After the first trimester, all my nausea and fatigue went away and I started to feel like a real person again. I was able to enjoy watching my best friend Sarah get married in Canada, and we visited both of our families back in the states in August and September. Right before we flew back to Kwaj, we had our 20 week ultrasound done in Texas. Being the pedi nurse that I am, I was very nervous for the ultrasound because it was the ultrasound were most abnormalities are seen. Fortunately, all looked well, and my mom and Johnathon got to sit in and watch baby Mac float around all cute as can be!
My second trimester was pretty uneventful, and was marked by a serious appetite increase, Halloween, a trip to Roi, Thanksgiving spent with our island friends, a wonderful Kwaj baby shower, and finally Christmas.Three days after Christmas I flew back to Texas at thirty four and a half weeks pregnant to begin my island maternity leave stateside. Fortunately my good friend Sarah was due a day before me, so we got to fly back to Honolulu together, which made the flight so much more bearable. Johnathon also took pity on me, and agreed to fly me back first class. I have to say...after flying first class, including one leg of the journey in a pod seat...I'm pretty sure I can't fly any other way ever again! Hear that honey???!! ;)
It's the Kwaj Hospital's policy that all pregnant women leave island by 36 weeks in order to ensure that they deliver stateside. Because Johnathon couldn't take that much time off of work, I flew back a month before he did. Making a hormonal and VERY pregnant woman spend a month away from her husband at 9 months pregnant is never a good idea, but getting to spend extra time with my family in Austin before the baby came was wonderful. We ate lots of delicious restaurant food that I don't get to eat on Kwaj, and took lots of walks in an attempt to get the baby to "drop." Johnathon finally flew to Texas on January 27th, and my due date was estimated at February 8th. We had ONE wonderful date night...and then I had my OB checkup on the 29th. I was making a little progress (40% effaced) but I wasn't even dilated yet, the baby hadn't dropped, and my doctor made it seem like Baby Mac wouldn't be making an appearance anytime soon.
Fast forward 24 hours, and I wake up with what I will describe as a "
"go time," and for as much as I wanted this baby to come out, I couldn't fathom in that moment that I was really in labor. So I coolly replied...."PSH...NAH!"
So we went about our day, and I pretty quickly realized I was having contractions. Again, I had been reassured by all my baby books, blogs, and doctors, that first time babies usually don't come early, and that you can have contractions for days before your in "real labor." So my mom, Johnathon, and I headed out to Babies 'R Us to buy a diaper bag, because this planner ( i.e yours truly) waited to the last possible second to buy one. I'm one of those super prepared moms you can tell. : ) We had lunch, and had so much fun getting excited when I could feel a contraction. Looking back, I totally want to slap myself for thinking "man...contractions aren't bad...maybe I could do this naturally next time!" Ugh...I want to slap my giddy, happy, pregnant self right out of my silly fantasy 'cause I had no idea what was coming, or at the very least, what was coming out of my mouth!
My contractions started to get stronger in the evening and by bedtime I was starting to get uncomfortable. I tried to get some sleep but couldn't. My doctor told me my contractions had to be 1 minute long, coming every 5 minutes for at least 1 hour. This confused the hell out of me because I would have contractions every 4 minutes that lasted for 1 minute, and this would go on for about 45 minutes before they would slow down and start coming every 6 or 7 minutes. I really didn't want to be THAT GIRL that rolls into the ER swearing she's in labor, just to be laughed at and sent home, so I tried to power through as long as I could. By about 4:30am I was really in a lot of pain so I decided to sit in the bathtub. Right as I got in the tub, I felt more "water," and this time I was more apt to believe my water had broken or at the very least was leaking. I still waited to call the doctor as my contractions weren't consistent, but the pain was so bad by 7am that I started throwing up. That's when I threw in the towel, woke up Johnathon and my mom, and we headed to the hospital.
