Our little family just got bigger!

Jan. 25, 2011

Today was just great! We now have a beautiful daughter!

 Ashlyn Hannah Williams.

We got to the hospital at 7:20am. They started me on oxytocin (the hormone that starts labor contractions). It started working pretty quickly. When we started I was dilated to 2cm. The contractions kept getting more and more intense. Derek was so patient and loving. I would go through a contraction and he would would work through it with me. I have never have felt that type of pain before but the best way that I could describe it is very intense cramps. An hour or so later, we had me take some narcotics and they helped for a bit but wore off pretty quick. I remember feeling very loopy right after the medicine kicked in.

Two hours had passed and the contractions got so intense that I barely had anytime to relax between contractions. Beforehand Derek and I talked about not getting an epidural until I was far into labor because of the cost and after a woman receives an epidural it slows down labor. It came to a point where I was begging for an epidural and it seems as though it took hours for him to come into the room (although it was only 20 minutes or so). Before he came I had this really strong urge to go to the bathroom. I felt as though I had to pass a stool so I asked Derek to help me to the bathroom. I was hooked to an IV so Derek had to wheel the IV pole into the bathroom. I wasn't that patient and was telling him to go faster, even though he was going as fast as he could. Well I got on the toilet had a weird sensation because I was pushing really hard and then I just heard this large splash sound in the toilet, which was a perfect spot because my water broke. Right after, the anesthesiologist was there to give the epidural. I had to hurry to get back into bed but it was really hard with the contractions happening all the time. Before they gave me the epidural, the the nurse was telling the anesthesiologist that they should check and see how far Jenny was dilated. The anesthesiologist was critical, saying it probably hadn't changed much. When I got to the hospital that morning I was 2 cm and they said that on average I would increase one cm an hour. So I was expecting me to be at 3 or 4 cm because it had only been 2 hours. To everyone's surprise I was dilated to an 8. I feared that I was too far into labor that the anesthesiologist might not do the epidural. He asked me if I still wanted it and I gave a solid “yes”.

The anesthesiologist sounded like he was from India. He was really nice through all of it. When I got the epidural it didn't hurt compared to the pain that I was going through with the contractions, but I felt a lot of pressure in my back. The anesthesiologist was great because he would talk me through everything that he was doing.

(Derek) After Jenny got the epidural she was a new person; she liked me again. Not that she didn't like me before. She just didn't want me to touch her though; there wasn't really anything I could do that helped her. After she got the epidural she was so so so happy. And she kept telling me how happy she was. She wasn't woozy happy but so glad to be relieved from the pain that she was in. It was interesting to me because I could still see the contractions on the screen but Jenny was still smiling. I loved the epidural!

When I got the epidural my legs got really warm and after a while they were numb. Oh it was such an amazing thing because I could see the contractions on the screen, but couldn't feel a thing. I kept telling Derek and anyone who would listen how much I loved the epidural. I was in heaven.

Soon I got to a 9 and then 9 ½ cm dilated. I was a 9 ½ for 1 ½ hours because on one side of my cervix there was a lip. The nurse decided to remove the lip herself and so I was dilated to a 10. Action time! The time was here for me to start pushing. I was going through a lot of different emotions; anticipation, excitement, nervousness.

Derek and my mom were there to support me during the delivery. My mom was so honored and excited to watch the delivery. Derek was a great support! He would hold my head up when I would push and count to 10. There were times that I wish he would count a bit faster, but he did great! I am so blessed to have a wonderful and supportive husband. Mom filmed the delivery using our flip camera. I am so glad that she could be there.

The pushing was so hard and very tiring. I pushed about 45 minutes. With each contraction Heather, our doctor would have me push three consecutive times and then have a break. By the time I was pushing the third time each round of contractions, I would be worn out. It was so neat when they brought a mirror for me to watch Ashlyn come into the world. It is such a miracle. Heather was wonderful to be positive and informative. She is a wonderful doctor.

When the final push came, Ashlyn'sAshlyn's neck three times and so they brought the NICU team. Right when Ashlyn came out, they had to work on her. Because the cord was wrapped tightly around her neck, Ashlyn had a hard time breathing. She was just making little whimpers and not getting air into her lungs. Derek and I didn't have any idea what was happening. We knew something was wrong because of how stressed people felt and how fast they were hurrying, but we both felt calm inside. There were a couple of people working on her and as a few other people were coming in one of the ladies said, “We need you to come faster!” Ashlyn had troubles with her respiration. After a few minutes she was gave a cry that sounded a lot better. It was then that Jenny and I just started crying because of how happy we were to have a beautiful new daughter.

They had to take her to the NICU unit and Derek went with her.

(Derek) I was glad to go with Ashlyn, although I was sad to see Jenny left behind. I went with her to the NICU where the nurses and doctors got started on different tests. They explained to me that the main problem was with her lungs. She was giving little whimpers and flaring her nostrils which are signs that the baby isn't getting enough air. They took an x-ray and saw that the right lung was still mostly collapsed and not filling with air. They hooked her up to a machine they called “CPAP”

Ashlyn received a 2 on the Apgar score after one minute, which was for breathing alone, every other category she received a zero. After five minutes, the NICU team was able to get her to an 8! What a huge blessing!

The five criteria of the Apgar score:

	Score of 0	Score of 1	Score of 2	Component of backronym
Skin color/ Complexion	blue or pale all over	blue at extremities body pink (acrocyanosis)	No cyanosis body and extremities pink	Appearance
Pulse	Absent	<100	≥100	Pulse
Reflex/irritability	no response to stimulation	grimace/feeble cry when stimulated	cry or pull away when stimulated	Grimace
Muscle Tone	none	Some flexion	flexed arms and legs that resist extension	Activity
Breathing	absent	weak, irregular, gasping	strong, lusty cry	Respiration

The test is generally done at one and five minutes after birth, and may be repeated later if the score is and remains low. Scores 3 and below are generally regarded as critically low, 4 to 6 fairly low, and 7 to 10 generally normal.

A low score on the one-minute test may show that the neonate requires medical attention but is not necessarily an indication that there will be long-term problems, particularly if there is an improvement by the stage of the five-minute test. If the Apgar score remains below 3 at later times such as 10, 15, or 30 minutes, there is a risk that the child will suffer longer-term neurological damage. There is also a small but significant increase of the risk of cerebral palsy . However, the purpose of the Apgar test is to determine quickly whether a newborn needs immediate medical care; it was not designed to make long-term predictions on a child's health.

I had to get stitched up because I tore a little and also get cleaned up. I had to stay in the delivery room for an hour after. I was so blessed to have my mom stay with me. An hour later, I was wheeled to my room where we would be staying at during our hospital stay. I couldn't see Ashlyn until four hours after the delivery. 10 minutes before I saw her, I had an emotional breakdown because all I wanted was to be with her. The nurses kept saying, “You will see her soon.” I got really tired of hearing that. All I wanted was to be with her and Derek.

Then came the time that I could see her! She looked perfect in every way. I immediately loved this adorable little girl with more love then I ever imagined. The nurse wheeled me into the nursery to watch her first bath. I got to hold her and adore her. I loved it.

The rest of the day I was so exhausted. Derek's family came and it was so fun to see the family with her. Everyone was so excited to welcome her to the family.

Derek and I were so excited to sleep that night. It was so hard for me to give her to the nursery, but I am so glad I did so I could get some sleep.

Our whole stay at the hospital seemed so surreal. We are parents! We are so excited for this new journey that is ahead of us. We are so blessed to have this angel come into our family that is fresh from heaven. We feel so blessed to have Heavenly Father entrust us with this special spirit that has joined our family.