Happy Birthday Elizabeth!!!

Yes, it's another late posting of a birthday/birth story. Life has decided I don't need very much online time right now.

Her Stats...

Elizabeth Anne
June 14, 1991
10:25pm
8lbs 1oz.

Elizabeth is my 5th baby. Even though I told the dr after Valerie's delivery I'd be having a baby in my spare time....I was still a bit surprised to see the + HPT when Valerie was 7mo! Normally AF didn't return until the baby was 9 or 10mos old. I was concerned about them being so close together. I was concerned how I was going to survive it. I was concerned how my family would react. They were at the point when they started to wonder if I was really going to have all those kids like I said I was. They also didn't think it was the greatest idea in the world...although they loved the kids after they came. I still caught some flack when I announced a pregnancy and it didn't make me want to announce it any too quickly. I can't keep secrets though and wanted to get it done and over with. I got the....Congratulations...I guess...line. Along with a few slight groans.

I saw the same dr that delivered Valerie. During my inital exam he thought it was prime time at the improv. I heard...you know if you wanted to visit us so badly, you could have just made brownies. He also made a comment that left me a bit on edge, especially since he was doing my pap smear at the time. He said...BOY! I wish you were MY wife! I'm not sure if he wanted more children and she didn't. Or he was making a wisecrack but the sex that it takes to have a baby. I chose to ignore it...especially in the position I was in. I have to admit though...my respect for him diminished a bit that day.

Elizabeth's pregnancy went well until about 28wks...then my blood pressure started creeping up. I was put on Aldomet again and told to rest as much as possible..yeah right! LOL It managed to behave and it was decided that I would be induced on my due date.

I arrived at L&D bright and early (6am)on the 14th. We had to wait for the shift change until they could really get me hooked up and going. Pitocin was started about 9am. While the pit was going I was stuck in bed. Much different then Val's delivery. It lasted ALL day long. I started complaining of feeling more discomfort about 6:30pm. The dr started to check me and jumped back, exclaiming WHOA!!! It left me a bit confused. He then explained that someone had just shook his hand! She had her hand ontop of her head...palm up...elbow next to her ear. The dr stood back and started thinking aloud. He explained with a complex presentation such as this that it might be best to do a c-section. I said NO!!! I can't go home and take care of 4 kids after having a c-section!!! He said he'd have to think about it for a bit and would return to discuss it some more. I grabbed Tom by the front of his shirt and told him....do NOT let them do a c-section on me. The dr returned about half an hour later and said that since she was my 5th baby and I was probably stretchy down there....we could give a vaginal delivery a try. He also let me know there were NO guarantees. I said I was willing to take my chances. PHEW!

I was feeling pressure into my back and hips and getting a bit grumpy. Tom was in lala land and was engrossed in his favorite show...Jeapordy. I wanted to throw the bedpan through the TV! I put Tom to work applying counterpressure on my hips and it seemed to help. About 10pm I announced I felt like I had to push. The dr appeared and he told me to go ahead. She was born with a few pushes...hand still ontop of her head. She was a blue baby though and needed oxygen to get things moving. Her apgar scores were a 2 and an 8. It was quite scary at first. The dr said that if I'd had pain medications they would have blamed her slow response to that. I didn't realize I hadn't asked for pain meds until then! :oD

My blood pressure continued to be a problem for a while after delivery. It was still a bit high at my 6wk PP checkup. Luckily I returned another month later and it was back to normal.