard. It hurt! And I was so tired. But I DID IT! That sweet little baby came popping out at 7:28 PM. I was so relieved! I threw my hands in the air and yelled "I Did It!" I looked over real quick at Jim and Whitney, they were in tears. I looked down and on my belly was this sweet, perfect, little baby girl, getting wiped off and having the cord cut. She was perfect.
The nurses cleaned her up and laid her on her mommy's chest. It was such a sweet and wonderful moment. Everyone, I mean Everyone, in the room was in tears. Jeremy was back at my side as the Dr. and nurses got me all put back together. Then, they all left the room and left the 5 of us alone for a bit, to take in the moment.
Introducing: Arden Lark Kringel (BK)
7 lbs 14 oz.
Perfection!
I had some bleeding issues, but the nurses took good care of me and made sure I didn't pass out. I was so happy to be done. So happy that all of our hard work paid off. I was so happy to see Jim & Whitney with their new baby girl. And so happy I could be the one to bring her into this world.
The nurses came in about an hour later and gave the baby a bath and got her all measured and weighed. They wrapped her all up and her daddy got to hold her...
Around 11:00 PM, we got taken to our rooms. Jim and Whitney got their own room with Arden and Jeremy and I got our room downstairs. I kind of got some sleep. But was still dealing with some heavy bleeding, trouble peeing and walking. But Jeremy was my rockstar partner and helped me with everything. By mid-morning on Saturday, I felt ready to go home.
We went up to the Kringel Room before we were discharged. Ever made me a Thank You card and drew me some pictures. She was so in love with her new baby sister. Wren was in love with her too. They kept wanting to hold her and touch her. I finally got the chance to hold her. We "high-fived" and I thanked her for letting me be her oven. I also got to feed her. We have a special bond now. Here's our Team BK pic-
I got to come home and rest. I felt great! A little sore, a little tired, but so happy to be home. So happy to see my kids. My Mom and Dad came over and brought us dinner. And I got sleep that night.
Today, I feel awesome! My body is slowly going back to normal. The Kringel ladies are all doing well. And they are all so happy!
I can't even begin to express my gratitude for this whole experience. I feel so blessed. My heart is so full.
I was thnking yesterday, about Jimmy. Did he have any idea, 30 years ago, how much of an impact on his life, the moving in of the Wilson family next door would have on him??
It's been a long and wonderful year. July 8th will forever be an important date in our family's history. I will forever be grateful that I was able to do this for my friends.
Welcome to the world Baby Kringel.
