Ireland's Story

My due date was Sunday, March 22nd. So, as that week started, I optimistically hoped for any sign of labor. I was getting contractions- a lot, in fact. Just nothing consistent that would send me scurrying for the hospital. So as I went to what hopefully was going to be my last doctor's appointment on that Wednesday, I entered with a mixed bag of emotions. Jake's big 30th birthday was the next day- he hadn't been too excited with the idea of "sharing" his day with one of his girls. I also was getting a little melancholy about the end of this pregnancy. As hard as some days are, I was going to miss those very intimate feelings of pregnancy too. But, because of my prior experiences with my two girls (and I think partly because my doctor was going to be on call and I think my doctor could sense my feelings of urgency), he checked the hospital, and as luck would have it- they had an opening for an induction- the next day- yep, Jake's birthday! I decided to go with it and after my tears cleared and I gained some composure, I called Jake to fill him in. He didn't quite believe it at first. It was kind of a long-standing joke throughout this pregnancy that she would arrive on his birthday and for some odd reason, I just had a gut instinct it would happen. Shock and nervousness started to settle in and I rushed home to do loads of laundry, pack me and the girls for grandma's house and tried to finish cleaning my house.

The next day started off bright and early for me. They had instructed me to call the hospital at 6 a.m. to see if beds were open, so I was up at 5 a.m. to make sure I could squeeze in a shower and at least arrive looking good! I hadn't slept well that night probably because of anxiety, but it didn't matter at that point- I was having my baby that day and my adrenaline kicked in. At 6 a.m., they weren't ready for me yet, so I had to wait for their call. They did call- about 9:45, and it was time for us to load up the car and drop the girls off at grandma's house. I was getting nervous. When we arrived at grandma's, we took a few pictures and Jake gave me a nice blessing. It was then time to head to the hospital.

As we arrived and got settled in, we were lucky to have a wonderful nurse, Kimmi, whom looked after us the whole entire time. She even stayed 3 hours past her shift to make sure we were all okay. Before I started on the pitocin, I actually started contracting on my own about every 5 minutes. Once I got started on the pitocin, it only intensified my contractions making them more frequent and stronger. After a couple hours, my doctor came in and broke my water (I was dilated to about a 3 1/2). I had warned him and the nurse that I would need an epidural right away because of my previous two experiences with that. Once my water breaks, I go fast. Really fast. Pieper's birth was all natural because I dilated so fast after my water broke! So, the antesteseologist came in and started prepping me. My contractions already were really intensified and I was really starting to be in a lot of pain. I was afraid I'd have another "Pieper experience." Ireland's heart rate started to drop so Kimmi quickly hooked me up to oxygen to stabilize her heart rate. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get that epidural! She was great though and quickly got it in and after about 20 minutes, it starting working wonderfully. It was at that point that Kimmi wanted to check my progress but instead of feeling the baby's head coming down, she felt fingers. I knew something wasn't quite right, but because of policy, she couldn't say anything to me until she got confirmation from my doctor. She quickly paged him and he, too, confirmed that indeed, she was coming arm first! Her whole arm from her elbow down was engaged in the birth canal. There was nothing we could do at this point. I couldn't deliver her this way for fear she'd get stuck and jeopardize both her and me and you can't push them back in. A c-section was my only option. I couldn't believe it. Jake was very calm about it, but only because he knew I was a wreck inside. I was instantly filled with fear and a million different thoughts. Of course I only wanted the safety of my baby, but when something changes so fast on you, it's hard to keep it together. I lost it. They wasted no time getting us all prepped. The room suddenly went from one nurse to about 4 nurses and they busily prepped Jake and I. Next thing you know, I'm being wheeled into the operating room. Not quite the way I had envisioned welcoming this new spirit into the world. Nevertheless, I did my best to accept this fate. I had always thought that c-sections were fairly quick, but I was surprised at the length of time it took. Probably because she wasn't in an emergency situation, but the whole process took an hour and 20 minutes. The sensations I felt were definitely strange and surreal. I'll spare you all our photos- Jake had a good time photographing the process, and strangely enough, I'm really glad he did. It documented the process for me so I was able to witness my daughter's birth too. Jake was funny during the process and said, "honey, you're insides are just as beautiful as your outside." To which my doctor replied, "now you can say you know your wife inside and out!" Glad they were having a good time!

Ireland Marie was born at 6:35 p.m. with strong lungs and an endearing cry. I hope this picture doesn't gross anyone out, but I happen to really love it.

She weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long with a birthmark ta boot (I like to think Heavenly Father left her with his "stamp of approval!").

