Tenley Elizabeth's Birth Story

Tenley Elizabeth Ditata

October 26, 2011

9:18 am

9 pounds 8 ounces

21 inches long

Here is the story of how my sweet angel made her fashionably late entrance into the world:

When I was 34 weeks pregnant, Tenley’s doctor estimated her weight to be 7 pounds and 5 ounces (BIG ...already). He also stated that if she was born on her due date that he would estimate her birth weight to be a whopping 9 and a half pounds! Seriously?! How could that be possible?! Eddie and I had the mindset of “that is just a calculation – he must be wrong.” The doctor recommended I schedule an induction for October 19^th due to her size; however we wanted to give her to her “due date” (October 20^th) to keep cooking and I really had my heart set on experiencing the moment I had my “birth show”, my first real contraction, my water breaking, etc. Needless to say, I was hesitant about not giving my body the opportunity to go naturally on its own. So we scheduled an induction for October 26^th in case I did not go on my own.

My due date came and went… at 3 am on October 24^th I experienced my "birth show". I sat on the toilet telling Ed, “Oh my God!! She’s coming soon!! We’re having a baby!!” That night I could NOT sleep... Instead of sleeping I laid in bed having the strongest contractions I have ever had before and was way too excited to sleep. Eddie and I went for a walk around 9am to try to get my labor started, but it did not work. As I anticipated labor, I went through another sleepless night.

On October 25^th, I went to my weekly doctor appointment and it couldn’t have gone any worse. The baby’s heart rate and my contractions were monitored and I was having major contractions and Tenley’s heart rate seemed to be okay. Then, the nurse came to test my fluid levels and the baby’s movement since she had been moving less; which I just assumed was due to her being crammed in my belly, but I was wrong. I had lost 3 pounds and my fluid levels had dramatically decreased. To measure her movement the nurse had to use this buzzer thing to get her to move, but she wouldn’t. The nurse said she was being graded as a C- and was very sluggish because my placenta had “aged”. At this point during our appointment, I started to get nervous and emotional. The doctor came in and expressed his concern about getting Tenley out safely. He said she needed to be out in 24 hours or less because my placenta was not functioning properly. He also advised me that due to her size and my placenta that my risk of a c-section was now extremely high. The water works began and I could not control my sobbing. I felt like such a baby because I couldn't stop crying. The doctor and nurses hugged me trying to give me reassurance, but it did not help. I couldn't stand the thought of Tenley being in danger. I also felt like such a failure. Here I am doing everything possible to prepare myself mentally and physically for labor, but my body was not proving to be capable. My doctor told me to do kick counts throughout the night and to call him immediately if her movement decreased even more.

We headed home and stopped by Tropical Smoothie so I could go home, eat and start my kick counts. I got 10 kicks in 10 minutes so I felt a tid bit relieved, but kept thinking, “how am I going to get through the night worrying abut her movement?” We decided to call the doctor to see if we could possibly go to the hospital tonight rather than 8am on the 26^th. He said that he would love it if we went to the hospital now since I only had 24 hours to get her out. He said that he didn’t mention that at our appointment because he knew I was hesitant about being induced anyways. So I hopped in the shower and we headed to the hospital to get this party started.

