I look at the clock and it's 1:40. My usual time for a bathroom break since I've been pregnant. :) so, I get up and use the bathroom. But when I'm done and stand up, I realize the floor is wet. That's odd! Then I realize the floor is wet from me! I clean up and run for my iPhone and search on google "What does it feel like when your water breaks". I had to make sure you know. ;) Well, according to all that I read, my water had indeed broke. I was just going to head back to bed to wake Leighton up when he walks into the kitchen to get a drink. I walk over to him and say "Love, I think my water broke". He barley can finish his drink and looks at me with a surprised look on his face..."What!?" I repeat "I think my waters broke" with a smile. He then smiles and we start reading the papers we got from birthing class and start timing contractions.
They started at 3:30 and were 8 min apart. Then 7, 6, 5, 3...by this time it was about 6:00. Leighton had an FSA meeting at 6:30 to sign some last minute papers. We talked and I felt that we could still make the meeting and we leave from there and head to the hospital. We already had everything packed and ready to go just a few days prior to all of this, so we got in our pickup and went to the meeting. Just as we were getting ready to go, Leightons brother Wade texts him and asked if we are going to Reno...joking about the baby coming!! Go figure! Leighton just told him we were taking our nice pickup (we usually take the work pickup for morning things like that) because we wanted to...trying to get him to think otherwise because we didn't want anyone to know yet till we were almost there.
Leighton goes in to the FSA and starts signing papers and the woman who works there asked Leighton if everything was alright. (Guess he was a bit anxious :) He said "Yeah, we just have a doctors appointment at 8:30. She then started to hurry and get everything to him faster so we wouldn't be "late" ;) for our appointment. It's about 7:30 by the time he gets out of there. I was in the pickup the whole time timing my contractions praying he'd hurry up and get out there so we could get going!!
Just as we were passing through Fernley, about 28 miles from the hospital, we sent out a mass text to everyone that said "BREAKING NEWS: Waters have broken and someone is coming soon, VERY soon!" We were anxious to hear everyone's reply! But no one replied for a long time...we thought it strange because normally everyone does within a few minutes. Well, come to find out it took everyone a little bit to get what we were trying to say. They all thought that the pipes in our house had burst and we had water problems and someone was coming to fix it soon!! They then reread the text and realize that it was me who was "leaking" and that someone was coming soon!
We reached the hospital right around 9:00 and they got me all situated in the Labor and Delivery room. About 1/2 or so after we were all situated, the nurse came in to check my progress. When she did, she said she couldn't quite tell way she was feeling, so she decided to do an ultrasound. Another nurse came in with the machine and they do an ultrasound. They said they believe the head was way up by my left ribs...breach. But, since they weren't really good at it, they called in an ultrasound tech just to be sure. He barley started and said, "Breach, no doubt about that!" Definitely NOT what we wanted to hear! Especially since just a week earlier at my midwife appointment, she was head down! Our midwife still wasn't there, so they called her and told her what they had just discovered. The nurse came in and started talking about Leighton needing to get scrubs on and going through what happens with a C-section! I was thinking "Wait! A C-section! I'm not having one of those! I came here to have a natural birth following our birth plan!" This is not what I wanted! I then ask the nurse if I could talk to our midwife before we do anything. She said OK and went and called her. When she left, I looked at Leighton and instantly started crying. He knew I don't want a C-section and he didn't want that either. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and just started praying. After he prayed, the
nurse came back in and our midwife, Lynn, was on the phone. She said since my water had broken, there was nothing the could do to try and turn our baby. And since I was a first time Mom, they never try a breach natural delivery. And I wasn't the biggest person, so there was a wet good chance that our baby would bet stuck and them I would need an emergency C-section. She said she'd be right over and be with us for everything, and try to keep it as natural as possible. After our talk, Leighton and I prayed again and felt this was really our only safe option for our baby and me. Even though it was NOT what I wanted. Through all of this, I was in hard, active labor. Coming in doubles and about every 2-3 min apart. I still didn't want to take anything, trying to stick to what we had originally planned.
Within a half hour, Leighton was dressed in scrubs, our midwife was there, I was prepped and had signed all the papers and we were ready to start getting ready for the C-section. So many things were going through my mind. I was nervous, a little scared, anxious. Leighton and I prayed again before everything started and I felt peace. I was still anxious, nervous, scared, but I knew God was there with us, He would always be there for us, and He knew this was going to happen! As they wheeled me to the operating room, Leighton had to wait outside till they had everything all ready.
Lynn, our midwife, was there with me. She was a great encouragement!! I was nervous to get the spinal...and I really don't do good with needles. Right when they put the first needle in to put the spinal in, I started having a big double contraction. They said don't move and try to not breath to big....which was super hard! That one was definitely the most painful! He kept going though since I was doing so well win the not moving part. He finished before the contraction did. Everything started to get tingly...so they said it was time for me to lay down. I didn't even get to lay down all the way when I was numb and couldn't move. They had to situate me the rest of the way. It was nice though to have a break from the contractions! As they were doing all the prep work, I started having a hard time
breathing...since I am so short, the medication had gone up a bit to far from normal, and was in my
lungs and arms. Normally it stops right slow your chest. So they put me on oxygen and kept monitoring the feeling in my hands. They brought Leighton in just as they were cutting me open. He said that was one of the hardest things he had to see. He came over and sat next me, holding my hand. I was so glad to see him! Through all of it he was such a great encouragement and help. I couldn't have done it without him! He started stroking my hair...but it didn't last long. The spinal made me sick so the whole time they were delivering our baby, I was throwing up. The surgeons asked if we knew what we were having, we answered "No, we kept it a surprise". They were excited since most everyone knows. As soon as she was born, the sickness went away...the surgeons kept us in suspense as to what our baby was..."It's a ...oh wait, yes, it's a...hold on, just a minute...it's a, it's a...GIRL!!!" A beautiful 6lb 2 oz, 19 inches long baby girl born at 12:19! We were thrilled!!! Leighton and I both got to see her for the first time at the same time. What an incredible feeling! We both looked at each other and started crying. The feeling you have for your spouse, and the feeling you have knowing that your a parent to a beautiful, healthy baby girl...there is really no words to describe it. It was such a special time. Leighton was able to cut her cord and they asked us if we had a name. We both looked at each other and Leighton said "Yes, it's Jane Renee Knisley". Lynn came over and said it was a good thing we did a C-section. She was a footling breach with her cord wrapped around her neck 3 times and in a knot!! When she told us that, Leighton and I started crying again. The name Jane, which we chose about a week after we knew I was pregnant, means "God is gracious". And He was! He saved our precious little Jane's life by having my water break early at 37.5 weeks and how everything had gone. Her middle name, Renee, means "Joyful"...we had such great joy at her birth and for her life! We felt God through it all and are still amazed at how He worked it all out! The surgeons were able to double stick my uterus so that I will more than likely be able to have a VBAC! We praise The Lord for that as well!
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| Jane Renee Knisley is here! |
They brought Jane over to us and layed her on my chest...again, tears of joy and love were in our
eyes. Leighton went with her to the nursery where he was able to give her her first bath. He really
enjoyed it! :) He then brought her to me in the recovery room and I was able to nurse her for the first time...another incredible feeling! Leighton went out and told everyone that the surgery went well and we were both doing good...still keeping gender and name a secret. :) We wanted to introduce her to everyone.
They brought us to the postpartum section, room 250. Leighton was going to bring everyone back, but they told him that we could only have 5 visitors at a time. So we did it in 3 groups and we wet able to introduce our beautiful Jane Renee Knisley to our families.
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| Leighton giving Jane her first bath! |
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| Taking a much needed nap! |
We had to spend the next 4 days in the hospital to make sure I was doing OK. We came home Saturday evening. It was so good to be home! Kristina decorated our house in pink and white balloons and streamers with a banner that said "Welcome Home Jane" :) So sweet of her!
These past 6 days still don't seem real. We are so humbled and blessed by this precious life God has blessed us with! We are so enjoying being parents! Jane is a wonderful baby! She
sleeps wonderfully, hardly cries, is a super snugly baby, and eats like a champ!! I have a ways to go for recovery, but am doing well and I am so thankful that Leighton is able to be here!! We praise God for how everything went! All Glory to Him!!!
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| Jane and I on our first walk! It was a short one, but it felt good to get out. I was quite sore after the walk though. :) |
