I have finally been able to share Millie’s birth story! It has only taken 3+ months to write, but here it is! Every detail I would like to remember is here!
Three months ago, you came into this world, and I can’t help smiling and bursting with joy thinking about that day! My heart hurts thinking about how fast time is going. You are not so little anymore and that is exciting and also hard to accept!
It has been a wild ride with you from the start, Millie Rose! I still cannot believe all we have been through. In the most loving way, my body was put through the ringer while I carried you, and my postpartum journey has been far from what I imagined as well (another blog post coming on that), but you have been with me through it all. You have been my light, my joy, my angel through the toughest days/weeks of my life. Through all of it, God gave me you. I will always feel a special bond with you for all we experienced together. I love you beyond words, Millie Rose! You are so precious.
Before getting into Millie's birth story, I need to set it up with a quick summary of my third trimester.
I suffered an acute sprain in my pelvis when I was 29 weeks pregnant while getting Lainey's room ready for bed. The next morning, I could not walk at all. This is not an exaggeration. I literally could not lift my legs on my own to walk. I called my PT, and she told me to stay in bed as much as I could for the next 48-72 hours and overtime, I should be able to get some mobility back.
Unfortunately, I had another set-back about four weeks later when I suffered another acute sprain in my pelvis. Each passing week, on top of these acute sprains, my mobility decreased and my pain increased.
I was miserable going into my 36-week appointment. I had a bowling ball sensation between my legs and very little mobility. At my appointment, my OB said the best thing that could happen would be that baby comes out in the next week or two. She said at my 37-week appointment, we could schedule an induction at 39 weeks. She told me that she did not ever have a patient with SPD to the degree that I did. My OB did a cervix check, and I was 3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. She also said, “that’s why you’re not feeling well, she’s very low.” At that appointment, we also found out that Millie was head down. One of the last things she said was, “Well I don’t think you’re making it to your induction date.” Spoiler alert: I did!
I had to stop attending PT starting at 37 weeks. I went to PT from weeks 26-36 (and started back up with in-patient PT at the hospital, one day postpartum). I would have needed a wheelchair to get into PT, and my PT said that there wasn't much more she could do so we decided to stop sessions until postpartum.
At my 37-week appointment, I was 4 cm and 60% effaced. My OB wanted to sweep my membranes but I asked if I could forgo it. (I could not bare any additional pain, even though she said by doing so, there was a 50/50 chance of going into labor). We scheduled my induction for the day I turned 39 weeks - Saturday, November 13th.
I essentially did not move (only from my bed to the the bathroom to the couch) for the next 2 weeks (Weeks 37-38). I physically could not lift my leg to take a step, and Tyler pushed me around in a walker/wheelchair. At times, taking the three steps from the bathroom door to the toilet were too much, too painful on my pelvis. When sitting, I couldn’t lift my foot to even put on a sock. I was completely dependent on Tyler taking care of my every need (getting me in/out of bed, taking me to the bathroom, dressing me, and feeding me). We ate our meals together in our living room (me from the couch laying down because I had so much pain and pressure on my pelvis, I could not sit upright). Then there was Lainey. I could not care for her. I could not do my job, despite desperately wanting to. That was heartbreaking.
I was in tears as we drove to my 38-week appointment. I was praying I would be sent over to Labor and Delivery after my appointment. I had to take a wheelchair up to my appointment. The woman at the front desk saw my misery and asked if I was in labor. I remember replying with, “I wish!”. At the appointment, I begged to be induced that day but my OB said her hands were tied and that I could not be induced before 39 weeks. I had to wait 4 more days. My OB offered to sweep my membranes (again), and I declined (again).
Finally it was Induction Day! My induction was scheduled for Saturday, November 13th. That morning, we ate our last breakfast as a family of three and took some pictures. My mom arrived to stay with and watch Lainey, and Tyler and I were off. We were scheduled to arrive at 11 am. After arriving to the Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital, we were placed in our room. We met our nurse, who happened to be the amazing Lactation Consultant I worked with when Lainey was born! We instantly began chatting and it was so awesome to be back with a familiar face.
We began completing paperwork and finally at 12 noon, I started receiving fluids through an IV so that I could receive an epidural.
I had a really traumatic epidural experience with Lainey (I waited too long to get one) and I told my nurse I wanted an epidural as soon as I could. She told me the on-call doctor was going to probably want to break my water and then do an epidural but if I told her I'd like an epidural first, she would most likely agree to that approach. I am so happy I discussed this with her and that she told me this because that is exactly what happened! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
At 12:15 pm, I met the on-call doctor. Initially, I thought I was going to be receiving Pitocin (that's the approach that was used to induce labor with Lainey) but the doctor suggested that we break my water and see what happens. Later on, if needed, we would do Pitocin. I asked her if I could receive an epidural before she broke my water, and she agreed to the plan.
