Natalia Lee Salgado Jeffress was born on December 7th, at 1:50pm. She weighed 3.2 kilos (or 7 pounds) and measured 50 cm (19 inches) tall.
So here's the story of how she was born.
On Monday, December 6th, I went for my check up with the doctor. I was hopeful that i would have some dialation, although I'd had only minor cramps and pains. However, I was 0 cm dialated and only 5% effaced. The doctor noticed that she wasn't as far down as she had been on Friday. This cuased some concern, so he decided to do an ultrasound, and we saw that she once again had the cord around her neck. My doctor was afriad that this meant that she was trying to get far down enough to start labor, but that the cord was pulling her back up. This really freaked me out.
So we decided that I was going to take this pill to start contractions in the morning. He would check me in the afternoon and see if I was dialted and if Natalia was able to move far enough down to be delivered vaginally. If not, it would be a c section.
So I went home and literally cried about it. I was so scared that I told Carlos that I wasn't going to take the pill, I was willing to wait and see what happened. Thank god for my husband who was just supportive and said that we would do whatever I wanted and whatever felt right. That night I had a dream about her and everything was fine, so in the morning I decided to go ahead with the doctor's plan. This is a run down of the morning:
9:50- I took the 'magic pill' (called mizoprostol)
10:00- I felt one contraction- basically a menstral cramp- not too different from the ones i had had earlier. The contractions continued.
10:15- I started to time the now much stronger contractions- they were 2-3 minutes apart.
10:30- I called Carlos and told him to get his butt back to the house (he had gone to work)
11:00- the contractions were now only 2 minutes apart, very regular, so i called my mother-in-law and told her that i didn't think i could last until 1:30, when i had my appointment with the doctor.
12:00- I was getting quite annoyed and upset, so Carlos called the doctor. We arranged to meet him in 30 minutes in his office.
12:30- The doctor was not there yet. I was pissed.
12:45- the doctor finally came, checked me out, and saw that I was 5 cm dialated, and that she was in position. I told him that even though i had said that i wasnt sure i would want a epidural, i was now quite sure that i did. He said well lets go to the clinic!
1:10- We left for the clinic- only about 5 blocks away. You would assume this would be very quick. But no. The street was PACKED i mean traffic was just plain STOPPED. (not too uncommon for the road, but still) Usually now, i am a very calm person. But this was jsut not ok for me. I was leaning over and honking the horn, telling Carlos that i was getting out and walking, telling him to turn around and go another way. All this in between my contractions of course, which were now, oh yes, ONE minute apart. and lasting for about a minute. (Mom later told me that she was scared I was gonna have the baby in the car)
1:30- FINALLY we get to the clinic, the doctor had called ahead, so they knew we were coming. I was immeadiatly rushed to the delivery room, where they gave me a IV and started to put in the epidural. Now if youve never had one, it takes a few minutes to put them in. They had just started, when I felt the urge to push. I was screaming at them to stop the epidural and let me push, let me turn over. But they had already started, so of course, they couldnt just stop. But i could NOT stay still, so the doctor and Carlos had to hold me down. Finally i turned over and the doctor said yep 9cm. (I had dialated 4 cm in the CAR in the freaking traffic!!) They let me push a little, and BAM the water broke, and I got my 10 cm.
1:50- Natalia Lee was born. 20 minutes after we got to the clinic.
So what most women do in like 20 hours, I did in 4. Which has is pluses, but it was also a lot more intense 4 hours than most have. so I guess it evens out. All I know is that the little pill I took is known down here as a 'magic pill' and now I understand why.
Oh, here's the link to the facebook pictures in case you haven't seen them yet.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2312217&id=25000477&l=d0fcf46594
I'll post more on how she's doing now (just fine, napping in the hammock with her daddy) But shes about to wake up and its time for her feeding and bath.
