I wish I had written up Quinn’s birth story because this experience was SO different. I was likely in labor all weekend with Quinn, but I was in denial and ended up showing up at the hospital almost 10 cm dilated and told not to push until they found me a room! I never got hooked up to an IV, was signing admission paperwork between contractions, and was too late for any drugs. Since she came so fast, I was nervous I would have a car baby this time around with Kinsley.
I knew I wasn’t going to make it to my due date on June 14th since I was about 2cm dilated at 38 weeks and feeling things lol. I was honestly having low back/ butt contractions a few days prior to going into labor and it turns out she was sunny side up, so that makes sense. My tailbone is still sore. On June 2nd at 12:30 am my water broke. I woke up my husband, and of course the first thing he says is “are you sure?”….ummm ya bro very sure! I called the nurses line and they told me if my contractions weren’t bad/close together yet I could wait at home, shower, etc. and come in when I felt like things were progressing. So that’s what I did. I showered, finished packing my bag, tried to rest a little, then when Ross’ mom showed up around 3:30 am to stay at our house with Quinn and Daisy we left for the hospital as things were starting to pick up.
When we got to the hospital I was only 3 cm dilated and they checked to confirm my water had broke before officially admitting me. They did a COVID test on me and when that came back negative I did not have to wear a mask during delivery, but my husband did. We got checked in and settled then things quickly starting progressing and I was at 7cm dilated about an hour or so later. I knew once I started progressing it would go fast and I didn’t want to miss my window for the epidural, so I called it at 7cm and asked for the drugs!!!
This is where things went sideways for a minute. I got the epidural about 30 minutes later and immediately didn’t feel well. I felt like I was going to throw up and pass out. My blood pressure was tanking fast…Ross says at one point it was 40/20 or something insanely low and scary. They had like 5-6 people in the room watching and Kinsley’s BP was getting high. She tolerated it all very well, but was also in some distress. They ended up having to give me 4 doses of ephedrine and loads of IV fluids. We both recovered, but it was really scary to feel that way.
The epidural kicked in and felt AMAZING! Since Kins was sunny side up, I rested in positions to help her flip before delivery. I was able to rest about 1-2 hours then I was at a 10. The doctor came in and said she was going to grab a cup of coffee then she was going to make me work- lol. It just all felt some calm and relaxed compared to when I delivered Quinn.
I pushed for about 30 minutes…didn’t realize that even with the drugs you still feel A LOT, but not nearly to the degree of when I delivered Quinn. Enter Kinsley Kay Fenton at 10:59am weighing 6 lbs 12 ounces. I was shocked when they put her on my chest and I saw all that dark hair!
Because of COVID we weren’t allowed to leave our room and my husband was only allowed to leave the hospital once. We were stuck in a small room with terrible TV and even worse food lol! We had planned to leave on Thursday after Kins was 24 hour old, but when the pediatrician came to do a final check on her she told us the news that she heard a heart murmur. The doctor couldn’t diagnosis it, but she recommended we stay in the hospital another day and see if it cleared up. My husband was like a caged animal in our small room, so I sent him home to shower, see Quinn, and bring me back Shake Shack for dinner.
The next day they still heard the heart murmur and we made a discharge plan for her to follow up at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. While I was a complete mess hearing this news, they told us they thought it was small VSD and she was healthy enough to go home that day.
We took Kins home on Friday, June 4th to meet her big sis! This whole big sis role has been a HUGE transition for Quinn (I probably will write a separate post on that) but I know these girls will be the best of buds one day.
Kinsley was diagnosed with a small VSD heart murmur and we will continue to monitor that and hope it closes on it’s own soon! We are monitoring weight and feeding closely and she is gaining weight like a champ and thriving!
I’ve updated my hospital packing list to note what I actually used and didn’t use here. Since this experience was so different than Quinn’s birth, I wish I had brought more to do in the hospital since we were there longer. I wish I had my computer to watch our own shows and more food/snack items. We were spoiled with Quinn’s birth in CA- we were right across the street from a Whole Foods, so I never had to eat hospital food. If you’re having a baby in the near future- pack all the snacks!!
Thank you for all your well wishes and kind messages these past few weeks. We truly appreciate it.
xx, A