By the time we got there, I was miserable and every person there could see it. They stuck me in a triage room and examined me, only to be told I was 2cm dilated and about 60% effaced. Read: I had a long way to go. They told me to walk around the unit to help speed things along, but not to get my hopes up because I would probably be sent home. I was drooling over the idea of getting my epidural ASAP so you better believe I hauled my large and in charge self around that unit as much as I could. They checked me again around 10:30am and a different nurse told me I was 1.5cm dilated and 70% effaced....HOW DO YOU GO BACKWARDS IN DILATION??!?! I was bummed. The doctor came and talked to me and was going to send me home with an Ambien so I could try and sleep, but then he saw me have a contraction. He said something to the tune of "well your definitely having contractions..." no duh. He then went on to say that they couldn't admit me based on my current situation, but if my water had broken THEN I could be admitted. I realized that as I was in so much pain I had forgotten to tell them about my potential "water leakage." A quick test confirmed that I was indeed leaking amniotic fluid and I was admitted to Labor and Delivery. HALLELUIAH!
They admitted me to my delivery room, started my IV, and told me that because I was in so much pain I wasn't relaxing enough to let my body do what it needed to do. Their recommendation: an epidural. I have never been more on board with a plan in my entire life. They put in my epidural, started some Pitocin to speed things up, and let me get a nap in. I felt glorious. I think I told my nurse that if she could guarantee that I got enough of the epidural medicine to not feel ANYTHING, that I would push this baby out no problem! She just laughed and said she would see what she could do. My dad and sister came later in the day, and we all hung out for a few hours.
The doctor on call that night was Dr. Campaign. She wasn't the doctor I had been seeing, but I couldn't have been more pleased with her. She was so calm and encouraging without being in my face and peppy...loved her. She came and checked me around 8pm and announced that I was 5-6cm dilated and 100% effaced. She thought I would be ready to push in a couple of hours, and she would be back around 11pm or so to check on my progress. Around 10pm I started to feel more pressure and started shaking a lot. My nurse said I was probably ready to start pushing, but Dr. Campaign was in the middle of a c-section so I had to wait a little bit longer. Dr. Campaign arrived around 11:30pm and told me I was ready to push, and she would be close by. My family left to the waiting room, and it was just Johnathon, my nurse Dana, and I. I pushed for about 20-30min and my nurse said I was making enough progress that she wanted me to stop until Dr. Campaign got there. Once the doctor arrived I pushed for maybe 15 more minutes, then in the middle of a push, Dr. Campaign said "stop pushing!" so I did, and Hadley just kind of slid right out!
Hadley Kate McClellan was born February 1st at 12:35am, weighed 6lbs 2oz, and was 20in long.They let Johnathon announce that Hadley was a girl, and I have to say it was the greatest surprise of my life! Johnathon and I couldn't stop smiling. Johnathon insisted through my whole pregnancy that I was having a boy, so I was worried he might be disappointed, but the second he saw Hadley, he couldn't stop beaming. Johnathon cut the cord, and they placed Hadley on my chest. They got me cleaned up, let me nurse Hadley, then let my family back in to watch the nurses bathe her.
The thought of labor was this huge, ominous thing that I knew I had to endure to meet my baby, but was really terrified of going through. It was definitely painful, but I have never been more proud of anything that I've done, and it really is the most miraculous experience, and one that I know definitely made Johnathon and I love each other even more. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby girl made in God's image, that we love more than life itself. One of my parents neighbors told me that before children you know love, but having children is knowing BIG LOVE, and I think that is so true. Here are some pictures of Hadley's birthday:
Psalm 139:14
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows full well.
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| Our last photo as a family of two :) |
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| A VERY TIRED me, meeting Hadley for the first time |
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| Amanda and I went to nursing school together and she was my post-partem nurse. GO FROGS!!! |
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| Johnathon, Hadley, and I on our discharge day |
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| Hadley all bundled up and ready to go home! |
