Baby Kacey Phyllis Stidd

I've been meaning to blog for the last 2 weeks about the birth of our little miracle!  Saturday, October 3rd Tom and I went to his dad's house for dinner.  We had a really nice time and watched some BBC episodes of "Great Expectations" that Tom's dad has been wanting to watch.  I went home feeling really happy in my heart, because our visit reminded me of the days when Tom and I were first dating and would have nights like this with his dad.  When Tom and I returned home, we worked on some finishing touches in the nursery, and set up her bedding and her curtains.  We went to bed around midnight.  As I closed my eyes to sleep, I said my prayers about the upcoming birth of my baby.  The last thing I remember saying in my prayers was "God, if it would be special for Tom, please let the baby be born on October 5th."  (The K.C. who inspired the name Kacey for us was born October 5th and I knew this would really mean something to Tom, but my due date wasn't until October 14th so I wasn't sure if she would come that early.)  After that I fell fast asleep...

But then I woke up at 4:30 am on October 4th  I felt something that was like a pop and then a trickle of water.  Pretty quickly I realized that my water broke!  I woke up Tom who asked me if I was sure and once I said I was, he called the doctor who said to go right to the hospital.  We headed over to St. Charles and even though we took 8 hours of Lamaze class, we couldn't remember which door to go in.  Once we found the right door, I got registered and was brought to a birthing room.  My contractions hadn't started yet, so I was given pitocin to get things rolling. The day progressed slowly but I wasn't making too much progress.  Tom and I tried to use the breathing we learned, but the pain was getting worse.  I was given Demerol which didn't do a whole lot, so eventually I happily had an epidural.  Tom's sister arrived and as things got more painful, we decided to have her stay overnight with us.  Each time the doctor came in the room, we hoped he would say I was 10cm and could start pushing, but I wasn't getting there.  In the middle of the night, he told me he would check me one more time and if I wasn't at 10cm, it would be time for a c-section.  I was so nervous about that and had said from the second I became pregnant that I really didn't want to go that route.  They had me try to sleep which I did on and off overnight, but I woke up at 4 am (almost exactly 24 hours after this process had started) in terrible pain.  My epidural had worn off and I begged for a new one.  The doctor was initially reluctant as he hoped I could push soon and didn't want this to hinder that, but ultimately the anesthesiologist came in and re-boosted things for me.  He made me so numb though which was great for the pain, but I couldn't feel my legs at all!  However, when the doctor checked me this time I had reached the 10 cm and could start pushing.

Over the next five hours I pushed with all I had.  It really was a torturous experience for both myself and my supporters Tom and his sister.  The nurse tried to force Tom to eat breakfast which he couldn't even stomach as he watched me turn from red to purple with each push.  The doctor thought I was being hindered by the heavy numbness, so he shut my pump off.  The pain was excruciating now as I had no medicine left in me but was told to push with all my might on each contraction. I was able to bring the baby down further but just couldn't finish things.  At this point I was totally exhausted in so much pain that I was begging for what I had once dreaded, a c-section!  The doctor still didn't think I needed one and suggested we try to use forceps and if that still didn't work, that we would have to go with the c-section.  I was given stronger pain medication again thankfully and could no longer feel anything but was going to still need to try to give a good push!  The room swarmed with people as we attempted this next try.  I had heard mixed things about forceps but had confidence in my doctor's skills.  Well, in 4 big pushes in a row, Kacey was born at 11:42 am at 6 pounds 13 ounces and 19.25 inches.  She took 31 hours to enter the world, but she was here!  As it turns out, the baby had turned sunny-side up and her legs were sideways so no matter how hard I pushed, she never could have been born without help.  And it was October 5th, something that Tom and I can not believe!

The past 2 weeks have been absolutely life changing. I know everyone says you can't know until you become a parent yourself, but it really is amazing.  We are adjusting to overnight feedings and diaper changes and I did have some recovery involved from my delivery with the forceps which also included an episiotomy.  I didn't realize how even with a regular delivery there is some recovery involved.  But despite all of that, our little Kacey Phyllis Stidd is the best thing that's ever happened to Tom and I.  I love that we honored both is K.C. and my mom with her name.  We've been enjoying visits with family and friends and walks in her stroller outside, since she can't go to an indoor public place until she is 2 months old.  Overall, I love my little girl more than anything and I love watching Tom with her.  Being with the two of them makes my heart overflow with love!

Here's a variety of photos from the first 2 weeks!