The best feeling ever
Such cute feet
Proud Daddy
4 Days OldOn December 31, 2008, Adam and I began a wonderful journey into parenthood. Our beautiful daughter, Arabella Emma Sharp, entered the world and stole our hearts. Here is our story...
On New Years Eve at 1:20 in the morning I awoke during a contraction and felt the need to use the restroom. I stumbled out of the bed and didn't make it more than five steps before my water broke. I then waddled as quickly as I could to the restroom, cleaned up and then got back in bed to let Adam know what had happened. I tapped him on the chest, got in his face and told him. His response, "okay." He then crawled out of bed and began getting dressed for our trip to the hospital. We rounded up a few last minute items and I called the hospital to let them know we would be on our way. Around 2:15 we arrived at the hospital and we whisked away to our labor room. At 3:00am the nurse checked me and I was only dilated to 4cm and 70% effaced. At 5:25am the nurse checked again and I was about the same. Around 8:50am we decided it would be good to take a couple of laps around the L&D floor. Upon my return to my room the nurse checked me again and I was now at 5cm and 80% effaced. By noon the nurse was talking to the doctor and they had discussed the possibility of needing to administer Pitocin to help me along. The doctor was going to give me until 1:00pm because it would be close to 12 hours that my membranes would have been ruptured and due to that fact we are now on a 24 hour time restriction to keep an infection at bay. At 12:55pm I agreed to let the nurse start an IV and Pitocin drip. Dr. Spell agreed to keep the dose as low as possible and the nurse agreed to not turn up the dose as often as they would normally. Then around 2:30pm they upped the dose of Pitocin for the first time. At 3:15pm I was checked again and found to still be at 5cm and 80% effaced as I had been since 9:00am. The nurse also discovered that Bella was stuck at my right hip so she wasn't exactly aligned in order to help me dilate. I then had to lie on my left side to coerce her to get where she needed to be. By 3:55pm Bella had moved into the correct position. After 16 hours of labor without pain medication the contractions began taking their toll and I gave in. I had previously asked Adam to get me an epidural twice earlier in the afternoon, when he was double checking with me I backed out and he helped me move forward without it, but at 5:45pm I couldn't take it any longer, so I finally said yes to the epidural. The first attempt at the epidural the anesthesiologist nicked a blood vessel and the test shot put my legs to sleep. That one was removed and a second epidural was attempted. Shortly after I began getting a little relief as I was still sitting up. The nurse then needed me to lie on my back and they propped up my right side to keep Bella off my blood vessel. My left thigh then began to go numb, however I was still feeling every contraction. I was then checked again at 6:10pm and was at 6cm and 100% effaced and Bella was now at a zero station. The anesthesiologist was called back to my room where he gave me a dose of the epidural directly into my catheter, but it still didn't work. So apparently my original plan of a pain drug-free birth was going to happen whether I liked it or not. At 8:00pm I was checked and now at 8cm. By 8:30pm I had reached 9cm, however the right side of my cervix didn't want to cooperate to allow Bella to pass through. I then laid on my left side and began to push once her head cleared my cervix. On December 31, 2008 at 9:56pm Arabella Emma Sharp was born. She weighed in at 8 pounds 7.3 ounces and was 21 inches long. It was definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life, next to marrying my husband of course. She had her cord wrapped around her neck once was arrived with her left hand held to her face. The doctor thinks that she was able to come out easier because of the position of her shoulder. Ah, but the story doesn't end there. I then spent the next hour and a half attempting to deliver the placenta that refused to detach itself from me. Luckily the doctor was able to go in and help remove the placenta, but that left me open for an infection. If that weren't enough I also had a significant amount of hemorrhaging, but luckily not enough to require a blood transfusion. After Bella was born it was discovered that both she and I had a fever. I was started on antibiotics shortly after. Bella's fever disappeared quickly, but at 7:00 the next morning the pediatrician came to visit us and let us know that her white blood cell count was elevated which was an indicator for an infection. He then proceeded to tell me that they would be taking my baby away from me and placing her in the NICU to start antibiotics. She would have to remain there for three days and I would still be able to feed her every three hours. The next three days were spent restless, sleepless and just exhausting. They started an IV in her little hand but by the second day it had come out and they had to change the site and chose to put it on the right side of her head. That was the most terrifying thing, to see my helpless baby with this contraption of tubes coming out of her head. The second day the pediatrician visited and let us know that her bilirubin levels were elevated, still in the low risk range, but she would need phototherapy for the remainder of her stay. To top it off instead of leaving on Saturday we would have to wait until Sunday to bring her home so they could observe her once her blood cultures came back negative for infection. As I ventured back to the NICU to feed her I was told that her IV fell out again and they had then moved it to the left side of her head. So daily my poor baby has been poked and prodded and tested and now is getting a fake bake. On top of all this, nursing my baby has been near impossible because she's a little pig. We have had to supplement with formula (at breast) until my milk came in, which luckily it has started showing up. Once home I thought it would be less stressful for me but no such luck. Finally today, January 6th, Bella nursed without supplement for the first time. I was so happy. I've cried so many tears over the things I can't control but in the end I wouldn't have it any other way. She's our precious little girl and I feel like the luckiest wife and mother on the entire planet.