As we got settled back into our room, our good friend Alan and Karina arrived to take pictures. I am so grateful she was there to capture so many of the firsts. My parents also arrived with the girls. Their reactions were quite what I had expected. I knew they were a little taken back by my condition and quite unsure of everything. Kennedy warmed up to Ireland quickly and took on that big sister role immediately. She was darling as she patted her tummy and watched every little thing. Pieper really didn't want anything to do with her. She just needed some snuggle time from mommy which I was happy for.

Jake's parents soon arrived too, and because it was Jake's birthday, the girls (with a little help from my mom) came loaded with balloons, a homemade poster and brownies with candles. We all sang Happy Birthday to him. It was a tender moment.

Ireland then got bathed and made all pretty!

Kimmi then tried getting her footprint, but because she's such a strong little girl, she was having a hard time. After three failed attempts, she called Jake in for back-up. I love this picture.

As all the excitement wore off and everyone returned back home and I got all settled into my recovery room, I knew it was going to be a long night. The cuffs around my legs were going off every 10 minutes to keep circulation in my legs, I was beyond tired and still too in shock to settle down. I tried my best to sleep that night but I managed to watch the clock move through each hour. It's a strange feeling to feel utterly helpless because you physically cannot move to get your baby. Each time was a struggle so I ended up holding her the whole night. About 4 am, the nurse came to check on me and wanted me to try and walk to the bathroom. I was so nervous as to what I'd feel but I was determined to at least try. The first time I attempted to stand up, I literally almost felt like passing out the pain was so incredible. I couldn't stand straight, I shuffled myself two feet to the bathroom and my body shook in pain. It was horrible. The good news was I could take my circulation cuffs off my legs! The days begin very early at hospitals so by 5 am, my room was abuzz with nurses and doctors all making their rounds. I was visited by my doctor, the antesteseologist, and the pediatrician all by 7 am! Upon the pediatrician's visit, it was discovered that Ireland had a murmur. Not uncommon in newborns, but since Pieper had one too, I had a suspicion we might have something similar. Upon further testing and a EKG, it was validated that she does in fact have VSD just like Pieper. I think, had I not dealt with this already with Pieper, I probably would have been really freaked out, but having knowledge of this condition already, we're okay with it and will go through the motions just like we did with Pieper. Ireland is scheduled to see a cardiologist the end of April.

Friday was filled with another visit from my mom and the girls. They were a little more excited this time. All Kennedy wanted to do was hold the baby. She is so sweet and tender and already such a good helper to me.

Mommy and daddy also surprised the girls with official "big sister" dolls!

The rest of the day was spent with many wonderful visits from friends and family. Jake filled his time taking polls on what we should name her (she was still unnamed at this point).

As Saturday rolled around, we were both getting anxious to return home. But, because Ireland had some small congestion and her jaundice levels were increasing, it was determined that they wanted to keep her one more night. Since I was doing fine, they discharged me, but allowed me to keep my room to stay the night with her and still doted on me. They were great! The next morning, Ireland's blood levels were drawn and because her bellirubin level was high, they wanted to start her on phototherapy. So, off she went to the Special Care Nursery were we spent the next several hours by her side.

Sunday, March 22nd, after 4 long days in the hospital, it was finally time to come home.

An at-home nurse met us at the house Sunday night to get Ireland set up for her at-home phototherapy. We were extremely grateful to have this option, but the ensuing week proved to be extremely stressful and emotional. Ireland required 24/7 therapy under the lights so we were only allowed to take her out to feed her. This was so hard on me to not be able to hold her. The girls also had a hard time understanding why they couldn't hold her as much as they wanted to. Each day she spent her days like this while our mornings were spent with daily visits from the nurses to check her weight, draw blood and check other vital signs.

Her levels scared us a bit- they went from 17, to 20 and peaked at 21. Once she hit 21, we had to take more aggressive measures with added lights and more feedings. After a priesthood blessing from Jake and his dad, the next day she had dropped back down to 17. Such good news. We were hoping for an end in sight! After 6 full days on the phototherapy bed, Ireland was finally able to get off of it. We were all SO excited! I've wanted to hold her all the time since!

She is now doing great and such a blessing to our family. She's full of sweetness and we all love her so much. I am also doing better with each day getting a little easier. The pain is still there but not at the same levels that it was. I am anxious to get back to normal, but understand that this time will probably take longer than my previous experiences.

We are so grateful to all our friends and family who have helped us out so much. We've never had to rely on so much help and it's really humbling to be on the receiving end of it. We are so blessed to have such loving and generous friends and family.