Welcome, Islie James!

Islie James Noel, 6 lbs 2 oz, 19 inches

 As most of you probably already know, Islie made a super quick debut on July 2nd, my 29th birthday!  The girls and I headed over to my parents’ house to hangout with my mom late morning.  I 100% had no idea I was going to go into labor that day, there were absolutely no signs until about ten minutes before I felt the first contraction.  It went from a stomach ache to contractions about two to three minutes apart within a five minute time frame. I assumed labor would be quick as it had been the first two times, but had no idea it'd go this quickly. Around 2pm, I called my doctor’s office and at 2:10 I had my mom call Tyler to tell him to leave work.  My mom was getting the girls ready to head to the hospital and ended up deciding to call an ambulance to take me instead of driving the four of us there... best decision ever.  No doubt my mom could have done just as good of a job catching baby girl, but I fear my favorite little three year old might have been scarred for life. ;)

Probably around 2:25, the ambulance arrived at her house and we were on our way shortly thereafter. The firefighters had me telling them when each contraction started since they had no way to otherwise monitor me, and they were consistently coming at two minutes apart the entire time until Islie arrived.

If you’ve been following along for awhile, you probably know that Willow’s birth totally did not go as planned - her heart rate dropped dangerously low for unexplained reasons and I ended up needing an emergency c-section.  All of this was running through the back of my mind the entire time, not knowing how baby girl was doing in there was super nerve wrecking but I kept focused on breathing through each contraction, knowing that she would be coming soon.  As nervous as it made me, it was also weirdly freeing not being hooked up to any kind of monitors, not having someone telling me what to do or not having anyone touch me and just letting my body do what it was supposed to do.  Not that I would recommend having a baby in an ambulance, I was just surprised at how different of an experience it was this time around.

I believe we were about fifteen minutes or so away from the hospital when there was an unmistakable “pop” and I knew my water had broken.  One of the firefighters would take a peek every so often and tell me that he didn’t see her coming yet.  Two contractions later, he checked again and sure enough this was it. One big push and her head was out.  At this point, I asked the firefighter if she was okay and he assured me she was (although I’m not sure how much he could tell from just seeing her head).  They had the driver pull the ambulance over until I finished delivering her.  One more big push and she was out at 2:58 pm!  They cleared her airway and put her right on my chest for the rest of the ride to the hospital.  We put a towel on her and they turned the heat way up to make sure she stayed warm enough for the ride.

While at the time I wasn’t too happy about it, I ended up being so thankful that I had a med-free delivery with Ells since it definitely helped me get through labor with Islie.  Generally knowing what to expect and being able to feel everything while pushing really is so helpful.  I suppose it’s easy to say that after the fact though - pain is temporary, right? ;)  Also, because I have been asked this question quite a bit, the plan was for me to try for a VBAC.  My doctor had assured me that Willow’s complications would not carry over from baby to baby and that based on a few factors (like how quick my labors had been, how small my babies had been, the fact that I go into labor just fine on my own and that I had already done it once with Ellie), that I would be a good candidate for trying for a VBAC and that it would actually be healthier for both me and baby.  I guess she was right because Islie clearly came out just fine all on her own. :) I am so glad it worked out the way it did, recovery has been so much easier than my c-section recovery and I was totally freaked out about the possibility of having another one.

Once we got to the hospital, there were probably atleast 25 doctors and nurses waiting for us when they wheeled us in.  They cut the cord and Islie got a quick exam.  Tyler had actually made it to the hospital before we did, and he came into the room a few minutes after we arrived not knowing that I had had a baby in the ambulance - SURPRISE! :)  I wished so badly he could have been there in the ambulance for so many reasons, but was so glad I had a smooth, healthy delivery and know that he was too.

They took us up to the labor and delivery floor once they made sure baby girl was doing fine.  After approximately nine million stitches, I was good to go and got to nurse Islie for the first time.  Both of my parents and the girls were waiting at the hospital and finally got to come in and meet our new addition!

 

I was discharged two days later but the pediatrician wanted to keep Islie a little longer for extra monitoring simply because she was technically a late-term premie born at 36 weeks.  Thankfully I was able to stay in a “boarder” room with her since I was breastfeeding - I would have been so bummed to leave her alone! Islie ended up doing great, passing all her tests and was discharged late Thursday.

We went for a quick visit to the fire station this week and spoke to one of the men who was in the ambulance with me, the Chief who was actually the one to “catch” Islie when she came out.  He said it was the first baby he had ever delivered and although I possibly gave him some dirty looks (haha), commented on how quiet and calm I was the entire time.

We have been adjusting to our new life as a family of five, and as chaotic as it sometimes is, I am loving having three baby girls.  I still can’t believe they’re mine - heart beyond full!

Welcome to the world, Islie James! We love you more than words can say. xo