Introducing Sydney Marie

Well, I suppose an update about Sydney's birth day is way over due. These last few weeks have just been so crazy. As most of you know our daughter, Sydney Marie, was born Saturday April 4, 2009 at 7:28 pm. She was 8lbs 11oz and 21 in. long.

Andy and I arrived at the hospital around 8 a.m. Saturday morning. I wasn't in labor but I was scheduled to be induced. The doctors decided, with my permission, to do this because our daughter has an ovarian cyst and they were concerned about it possibly getting to large, or wrapping around her ovary which could result in her losing that ovary. I did not have to agree to this of course, but I wasn't worried since I had been induced with Sammy and everything went perfectly. Now, in hind sight I wonder if it was the right thing to do, but that is neither here nor there.

After getting settled in, answering 101 questions, and getting my IV put in the pitocin was started around 9:30 a.m. The contractions took awhile to start up and once they did they were not very regular and I barely noticed them. At that point I was thinking maybe I was going to be blessed with a pain free labor...wishful thinking I know! The nurses/doctors decided that things were not progressing very quickly because the baby was not in the right position and therefore not putting enough pressure on my cervix. Eventually, around noon (give or take) they decided to break my water to try to help speed up the process.

After they broke my water I had to do a lot of different things to try and get the baby to turn. Eventually I felt her flip around and if I remember correctly I think that is when her heart rate dropped dramatically and the nurses came rushing in. At first I had no clue what was going on...they just flipped me over so I was on my hands and knees, they put my head down and put an oxygen mask on me. I was terrified and just prayed and basically begged God to keep my baby safe. After it was all over and her heart rate came back up they explained that some how the umbilical cord had probably been squeezed and was cutting off oxygen to her. Thankfully the nurses were right on top of stuff and got her heart rate back up with in minutes...although it felt like an eternity to me because in the moment I had no idea what was going on.

Everything after that is pretty much a blur. The contractions were really kicking in and I was really having to concentrate on getting through them. Around 5 pm or so I finally asked for some pain medication. The first round was a God send...although I still felt the contractions, the meds took the edge off and I was able to rest a bit. I eventually asked for more, but the second round didn't do anything unfortunately. I was in a lot of pain so the doctor offered me an introtheical, which is a shot that goes in the back and helps takes away the sharpness of the contractions. I really didn't want to do anything like that because of the risks, but by that point I was getting really tired and just needed anything to help me through the rest of the labor. Little did any of us know just how close the baby was to making her debut.

Now, the exact times of any of these next events eludes me for obvious reasons...at one point the doctor checked me and said I was at 8 cm. Then the anesthesiologist came in, explained the risks of the introthiecal, had me sign a waver, and started the process during which I felt the urge to start pushing! I remember the anesthesiologist asking the doctor if she should stop, but I didn't want her too (of course I wasn't exactly of sound mind) and so the doctor told her to continue. The introthiecal was not going to do me any good though because with in minutes of being flipped back to my back the baby was born. Like I said I don't remember the exact timing of any of these events, but I'm pretty sure they all took place with in 10-15 minutes total!

Right after Sydney basically shot out, I saw her fall...she slipped right through the doctors hands. It felt like it was FOREVER before she finally picked her up and laid her on my chest. She wasn't there but a few seconds before the nurses whisked her off to do whatever it is they do. I remember hearing her cry and being grateful for that beautiful sound.

Because everything had happened so quickly our mom's never made it back to the room to see their granddaughter's birth. Andy had to go out to the waiting room to tell them, and they didn't believe him! They just couldn't believe they had missed it.

After the baby and I were cleaned up and settled in everyone came in to meet the newest member to the family. She kept making this "purring" sound that everyone thought was so cute, but eventually Teresa asked the nurse about it and she said that was not a good sign. It meant that she was possibly having a hard time breathing. So, the doctors came in to check her out, and do some test on her. They tested her oxygen levels and they appeared to be fine.

Later that evening around midnight I was holding her and resting my eyes. All of a sudden she started breathing differently which caught my attention. When I looked at her I thought that her mouth looked blue. So, I called for the nurse and she took her to the nurses station for monitoring. I was worried, but I think because I was so tired that it didn't dawn on me the seriousness of the situation....until later. I asked the nurse how she was doing and she assured me she was okay so we decided to get some rest.

Around 2 am, the nurse came back and said that the doctors had decided to send her to Saginaw because she had quit breathing a few times and her heart rate dropped while under observation. My heart sank....my mind ran a million miles a minute. They put me in a wheel chair so I could go see her. I have never prayed so hard and pleaded with God so much my entire life. I'm the mommy and I'm supposed to be able to make everything better. Seeing her lying there, having oxygen pumped into her and being shaken to keep her stimulated was horrible. It was like being in a bad dream and not being able to wake up.

I kept replaying the days events in my mind trying to figure out what went wrong. And of course I blamed myself...I chose to be induced, on that day, with that doctor. Did it have anything to do with her being dropped? Should I have had a c-section after her heart rate dropped? Why was this happening? Why had I been so selfish? I would give my life if it meant sparring my child's. What would I do if I lost her? I could I ever survive??

Eventually the paramedics from Saginaw arrived and they intubated Sydney so that way she would have a safe trip. It was so hard letting her go knowing that I had to stay put. It was so hard seeing my husband cry for his little girl. Thankfully God blessed us with wonderful parents who were there for us every moment. Andy's parents took him to Saginaw and my mom stayed with me through the night.

I spent the next few hours talking with my mom about anything and everything. It helped to take my mind off the "what if's." We eventually decided to get some rest around 6 am, but I spent the next hour talking to God. Despite being scared out of my mind, I felt peace. I still didn't know what the future held, but I knew I was not alone. I had a seen the miracles that God had performed with three other babies from our church and He assured me that I would have my own little miracle. I just knew that even though we were going through this horrifying time, God was with us, and He was in control!

Well, that is Sydney's birth story. Of course, there is much more tell about the following days, but I will write about that later. I have been wanting to do this for quite awhile, but you know how it is with a newborn. Luckily, she has been sleeping peacefully on my chest while I type this today.

We still don't have any idea what caused these problems with Sydney as of now, and we may never know. And of course we are not out of the woods yet. She may or may not have long term problems because of it. But, I do know that I am putting my fears and worries in God's hands. We have had so many people praying for us and our daughter. We have had so many wonderful friends and family reach out and help us in any way they can. We are so grateful for their love and kindness. We are so truly blessed.