Announcing Miss Lilah Margaret

Sorry if I worried everyone. It has been a LONG two weeks! Blogging will be light until DH returns to the Sandbox...

Here is the story of Lilah's entry into the world:

My water spontaneously ruptured--which was what was worrying me when I found out she was transverse.

My friend graciously picked me up at 2:30 am on the 8th. Three doctors consulted because they were not sure if she was still transverse or not. Meanwhile, a nurse tried to get an IV in me and I refused. I wanted a hep lock. She kept saying--but when you have a c-section...I kept saying, but that is not certain yet.

Finally, they decided Lilah was a little twisted, but head down enough to proceed.

They allowed me to labor for about 8 hours but I was not making any progress at all--in fact I went backwards. With the water broken they urged pictocin. They put it all the way up and I handled it for about 2 hrs. I tried to play my hypnobirthing tapes but they kept interrupting any relaxation I was able to achieve. When they said it was going to still be a long while, I went for the epidural.

My mom was delayed at the airport--she was due in that day at noon! She arrived just as they were prepping me for the epidural.

Then we started to make progress...but I developed an infection, and the contractions stopped really working. With the epidural wearing off and pushing past the 24 hour mark, I still managed to get her out. I told the midwife there was no way I was having a c-section after 24 hours of labor!!! (OF course if it had been life or death I would have--but other than that I was determined.)

Lilah Margaret was born on August 9, 2:38 am, and was 7 lbs, 2 oz, 19.5 in. I have never felt so perfectly warm and wonderful as when they placed her on my chest.

Over the next two days, the doctors came to me with increasingly worrisome reports about Lilah having a heart murmur. Finally, they decided to transfer her to San Antonio...but at the last minute decided it would be safe for me and my mother to drive her down so I could continue to breastfeed her along the way.

Unfortunately, at San Antonio we discovered that she has a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot. Lilah will require surgery sometime between 3-6 mos. Later is better as she will be stronger. Please pray that she will require the surgery closer to 6 mos and that they will be able to salvage the artery so she will not require future surgeries.

In the meantime, Lilah is behaving like any newborn--I just have to keep her extra calm and take exra germ precautions.

DH was able to hear Lilah's first cries on the phone and arrived back home for leave the day after our San Antonio trip.

Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes!