Birth Story-Mallorie Maxine

Well, our gorgeous daughter has finally made it to our world! She is beautiful and such a blessing. She didn't come how we expected, or even when, but she came, and I have no complaints.

So, we set our induction date about 5 months into our pregnancy. Early, but since our induction was medically necessary, we needed to set it early to make sure I was first on the list at the hospital. So, for 4 months we ANXIOUSLY awaited for March 20, 2013!!!
But, Mallorie seemed to have other plans. Our first scare came on the night of March 16, 2013. My husband and I were spending some time at his parents house, but he had to go to work, so I was there by myself. As I was leaving around 6:15 p.m., I fell down the stairs that lead out of their house into their garage. I landed directly on my stomach. I instantly started crying because the pain was incredibly severe. I called my husband, but he didn't answer. I drove home, knowing that calling a hospital would be pointless until I knew more because they would just tell me to do fetal counts for an hour. So, that's what I was going to do, but the pain was so bad I jumped in the shower first to try to do some natural pain relief. When I got out of the shower, my husband was calling me, but I was still hysterical. I hadn't been able to stop crying because I was freaking out. I wasn't sure if I could feel the baby move, but I didn't want to think about it too much. My husband got home around 1:30 a.m. and came directly to me on the couch to try to get Mallorie to move. There was nothing. We even yelled at my stomach, shook it, poked it, anything. We tried everything we could think of to get her to move, even once. And still, nothing. So, we called the hospital. Luckily, my OBGYN was the one that was on call that night, and since we've had to work so crazy close with her during this whole thing, she called my husband to get the whole story and told us to go to the hospital at once for at least 4 hours of monitoring. So, we went. Scared to death, but we went. When we got there my husband gave me a blessing, and a few minutes later they hooked Mallorie and I up to monitors and INSTANTLY there was a strong heartbeat! It was instant relief!!! I'm not sure why she had gone 6+ hours refusing to move, or maybe something was wrong, but the blessing from my husband was what she needed. So, we went home on March 17 and waited the next 3 days! :)

We were told to be at the hospital on the 20th at 6 a.m., so we set our alarms for 5 a.m. We already had everything packed and ready to grab and walk out the door. When I woke up, I had a missed call and a voicemail from the hospital. They were too busy and I couldn't come in yet. I was crushed. They told me to call in around 7 and I would be able to come in because there were a few women that were just about ready to deliver. When I called back at 7 the nurse I talked to was completely rude. She told me to stop calling, that they weren't ready for me, and they'd call me. So, I cried and cried. I wanted my daughter. I wanted to start this process. I was done. Around 8:30 my phone started ringing and I was so excited. When I answered I was surprised to hear my doctors voice. She began to tell me that they wouldn't be able to get me in because they were short staffed at the hospital. I was crushed, and my doctor was furious at the hospital. She gave me two options. I could either:
a) Go in at 7 p.m. that night and get on a medicine to help thin my cervix and then be given a sleeping pill
or
b) Try again the next morning to get in, but she wasn't sure how that would go.

So, we went in at 7 p.m. to see what the plan was. I made sure to leave around 6:30, even though the hospital is only 3 minutes down the road, but I wanted to get in before they could call me and cancel again (which is a good thing we did because they said they were about to call me and tell me to wait another hour).

 38 weeks and 6 days, headed out the door to the hospital.

 My husband and I, SO READY to become parents!!!

So, we get to the hospital, get hooked up to monitors and IV's and such. The nurses blow out veins in my hand and arm, so they have to get an anesthesiologist to put my IV in (HOLY PAIN!!!). But, they get it in, and I settle in for the night, or so I thought. Starting at 9 p.m. I was given my first dose of cytotec (supposed to quickly thin your cervix). They brought that in every 3 hours for me to take. At about 11:30 p.m. I asked for my sleeping pill. DANG THAT STUFF WORKS!!! I was out for the rest of the night! My blood pressure cuff that went off every 15 minutes didn't even wake me up! Only the nurses having to jostle me to take my pills woke me, or when they would come in to adjust the monitors. At 6 a.m. they gave me the last dose of cytotec and at 9 a.m. started me on pitocin. At 9 a.m. they also checked me, I was dilated to a 2. I was frustrated that I was only a two after being there for over 12 hours, but at least it was progress. So, we settled in for the day. At 11 a.m. a doctor came in to break my water, and HOLY CRAP. That was so painful! Apparently my cervix was tilted oddly which is why it was so painful. And, then the contractions REALLY STARTED!!!

 It was now March 21, obviously, which was also my sister's birthday. I had invited her to be there for the birth of Mallorie. She is my only sister and I had the pleasure to see her 3rd child born, and I wanted her to see her first niece on the Weatherholtz side born.

 Anyone who knows me pretty much knows that I have about 0 pain tolerance. I am so grateful for Brandon. He held my hand through literally every contraction, and never left my side. The contractions just about broke me. My body was shaking uncontrollably, which scared me. I didn't know what was happening, and no matter how hard I tried to control the shaking, they got worse.

