The Birth of an Angel

Zoe was born at 1107 PM and 6 hours later I found myself writing as much as I could remember on a journal page for future use. I'm glad I did so because now I'm going to copy what I wrote to here to save me some work. I probably should have been sleeping but of course I was too excited and did not sleep at all that first night. I just held little Zoe for hours. Here is my entry for November 24, 2009:

Zoe Elizabeth Flory was born today at 2307 weighing 6 lb 5.5 oz, length of 20, and a head circumference of 13.5. Today has been the most incredible day and there is no experience like it. It began when Ilise started having regular and intense contractions around 1100. She had been having contractions for over a week at this point but noticed the sudden change. They were finally evenly spaced apart at 3 minutes. They continued like this and occasionally there would be periods of time where they were 4-5 minutes apart but always between 3-5 minutes. We were not prepared for this because we thought they would be much further apart when the regular contractions set it. We were told to go straight to the hospital when her contractions were 3-5 minutes apart but we refused, afraid to be sent home. She had a scheduled doctor appointment for 1415 so we decided to hold out the few hours until then. She had been 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced since her appointment a week ago. After speaking with her doctor, we were sent home. We fully expected to be sent to Home Hospital from there and were sad with his decision. We were now confused at when to go to the hospital because she met all of the prior criteria to be admitted. She was also 2 cm and 90%. On our way home, Ilise requested a "Last Supper" at her restaurant of choice because whether her doctor believed she would deliver later, she knew she was getting close. She chose Wendy's, pregnancy hormones ;), and we came back home to watch a movie in an attempt to keep her mind off of the contractions. We may have gotten an hour into the movie when they got too intense and Ilise requested it be shut off, the music turned on, and the lights turned off except for the Christmas lights. We spent the next three hours trying to find ways to comfort her until I could tell she needed a blessing. I gave her a blessing of comfort and about 20 minutes later we decided we should go to the hospital even if there was a change we would get sent home. We were sent straight to the labor and delivery floor for her to be checked out. Walking and even talking during contractions, at this point, was not possible for her. Once on the floor, the nurse checked her progress and said she was now 3.5 cm and would not be sent home partly because of the dilation progress but also because Zoe had progressed to +2 station, or very very low. The nurse said women often begin pushing at 0 station. After 30 minutes or so of waiting, Dr. brown came in and said she was at 4 cm and proceeded to break her water. The nurses had not been successful at starting Ilise's IV prior to this point but with Zoe's delivery rapidly approaching they decided to try harder. Ilise said this was her worst memory of the whole experience. She has never had an IV and she was stuck several times by different people before they got it right. After running a fluid bolus, the anesthesiologist gave her the epidural and the nurses check found her to be at 6cm only 1 hour after her last checkup by the doctor. Ilise noted pain relief quickly and did not even notice when the next contraction began until the anesthesiologist asked if she knew she was having one. This of course made Ilise very happy. After a few minutes she became confused because she was feeling a LOT of pressure and was unsure if the epidural was working correctly. Nobody had told her what she might feel. Her nurse said it was normal because Zoe was dropping down very low. She was not expecting Ilise to feel that much pressure this early though. She originally planned on checking Ilise's progress about midnight at the earliest (remember, she delivered at 2307). When Ilise mentioned the increased amount of pressure she changed her mind and said she would check in 30 minutes. After about 5 minutes she changed her mind and decided to check just in case. Ilise was fully dilated and ready to deliver only 1 hour after her epidural and progressed 4cm in that time. There was a mad rush and several nurses grabbed the equipment needed for the delivery. Her primary nurse and I assisted Ilise with pushing for about 20 minutes until Zoe was born. Unfortunately she had to have an episiotomy because Zoe's head was too big. Ilise got to see the doctor put the stitches in and deliver the placenta while I was taking pictures of Zoe. After making phone calls, texts, and room switches we finally settled down at about 0330. I decided to try to sleep on the cheap uncomfortable rubber recliner but found it impossible and just held Zoe until morning came.

The stay in the hospital was OK but we were very ready to be home even after 1 day. The nurses were all very nice and helpful although they did not stay on top of Ilise's pain control very well. I found myself calling nurses in at regular intervals instead of them automatically coming in to give her the medicine. We had lots of company from family on Wednesday and Thursday before we were allowed to go home at 1130 Thursday night. I even got a Thanksgiving meal in the hospital thanks to my loving parents. We have now gotten through our first day at our apartment and are loving the time spent with Zoe. We would like to thank everyone for their comfort and support as well as kind words throughout the last few days. God Bless!























































































































































This one is for you Nicole :)