Then She Appeared

Introducing

Rowan Ekaa Rath

Born on August 24th, at 9:39pm

6lbs 9oz

I had tried for a vaginal birth after cesarean (or VBAC) but apparently I am only good at carrying babies and not birthing them.  I woke on Friday morning around 7am (Aug 24th) to liquid dripping down my leg. I thought that was odd but decided to try going back to sleep. Then the drip turned into a gush and I knew. I told Nippon that we needed to go to the hospital  to which he nodded and then casually took Afton downstairs to watch Pokemon and laze on the couch. I on the other hand was frantically packing a bag and breathing through contractions. When I go downstairs the boys are still in their pajamas and seemingly unaware that we need to go ASAP. I asked Nippon to call his parents (so they could get ready and drive 6 hours from Chandler to be with us) and to contact our friends to see if they could watch Afton.  Thank goodness our friend Kathy was able to watch Afton. So we dropped him off and headed to Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. When we arrived around 9:30am and I was having pretty consistent and strong contractions. In triage they check and I was barely 1cm!!! Grrrrrr....not the news I wanted to hear. So we get our room and settle into a long day. My contractions got much stronger and closer together and still I didn't dilate. I asked for an epidural since I knew I wouldn't last at the rate we were going. Of course baby girls heart rate drops and I get oxygen. Dr. Saffer checks me again and I'm at a whopping 3cm around 5pm. He tells me that a C-section is looking like the best option since I'm not progressing and the head is posterior. When Dr. MacNally comes in for her shift I've dilated to 5cm but the baby's heart rate has still been dipping. She thinks I should have a C-Section but says it's up to me. So, being selfish and knowing that if I wait it out the baby would arrive the next day making her birthday and mine on the same day, I opted to have the C-Section. When Dr. MacNally was performing the surgery she noticed that my uterus was very thin and Rowan wasn't even in the birth canal. Even if I had waited and continued trying for a VBAC it still would have ended in a C-Section (or worse, my uterus could have torn and I could have hemorrhaged). I am glad that I tried a VBAC and am definitely disappointed that I didn't get to experience a vaginal birth, but having a healthy baby and being safe myself is what's important. 

There's my pretty girl!

Grumpy face and all.

Rowan's breathing was slightly elevated and erratic and the NICU nurse was sent in to check her out. She was given the okay, and we headed to our room. Unfortunately the nurse in our room didn't feel comfortable with her breathing and asked that she be taken to the NICU. I was devastated. When I heard they were keeping her, and not allowing her back into our room, I was up and headed down to see her and feed her. It was so awful seeing her all hooked up to monitors with an IV in her little hand. Looking back now I am so thankful she was just being monitored and she wasn't in an incubator or anything like most of the babies there. I can't imagine how those parents feel.

My poor lil girl with her IV in the NICU. They ended up giving her antibiotics as a precaution which is why she had to stay in the NICU for 3 days. The only good thing about her being there was that I was motivated to get moving which I feel made my healing go faster. I felt much better this time around than with Afton.

Hooray! We got to go home on August 27th. Rowan is doing great. Her breathing can still be a bit rapid and a little crackly but she has been given two thumbs up from the pediatrician.