Introducing...

Miss Mackenzie Blake Walburn

born 7.28.10 at 12:53am

8lbs, 8oz; 19.5 inches long

We got to the hospital at 5:45am Tuesday and got checked in.  I was at a 2 at that point.  They started the pitocin around 7:45am.  I tried to sleep at first because I only got about an hour and a half of sleep the night before.

I was really hot so my mom and Waylon were freezing!  They both had pants and sweatshirts on.  I had the air conditioner turned down to 50 degrees!

My hospital encourages alternative ways to get through contractions.  I decided to use a birthing ball (although my gown covers it...) to help ease the pain and also to position the baby better, helping her get further down.

Waylon did an awesome job in the labor room.  He did everything I asked him to help me with and took such great care of me.

I was terrified of getting an epidural because I wasn't too excited about having a needle put in my spine.  I was mostly worried about side effects.  I never dreamed that it wouldn't work!  It worked for about an hour.  I thought it was great and decided to take a little nap while I wasn't feeling anything.  However, about 20 minutes into my nap, I started feeling pressure and pain.  I kept telling the nurse but she kept saying I needed to feel a little so I'd know when to push.  However, the pain kept getting worse and became unbearable.  I was pretty much bawling and yelling through every contraction.  It was the worst thing I've ever experienced.  Finally, I got another dose of epidural medication.  She told me it was the most she could give me before my whole body went numb (including my face and head).  I thought it would get better...it did not.  It didn't even touch the pain I was feeling.

Dr. Sayat came back after several hours of this pain and I told him I was done and I couldn't take it anymore (this was being told to him through yelling, screaming, and crying...I have since apologized!).  He told me I should get another epidural placed and then see how I felt.  He thought I could still deliver her vaginally.  I told him I was NOT getting another epidural and he told me that regardless of what happened, I needed pain management because he couldn't do a c-section on me in the kind of condition I was in.  That made sense so I said okay. 

What are the chances the second epidural didn't work?? It lasted a couple of hours which is, of course, better than one hour.  I had an amazing nurse, Jane, during this time who was trying everything for me.  She kept checking me and I couldn't get past a 7 (I was there, if not further than a 7 prior to the second epidural.  They turned the pitocin off when Dr. Sayat came to visit me and told me to get the second one).  Dr. Sayat told me to see where I was in 2 hours and then he would do a c-section.  I never progressed past a 7 so around 11pm he turned the pitocin off again and they started getting me ready.

Earlier in the evening when c-section was even mentioned, Waylon called Veronica and asked her to talk to me (she had one almost 3 years ago).  She said she would just come up if that was okay with me.  Bless her heart, she stayed the entire night!  Here she is with my mom and me signing the consent form:

This picture makes me cry just looking at it.  I was SO terrified of having surgery and Waylon tried his best to calm me down.

We had to wait for two other c-sections before we could get in so Mackenzie Blake was born at 12:53am by Dr. Sayat.

She turned this great color immediately.

Waylon stayed with her while they finished me up.  A nurse sitting behind my head explained everything about Mackenzie, like that she had a little hair, she looked good, she was crying, etc.

When she was all bundled, Waylon brought her to me.  Then they gave me some pain medication that knocked me completely out.  I was feeling sharp pains in my stomach during the c-section so they said they'd give me something after Mackenzie was out (pretty sure I wasn't supposed to be feeling those...it was much more than pressure and tugging!).

I got to hold her for the first time in recovery.

Dr. Sayat, Mackenzie, and me:

Finally, after 18 hours of labor, Miss Mackenzie and me:

We are doing pretty good now.  We have to stay in the hospital until Sunday but we're okay with that.  I have more pictures but these are the only ones I've downloaded onto the computer so far.  My mom has also taken a few.  :-)  I'll post more when I have time!