On Friday, December 7, 2012 Lydia Noel Perkins was born perfectly in tact and healthy, but the events leading up to her birth gave us a reality check that things may not be "ok".
Friday morning at 3:46am I woke up to go to the bathroom for the bagillionth time when I realized I was having some contractions. I went back to bed and had another one. I stated timing them and they were pretty sporadic, but definitely per labor stuff. As the morning went on I was feeling them become more consistent and painful. I was so excited because my labor with Grace was so fast and awesome, I felt that I didn't get to experience labor and really wanted to. Luke planned to stay home for a couple hours to see how things progressed and I began to prep my house for us to be gone for a couple days :). An hour or so later things were really progressing and I called the doctor to see what I should do because I did not want to go to labor and delivery if this was false labor. They told me to come in and they would check me. Luke and I went straight in only to find that we were still the same as earlier that week, but to walk and check those contractions. I was super bummed. We went home where I started feeling a little achey and decided to lay down. As I drifted off to sleep I could tell I wasn't feeling well and this was more then nervousness. Luke took my temp and it was 100.4. I know fevers are not good when pregnant, but also, they sometimes appear in labor. My fever got a little worse then better, but still a fever so we called the doctor who told us to come back in. I was having very regular contractions at this point and just waiting for my water to break! At the office they took my temperature which was now 101.4 and the doctor checked me only to say we were still the same. She told me that they were going to keep me because they needed to figure out where the fever was coming from. They took blood, flu cultures, and all kinds of other tests. The doctor told me to get dressed and they would send me to be admitted and figure out what was going on. As I pulled my leg up to get dressed water gushed out all over the floor and my legs! I told Luke my water broke and he went to get the nurse and doctor. Sure enough it did :). We were so excited to be heading to labor and delivery to meet our sweet girl!
We got to labor and delivery, checked in, got hooked up to monitors, and started contracting on while the nurses rushed around, got information, took more cultures, and tagged me to be in "isolation" because they thought I had the flu (Turns out I didn't and they still don't know what I had, but after being loaded for 48 hours with antibiotics I was back to being normal.) Lydia's heart rate jumped and wasn't calming down, the nurses were scrambling and got the doctor and as I was getting an epidural prepped for my back and having contractions and in the most uncomfortable position ever the doctor told Luke and I that I had to have an emergency cesarean section because the baby was in distress and I had a fever. It was horrible! I broke down feeling a million emotions, Luke was trying to process everything and calm me down. I was freaking out as they rushed me to the operating room, continued to stick my body lots of unnecessary times for blood (they seriously couldn't get a vein to work or something, but by the time we left the hospital I had about 8 holes in my arms and hands from their attempts), tried 3 times before they had success on the 4th time for my spinal tap (which took over 25min in the most uncomfortable position, while still have contractions..oh and Luke couldn't be in the room yet), and then they were explaining the process to me. They started cutting before Luke came in and I heard them say the baby had her first bowel movement in the womb and to get the NICU team down here. That team came in and introduced themselves. Luke came in and sat by me. For some reason I was feeling at peace (must have been those drugs) and Luke was amazing!! We heard Lydia cry and that is when me heart sank realizing I was about to find out what was wrong with my sweet precious baby. I started crying again, she sounded so good, the NICU team jumped into action and Luke just held me looking into my eyes telling me it was ok. He started to take some pictures and before we knew it the NICU doctor came over to us and told us he was going back upstairs because our daughter was perfect!!! PRAISES TO THE LORD went through my head as Luke got to tend to our sweet Lydia and I got to try to relax knowing she was ok. It then hit me that I was sliced open and was actually having a c section! The doctor yelled over from the other side of the curtain to tell me that she is looking at my appendix and it looks great so she can rule that out for the cause of the fever (for some reason that wasn't comforting). Then before I know it I was sewn up and on a different bed heading back to labor and delivery. Before they started rolling me away they took Lydia from Luke and put her on my chest. This moment was the happiest of the day! Part of my emotions before the surgery was that I wouldn't get any bonding time with her, or get to nurse her. I had a good hour with her before they took her to get clean. Luke went with her and I went up to my room only to be reunited with Lydia again shortly after that :). It was so good to have a perfectly healthy baby!
It was a crazy adventure and recovery is horrible, but I have a sweet precious baby girl who is perfect and healthy, a big girl who adores her little sister, and the most amazing husband in the whole world.
