Presley Grace - 8/19/10

I update so much on FB, I forget sometime to update the blog.... so here is Presley's belated birth story.

The last few weeks of my pregnancy Presley was being stubborn! I went in for my 35 week checkup and she was still breech. My dr said that if she was still breech at 37 weeks he would schedule me for an external version. So I spent those next two weeks nervous about whether or not she had flipped and googling ways to make your baby flip. I went in for my 37 week checkup and she was head down. She was still floating, but head down! The following week, at 38 weeks, she was still head down and had dropped some. So I thought we were in the clear and everything would go smooth after this. I was also dilated almost 2cm, so I went home and was determined to get this baby out! I walked and walked and for days had the most inconsistent and annoying contractions ever. Just a couple days before my 39 week mark, I had contractions for 5 hours and then nothing (this was on a Sunday night). The next couple days following that, I had some more inconsistent contractions. I was getting so frustrated that I couldn't get them to get labor started. I went in on Wed for my 39 week appt to learn the reason that my contractions were not sending me into labor.... she was breech, again. At this point, the dr said we couldn't give her anymore time to flip, that we had to do something. So he went over all my options with me. My first option was a c-section. Which I did not want and neither did my dr. My other option (which would have one of two turnouts) was to be scheduled for an external version and the success of that would determine the next step. If the external version was successful , he would immediately break my water and induce me. If it was unsuccessful, I would have a c section. Which ever I choose would have to be done right away, either that afternoon or the following day. The dr did not want my water to break or for me to go into labor while she was breech because of the risk due to a baby being footling breech (the breech position she was in) . It was all very overwhelming and the thought of having a c section upset me. So I decided to give the external version a try and pray that it was successful and I could on to be induced. I was scheduled for it the following morning at 6:30.

I arrived at the hospital and registered and was sent to labor and delivery. They got me in my room and started my iv right away and hooked me up to the monitors. The dr arrived around 7 and got out the u/s machine to start the external version and to our surprise she was head down. We couldn't believe it! But I was so happy that I didn't have to worry about the version being successful. The dr broke my water right away, he didn't waste anytime. They started my pitocin shortly after that. My contractions started around 9 am. Around 12:30 I mentioned getting an epidural because I was starting to really feel that pain and getting scared I would miss the epidural like I did with Madison. So they checked me and I was 3 cm, they went ahead and ordered my epidural. (Normally they wont order it until you are 4 cm. But when i had Madison I was at a 4 when they ordered it and by the time he got there and made an attempt to get it, it was too late. So I had to deliver without it) Around 1:00 I got my epidural, thank goodness for those!! She checked me again at 1:25 and I was already a 6. The right side didn't work right away and by the it started working, I started feeling the contractions again. So she checked me again and i was complete. She called for my dr, who was across the street in surgery and was going to be about 30 min. I asked if I could wait and the nurse said no because Presley wasn't responding well to the contractions and I needed to deliver now. So they called the relief dr. I pushed twice and Presley was born at 1:47! She was beautiful and perfect!! She weighed 6lbs 3oz and was 19 inches.

I enjoyed my moments with her and was so in love!! We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and came home on Aug 21. Presley weighed 5lbs 12 oz at release. We took her to the dr a few days later and she was 5lbs 15 oz.

Stay tuned for hospital pictures!!