Isla Katherine

It's been two weeks with our little love. So I figured I better get her birth story written down. Prepare for a novel and some very intimate pictures. (note: I am grateful for my friend Lexi coming to take these pictures. I'm glad I have them and I'm happy to share them, sorry if they make you feel uncomfortable) :)

My doctor had warned me that this little one was probably not going to come on her own. So, at my last appointment, he told me the plan for an induction. I was supposed to call the hospital on the 13th and see when I could come in to get started. I spent the day getting my hair and nails done, just trying to pass the time. My sweet mother-in-law, Kristi, was a nurse at Alta View until about 3 months ago. So she called a little earlier than I was supposed to so we could get a feel for what our night ahead held. She found out they were understaffed and had like 4 inductions that night so I was probably going to get pushed to the next morning. I was devastated because my mom was leaving to Florida at 3pm the next day. So she called back and worked some magic and I got to go in at 10:00! Before going in, Trace and I went to his parents house and had some dinner, then Jim and Trace gave me a blessing, which was such a huge comfort and relief. Then we were off! It was surreal, driving to the hospital, knowing that we weren't coming home without a baby this time! We were so nervous that we were making the dumbest jokes and taking them way too far, we'd be talking in ridiculous accents for way too long and one of us would say "wait, this isn't funny..." which of course made it more funny.

When we got the hospital, we did our paperwork and went back to our room. I put my hospital gown on and then waited... and waited... My nurse, Heather was so spunky and awesome (hand selected by Kristi, of course) she checked to see what sort of progress I'd made on my own, I was at a 1+ and 80% effaced. We had a long night and day ahead of us... The I got my IV and it hurt SO bad for some reason. I think I was just expecting a little prick like when they take your blood, but this was a doozy and it kept hurting when they were done for like 3 hours. Then we had to wait to get the OK from my Dr. to start the Cytotec (which helps with effacement), but he was on a plane so we had more waiting to do. I kept having to go to the bathroom and it was so annoying with all my monitors and IV hooked up to me. But Trace was a wonderful helper even though it was the middle of the night.

We finally got the OK at 12:30am so Heather placed the Cytotec and told us to try to get some rest. At 3:30 she came in to check and I was still at a 2 and 80%! No progress. So she placed a second dose and once again told us to sleep if we could. I finally fell asleep and then woke up at 5:15am feeling REALLY uncomfortable. My monitor that was on Isla's heartbeat had come off while I was sleeping so Heather told me I had to hold still for at least 20 minutes to make sure she was still okay in there. At that point I had told Heather my pain was at a 2, just 5 minutes after she left the room and said she'd be back at 6 I remember thinking "it's a 3! oww it's a 4!!" But, I just had to sit still and watch the clock till 6. That was miserable.

Heather came back in around 6:15 and I said I would love some medicine for this discomfort. She gave me something that made me feel a little out of it... okay really out of it... it was pretty funny, but I felt GOOOOD.

I got a new nurse around 7:30 - her name was Charmaine and she was so awesome. She was really firm when I needed to do something and she was really loving and nurturing when I needed that. When she came in I had just started feeling some small contractions. Dr. Smith came and broke my water around 8, that was weird. I felt like I peed for like 10 minutes. then things got real. I started to feel major contractions. After like 2 (that I cried through), I said it was time for the epidural. Kudos to those moms who go natural... but I don't have the pain tolerance for it!

I got my epidural, it was sort of a breeze. The worst part about it was having to sit still while I was still having contractions. I was sitting indian style on the hospital bed while the Dr. did his thing. I was whimpering and feeling really nauseous, and next thing I know the nurse is asking for juice and crackers to our room ASAP. Nope, not for me, for my sweet Trace. He isn't squeamish about needles, it was just seeing me in pain and he almost went DOWN. He wandered back to his chair and it took him hours to get full color back in his face. Poor guy.

My mom came at 8:45 and hung out with us for a while. It was so special having her there. It was so comforting to have her there. She was quiet and helpful and just knowing she was in the room was so comforting to me. I was still feeling great with my epidural, and I was still a little out of it from my earlier medicine. I asked my nurse if the anesthesiologist was on google review or if I could just fill out a comment card because he was so awesome... then when my Dr. was trying to explain something to me, all I could talk about was the grape slushy my nurse had just brought me.

At 9:20 I was at a 4.5 and 90%. Char said we'd probably have a baby around 4 or 5, which broke our hearts because Mom was supposed to leave at 3. Mom went home to pack her stuff so she could be ready to leave at any moment and Char started my Pitocin. I still couldn't feel a thing so we just rested and chatted and rested some more. at 11:50 I was at 8cm! We called Mom and Kristi to get back, and Char said the plan was to "rest and descend", AKA we were going to turn off the Pitocin and let Isla descend on her own. We started doing "practice pushes" at 12:10pm. Which is really just pushing without the Dr. there because the baby isn't close enough. They kept saying I was good at it, but I was so concerned because I couldn't feel anything and was really just making the face they make in the movies... ha.

I started to feel a pain in my hip that I promptly reported to the nurse. It was coming and going so we weren't too worried about it. Then it stopped coming and going, it was just constant pain in my left hip, it hurt when I pushed, and it hurt when I didn't push. I was miserable. Then I started to feel pain in my stomach as well. I was so done. We pushed the button to get an extra dose of the epidural medicine and Dr. Smith said he was going to get the vacuum because I was in too much pain to push. I was quietly sobbing between contractions/pushes and I wasn't super willing to keep pushing. He told me he opened the vacuum, so I knew I was on my last contraction and pushes no matter what.... I gave it all I had and everyone was telling me I was so close and to not give up... and boom there she was! Turns out they didn't even use the vacuum... My beautiful, meconium covered, cone headed daughter was finally here. They put her right on my chest and I didn't even care that I was covered in poop. Okay, it was kinda nasty, but I still loved her so much.

Obviously not flattering... but just about as real as it gets. 

I will always cherish this picture of my sweet mother-in-law comforting me, she was telling me how great of a mom I was going to be

Bet you weren't ready for that alien cone head... it's okay, it went down fast

They cleaned her up and brought her back and I have never been more grateful. Every miserable moment in the last 9 months was worth it. I had my beautiful little baby and my sweet husband and all was well and right in the world. That night while I was staring at her in my recovery room I thanked my Heavenly Father for not only getting me through pregnancy, but for blessing me with such a sweet healthy baby. I'm so blessed to have her spirit in our home.

Isla Katherine Rodgerson

November 14, 2014

7 lbs 10 oz 21 inches

Photos: Lexi Marie Photography