Well, eight days ago our precious Adalyne turned 6 months old. I can’t believe how quickly time is passing. Adalyne is no longer the tiny baby that was placed in my arms on March 22nd. She is a 14 pound chunk who loves to look at books, play with blocks, move wherever she can and scream just for fun. Derek and I delight in her and she is an absolute joy in our lives. She makes our hearts full to the brim mirroring the love that God has for His children. Since she keeps me busy (i.e. refusing to nap and sleep through the night – I have a new appreciation for God’s grace and coffee!) I realized I never posted her birth story so I thought now would be an appropriate time to share it.
Our story begins Sunday, March 20, 2016.
I remember waking up to get ready for church and my hips and back were KILLING me. I told Derek, my husband, that I might not be able to make it to church, but I wanted to try. I began getting ready and put some essential oils on my back and hips to help ease the discomfort. I decided that I would be able to make it to church after all but warned Derek that we might have to leave early. As we were driving to church, we decided to pray together – something we do every Sunday on the way to church. I remember having a contraction as my husband was praying and I said, “OW!” I felt bad for interrupting his prayer but a fairly strong contraction had passed so I couldn’t help it.
We made it to church and Derek helped me get out of the car and promised he would walk me inside and make sure that I was able to be seated right away. I made it through the service but it was pretty challenging. I tried to memorize the main points our pastor was giving so I wouldn’t focus on the pain. I had a few people come up to me after the service and tell me that by observing me, they knew I was in labor. I asked my husband if we could go home but he asked me to wait just a little longer since we had a ministry meeting after the service. I told him I would try my best as I really didn’t want to miss out on the meeting.
At this time, one of my friends came and sat with me and talked with me for a bit. She suggested it might be good for me to get up a walk around. I decided to walk to the bathroom to see if it would help. After my short walk, I felt much better. The pain in my back and hips had subsided and I was able to make it through the meeting.
Monday, March 21, 2016 was our one year anniversary but we had celebrated a few weeks earlier since Adalyne could have potentially been born on the 21st. Her due date was March 25th, so my parents and youngest sister decided to fly in from California on the 21st in case she arrived early. I am so thankful for God’s perfect timing in every detail of my life because, after experiencing contractions all day Monday, when my family arrived in town, my mom said it was time for me to go the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital after hours, so we had to be buzzed in by security. Derek, my family and I rode the elevator up to L & D (labor & delivery) to get me all checked in, which didn’t take too long. Once I was in a room, the nurse ran some tests and asked what seemed like a million questions. She checked to see how far I had dilated and I was really bummed when she told me I was only at 2 which is where I had been for 3 days. One of the nurses was able to give me some medicine to help with the contractions – it was supposed to make me fall asleep but since I’m stubborn I decided that I would not let a drug determine my actions and I stayed awake.
My biggest fear was being sent home which I wanted to avoid at all costs because I was ready to have my baby! The nurse informed me that whether or not I was having the baby, I would not be sent home because my blood pressure was too high. I was really disappointed when I heard this because I had been trying really hard to keep my blood pressure low. My blood pressure was checked again a while later and it had gone down. The nurse concluded that I probably had a contraction during the first reading which made it seem so high. She checked the dilation again and I was a four. I was so happy when she told me that I was indeed in labor and I would be moved to my own room.
I remember my mom and Derek being in the room with me as I got situated and my new nurse informed me about how to request an epidural if I wanted one. She told me to keep in mind that if I decided to have one, it would take about 30 minutes for the request to be fulfilled. I waited a bit and then decided to get one so instead of concentrating on the pain, I could concentrate on pushing when the time came. I have no regrets about this decision. The epidural made my body feel like my legs were asleep but other than that nothing really happened. I was still able to feel a bit of each contraction and was able to push when my body told me to.
