audrey's birth details

Audrey Jude Salmon
born Monday, September 29, 2008
at 10.22am
7lbs 13oz
21 inches long
head size 34.5 cm


the labour details
we went in on sunday september 28th at around 5.30pm. my contractions were pretty hard but only ten minutes apart (since around 3pm). we decided to hang around langley and go walking to see if they picked up at all. after several hours, we decided to go to a movie to kill time just to make sure things were or weren't happening before heading home.

after the movie (around 11pm), i called back to the maternity ward to tell them that i had continued to have hard contractions all that time (8 hours) and was wondering if they'd like me to come in to get checked just in case, before heading back home (35 minute drive). the nurse that was on was nurse Jan who delivered ezekiel. she used to be a midwife and was really amazing last time. she said it was completely up to me, but then said, yes, might as well.

so we went in and i got assessed. she found that my blood pressure was elevated and my feet were swelling a bit (which was different from when we were there five hours earlier). this was concerning to her. she kept me monitored and did an internal. she said that my cervix was changed from the last time i was in and that she would talk to my doctor. she came back and said they wanted me to take a sleeping pill and sleep there to be re-assessed in the early morning (because my doctor would be coming later that morning).

suddenly, around 1pm my doctor comes in and they say, change of plans, lets break your water now. so at 1.15am, my water was broken and i was on my way.

however, i was sooo tired from labouring all day, and not having much rest, that i decided to sleep for a bit. probably by around 3 or so i started to sleep until around 5am, i remember waking up and thinking, i'll just sleep until 6am, then get moving and get this going. around 5.40am, the nurse woke me up saying they were going to start oxytocin. i was like "what???" and she said, the contractions were only 5 minutes apart, they needed to be 4 in 10 minutes or else! so i said, okay, i'll get up right now and walk and see what happens. she gave us until 6.20am to get things going then she was going to monitor me again.

we came back at 6.20am and said that we did it. she got me back on the bed (oh no...things always slow down there) and the contractions slowed down. she came back and said she had talked to my doctor and he said i had to go on oxytocin, that being group strep b positive and having my waters broken for several hours, that they had to get things going now.

i was very upset. i cried for quite awhile because it was not what i had been willing to do. i felt really defeated and annoyed/disappointed that my body would not kick into a regular rhythm of labour, even having had my water broken! but, i was already hooked up to an iv, so it was easy for them to just add oxytocin to the mix. now after having it, i understand that it is a chemical version of a hormone that is released from my own body. my body just wasnt releasing it at the right time or the right amounts to make things really happen in a timely manner (according to the doctor/nurses). so adding this to my iv in a very small amount, just helped kick things into gear. it is very different from the prostin gel that i was given with ezekiel, as that is one concentrated dose that is in and active at once, but cannot be turned down or shut off the way oxytocin can.

it was around 6.30am when i was given oxytocin. things started picking up in intensity but after an hour they had to bump up the dose a bit. they said i was very sensitive to it so i understand that it was a fairly low dose.

things were getting pretty painful and stronger but it was very strange because i was totally clear headed and felt totally fine during the breaks (last labour, i remember being really out of it during this time, they said that might have just been my reaction to the gel).

by around 7.30am, we wanted to have me checked because there had been alot of consistent contractions and just wanted to know where things were at.

the nurse declined and said that with group b strep positive, it is not good to do too many internals.

however, by 8.30am she did an internal because they had increased the dosage and the contractions were stronger and i was 3-4 cm dilated.

derek commented that getting to 4cm was usually slow and then things go alot quicker from there...he was right.

things got so crazy painful from there. i had been on the fit ball for most of the time, then in an arm chair that really helped keep pressure off my bottom (i had been feeling alot of pressure there during all of my contractions especially since i have had hemorrhoids since around 3 months pregnant!).

i was starting to feel like i couldnt handle the pain. i commented that "oh this is transition. when you feel like you cant do it anymore and start asking for drugs." (again, i was still having those very lucid moments between contractions).