On New Years Eve at 1:20 in the morning I awoke during a contraction and felt the need to use the restroom. I stumbled out of the bed and didn't make it more than five steps before my water broke. I then waddled as quickly as I could to the restroom, cleaned up and then got back in bed to let Adam know what had happened. I tapped him on the chest, got in his face and told him. His response, "okay." He then crawled out of bed and began getting dressed for our trip to the hospital. We rounded up a few last minute items and I called the hospital to let them know we would be on our way. Around 2:15 we arrived at the hospital and we whisked away to our labor room. At 3:00am the nurse checked me and I was only dilated to 4cm and 70% effaced. At 5:25am the nurse checked again and I was about the same. Around 8:50am we decided it would be good to take a couple of laps around the L&D floor. Upon my return to my room the nurse checked me again and I was now at 5cm and 80% effaced. By noon the nurse was talking to the doctor and they had discussed the possibility of needing to administer Pitocin to help me along. The doctor was going to give me until 1:00pm because it would be close to 12 hours that my membranes would have been ruptured and due to that fact we are now on a 24 hour time restriction to keep an infection at bay. At 12:55pm I agreed to let the nurse start an IV and Pitocin drip. Dr. Spell agreed to keep the dose as low as possible and the nurse agreed to not turn up the dose as often as they would normally. Then around 2:30pm they upped the dose of Pitocin for the first time. At 3:15pm I was checked again and found to still be at 5cm and 80% effaced as I had been since 9:00am. The nurse also discovered that Bella was stuck at my right hip so she wasn't exactly aligned in order to help me dilate. I then had to lie on my left side to coerce her to get where she needed to be. By 3:55pm Bella had moved into the correct position. After 16 hours of labor without pain medication the contractions began taking their toll and I gave in. I had previously asked Adam to get me an epidural twice earlier in the afternoon, when he was double checking with me I backed out and he helped me move forward without it, but at 5:45pm I couldn't take it any longer, so I finally said yes to the epidural. The first attempt at the epidural the anesthesiologist nicked a blood vessel and the test shot put my legs to sleep. That one was removed and a second epidural was attempted. Shortly after I began getting a little relief as I was still sitting up. The nurse then needed me to lie on my back and they propped up my right side to keep Bella off my blood vessel. My left thigh then began to go numb, however I was still feeling every contraction. I was then checked again at 6:10pm and was at 6cm and 100% effaced and Bella was now at a zero station. The anesthesiologist was called back to my room where he gave me a dose of the epidural directly into my catheter, but it still didn't work. So apparently my original plan of a pain drug-free birth was going to happen whether I liked it or not. At 8:00pm I was checked and now at 8cm. By 8:30pm I had reached 9cm, however the right side of my cervix didn't want to cooperate to allow Bella to pass through. I then laid on my left side and began to push once her head cleared my cervix. On December 31, 2008 at 9:56pm Arabella Emma Sharp was born. She weighed in at 8 pounds 7.3 ounces and was 21 inches long. It was definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life, next to marrying my husband of course. She had her cord wrapped around her neck once was arrived with her left hand held to her face. The doctor thinks that she was able to come out easier because of the position of her shoulder. Ah, but the story doesn't end there. I then spent the next hour and a half attempting to deliver the placenta that refused to detach itself from me. Luckily the doctor was able to go in and help remove the placenta, but that left me open for an infection. If that weren't enough I also had a significant amount of hemorrhaging, but luckily not enough to require a blood transfusion. After Bella was born it was discovered that both she and I had a fever. I was started on antibiotics shortly after. Bella's fever disappeared quickly, but at 7:00 the next morning the pediatrician came to visit us and let us know that her white blood cell count was elevated which was an indicator for an infection. He then proceeded to tell me that they would be taking my baby away from me and placing her in the NICU to start antibiotics. She would have to remain there for three days and I would still be able to feed her every three hours. The next three days were spent restless, sleepless and just exhausting. They started an IV in her little hand but by the second day it had come out and they had to change the site and chose to put it on the right side of her head. That was the most terrifying thing, to see my helpless baby with this contraption of tubes coming out of her head. The second day the pediatrician visited and let us know that her bilirubin levels were elevated, still in the low risk range, but she would need phototherapy for the remainder of her stay. To top it off instead of leaving on Saturday we would have to wait until Sunday to bring her home so they could observe her once her blood cultures came back negative for infection. As I ventured back to the NICU to feed her I was told that her IV fell out again and they had then moved it to the left side of her head. So daily my poor baby has been poked and prodded and tested and now is getting a fake bake. On top of all this, nursing my baby has been near impossible because she's a little pig. We have had to supplement with formula (at breast) until my milk came in, which luckily it has started showing up. Once home I thought it would be less stressful for me but no such luck. Finally today, January 6th, Bella nursed without supplement for the first time. I was so happy. I've cried so many tears over the things I can't control but in the end I wouldn't have it any other way. She's our precious little girl and I feel like the luckiest wife and mother on the entire planet.
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