Isadora's Arrival

I gave birth to our little Isadora Autumn on October 9, 2010, 7:11AM. She weighed 10lbs 6oz and is 22inches long. We are so excited to have her in our lives. I never knew I could adore something so much. Casey and I just can’t get enough of her. We were so blessed to have a great birthing experience and such beautiful little girl.
At the beginning we looked into a home birth. We didn’t have insurance, I couldn’t find a doctor that wouldn’t treat me like a number, and the over all care seemed better with a midwife. We chose Launa Campbell. But our finances went south and we qualified for Medicaid so we had to switch to a doctor. Launa offered her husband, Dr. Clay Campbell in Montpelier, ID if we wanted a doctor. Launa was with us through all my prenatals. Dr. Campbell never pushed me into anything I wasn’t comfortable with. Together they made the perfect team and gave me the option to go as natural as I wanted.
With my excess weight I always bordered not being able to have a successful home birth to begin with and Launa was very up front with me about that. About 3 weeks before she came, both Dr. Campbell and Launa expressed that a C-section might occur for many reasons and that I needed to prepare for one, just in case. I had a 5 page birth plan ready for the hospital.
I went into labor Thursday, October 7th at night. The next morning we drove to Montpelier, ID to be checked. I was only dilated to a 3. So I Casey, Launa, and I went for a walk at the Oregon Trail museum and ate large late breakfast. That afternoon and evening she took us to her house and labored at her house till 1:30am Saturday morning. She had two doulas there to assist. I don’t think I could have asked for a better day. Casey and I went for a walk (on their massive country property), fed the horses apples, and played with their cat and 2 dogs. Besides the pain, it was a very nice day. The doulas were amazing when I would contract one would go on each sides of my hips and push. It made the pain lessen. I would climb stairs and squat. Though I did do water aerobics everyday since May, I will be in better shape for the next pregnancy.
Launa recorded my vitals every half hour and Dr. Campbell checked me twice to know when it was time to go to the hospital. I had quite the team-- A midwife, 2 doulas, a doctor, and Casey. I felt like a celebrity.
At 1:30 I seemed ready for the hospital. I admit I was more afraid to go to the hospital. I didn’t want to be strapped onto machines. But the staff was so supportive- lights low, manual blood pressure cuff, and Doppler fetal monitoring. My water broke about 4AM. That’s when the real contractions started. But unlike birth contractions, that goes up and down, my just got harder and harder and didn’t come down. I was screaming at the top of my lungs and Dr.Campbell and Launa got worried. I finally broke at 6AM and asked for an epidural. 10 minutes after the epidural had taken effect my vitals and the baby’s vitals got too high. They told me that we’d have to have a C-section; I was not dilated enough (only a 6) and the baby needed to come out. So they prepped. Apparently her head was too big to get through my pelvis to dilate me and it looked like she didn’t drop enough. We later found out that it wasn’t that she didn’t drop, she was just so big her butt hit my boobs at the same time her head hit my pelvis.
Well in the C-section Casey got to watch them pull her out. Everyone kept saying “She’s huge!!”
Casey’s dialog: “Michele, She’s really big! REALLY Big!! I guess those prenatal vitamins worked!”
When they told me she was 10lbs 6oz I asked “was I a gestational diabetic?”
Well I wasn’t. They had just tested me 3 weeks prier and I never spilt sugar in my urine. She is not over weight, besides her cheeks, I would say she’s rather slim. Her feet are so long- 3.5 inches. Her umbilical cord was over 1 inches in diameter- making it one of the largest my midwife had seen. Launa was with us the whole time. Even in the operating room. We figure they pulled about 22lbs of baby and cord out.
Isadora was the largest baby born at this hospital this year, 3rd place over all. Though the 2 babies bigger then her were gestational diabetes babies. The rest of the stay was wonderful. Our nurses came within the minute I pressed my red button. The meals were great and if I wanted more food for Casey and I all we had to do was ask. Dr. Campbell was on call at the hospital and came in every morning and more if I needed. Staff never bothered us and was so attentive. My departure gifts were the regular stuff plus a full size birthday cake, blanket and a hand knitted outfit for Izzy. It was a wonderful experience.
People ask if I would have died because I had complications and wanted a home birth. I would have been fine either choice. My midwife doesn’t play with fire. Throughout the pregnancy she told me that a home birth might not fit my situation anyway--way before my labor. People need to become more educated on the subject before they prejudge and over dramatize labor complications.