We arrived at the hospital at 7 pm on October 25^th. Our labor and delivery nurse, Cindy, was super nice and made me feel extremely comfortable about my birth plan. She did an exam and said that I was 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  After talking to my doctor, she started me on the smallest dosage of Pitocin at 9pm and I immediately started having strong contractions that were 3 minutes apart. By 10:30 pm my water spontaneously ruptured. Ed and I giggled with excitement because this meant our daughter was closer to meeting us. Then the laughter quickly stopped because my contractions got even worse. Cindy told me that from this point on my labor would get even worse since my water had ruptured. I kept moving from the bed to my birthing ball while listening to my birthing affirmations and practicing my breathing techniques, but nothing helped. I began feeling nauseous and vomited with every contraction. 4 am rolled around and I was 4 cm dilated. Since I was so against an epidural, I tried to handle the pain the best ways I knew how, but with this being my third sleepless night exhaustion doesn't even come close to explaining how I was feeling. I asked Ed if he would think less of me if I got an epidural and if I would be a hypocrite, but he encouraged me to do whatever I needed to do. We called the nurse and asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist came to give me the epidural and it kicked in by 4:30 am. Even with the epidural, I was able to feel the contractions coming and going. The nurse was worried since I was still able to feel the contractions, but I assured her that it was a lot better and I was able to sleep through my contractions. I woke up at 6 am with hard core contractions. Cindy measured me at 7cm dilated and informed me that the machine dispensing the epidural was reading low battery and not pumping into my system anymore. The anesthesiologist was currently in a c-section and could not come to administer/correct my epidural. By 7 am, I was 10cm dilated and Cindy called my doctor to tell him I was going to start pushing. Cindy's shift was over and another nurse stepped in for her. I was worried I wouldn't be comfortable with her, but she was awesome. By 8:30 am I was still pushing and making little progress. Tenley’s heart rate began to drop and the doctor said her head was so big that it may not be able to descend so he gave me until 9 am to have her. He booked an O.R. in case 9 am came and no progress was made. Could I really have done all this work for nothing?! I wasn't going to allow that and I was determined to have her the old fashioned way - vaginally. Then, my body started to bear down spontaneously and my body was convulsing with every contraction. I was bearing down like a maniac and Eddie said he could see her head come out more and more with every push (then it would go back in). I was almost there! 9 am rolled around and the baby was crowning. The doctor came in and said “WOAH! I didn’t think this was going to happen!” Tenley's heart rate dropped even more and he began to worry about her. He came to my side and told me that the baby needed assistance coming out because of her heart rate and size of her head and suggested using a vacuum. This was something I did not consider, but what else was going our way through this besides nothing? My doctor said, “You need to start trusting me. I may not know everything about everything, but this is what I do know.” We told him to do whatever he had to do to get her out safely. He called about 9 nurses into the room because he said once her head was out they may have to manipulate her shoulders out because they assumed her body was just as big as her head. The room was full at this point and I had a lot of cheerleaders giving me great encouragement. My body really took over and I could feel that with every contraction I was making more progress. After a massive push and use of the vacuum, Ed looked at me and said, “her heads out babe; you’re almost there!!” I beared down and pushed for what seemed like another hour and her body came out with no problem. At 9:18 am, all 9 of the nurses, the doctor and Ed were screaming “she’s out – you did it!!” My body went into extreme relaxation and my sweet baby girl was put on my chest and I began to sob... 

(This is thee greatest moment I've ever experienced in my life.)

I could barely see her because I was crying so hard, but she was starring right at me and began to cry with her sweet raspy lil’ voice. Eddie and I had a Tenley sandwich and just marveled in her beauty. After a little bit they put Tenley under the warmer since our room was an ice cube and her temperature was really low. The doctor came to my side and informed me that she weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and said, “Now are you going to start trusting me?”

He was spot on with her estimated weight. 

He hugged Eddie and told me he was amazed at how well I did and was surprised I was able to give birth to such a big baby, but I was determined and had the BEST supporter by my side - Eddie.

Although the journey did not go as planned, we are extremely happy with the outcome - a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Tenley is thee greatest gift that God has ever given us. We will do anything for her and will love her unconditionally forever.

Tenley's pediatrician came to check her out and since she was doing great, we only had to stay at the hospital for 24 hours. Tenley got dressed in her birdie outfit to go home:

(Gahhhh those ruffles kill me!)

Then, she quickly left us a present in those sweet, sweet ruffles so she had to have a wardrobe change (such a diva):

She has enriched our lives in a way we never thought possible and we are thrilled to be her parents. Now I'm going to go cuddle my chunky monkey and kiss her sweet chubby cheeks ALL day!

