Karissa Elisabeth Jordan
20-1/2 inches long
9 lbs, 0 ounces
born 9:42am
June 8, 2004
(click on any picture to enlarge)
|
Time |
Comments |
|
3:07 am |
Water breaks. |
|
3:57 |
First contraction |
|
4:19 |
Potent contraction. Spacing of contractions is about 2 minutes. (I have an Excel file that I used to track contractions, use it as you will!) |
| 4:54 | Contraction intensity increases. |
| 4:48 | Chris Thain, our midwife, arrives. She is with the Eastside Birth Center in Bellevue, Washington. |
| 5:03 | Baby's heart rate is 140 bpm |
| 5:08 | Leah, Chris's birthing assistant arrives.
Leah is on the left and Chris is on the right.
|
| 5:46 | Baby's heart rate is 140 bpm |
| 6:35 | Very intense contraction. |
| 7:23 | Baby's heart rates varies from 120 - 140 bpm |
| 7:59 | Face presenting position, which is not desired. |
| 8:12 | Mom changes positions to hopefully move the baby to a better presentation. |
| 8:17 | Oxygen bottle is made ready. |
| 8:35 | Midwife is not happy with the baby's
position. Heart beat "de-cels" (de-accelerates) during contractions to 100 -
110 bpm. Midwife has Bob call 911 for transport to hospital. Looks like we
won't be using the underwater birthing tub after all (it would have been our
first time too!)!
|
| 8:40 | Medic unit arrives. (Try calling 911 when you're about to cry!). Our midwife has many years experience with birthing babies and she does not take chances. This presentation was confusing and with the heart rate changing she makes the call to go to the hospital. This is excellent leadership. Any professional can do their roles when everything is going well, but what separates the good from the great is making the important call when things are not going well. Chris didn't hesitate when faced with the uncertainty. |
| Between 8:40 and 9:40 | We go to
Stevens Hospital in Edmonds.
Doctor Catherine Rogers comes in and immediately puts everyone at ease.
She has a tremendous calming affect. She runs an ultrasound and has the same
conclusion the midwife had. For a short time we are faced with the
possibility of a C-section. Yet the doctor knows we're used to natural
childbirth and with the monitors going well enough we continue on the
"natural" course. The midwife arrives and with the doctor they
discuss the situation using technical terms that I couldn't follow. The two
ladies, Chris, our midwife, and Catherine, the doctor, agree to go a bit
longer so that we have an opportunity for a natural childbirth. Shortly
thereafter we indeed had a baby after two (maybe three)
strong pushes!
|
| 9:42 | Baby is born, face up, kicking and crying. Apgar scores are 8,9. Mom, as usual, did the job first-class! Check out the baby's hospital pictures (scroll through them). Note the bruise on the cheek! |
| Much rejoicing, laughter, excitement,
fun. Baby looks like the seven ones that preceded her. Same nose, chin,
face! She was indeed born "sunny side up" and had a bruised nose and cheek.
She really took a shot being born! Rebecca brings all of the kids to the
hospital. Everyone is excited. Nathan wants to be the first to hold the
baby, and he is. We went from youngest up to oldest holding the baby.
|
|
| 6:00pm | Our hospital stay is the best we've had
at any hospital. The doctors and nurses were excellent. They brought all of
our kids food and goodies. They left us much privacy and accommodated all of
our needs. I'd recommend them to anyone. At 6pm we leave the hospital and
drop by Bob's mom on the way home. Baby gets first ride in car seat. We get
home and Dad shows baby around the camping trailer and other features of her
new home. Once home, Nathan again wanted to hold his little sister.
|
| All night long we're trying to figure out a name for the baby. We don't have one through the day or night. It's the only thing that didn't get done that day! | |
| midnight | It's been a long day. Baby is enjoying being in the family with seven brothers and sisters. Everyone wants to hold her and love on her. She's a neat addition for sure!!!! The next day, June 9, the actual due date, is the day we settle on a name. Karissa Elisabeth. Elisabeth is the name of my Grandmother on my dad's side and also relatives on Leslie's side of the family. |
| Photo
Gallery June 10 |
|
On a follow-up visit from the midwife she tells us that in eight years of delivering babies, about 5-7% of the time she ends up making the call to take the mom to the hospital for safety purposes. In that same eight years she's only requested an ambulance take the mom to the hospital three times. We were one of those three times! We were prepared for whatever would happen, and with help from God Almighty all went well. It's at times like these that in my own life I put it all in His hands. It's a nice place to put things indeed...
