The Truth About Lina: July 2009

A couple of major events took place this week.

1. Clint went back to work.
I was a little............well let's be honest.................... I was a wreck the night before just thinking about how all the responsibilities of caring for our child would now rest on my shoulders alone FOR THE ENTIRE DAY!! Clint's first day back at work was a 10 hour shift and that made the task that much harder to deal with. Ends up a tear moistened pillow, some supportive words from my husband, and a very humble prayer pleading for all the help I could get from heaven was all I needed to calm my nerves enough to not breakdown the next morning.

I decided that I couldn't be home when he left so I set out for a morning jog. As I saw his truck pull of in the opposite direction it took everything in me to keep from breaking down. Instead I put my headphones in and put that jogger stroller to work.........well "work" might be a long shot........a short jog was all I could handle (that's a whole other story that I won't go into for fear of another melt down). But it did the trick. I was so exhausted when I got back that I didn't have any energy to sulk. Instead I just got on with my day.............without a single melt down or crisis, as I feared.

2. Lina turned 2 weeks!
Like every good overly obsessed mom does I got out my camera and set up a little photo studio on my counter, got her fed and dressed, ready to document this major event.........the only problem was that she refused to cooperate. Instead of cooing and smiling, or just lying still for that matter she dove into a full on tantrum. Crying, kicking, screaming, clawing at her own face, arching her back in a not so cute way.......it was a train wreck!

Needless to say I attempted again today. I figured the day after her two week mark would still suffice for her 2 week photo shoot. She was a much better camera subject today. She's a little ice queen though, I only got one shot with a half way smile.

Here's just a few of them.

It all started on Monday, July 13 2009 at 8:30 pm, after putting in a full day at work, I had my dad and Clint give me a blessing, loaded everything up to the car, and made our way to Banner Gateway.

Once we get checked in the nurse went over the standard induction process with us. First a suppository that would release prostoglandins, this would get labor started by morning time. With this option I could still eat, move around, etc. If by morning labor wasn't well on it's way they'd start the pitocin which would increase contraction frequency and intensity, no more eating after that.

A little while later the nurse came in to let us know that she'd talked to Dr. Bullaro and there was a change of plans. Since I was already having contractions (that I was totally unaware of), I was dilated to a 2, and the baby was already in 2+ position, we were going to skip the prostoglandins and go straight to the pitocin. No big deal, right? Things were going to move along quicker than expected, good news right? All except for the fact that I was starving!! (I hadn't eaten since lunch...I guess I had just been too nervous to eat.) So I was given permission to down some applesauce, jello pudding, and juice. Lame. I know.

They hooked up the IV, got the pitocin flowing and then gave me sleep meds so I would be fully rested for the next day. I only took half of the dosage because I usually get groggy and hate that feeling (should've taken it all). It wore off by 4 am and I was too uncomfortable to go back to sleep.

Dr. Bullaro (a God sent of a doctor) came to see me in the morning. I still wasn't feeling any contractions so at 8am she broke my water. Pretty soon I was feeling those contractions! Things were looking good. We got a new nurse (thank heavens), my contractions were getting closer and harder and I was dilating!
Between my mom and Clint, I had some awesome coaches! Lots of breathing (take heavens we decided last minute to take the child birthing class), lots of ice, and lots of praying.

One of the only things that got me through each contraction was reminding myself that with each contraction that was one less contraction I had to go through, and I was dilating that much more, and getting that much closer to it being over! We figured out that I was dilating about 1 cm every hour and a half. So at about 2pm it was looking like Lina would be making her debut around 8 pm, if things would have continued to progress as they had been.

Each time Misty would check me I would try to not get my hopes up too high. I was progressing nicely she kept telling me. I went to a 3, then a 4, then a 5, then a 6...and then got stuck! I had gotten a mild painkiller through my IV which helped take the edge off a bit, but they could only give me that twice and it only lasts an hour or so. With the contractions getting stronger, and no dilation occurring I opted for an epidural.

At 2:30 pm the CRNA did her magic and I was no longer able to feel anything from my waist down. It was funny because I couldn't tell what position my legs were in so I kept asking Clint to move them, but they were already the way I was requesting. It was a weird feeling that's for sure!

By that point we had received a fair share of visitors. Alan, Lari and the kids had come by and were hanging out in the lobby. Uncle Eric and Abi came by just after the epidural kicked in so they got to see me in a better light. Ernest came by to check in on the ETA. Emma left work early and came by, she rescued Alan, Lari, and the kids and took them back to her house for a cat nap and some swimming. With the ways things had been looking we told her to not rush back, we weren't anticipating anything too exciting for a while.

Clint and my mom sat around without anything to do at that point. They had been so involved in helping me get through each contraction, and now they were left without a job.

A couple of hours later Misty, our God sent of a nurse, checked me and told me "your complete, let me call your doctor". I couldn't believe what she had just told me. Within a half hour Dr. Bullaro was checking me and sure enough she said "Yup you are all set, let's get you ready to start pushing!". It all happened so fast, they took apart the bed, set up a try of instruments, and with Clint at my side, my mom and Misty on the other and Dr. Bullaro calling the shots, I pushed through 5 contractions and it was all done!

At 5:35 pm Lina was born. It was the most incredible experience of my life! The first thing I looked at when they held her up was to make sure she was a girl. Then Clint cut the chord, they cleaned her up a bit and then handed her to me. With tear filled eyes I looked at her and couldn't believe she was mine. It was a moment that words can't describe. I held her there knowing with every ounce of myself that she was sent directly from God's presence. She and I were the only ones in that room for that moment. I couldn't grasp all the emotions I was feeling but above all else I felt gratitude. I looked around me and saw Clint, my mom, and then back at Lina and I knew that this was a moment I never wanted to forget.

Lina Ester Burgess. 7 lbs. 11 oz. 21 in.

Then the phone calls and the text messages started, it didn't take long for her fan club to show up. There were so many people waiting to come see her, it was pretty amazing. One of the nurses told us that she has never seen a group so big for one baby. I have a feeling she is going to be one spoiled little girl.