Tenley's Nursery

I can now cross a major item off my To-Do List:

Finish Tenley's Nursery

When we found out a little chickie hi-jacked my belly the quest for her adorable bedding began. I didn't have to search long as I had a few that I already had my eye on. I wanted her nursery to feel calm, modern and earthy so when I found the Dwell Studio sparrow baby bedding, I could not be talked out of buying it for her. I was inspired by the sparrows on her bedding and found some great pieces to go with our "bird" theme: Etsy Tree Decal, Dwell Studio Sparrow Pillow and Pottery Barn Bird Lamp and Rug. We also got creative and bought 5 wooden bird houses from Michael's, painted them white and hung them above her curtain boxes. Then to complete the furniture in her room we were on a mission to find a nifty chair. We didn't want anything too big or too bulky and we found this mod rocking chair from IKEA that would match her furniture perfectly.  My amazing in-laws went to PA to buy it, then shipped it to us so we didn’t have to drive to CA for it. Yes, they totally spoil us (and Tenley, too). I don’t know what we’d do without them ...thanks again!  The only thing we still need are these bird book ends so we can put her books on her dresser and her name to hang above her crib. I was worried about how everything would look together, but I must say I am extremely happy with how it turned out. Here is a peak into Tenley's nursey:

Now if only I had a baby to put in that crib or rock in that chair...

4ish weeks left!!

Maternity Shoot

My friend Chelsea, who just had a beautiful baby girl, takes thee best photos so I was thrilled when she agreed to take our maternity photos even though her baby girl was only 3 weeks old. We decided to take the photos at 32 weeks and I could not stop thinking about them. Then, when I was 31 weeks pregnant I had a dream about our maternity shoot and shared my dream with Chelsea ...I was in a field in a earthly dress, then in a bathing suit with Ed painting "We <3 Tenley" on my belly. So she tweaked it and came up with a beautiful/super fun photo shoot. Here are some of our favs:

 

I'm so happy we took these photos and can't wait to be able to share them with Tenley some day. Thanks to Chelsea for making it so much fun and giving me amazing confidence throughout the whole shoot. You are awesome! :)

To see more of Chelsea's photos go to: www.chelsearobbinsphotography.blogspot.com.

Catching Up...

If you read this post you may recall my disappointment/uneasiness with my doctor. Well …crisis adverted! Praise Jesus. I saw a specialist in the beginning of my pregnancy and both Eddie and I absolutely loved him and felt totally comfortable with him. Since he only did high risk pregnancies he could no longer see me and I was sent back to my doctor (whomp, whomp, whomp). When I reached my breaking point (at 30 weeks) with my doctor I desperately reached out to a friend of mine who just so happens to work with my specialist and asked if she could sweet talk him into “stealing” me as a patient. Sure enough she was able to work her magic and he decided to take us on. I couldn’t have been more thankful to her and seriously think she is my guardian angel (thanks again, Cass!!). He saw me the next week and let me just tell you... HE. AMAZES. ME. Yes, we will have to pay more money out of pocket because he is a specialist, but having a doctor that is supportive is just out of this world and totally priceless. When I went to his office all the nurses were so kind and saying how excited they were that I switched to them and how well they were going to take care of me. I haven’t seen him since I was 18 weeks along and when he saw me he gave me a big hug and apologized for how my previous doctor had made me feel. When I told him I wanted to have a natural birth he supported it and when I told him I wanted to use the HypnoBirthing method he supported that as well. He just reassured me that this was going to be my birth and that my requests were going to be acknowledged and certainly not laughed at. Now that my mind is free of all my negative thoughts, I now feel 100% confident in my birthing plan. We've been taking HypnoBirthing classes and only have one more class left; which I'm kind of bummed about. It has been a tremendous help in having me let go of my fears and giving me the strength and support I need to know that I can do this.  The HypnoBirthing book has become my best friend and I take it every where:

(Best book to read if you are expecting! So much information...)

