Baby Lee Kathryn Harmon

She has Arrived!

It was a lazy Saturday morning, March 24th.  Tanner and I slept in, ate breakfast then got dressed to for the temple and run some earns.  First stop, REI garage sale!  At 10:45 am we reached REI.  The second I stepped out of the car in the parking lot, I felt a warm release....that kept drizzling out, dripping on my shoes.  Frozen in my place, Tanner asks if everything is ok.  I had no pain, just in shock!  Baby Lee wasn't due til May 2nd!  That wasn't for 5 1/2 weeks!  Realizing my water had broke, we quickly jumped back in the car and rushed to the ER at the University of Utah Hospital around 11 am.

We parked in front of the ER entrance and hurried in.  The security took our info and we followed a man to our room, which was a good walk for an emergency!  After being checked by a nurse, she confirmed that my water had broke and that we would be having our baby.  The doctor then checked me and talked about being induced in the next 12-24 hours to get contractions going.  We planned that baby Lee would be born by morning.

Monitors were placed over my belly to track the babies heart rate and my contractions.  By 1 pm I had started contractions on my own every 7-9 minutes at a very mild, manageable level.  I was dialated to a 2.  With time to spare, Tanner drove home to gather some things we would need.  Within the hour or so that I was left alone in the room my contractions got closer and closer wtih increasing intensity.  The pain was terrible and I cried out during each 30-60 second contraction.  I tried calling Tanner on the room phone but it didn't work.  I then shuffled out in the hall crying for help.  The nurses finally took notice and helped me back to call Tanner.  Right as the phone rang, in walked Tanner.  I just needed him by my side to get through the pain.

They checked my cervix again at this point, being about 3:30 or 4 pm, and I was dialated to a 6.  Now they were finally taking things serious and got the doctor to make a plan.  I hoped to not get an epidural, but with the rapid increase of contractions in a short amount of time, I had reached my threshold.  At this point it is close to 6 pm.  Time was flying by!  Not long after I received my epidural baby Lee's heart rate dropped down from around 120 bpm to the 40's. 

Oxygen was strapped over my mouth and I was lifted onto a cart. The anathesioligist injected mor pain medication into my back, numbing my body from the chest down.  Rushing me to the OR, the doctor and nurses tried to quickly inform me on what might take place on the operating table.  Tanner threw on scrubs and held my hand and the doctors worked quickly around me as I lay on the operating table in the OR.  Baby Lee's heart rate finally came back up from the doctor reaching inside and lifting the baby's head.  They think her head was compressing on the embilicol cord. 

The hoped for vaginal delivery only lasted a moment when Lee's heart rate dropped again to 40 bpm.  Lying on my side the doctor told me to push.  Being only dialated to an 8 now, and being completely numb, I couldn't feel a thing.  I did 3 big pushs with all my might, but nothing.  With no other options, the doctor said if Lee's heart rate didn't come up in 30 seconds, they needed to operate.  Tanner and I locked eyes and mine filled with tears. He encouraged me and told me how good I was doing.  I knew everything would be ok.

A big sheet blocked my view as I felt a few tugs cutting through the layers.  Our prayers were answered when out came a beautiful cry from a healthy 4 lb 6 oz baby girl at 6:36 pm.  Now my tears were full of pure joy and thanksgiving.  Tanner and I are parents of a perfect little angel.  I feel so blessed to have Tanner at my side and for our faith in a loving Heavenly Father.  What a miracle!

Now, for not so exciting news......Recovery stinks!  I felt great after surgery until the numbing wore off and my skin was crawling from the all the morphine, and my stomach felt like it was on fire!  For the next few days everything was hard.  I went from pumping 8 ml milk (colostrum) my first try, to 1-2 ml the next several tries.  All that work for a measily mililiter!  Just trying to walk to the bathroom brought me to tears.  Nothing inside me worked!  It was like everything was shut off!  I won't go into details, but try constipatoin for 4 days! 

On the up side, Lee is 5 days old!!  She is a strong and happy baby!  After 4 days under the Bilirubin lights, her jaundice is under control. And although she has lost a few ounces of weight, she is maintaining her body heat and off the glucose IV!  She sleeps between feedings and tolerates all the mean pricking and poking by the nurses!  This little girl knows how to eat! She learned how to suck right away and will tightly grip your finger as she eats!

Lee is our little cuddle baby!  Her favorite is skin to skin time with daddy! Tanner has been such a good dad loving baby Lee and keeping well updated on her progress and needs.  He never complained to spend several nights on a chair getting only a couple hours of sleep from all the nurses checking in and me getting up to use the bathroom, again. 

As for me, I am moving better and adoring our baby girl!  I never knew I could love her so much!!