The nurse who was with me for most of my labor was named Kelley and she was a super huge boss. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with Kelley hearing about her job as a nurse and how she was also a mom to a little girl. Kelley was so sweet and encouraging the entire time and I am so grateful for her kindness. After her lunch break, Kelley came back into the room and told me that she had been praying for me. She was supportive when I wanted to use lavender essential oil on my back to relieve my muscles and she also helped me find a position that was the most comfortable and practical for me (i.e. NOT lying on my back). My only regret is that D, Adalyne, and I weren’t able to get a picture with her before we left the hospital.
During labor, my temperature went up to 100 degrees which the hospital staff considered to be a fever although I think it was due to being in labor. Adalyne’s heart rate went up as a result and I was informed that once she was born, she would be taken to the NICU to be given antibiotics and I would be administered antibiotics as well. Our sweet Adalyne Rose DuPrez was born at 4:17 pm on March 22nd and weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces.
I only got to spend an hour with her after she was born before the NICU nurses took her. The NICU hadn’t even been on my radar and I was really sad that Adalyne had to go there. I had to stay in my room for two hours as part of the hospital’s mandatory recovery period. My hope was to exclusively breastfeed Adalyne from the start because I knew it was best for her however, I had to let that go as she was in the NICU. I wasn’t allowed to leave my room until my antibiotics, administered via IV, had run their course.
By this time I had a different nurse who wasn’t as sweet as Kelley and even though she had me sign a form stating that I would not get up on my own, I still went to the restroom by myself early the next morning because, when you gotta go, you gotta go. The restroom was literally two feet from my bed and I couldn’t wait for her to wrap up with other patients so she could babysit me while I peed. I don’t typically believe that it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission but in this case, I simply didn’t care.
I was anxious for the NICU to open because I really wanted Adalyneto be brought into my room. The night she was born, I was told that I could only see her during visiting hours. I know that policy was for the safety of the babies in there, but as a new mom, it really irked me. When the morning finally did arrive, I got up and took a shower all by myself and it was glorious. I then put on my make up and did my hair (which in this case meant washing it and braiding it while it was still wet) and was waiting to go visit Adalyne when the NICU finally called and let us know that she was going to be brought back to our room.
We had to stay in the hospital for two days which was also a mandatory policy. During the two days, they continued to monitor Adalyne and Derek and I continued to jump through their hoops so we could return home which was only 5 minutes away. We had to watch an 80s video on why baby shaking is bad (Umm. . . isn’t this obvious? And, do they really expect people to take their videos seriously when one of the ladies being interviewed has a perm AND a mustache?!). We also had to watch a cheesy CPR training video even though I’m already certified in both adult and child CPR/First Aid (of course, the trainer was rocking a dorky mom hair cut and mom jeans).
I’m not too fond of jumping through hoops so I am definitely considering a home birth next time around to avoid them as well as the CONSTANT flurry of nurses coming in and out of the room – we just wanted to sleep!
We felt bad one morning because someone kept knocking on our door and we ignored it thinking it was the hospital staff. The night prior was rough as Adalyne only slept 3 hours and we were exhausted to the max. However, the knocking continued softly so Derek opened the door and it was our pastor who had come to check on us and pray with us – we were so humbled and blessed by his visit!
Thursday, March 24th after waiting what seemed like an eternity, we were finally discharged an hour after the time estimate we had been given, of course. It was so nice to leave the hospital and feel the fresh air and see sunlight! Some people thought we were crazy for showing up at church the next evening for the Good Friday service but it was only an hour long and I HAD to get out and feel normal again.
For this being our first time having a baby, we both learned so much and we are very humbled that God would allow us to be parents. To all the expecting mommies out there, labor and delivery is not as bad and scary as everyone will tell you. In my experience, it wasn’t bad at all – truly, the hardest part for me has been giving up sleep in which case I have realized firsthand that God’s grace is sufficient for me and His power is certainly made perfect in my weaknesses.
I saw a shirt on Pinterest that says, “Mommin’ Ain’t Easy” and the things that are worth it usually aren’t.
Having a baby has been a greater blessing than we could have imagined and we are thankful that God has entrusted our Little Toot to us for our good and His glory.
We pray for her salvation often and are thankful for God’s gift of children.
We love you Adalyne Rose and we can’t imagine life without you, sweet girl!
