Welcome lily!

Caitlin

Hello all! It's been a whirlwind of a week. Last week my 7 year old stayed home sick because she had a horrible stomach virus. 24 hours later and she was much better, I thought that was the end. Boy was I wrong! Friday at 38 weeks I lost all appetite and was struggling to eat and thought my water was leaking so I went to the local hospital instead of the one I planned to deliver, they sent me home and I felt awful for my sleep deprived husband. But saturday morning I was so nauseated, and by Saturday night I was sobbing as I threw up everything I had eaten. So thirsty but unable to keep water down. I tried ginger ale, then lemon water, then ice water, room temp water, finally ice, desperate to find something to help with the extreme unquenchable thirst. Nothing! Then I began vomiting blood. Husband wanted to go to the hospital but I didn't want to go 2 nights in a row only to be turned away again and the other hospital had zero bedside manner and just crushed my soul. The next afternoon I still couldn't eat or drink. I couldn't feel baby move. I decided to have my mom or husband drive me to our hospital. I was so dehydrated it took 3 people with a vein finder an hour and 4 very painful failed attempts to get an iv in. 2 bags of fluid later they checked cervix and I was a 3. I convinced them to let me stay overnight, husband took our daughter home and my mom stayed with me. The next morning I was dilated to a 6, I let my husband know they were going to induce me. He comes to the hospital. I had pretty much no birth plan. Just that my husband would be with me and cut the cord. Then he starts throwing up! He had the stomach virus!!! He wasn't allowed to be in the delivery room at all, so suddenly it was my mom and I. They planned to start pitocin but suddenly a mother of twins and another woman came in further in labor so they held off. They broke my water when I reached 7 after the other 2 delivered. The contractions became stronger but not unbearable, still I knew my mom had me without epidural because she waited too long and asked anyway. Good thing too. After I got the epidural they checked me 40 mins later and I was almost at a 10. They said to try to push and said "STOP!" And ran for the midwife telling me to try not to push, I'm like "I feel nothing so I doubt I'll push" the midwife comes and says to push on the next contraction. 2 pushes and they said she's half out. Wait. What?! I pushed 3 hours with my first and this one is half out with 2 pushes?!!!! So I push once more and she let out a powerful scream. Lilith Elaine born 12/3 at 4:26 pm. 7lb 5 oz and 17 3/4 inches long. My mom cut the cord and stayed with me because husband was sent home, absolutely miserable. He barely saw her, of course didn't get to hold her so he was heartbroken. He says it will always be one of the worst things in his life, missing her birth and not being able to be there with me. We did have issues with breastfeeding because I got dehydrated again. This caused a huge weight drop of 9% in 24 hours and her bili levels to double but supplementing has made it all right as rain. She's doing great and we're home