Happy Birth Day Carnival - Moe Edition

Six months later, the girls were just 2 and 6 months old. I started going to the gym. Life was well. Then surprise! We found out I was pregnant again and expecting a baby October 13, 2004. Oddly, we had just started making plans for celebrating our 5^th wedding anniversary in Washington D.C. Two weeks before we found out I was pregnant; I had a dream that I was pregnant and gave birth in D.C. Our anniversary is October 9^th. Even more odd, at Christmas, Einey (2) kept telling all our family and friends that she was going to have another baby. We never did finish planning that trip.

Again, another easy pregnancy. My thyroid started to act up (I’d always had issues) but it was easily managed. We knew early on that Moe was breeched. Again, I gained only 16 pounds. At 37 weeks, my doctor set up and appointment for 38 weeks to try a version for her or it would be time to schedule a c-section. A 37 ½ weeks, Tuesday, September 21^st, I went into labor. I hurried up and ate a big meal of spaghetti and meatballs (only because I had been craving it all day and Husband cooked it just for me). After I finished watching Gilmore Girls, I told Husband it was time to go. Since I was in early labor, they decided to monitor me overnight and do the version in the morning. Wednesday morning, my OB came in and said he had some options. We could a) try the version and if successful, continue on, b) continue on even with her being breech or c) do a c-section. He added, I know you’re not keen on option c, so if you want to try to continue on, we’ve got the approval. That was the last thing I expected to hear as the hospital has a pretty strict policy on delivering breech babies by c-section. So we tried the version. Twice in fact. It failed both times. And so, we continued on. At some point, in the early afternoon on the 22^nd, as we were pacing the halls, Husband remarked to one of the nurses “If she waits until tomorrow, I can remember the birthdays easier – the 23, 25 and 27^th”. Yeah, he still didn’t learn when to keep his mouth shut! Labor, unfortunately didn’t progress. And I couldn’t eat – I was still a high candidate for a c-section. I was finally allowed water and ice. Thursday morning, doctor came and tried another version. Nope. The hospital was packed with other women giving birth and they were short staffed. So my OB went back to his office and a ½ hour alter I got a new nurse. My OB cleared his schedule, sent me my own nurse and came back to start some pitocin. A half hour after the pitocin was started, I finally was dilated enough to do something. So, into the OR I was wheeled. In came my personal nurse and two others nurses (one being my birthing coach from Einey!). Doctor and Husband started talking about a kid Husband went to school with (Husband was classmates with OB’s son) who was going to be on an upcoming episode of Fear Factor. I puked – because you know – not the best thing to talk about and my stomach was empty. Then came shift change – they were still short, so my lovely nurses volunteered to stay as opposed to find others to come in. In came another OB (to assist if I needed the emergency C-section, in came the anesthesiologist (again same reason). In came the pediatrician. In stopped by some random hospital employees that said “I hear you have an unusual birth going on here (seriously – I laughed at that). And finally, after 45 hours of labor, out came Moe, ass first, all just over 6 pounds and 19 ½ inches of her on June 23rd, 2004. Since the OR is kept cold, out she went with the pediatrician and Husband close behind (he was torn whether to stay with me or go with her, I sent him with her). And then it was time to fix me. It was physically the hardest delivery I had, the most painful and longest to recover from. However, she did a great job nursing and nursed until 10 months when I again had surgery. We stopped not only for the surgery, but she finally decided to cut teeth and changed her latch, giving me one hell of an infection. When I went in the NP said “we usually see these infections in new mothers, not 10 months out”. Gee thanks. She had elevated bili levels as well, but not enough to be hospitalized. Moe is now 3 and ¾ years old and still doing things her own way. She started walking early, talking late and has been doing things her own way the whole time. She’s even the only person in our family with blue eyes. She’s definitely not going to take her status as third child lying down.

I'd also like to say, even though my labor was slow and not progressing, I wasn't allowed to leave and wait it out like they normally let you do. This was because of Meenie's birth. Since they consider active labor from the time of your water breaking to the time you deliver, that was 15 minutes with her. And since she came so fast, and Moe was breeched, they didn't want to put us in that situation and have me deliver her at home.

So I went home with three kids under three years old.

And so ended the having babies and having surgery cycle I was in for 3 years.

Be sure to check out the Einey Edition and Meenie Edition.

Alex, over at Formula Feed and Flexible Parenting, is throwing a Birth Days Carnival this week in honor of her Younger Son’s (YS) 2^nd birthday. Since Meenie also celebrates a birthday this week, I thought I’d join in the fun and re-live the births of my daughters.