Halle Marie is here!

Look at this beautiful girl!  We started this pregnancy with a little drama and had to end it the same way.  Tuesday I went to my "regular" appointment with Dr. Carlson, I was a little shy of 38 weeks.  We knew she was breech and he was going to try and flip her into position.  (All week I've been trying different old wives tale ways to get her to flip without success)  Since it is hospital policy that you have to be hooked up to an IV before they'll try an "inversion" he sent us over to Labor & Delivery.  It was a little intimidating walking into the room that causes so much pain, but we knew it would only be for an hour or so and then we'd be back home.  Ha!

He did the inversion which was painful but only for a minute - much better than labor.  Then they lost her heartbeat.  They were sure the little monitor just wasn't catching it and hooked me up to a quick Ultrasound to double check.  Sure enough her heart was pumping but they still couldn't find it with the monitor.  So Dr. Carlson left with instructions for the nurse to get it hooked up & monitor me for an hour or so.  We tried all different positions - all of them quite flattering in an "open at the back" hospital gown - trying to find her heartbeat.  Finally they found a good spot and left us to watch the monitor.  Her heart rate would be around 150 or so then just drop to 70.  The nurses would come in and switch my position, her heart rate would jump back up to 150 then 5 or 10 minutes later drop back to 70.

The nurse, Linda, was getting worried and had me sign all sorts of releases for C-sections, Spinal Taps, etc. and even had an full blown ultrasound ordered.  The technician told us the baby's lungs looked good, he found her heart, her bladder, you know the routine.  Then the nurse came in and asked quietly if he saw anything wrong and he said, "Oh, yes - see here.  I can tell the cord is wrapped around her neck at least twice."  WHAT?!?  So he turned the screen and showed us as well.  Dr. Carlson said that the cord wraps around babies necks usually around month 5 when there is more room in the uterus to move.  Mother Nature must have known that she needed to stay in the breech position for her to breath all this time, he said.  But since we flipped her the umbilical cord just cinched up.

So we laughed about our "15 minute" appointment, Joaquin & I cried, then he gave me a blessing and we both felt better.  The C-Section went quickly, they ended up putting me under general anesthesia since her heart rate kept dropping.  Dr. Carlson said that during a normal C-Section they'll take the baby out and lay her on the Mom's stomach before they cut the umbilical cord.  He said they couldn't even get her out of my stomach and had to cut the cord off her neck before they could lift her out.  We were so grateful - for everything.  Grateful that the "old wives" tales didn't work, grateful they didn't send us home with her flipped, and grateful we didn't have a normal delivery that would have strangled her.  Thank you modern medicine!

Here are some great pictures of our family & each of the kids holding Halle.

The first thing Josh said when he came into the hospital was, "Mom your tummies still fat, how come?" Was I happy that they lifted the "no person under 18 be allowed" in the hospital?  Not at that moment, but it does make for a great family picture.

Quinn has already loved helping out.  She even asked to change her diaper - that will get old quick.

"Mom I wouldn't trade her for 10 boys!"

 

"Well I don't know Mom, she's not as cute as me."

My biggest accomplishment with Jessi was yesterday when she asked if I was done nursing Halle so she could hold her.  Up until that she has always asked if I was done "milking her."  I guess it's a good thing I'm teaching her that NO, moms are NOT COWS!