An hour later, at 1:15 pm, the anesthesiologist arrived. I was so nervous for the epidural and was praying it would go better than it did with Lainey. My amazing nurse kept it light-hearted and reassured me it was going to be okay. I remember talking Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson with our anesthesiologist. At 1:20, he started the procedure and was done at 1:25. It was a night and day difference of experiences between epidurals with Millie and Lainey! Whew, that part was over!
At 2:05 pm, the on-call doctor came back to break my water. Up until that point, I was not having any contractions. We had essentially been hanging out and chatting with my nurse. At 2:15, my nurse put the catheter in. As she was attempting to do this, she said she might need to get someone to help because Millie's head was so low, it needed to be lifted just to get the catheter in!
There was a shift change after my catheter was in and things progressed very quickly after that point. I started having contractions almost immediately after my bag of water was broken. Unfortunately, my epidural didn't seem to be working as much as it had with Lainey. My right side was hardly numb at all! Looking back, I should have said something, but I was progressing so quickly and before I knew it, I was 9.5 centimeters! My nurse left the room and shortly after, I felt a gush of something and felt like I needed to push. Tyler called the nurse (both of us very panicked!) and told her she needed to come in. The entire team of nurses and the OB came rushing in.
I started pushing (and what seemed like hours!), a mere ten minutes later, Millie was born! At 4:02 pm, on November 13th, Millie entered the world with a bang, peeing all over as she was laid upon my chest.
I will always remember her beady, little eyes as she was laid upon my chest - they were open and looking up at me. To this day, she loves looking up at me while I hold her and it makes my heart just melt!
Having her on my chest was all so surreal. She was finally here! For the first time in months, there was not extreme pressure on my pelvis!
Our first feed together was at 4:22 pm and she didn't stop nursing until 6:15 pm! After her feed (nearly two hours later!), she was weighed and measured - 21 inches long and 8 pounds, 7 ounces.
Crazy story about Millie's name - for the first five minutes of her life, we had our other name for her (and I was calling her by that name!). It is Tyler's "rule" that we don't name our babies before they are born (same rule we had with Lainey). We had our list narrowed down to two names and truthfully, I was leaning more towards our other name.
As Millie laid on my chest, Tyler asked what I wanted to go with and I said our other name. Five minutes later, Tyler said, "I think she looks like ‘a Millie'". And I said, "I think you are right". She just did. Millie looked like Millie! So we changed her name, and I am so happy we did!
Also, we named both girls after us in some way. Lainey has Tyler’s name as her middle name (Alaina Tyler) and Millie and I share middle names (Amelia Rose). They are our “A Team”.
Later that night, we FaceTimed with big sister, Lainey. Lainey loved seeing Millie, and she wanted "more". Due to the Covid restrictions, we were only allowed two visitors at the hospital and there could be no visitors under the age of 18. We could not introduce the girls until we came home from the hospital, which would be on Monday, November 15th.
We didn't get much sleep that night. For the first seven hours of Millie's life, she was nursing or screaming. She also did not want to sleep or be set down anywhere else besides my arms. I remember Tyler and I looking at each other, a little nervously. Little did we know, our nights (3 months later) still look a lot like our first night together, due to Millie's intense gas/colic/reflux! Poor Miss Millie!
Some time in the night, Millie was taken to do her Newborn Hearing Screen. I remember the nurse coming back and letting us know she referred (failed). They would test again (and they did another time before we were discharged), and Millie referred again.
On Sunday, Millie was baptized in the hospital. It was really important to us that she was baptized ASAP. The same Pastor who married us and baptized Lainey, also baptized Millie. It was very special to have him be part of such meaningful days in our life!
I wanted to take a shower Sunday night but did not have the mobility to step over the tub and into the shower in our room. My amazing nurses found a way and took me down the hall to the Emergency Surgery Center, where there was a walk-in shower. All of my nurses went above and beyond to care for me, and it was so appreciated!
After getting cleaned up, we ordered our traditional and celebratory Pizza Hut pizza (we did this with Lainey and had to do it again with Millie!). Nostalgia is a beautiful thing!
On Monday morning, we were discharged from the hospital. We were so excited to introduce Lainey and Millie and start our life together as a family of 4 (or 5 including Mack!). Lainey handled the welcome so amazingly and continues to love and adore her sister in the sweetest of ways.
Millie Rose, you bring me a happiness I cannot explain. I absolutely adore you. You are my light, my joy, my angel. I am so thankful and blessed you are mine!! I love you so much! Xoxo, Mama
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