Macy J Has Arrived

The birth story:  One week before my due date I had my membranes stripped and made the appointment to be induced the next day.  That night I went into labor on my own.  I was up in the night with contractions, but I was freezing cold.  I couldn't seem to get warm, my entire body was shaking and my teeth were chattering uncontrollably.  We finally decided we should go to the hospital.  We got there before 5am.  I got all hooked up and ready to go.  Once I was "comfortable" Matt decided he had better leave and get himself some breakfast.  I told him to go right then, before things really got going.  Only a few minutes after he left, the nurse told me the news.  She told me that my fever was very high, she said it is difficult for an adult to get such a high fever.  Something was wrong.  They said they thought I had an infection called Chorioamnionitis, which is an infection of the membranes.  I thought they would give me some antibiotics and we could get on with it.  Then she said it could affect the baby.  Immediately after birth our sweet baby would have to be taken to the NICU, have an IV, have a series of tests, and be monitored for 36 hours to make sure everything was okay.  Of course I burst into tears and couldn't believe Matt wasn't with me!  When Matt got back a few minutes later and saw my face he knew right away that something was wrong.  It was so terrifying not knowing if Macy would be okay.

My contractions got pretty intense and I finally got my epidural...I was at about a 7.  After a few hours the epidural seemed to wear off and my contractions were almost unbearable.  I kept pushing the pain button but there was no relief.  The anesthesiologist came in and gave me some medication but it was time to have this baby! The baby's heart rate kept dropping and they had to give me oxygen.  The cord was wrapped around her neck and with every contraction she was put in distress.  Matt and I were getting really scared.  Luckily with my first push he was able to get the cord from around her neck and then another push and she was here!

 Macy J McLaws was born on February 26, 2013 at 11:46 am.  She was our biggest baby, at 7 lbs 5 oz. and 20 inches long.  We were unsure of her name up until right before we left the hospital, but when I had to fill out her birth certificate information I automatically put Macy, so that was it!

We were able to hold her for about 20 minutes before they had to take her to the NICU.  I stayed an extra night in the hospital so I could be there and visit her as often as possible.  It didn't take us long to realize that she was going to be just fine.  She was healthy and strong and we wanted to take her home!  With a lot of nagging we were able to sneak her out after about 33 hours in the NICU.

Here is the nurse, scared to tell me that it was time to take Macy away!

Here she is in the NICU.

The IV in her hand was so heartbreaking.

We are so grateful for this sweet baby girl.