around 9.30am the nurse suggested that i try walking around a bit. i stood up and took two steps, got a huge contraction and leaned into derek with all my weight. then i tried again to walk, again, two steps, same thing. these were intense. i was quickly losing my confidence in handling this pain so i asked for drugs. at this point, i figured, i had been through so much emotionally this entire pregnancy, the end of the pregnancy had been very trying on me, so if i felt like i couldnt handle this, then i couldnt.

another nurse came in and was all for it. my doula and derek were both looking at me wide-eyed, and saying things like "you're doing it! you ARE handling it! you'll be okay." and i just kept saying that i couldnt and that i wanted the drugs.

derek said that he thinks i should get checked before starting drugs because he was recognizing some familiar end of labour type reactions from me. derek figured i might be right at the point of having the baby and therefore would not need drugs. the nurse said that i had to be on the bed for the drugs and suggested i try the gas until she came back with the drugs.

around 10am, i was on the bed using the gas, the nurse was off to get me the drugs, and i felt the push. i was yelling "the push! the push!" into the gas mask and derek and my doula had no idea what i was talking about. so i took it off my face and yelled again "the push!" and pointed to my belly. so derek ran off into the hall to find a nurse.

about 10.05am they checked me and i was 8 cm dilated. they said to call my doctor.
i kept having more pushing urges and was trying to breathe through them and derek reminded me to "blow up the balloon" so that really helped.

i remember hearing the nurses commenting about doctor not being there yet and then he arrived by around 10.15am. he got me set up and said "okay, you can push now." and commanded my attention and told me where to focus the pushing. i'd guess it was about 4 or 5 pushes. derek said that the contractions were very long and intense and i was able to do multiple pushes with one contraction. so it might have been fewer pushes.

and so i delivered another posterior girl (diedre was too) at 10.22am! sunnyside up in about 6 or 7 minutes! thankfully, he was directing me so he was able to turn her shoulders and the tearing was pretty minimal and along the same place as last time. he said it went back together really well and should heal up nicely. (it does feel alot better than last time so far).

her head was perfectly shaped (just like ezekiel) because of the speed of the delivery. she is my largest baby yet, although slightly shorter than the other two.

i tried to get her nursing right away but she just tried a little, but no actual suckling. after she had all her checks and was swaddled, she got the hang of things fast and didnt seem to want to stop after that!

i was so tired and i really wanted to rest. but i couldnt sleep with the way the light came in our room and audrey ate alot in those first hours.

i was really excited to know we had a girl and i cheered that derek had to give me my name choice! we were so undecided about names and didnt name her for several hours. in the end, i didnt get the name choice i had wanted because derek really didnt have any feeling toward it. he said we could at one point, but i didnt want to go with one we couldnt both feel good about.

i really wanted our first visitors to be our kids with my mom. it worked out really great and they were both so enamored with their new little sister.

ezekiel was so excited

proud to hold his little sister

i really wanted our first visitors to be our kids with my mom. it worked out really great and they were both so enamored with their new little sister.

later, my SIL heather came by and held audrey while derek and i slept (her suggestion) which was sooo great!

then kristin and the hetzlers came by.

then my brother andrew wrapped up the night with a pretty late visit that i ended up falling asleep during (around 9pm) because again, we had barely had any sleep all night or day (3 hours maybe)!

audrey ate and ate until about 1am. derek slept for some of that time while i would walk around and get what i needed and feed her. finally, around 2.15am she fell asleep and slept until just after 8am!!! i still had to wake up for my doses and ice pak changes, but it was so great to sleep like that.

we got discharged early and headed home by midday.

it was great to be back together as a family again (even though the big kids got a little crazy at times, it was nice to still have my mom around to run interference and to take them to the park again). i couldnt imagine being left at home alone with all 3 at this point (when i still need to take it easy with my body) but i think things will work out really well this next week. derek's parents arrive tomorrow, he is taking the big kids to the airport to pick them up. they stay until next wednesday. so i've got some time to heal before i'm left all alone :D

welcome home sign by diedre and grandma jen. diedre told her what to write.

the birthday party for audrey

audrey has slept all afternoon so we'll see how the evening goes.

ahhh, its good to be home. its good to be a mom. its good to have these healthy kids and baby in my life. its good to have such an awesome husband and father to my kids. thank you, God!

see the full album of Baby Audrey pictures