Delivery

Once we found out we were pregnant, we were excited and told EVERYBODY! Since we in Japan, our Misawa family is who we celebrated with physically! I had a pretty easy pregnancy, I didn't really have morning sickness but I did get a sickish feeling when I ate sweets and I had one little episode with canteloupe. Our Misawa family was there for all of it (except the final month)- they watched my belly grow, they were able to feel and see Lilly kicking and moving around and they even were there when I went for a 4D ultrasound. We went to a Japanese doctor for the ultrasound and I think the doctors and nurses were amazed and a little shaken by how many people we had in the room for the ultrasound. My friend, Rose, another member of the Misawa family found out she was pregnant shortly after me so we were able to talk with each other and share our experiences. We even had a baby shower together - thanks to a wonderful friend Janice! I knew Mark was getting out of the Navy and I knew we were moving before Lilly was to be born, but it was still heartbreaking to leave our support group and head to the states. Especially when we were stepping into the unknown.






Here is my delivery story:
My mom came into town and she came with me to the doctor on Feb. 27th. The doctor said, "You are dialated 1 cm and the baby is in position. I bet you'll have this baby this weekend." I was shocked! I mean, I knew it was time but I didn't realize it was time. :) The whole rest of that day was spent getting things ready for Lilly's arrival - setting up the crib, getting the car seat set and all of the last minute things that needed to be done. On the evening of Feb. 28th, Mark, my mom and I were playing a game of Phase 10 when I kept having the contractions on a regular basis. My mom was timing them and when they reached 7 minutes apart, she decided we should leave. Mark and I rode in one car and my mom followed. I started calling everybody we knew to let them know that Lilly would probably be arriving soon. We arrived at the hospital and they checked me in and hooked me up to the monitors to see if I was contracting (which I was) and if I was dilated (was still only 1 cm). They moved me to a delivery room where Mark, my mom, and I waited anxiously. The nurse had talked to my doctor and they decided to let me wait it out and see if I would dilate any on my own. Well, I waited the whole night - still contracting - and nothing.

The next morning at 6am, they gave me petocin to speed up the process and then the nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural. I said, "yes" because I knew that I didn't do well with pain and if there was a way to lessen it, I was all for it. I guess it was around noon when I was dilated enough to start pushing. Because of the epidural, I had a hard time feeling the contractions and knowing when exactly to push. I had to rely a lot on the nurses and the monitors to tell me when. For an hour and a half, I pushed and pushed as hard as I could but I guess Lilly's head was stuck behind my pubic bone and she just wasn't budging. With every push, I was waiting for my mom or the nurse to say they saw her head, but that didn't happen. Finally, my doctor gave me the option to keep pushing for 30 more minutes or to go ahead with a c-section. I was so tired and worn out that I said just go for the c-section. I remember Mark and my mom saying "No, you don't want to do that" but I was worn out and I didn't see where 30 more minutes of pushing was going to help.

Since I was getting a c-section and it had been so long since my epidural, I had to wait for the dr. to come in and give me another epidural. That is when it was really PAINFUL, I thought I was dying, the contractions were so strong and I was feeling every bit of them. This part of the delivery is why I wonder if I could have pushed her out on my own if I hadn't had the epidural because I would have felt the strong urge and my pushes might have had more strength behind them. I know I can't change it, but I just wonder.


So, the wheeled me into the surgery room - Mark had to put on this "blue suit" so he would be able to go in and be with me. My mom wasn't able to go in there which I know bothered her. I remember being so scared and unsure of the decision I had made. Everything from that point until the delivery is a blur, but I know that at 2:33pm we had a baby girl. I got to give her a kiss after they cleaned her up, but I wasn't able to hold her for a few hours which was really stinky. Mark got to hold her and go show her off to my mom.

It seemed so surreal for a long time - we were actually parents! What a miracle, an awesome blessing from God.