Abigail has had a year of life!
Mike and I firmly believe that life starts at conception. We believe every life has a purpose from the Lord.
It was this time last year unbeknownst to us that Abigail's life came to be! How precious are the Lords plans.
{This post will have words like period, cycle, blood, ovulate.. you get the point - after all its a birth story!}
Let's back track a little bit. Mike and I had decided at the end of January that we wanted to start trying again. Since we had to try a bit longer with Mackenzie we didn't know how long it would take. I have PCOS so we were very unsure if I was going to ovulate naturally and have the chance to get pregnant! Since it was the first month off birth control we proactively were trying to NOT get pregnant (I have a bit of anxiety regarding this since our miscarriage happened in that first cycle off the pill).
After about a month passed we figured we would just let it happened however God planned and it would work out. I had no clue if I was ovulating or even going to have a "cycle". I had to overcome that fear of planning it all out and just give it over the God.
Well, we ended up getting pregnant about 6 weeks off the pill! I had ovulated randomly at 6 weeks -- how crazy!!! Of course I would ovulate weeks late, of course that's right when we were starting to just try! So weeks later when I started to feel nauseous I began to question... Was my period ever coming? Could I be pregnant? Why am I so tired?!
I took a pregnancy test the day after Easter - April 6! It was positive. I had kinda known in the back of my mind since I was exhausted, my boobs hurt and all the rest that comes with being pregnant. I was already 7 weeks pregnant. I had just no clue since I never got my period I thought I couldn't have been! My body didn't ovulate naturally before so why would it now?! Well it did!
We went to dinner that night at wildfire. I didn't want to bust out the test in the restaurant so I told Mike in the car right before we went in. We both were extremely happy and just could not believe how God planned it all. I went in for blood work and an ultrasound weeks later. The confirmed the pregnancy and gave us our due date of November 26, 2015-- thanksgiving!
Here are some photos the pregnancy journey with Abby!
Here are some photos the pregnancy journey with Abby!
When I told Mike 4.6.15
My Birthday 4.11.15
12 weeks and our announcement! ;)
16 weeks in Cabo, Mexico
20-ish weeks at Alex's Lemonade Stand event in Chicago
Summertime bump!
Our Family & goodbye first home photos from the Krauskas!
Babymooning in Boston - 28 weeks :)
30 weeks and I thought I was so big..
39 weeks!!! Common baby!
The night before my due date!!
Past due....
So on the night of the 28th Mike and I were watching a hallmark christmas movie ;) All of a sudden I felt something... and knew labor was about to start! This happened at about 9pm and we began to finish packing. I brought the monitor to my mom so she could watch Mackenzie. We got the hospital at about 11. They checked and I was dilated enough to stay with consistent contractions. From about 11-3 I had contractions every 3-4 minutes. At that point I was fairly tired and the pain was starting to be a bit much! So I decided to get the epidural - Mike left the room (after sleeping through all the contractions ha). Once I had the epidural I was able to sleep as well! I slept on and off. The nurse came in and checked and I had dilated to a 9 so I knew it would be any time now!
Mike started to feel sick from being up all night & not eating so the nurses got to tend to him as well with some juice and crackers ;) At some point they told me that Abby was looking to the side instead of down but that she would most likely correct herself as I pushed. However, when it was time to start pushing I could tell something was 'off'.
At about 8am I started to push with the nurse. I was with her for the first 12-20 minutes until Dr. Holden came. She was actually who delivered Mackenzie too! She told me that the baby was sunny side up or posterior. They informed me that she would need to be taken right away as well since my amniotic fluid was discolored - Abby had Meconium Aspiration. Basically, during labor she had passed meconium stool into the amniotic fluid and when she was born they would need to suction to get any amniotic fluid that was swallowed into her away gone.
So, being told all of that it was a fairly stressful birth. I had pushed for about 30 minutes and it was definitely a lot harder than mackenzie. I could tell when I was having contractions so I was pushing when I felt it. On the last push Abby literally flew out - ha it was actually fairly graphic and the doctor has to CATCH HER. Like, movie style birth. It was very messy and all I remember was thinking catch her and ah (as blood, water, fluid) squirted up onto my arm.. yes my arm. They and to take Abby right away to clear her breathing. She wasn't breathing on her own when she came out... so there was no crying. I remember telling Mike to go take pictures of her as the nurses suctioned, rubbed and tried to get her to breath. As sad as it was, I remember telling Mike to take pictures - just in case - I just did not know what was happening and not being able to hear her breathe / cry was hard.
As they were working on her, Dr. Holden was talking to me trying to distract me --
Thankfully, after what seemed like forever - but was just a minute or two Abby was breathing and they cleared her lungs! What a beautiful sound to hear.. at this point was when I could finally relax.
Abigail Hope Lankford - born 11/29/15 at 8:59am, 7 pounds 9oz (same as her sister) and 21 inches long!!
After they worked on her and did all of her vitals I was finally able to hold her :) I remember she started to nurse almost instantly - Mike and I were just amazed once again at the goodness of God, at his power and his blessing to us!
Abby's lungs were clear as well so that was a huge blessing!!! It all must have happened right before she was born so she did not swallow too much / aspirate it into her lungs.
All I can say is WOW! Abby's birth was so much more eventful than Mackenzie's. Everyone always says it will be faster & easier and this was just totally the opposite. I love birth stories and who every one can be so different. I will always remember the day sweet little Abby came into the world, what it felt like to hold her in my arms for the first time and what those first days were like together.
Love you Abby! We have loved you since day 1 of finding out we were pregnant!
We cannot wait to see the little lady you become.
<3 Mom and Dad
Medical Definition of Meconium Aspiration -- Before or during labor, the fetus sometimes passes the meconium stool into the amniotic fluid. It is not clearly understood why this happens. It may be a natural event, but it is also thought to be related to fetal distress in some babies. When the thick meconium mixes into the amniotic fluid, it is swallowed and breathed into the airway of the fetus. As the baby takes the first breaths at delivery, meconium particles enter the airway and can be aspirated (inhaled) deep into the lungs.
