The Story of Ellenie Grace

**just a warning, this is really long but I didn't know how to cut it down any further**

Thursday, February 12th at 6:00pm, I was getting supper ready and a contraction very different from the Braxton Hicks I had become used to hit. It wasn't painful necessarily, but it sure got my attention. After that first one, they continued to come every seven minutes all evening. Thankfully, I was able to sleep through all but a couple that night and woke very rested.

Most of the day Friday they stayed seven minutes apart but weren't getting any stronger. I went about the day as usual, doing school in the morning and then decorating for a wedding at church in the afternoon. I was certain this was the real deal, but kept my secret to myself(well...and Chris, mom and Kelsey) and canceled plans to attend a bridal shower that night.

At 5:30, we left the house to drop the kids off for the weekend down in Iowa. As soon as we got in the car, a much stronger contraction hit and I immediately knew that these meant business! For the entire hour we were in the car, they continued but now were down to just 4 minutes apart. We dropped off the kiddos and then went to get a bite to eat and to stop at Target to pick up a few groceries. I'm sure I looked quite a sight stopping every 4 minutes in the middle of Target and just leaning over the shopping cart, lol. We finished up our errands and headed back home.

In the car on the way home, the contractions actually started hurting a bit. We got home about 9:30 and both showered and got the hospital bag packed and the house picked up and went to bed around 10, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before we needed to go to the hospital. Surprisingly, I slept pretty well until 1:45 when I woke up to a particularly strong contraction. I tossed and turned until 2:30 when I woke Chris and said that I thought we may be getting closer and should think about leaving. While I knew that a quick delivery was probable considering the other two, I also hadn't been dilated/effaced at all when all this started so that bought us some time.

We arrived at the hospital at about 4:15am and got all checked in our room and they had me do the standard pee in the cup and blood draw. Then, they proceeded to hook me up to the monitor to see how the contractions were and how Elle was handling them. Well... turns out she wasn't tolerating things so great. It was determined that I was dehydrated and that was probably the problem so I had to be given an IV. That was a big intervention I was REALLY hoping to avoid since you are so restricted once you're hooked up to that thing, but you gotta do what's best for peanut.

Upon checking me at admission, they found that I was 4cm and 70% effaced. arrrghhh... I was in for a LOOOONG day. I was disappointed since I was sure that after a couple days of regular contractions I would be farther than that. Even after a while with the IV, Elle's heart rate continued to plummet with each contraction. This meant that they were CONSTANTLY adjusting and readjusting me. DURING CONTRACTIONS. I was quickly regretting coming into the hospital when we did. At home I was doing so much better relaxing since nobody was pestering me. There was actually a point when the nurse was moving and tightening the external monitor belts mid-contraction and I yelled at her to, "just stop touching me!" Ooops.. :p

Finally, they found a position that Elle seemed to tolerate best. Unfortunately for me, it was on my back only slightly tilted to my left side. Did I mention that she was posterior and the back labor was AWFUL, and I'm ON MY BACK! grr.... I was getting grouchy really quickly and wanted to be left alone to roll on my side and breathe things through. No such luck. "Maybe some oxygen would help," they say. Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me. So, here I am - flat on my back, IV in arm, plasticky smelling oxygen mask on my face, incredibly tight, cutting into my skin elastic belts for the EFM on my belly with excruciating back labor. This is SO not the natural, peaceful birth experience I was excited for.

At 6am the nurse decides to check me again, I can't even remember why since I had specifically requested as few exams as necessary. There was a reason though. Anyway, after almost 2hrs being there I was at a "good 5" and becoming quickly discouraged. Five is only halfway. The doctor on call who had been watching my monitors at home came in at this point. Maybe that's why they checked me.. hmm.. anyway... she said that they were very concerned about the huge dips in heart rate that Elle was having and were watching her very closely. She started talking about possible cord problems and maybe needing to get her out very quickly. Oh boy. That sounds too much like a c-section to me. She said the one thing I did have going for me was that my water was intact and cushioning baby so she wasn't stressing as badly as she could be. So, while breaking the water would have probably moved me along more quickly, it could also be my ticket to an emergency section.

Just before 7am we finally got a minute to ourselves and were going to call and have our doula come, but then there was a shift change and another doctor came in. He checked me and determined that I was now at 6cm and 80%. I was starting to get more uncomfortable and in the course of him talking with us and discussing Elle's condition and mine, I asked what they had available for drugs. *cringe* What was I thinking?? I had researched high and low and knew that baby and I were both better off without, but it was getting bad and I wasn't allowed to move and I knew that at 1cm an hour I was going to be in rough shape real quick. He left us to talk it over. We decided that I would get a single shot of morphine knowing it wasn't ideal, but also knowing that so far nothing was going "as planned" and plans were just going to have to be modified. The doctor came back in and we told him what we decided. The anesthesiologist was still at home, so it would be about 10-15min before he could get there. I could handle that.

Right after he left the room, I had an enormous monsterous huge contraction and stopped caring that I wasn't supposed to move. I rolled way over on my left side curled up in a ball and then holy crap, I gotta push!! Apparently, my rolling over had rotated baby so she wasn't posterior and could finally drop down easily. I started yelling that I was going to push and the nurse who hadn't left my side was freaking out that I couldn't(remember, I've just been checked and am supposedly 6cm). The doctor comes running back in and they tell him there's no time to change his clothes and the room filled up with people taking the bed apart and doing all kinds of stuff. Just as the next contraction hit, they had my feet in those blasted stirrups and the dr says that I'm at 8cm and I say I'm pushing and he says he's breaking my water because he is seeing lots and lots of very thick meconium and baby needs to come NOW. The room by now has at least a dozen people all running around. So, all in the same moment, he breaks my water instantly causing me to become complete and they yell that I need to push as hard as I can and not stop. It ony took one good push and she was completely out, born into the world at 7:50 am.

They threw her up on my belly and all I saw was a tiny grey/brown unmoving lump. The doctor is cutting the cord apologizing as he does that he's sorry but there's no time for dad to do it, this baby needs help quick. I only saw her for those two seconds before they took her to the warmer in the corner and she became surrounded by people. The nurses and other staff weren't saying anything to us and Chris and I were getting scared. A full minute passed and there was no crying and no movement coming from that little bassinet in the corner. Bless his heart, the doctor calmly started telling us that baby had had herself in quite a mess and they were doing their best to make sure she was okay. Not only did she have a TON of very very thick meconium, but she also had two true knots in her cord and it was wrapped around her neck and abdomen. While true knots are very rare, many, if not most, babies do not survive when they are present.

Remember that anesthisiologist we were waiting for? He had arrived just in time to help. He put a tube down in her lungs to suck her out because of the meconium. Once they were sure that she hadn't breathed it in, they finally stimulated her and we saw movement and heard those first cries. I can't tell you what a precious sound that is when you don't know whether your baby is alive or not. Chris and I were both crying and wanting so badly to meet our little girl, but we had to stay back. Finally, a half an hour after she was born, they were done working on her and we were able to meet our tiny tiny little girl. She is absolutely beautiful.

Despite her size, she proves to be a fighter in every sense of the word. There is nothing at all wrong with her except that she's little. After about a day, she was able to keep her body temperature up and maintain her blood sugar levels, both problems with itty bitties. We were able to leave the hospital after 48hrs and she is doing wonderful.

While this was certainly not my "ideal" birth experience, I am grateful beyond words for God's sovereignty and His mighty protection over Ellenie since the day He began forming her. The term "miracle" has taken on a whole new meaning for me. God was busy doing a miracle in my body even before we knew that one was necessary. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.