 But, Brandon never left me, and never let go of my hand. He wiped my tears and helped me breathe.

 My mother came up to Utah specifically for Mallorie's birth. She was such a blessing during the entire day at the hospital. She was so concerned about me, but was such a strength.

So, after laboring and laboring, I was FINALLY given my epidural around 3:30 p.m. It was amazing! Awkward to get. I had to sit cross-legged on my bed, and then turn and lean into my husbands chest. WHO CAN DO THAT COMFORTABLY AT 9 MONTHS PREGNANT!?! lol But, I did it. My sister was there at that time, and her and my mother say it was quite hilarious watching me as I went from being in such pain to such relief. Apparently I was being quite a dork. =) My epidural started wearing off QUICK, so an hour or so later, I had to get a readjustment from Max, my anesthesiologist.

After the epidural was complete, and functioning properly, I was checked again. By now, it was about 5 p.m. STILL A TWO. Well, a 2 and a wiggle. And only 85% effaced. I was crushed. I just started to cry. It had been almost 24 hours since being admitted to the hospital and I had only progressed 1 cm and 10%. I was dying! I wanted to bad to be done. My OBGYN came in around 7 p.m. to check me and get things going. I told her if I was still at a 2 I was going to go CRAZY! And, she assured me that I was probably about a 7 since I'd been there so long with contractions and pitocin. She checked me. No change. Still a 2. Once again, tears. She told me that not only was I still a 2, but baby was at -2 position. Meaning, I hadn't dropped at all. She was as high as she could possibly be and that she was stuck in the cervix opening since I hadn't dilated anymore. She once again gave me 2 options.
a) Caesarean section-She told me that she honestly didn't see this going anywhere, and that they'd tried everything they could.
or
b) Give it another 24 hours and see where that would get us.

NO WAY was I about to go another 24 hours and not get to hold my sweet baby that I was supposed to hold the day before. Brandon and I opted for the surgery. I was surprisingly not scared at all. I was anxious to get my sweet girl here, as was Brandon. I asked them if we had a little time to call the in-laws to come to the hospital, and they informed us that my doctor had just rushed into another C-section, so we had plenty of time.

Brandon called his parents, and asked his father to bring consecrated oil so that Brandon and his dad could give me a blessing before I went in for surgery.


Then Max came in and numbed me like CRAZY! lol That was by far one of the weirdest feelings I've even experienced. I was watching them bend my knees up and prop my legs up, and yet they would just fall. There was nothing that I could do to keep my leg up. =)

Then, they wheeled me to the Operating Room, but told me that I could have my husband AND my mother there, so we picked her up on the way there.

After transferring me to the operating table, I was put on oxygen, and my husband and mother were let in. We had given my mom our camera to capture as much as she could, and the pictures we have from the operating room that she took are priceless. Brandon came to my side, and was such a blessing.

 He talked to me, and I told him everything that was going on because I could watch the surgery in the reflection on the ceiling. I was able to tell my mom to get ready because I knew the exact moment that they were "popping" Mallorie out.

 She was born with quite the cone head at exactly 9:00 p.m. Since she was stuck in the cervical opening so long she had a 2 cm hickey on her head and it was coned. Which you can see quite well in the picture. She was born WIDE AWAKE, and didn't make a peep.

 Our first family picture, even if it is a bit fuzzy, it's the first we got.

 Brandon was so concerned about me, and was seriously refusing to leave my side. I had to tell him to please go see our daughter. I wanted him with her, and I was fine. He later told me that he didn't want to leave me because he was so concerned and I was crying. I assured him that my tears were happy tears, and that him going to her was truly what I wanted at that time.

 He has fit so perfectly into his role as Mallorie's father. Because I had such an unexpected surgery, I was quite bedridden during our stay at the hospital, and he never once complained of everything that he had to do. He had to change almost every diaper. Every time she cried during the day or night, he had to get up and get her out of her crib to hand her to me to eat. He has fallen in love with our daughter, and she adores him right back. I couldn't have asked for a better man to have a family with.

 This is our AMAZING doctor. She was with us through every single step of this pregnancy, and did everything she knew how to in order to put our minds at ease and yet still be cautious of what ended up being a tricky pregnancy. :)

 Mallorie's Uncle Aaron and Aunt Jill came to visit while we were in the hospital and they brought her this adorable stuffed bunny, and since she's just so stinking cute, I couldn't help but take some pictures of Mallorie with the bunny! :)

 Here's the sweet man that chose me! This picture was taken right after surgery. We were both exhausted after 26 hours of waiting for our sweet girl, but we couldn't have been more happy to finally have her in our arms, and to know that we made that beautiful daughter of God.

And here she is.

Mallorie Maxine Buchei

March 21, 2013

6 lbs. 12.2 oz

20.5 in

9:00 p.m.