Marceline

After 38 long weeks and 120 lbs of weight gain it finally happened. Marceline was born. Yay! Tuesday, February 12th at 11:45 p.m. as I was getting ready for bed my water sprung a leak. It didn't gush, just a small little leak. Thanks to having the same experience with Russell I knew what was going on (nobody told me you could just spring a little leak instead of the Hollywood gush when I was pregnant with him, so when it happened I was pretty clueless and surprised). I got Ryan and we took Russell over to spend the night at a friends house. Thank you, Au's! Me and Ryan rushed over to Orem Community Hospital where we planned on having Marcy delivered.

For whatever reason when my water breaks I do not start labor on my own. The hospital admitted me and got me hooked up to the machines, but after 6 hours of nothing they finally had to induce me. I wanted to have this baby without an epidural if I could do it, but this labor was pretty intense. More so than Russell's. I buckled and got an epidural and I'm so glad I did. It made labor so awesome. Anyway, the induced at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, February 13th and Marcy was born at 11:45 a.m.

Not only was the labor more difficult and painful than with Russell, but the birth was also harder. Her shoulders got stuck in my hips, which is the absolute most painful spot she could get stuck. Not to get too graphic, but her large head was stuck right at my opening and it burned and hurt so freakin' bad. I remember saying in a painful panic, "Ouch! I don't like her there!" and everyone laughing at me. In retrospect I can see why it was funny, but it was not funny to a lady in the middle of birthing. They lost her heartbeat - as in the machine lost it, not that she was in distress or anything - while she was stuck, so they quickly did an episiotomy to get her out fast. And out she came. I remember hearing her first gasps for air followed by a very indignant scream. It was the most people screaming I've ever heard!

Her name is Marceline Lorraine Bartley, weighing in at 7.6-lbs, and was 20" long. She had beautiful blue eyes from the start with pretty soft blonde hair. So thrilled to meet my little girl at last!

Unfortunately, she had a few issues. I have O- blood and she had O+ and our bloods mixed at some point in the pregnancy. As a result, my body created antibodies against her positive blood type that got into her blood and began killing off her red blood cells causing her to have a low count and be very jaundice. She had to go through a treatment called IVIG. I forget what it stands for, but basically it goes in a gets rid of all the antibodies that are destroying her red blood cells. But, that also meant the good antibodies to help her fight off illness got destroyed too. Thankfully the treatment worked and we didn't need to have her get blood transfusions, but we had to be very careful to keep her from getting sick because of her weakened immune system. Also, she had to do two 18-hour sessions under the jaundice lamps to help her color. Poor thing.

I don't know how serious it was to the doctor, but as a mother hearing there's something wrong with my baby I instantly assume she's on her deathbed. I'm glad that wasn't the case, but I was terrified at what was going on and didn't fully understand what was being told to me. I was upset I couldn't hold my new baby because she had to be in the NICU and could only be held when it was time to nurse. She had to stay in the hospital a couple extra days. Thankfully because the hospital was small and it wasn't busy they allowed me to stay those extra days with her even though I was good to go home.

It was a scary few days and I'm so sorry to anyone else who has also experienced it or something similar, but it ended with her being happy, healthy and chubby. I love my sweet little girl and I'm so thankful to have her in our lives.