the sunny side of life: 2019

Louise Christine Prevatt
February 4, 2019
5:37 pm
9 lb 10 oz
22 inches

The short: two pushes, no pain meds, big sisters cut the cord!

I suppose your birth story begins in fall 2017, when we decided to try for a fourth baby. In the process, I got diagnosed with my ASD and had OHS. It is a story for another day that I owe to myself to write. Although we were frustrated that I didn't get pregnant before fall 2017, I thankfully did not have to wait through a pregnancy with an unrepaired heart. Life is funny.

After surgery, I had some complications but was doing so well five months post. I went for my TEE and "graduation" visit to cardiology. Dr. Garas assured me it would be my healthiest pregnancy if I got pregnant, and this 38 year old woman must have gotten pregnant the same day! Who knew I was so fertile? (re-reading this is cracking me up - like Dr. Garas was your dad! Don't worry - Dad is your dad!) It was a hard pregnancy. My heart did not cooperate and I ended up with recurrent pericarditis on low-dose steroids. I felt badly that I had not fully recovered before getting pregnant, but you were the fourth child I always wanted.

Despite the pain and general exhaustion, all my ultrasounds, NSTs, and BP readings were looking great. That is, until about 38-39 weeks, when my BP started rising and I had protein in my urine. They decided that it was time for delivery. There was some question as to your due date. I was given dates from 1/30-2/9. Personally, I thought it was closer to 1/30. I guess that's why they call it a guess date! I went to the hospital for monitoring on February 1, but my BP went down and my urine looked great so they let me go home. I had to come back for an induction on Sunday night, February 3.

I reluctantly showed up after Grammie and Pops came to get the other girls. They started my IV and Carol, my midwife, inserted the Cook catheter. My cervix was apparently extremely posterior. It was a ridiculously painful, long procedure. I definitely got the impression that three attempts was not the norm. After the world's longest insertion, I started contracting almost immediately and the catheter fell out about an hour. That meant I was about 4 cm dilated - progress! Unfortunately, I didn't maintain the contractions and decided to try to sleep on the advice of my doula, Kelly.

I actual rested off and on throughout the night. Women who are nine months pregnant don't sleep much anyway. In the morning, they started pitocin and the contractions started too - slowly. Kelly was with another mom (same hospital), so I was with a fill-in doula. I rocked on the birth ball and walked the halls. At some point (maybe around 3?), they broke my water, and things got intense quickly. Chris called my Mom, who brought Annie and Maren to the hospital. My ideal birth plan included Annie and Maren. Well, my ideal birth plan would have involved having you at home, but that unfortunately was not an option. Chris did not want the sisters there because he said it was too scary, gross, and potentially traumatizing. This compromise worked out perfectly.

Annie and Maren (and Kelly!) kept me calm because I did not want them to see me panic. Chris said it was my best delivery, and Annie said she's heard me make more noise after stubbing my toe. I felt you come down quickly, and then it was time to push. Midwife Kim helped guide you into this world. Two very big pushes and there you were. Absolutely beautiful and completely perfect.

There is no feeling in the world like meeting your baby. It is the purest love, a miracle on earth. I knew you and loved you before I met you. And then you were here.

It was a beautiful, peaceful, best-case scenario birth. It was complicated by the following: high blood pressure, magnesium, preeclampsia, echo, EKG, and cardiology consult. Everything checked out perfectly, thankfully. When we finally made it home on Friday, it was blissful freedom!

Apologies for the movies that are really live photos. I'm certain it's fixable, but oh well! It takes too much time to upload images anyway.

You were both supposed to cut the cord, but Maren went first and cut right through it!

The former science teacher showing you the placenta. Maren said, "I want to be a doula someday."

Bliss. I'm pretty sure heaven is just holding a newborn on your chest all the time.

I wanted a rock star doula and Kelly was awesome. I thought she was a little expensive. Chris said, "I would have paid double."

Mags was the sweetest, proudest big sister ever. Every time you cried, she would go over and pat you and say, "It's ok, Lou, we are here. We are here Lou."

The best feeling in the world: meeting you.

Maren said, "no Annie, you already have one. This one is mine."

I loved this bathing suit so much. This was New Year's Day, two days after a road trip to ski in NC, during which I put on 15 pounds, swelled like crazy, and swore I got pre-eclampsia. All the weight was off three days after this picture.