myla layne

Myla Layne Pearce

born 10.09.13 @ 9:28pm

6lbs 7oz, 19.5 inches long

I figure I had better write out myla's birth story before I forget any of the details! For those who want the short version:

Our baby girl was born on October 9th at 9:28pm after about 5 hours of active labor. She has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and is as healthy as can be. 6lbs 7oz and 19.5 inches long. I am having a great recovery and Brian and I are thoroughly enjoying being parents to our sweet angel baby!

Long(er) version:

I had been trying for a week to jumpstart labor because at my last appointment I was 2.5-3 cm dilated and 85% effaced. I know that that doesn't really mean much, but I was encouraged that my body was at least making some effort to get the show on the road! So Brian and I walked and walked and walked and walked (all the while dreaming about what she would be like) and I bounced on my exercise ball whenever I got a chance. I had tons of "contractions" that lasted about a minute and were often less than 5 minutes apart... but they didn't hurt so I decided not to worry about them. Well, lo and behold they were actually getting some work done because when I went to my appointment on Wednesday morning, I was a "generous 5" and my cervix was paper thin... My doctor was surprised that I was walking around just fine. He stripped my membranes (wasn't as bad as I had heard) and then asked me if my hospital bag was in the car. I said, "Nope, but it's packed and waiting at home!" He then told me I should get to the hospital because I was considered to be in active labor at 5(+) cm and that when the contractions really kick in, this baby is going to come fast. I had decided before that I wanted an epidural and I definitely did not want to have this baby at home, in the car, at the store, etc etc. Brian and I talked about it, consulted with the doctor again, and decided that the safest move was to go into the hospital - and I am so glad we did!

I got all checked in and my contractions were getting more frequent and more painful. The doctor came in around 4:30 or 5 and broke my water... then things really picked up. The contractions started coming every 3-4 minutes and lasted 1-2 minutes each with very looong peaks. The nurses were pretty impressed by the intensity of the contractions. After laboring through the contractions for a while, I decided that it was time to get some relief... We didn't have to wait long for the anesthesiologist and I think I only had to endure about 6 more contractions before the epidural was in. They checked me and I was at a 6+. The epidural worked pretty well, but there was a spot on my left side about the size of a softball that still had all sensation - so I definitely could still tell when I was having a contraction. They adjusted the meds a little bit and it helped to dull the pain. Once I was able to relax, I started dilating faster. Unfortunately, baby girl wasn't tolerating it very well and kept having episodes of bradycardia. I was put on an oxygen mask and rolled around to different positions to see what she liked the best. She stabilized pretty well for a while with me on my right side and I loved listening to the sound of her little heart beating - I couldn't wait to meet her!

Brian got back from getting a snack and we were listening to her heart rate together when all of the sudden it shot up to 220 and then down into the 70's...60's...50's... I knew that wasn't good and tried to reposition. Then 4 nurses came running into the room and helped flip me to the left (didn't help), flip me back to the right (didn't help), put me up on my hands and knees (didn't help), and one of them gave me a shot of terbutaline in my arm to slow down the contractions. I was having contractions extremely close together and the pressure on my uterus was making it impossible for the placenta to deliver enough blood/oxygen to baby girl... thus her decreased heart rate.

I was trying to stay calm because I knew that I had to take slow, deep breaths in order to get as much oxygen to her as possible, but to be completely honest, I was totally freaking out inside! The nurses called for the doctor that was on the unit and he came rushing in as well. They checked me and I was at a 9.5/10 and it was decided that pushing would be the best idea. So, I started pushing...and the moment I started pushing, her little heart decided to start beating faster. She recovered and we all started breathing easier. The terbutaline made my contractions slow down to one every 8 minutes for a while so there was a lot of waiting in between pushing... so much waiting, in fact, that my doctor was able to show up for the delivery! He was about 40 minutes away when they called him to come in.

I pushed through about 10 contractions (they did, eventually, get closer together again) and out came our perfect baby girl! She started crying before she was even all the way out. The doctor lifted her up for me to see and she had her arms wide out like she was waiting for a hug (startle reflex, I know, but it was so cute!). She only cried for a second and then they put her up on my chest. She was so alert and had her eyes wide open, just taking everything in. We stared at each other for a while until she started getting sleepy. Brian cut the cord and then came up to meet his new daughter :). We did some skin to skin before they took her to the warmer to weigh and measure her... we all had guessed her weight (I guessed 7lbs 2 oz) and Brian guessed it right on! 6lbs 7oz and 19 1/2 inches long. It looked like she was a redhead but later it turned out that it was just all the blood in her hair that made it look that way... she's definitely a brunette. 

I am so glad we went into the hospital because who knows what would've happened if my water had broken at home and labor went that fast - I am grateful that she was on a monitor and that we knew that she was distressed. The medical team was great - they stayed calm, worked together, and did what needed to be done :)

The next two days flew by and before we knew it we were heading home with our little bundle of joy. We finally decided on a name on Friday morning. The names we were considering were Myla, Claire, Abigail (Abby), Evelyn, and Amelia. We narrowed it down to Myla and Abigail after meeting her and seeing what she was like and finally decided that Myla fit her best. So, she's our little Myla girl! A few people have asked me where we got the name and I honestly can't remember. I think it might have been from a baby name book a while back. It means "merciful." Her middle name (pronounced like "lane"), is her grandma's name (my mother).

Well, we were/are in love! She has been a great baby and eats like a champ (most of the time). She definitely has her days and nights mixed up and that has been interesting, but she's so sweet that I don't really mind being up with her at night. She loves to cuddle, likes tummy time, loves to hear her dad sing her lullabies, loves going on walks, and getting her hair washed!

Her #1 talent at 1.5 weeks: pooping right after getting her diaper changed... 

Now for some pics! Warning - some of them are a little bloody...

Leaving for the hospital

She's here! Holding her for the first time was the best feeling ever!

Getting all cleaned up...

Daddy holding her for the first time :)

First family photo

Grandma Layne came to visit and help out

Going home on Friday afternoon.