I have been reading it like a maniac and highlighting all the positive things about a woman’s body and also highlighting inspirational birthing quotes. Then I write all my highlighted notes down in a notebook so I can read them when I begin to doubt myself or if I need a reminder of how powerful my body is. I’ve also been listening to birthing affirmations that are on my HynoBirthing CD in the car. People probably think I’m crazy because it looks like I am talking to myself, but hey, it’s helping me! I’m hoping that all of these things will keep me positive for the rest of my journey. My class and the book give me sooo many helpful tips to help prepare my body for birth. I never thought of it as something you need to prepare for, but it's just like running a full marathon - you must prepare mentally and physically. So I've been doing some major conditioning for my mind and body: nightly relaxation sessions, messages (in all sorts of places), eating recommended foods, drinking a quart of raspberry leaf tea, taking the 6 week prep and evening prim rose oil, the list goes on... I must say I've been super relaxed, but I totally feel like I've been using Ed recently, but he's got the goods that I can't buy at Whole Foods. Just saying ...sorry, Ed!

Ok, so what else has been going on in the past few weeks?..

Eddie turned 27 so we had some friends over and I made him his favorite cake - carrot cake:

Can you believe that I have been celebrating his birthday with him since he was 18 years old?! Its crazy to me that we got to go through high school together, move across the country together and still remain closer than ever. I truly got to marry my best friend; which makes me so blessed and extremely grateful.

We've been wanting to buy a duvet cover for what seems like forever so we can wash it all the time since Pearl seems to rule our bed. With a baby on the way, I've become a freak about Pearl's hair being on stuff that the baby will be on. So we finally bought bedding and it is like 100 times more light, cool and way more comfy. Both Eddie and I love it and guess who else enjoys it...

We also went to Pottery Barn to pick up curtains and a lamp for Tenley's nursery (pics to come soon!) and came across this bad ass kitchen that Santa must bring her:

 (I'm sure she'll be a good girl and deserve this, Santa.)

Anyways, each week seems to go by quicker and with each week that passes I get more and more anxious to meet my sweet Tenley. I dream about her easy birth (that is only 5 minutes long ...keeping my fingers crossed for that!), her soft cheeks and her sweet, sweet smile. Can this little chick just get here already so I could squeeze her in my arms and smother her with kisses? I'd like that very much.

I also want to thank the people who read my previous post of fears and sent me messages of support and shared their birth stories with me - it was so nice and appreciated. Nothing like support from people who have been in the same situation.

5ish more weeks! :)

Guess The Poop

Our Vegas Family also threw me a baby shower in honor of lil’ miss Tenley; which was extremely nice and very much appreciated. I was so excited and got all dolled up:

(31 weeks)

Then, I headed over to Terri's for the shower. 

When I pulled up to her house I saw this and got very excited:

When I walked in I got the biggest surprise ...Randy was there!!

Randy is Kasie’s brother who recently moved too Atlanta (BOOOO!! Come back already…) and I haven’t seen him since and had no idea that he was in town. I received a text message from him a few days before the shower saying how he wished he could be there for the shower so when I saw him I was just totally clueless, speechless, shaky and sweaty (yes, this has been happening a bit more now that I’m almost ready to pop) in excitement to see him.

To top off that amazing surprise, they had pink lemonade and sweet tea:

My absolute favorite - red velvet cupcakes:

And Kasie's famous fruit salad, of course:

After we ate all the yummy food, Kasie had a game for us to play …yes, Kasie and her sick sense of humor (that I love so much) played the “Guess the Poop” game. I’ve only heard about this game and never actually played so it was very interesting. It was totally awesome seeing people eating the baby "poop":

Even after tasting the “poop” I was still always wrong.

After the games, I opened presents; which was so much fun. At our shower in Ohio we couldn’t get gifts (only gift cards) because we would’ve had to take them all on the plane or ship them so I was looking forward to opening some gifts for Tenley. Tenley got lots of things that she needed and it’s safe to say we are now ready for her arrival.

Thanks to the hosts for throwing such an amazing shower!!

(The Hosts: Terri, Kasie and Linda)

They truly make Eddie and I feel like we have family in Vegas and it’s so nice and reassuring to have people so excited for us! And thanks to my friends who came and made it such a blast. I don’t know what I’d do without my friends here in Vegas; I truly think of them as family and am so grateful that Tenley will get to have such great people around her as she grows up!

Thanks again to everyone ...I love you all! <3