As many of you know Kathleen was born on August 14, 2016.. I was due as of August 20th,2016.. So she was born 6 days before her due date. My pregnancy was considered high risk and due to my asthma and celiac disease I was followed very closely by my OB and a perinatologist. While I would have loved to give birth with a midwife and at a birth center, Abilene doesn't have many options and I wanted to make sure that if I was going to have any complications that she was born safely in a hospital setting and that I was close to help. Seeing as I have several health issues I decided that even with this being my last baby, I wanted to respect the fact that I am already a mother to 3 children and I wanted to be home safe with them after it was said and done.. Early on we where told my pregnancy was at risk due to a bleed behind the placenta and her amniotic sack. I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was put on a strict and limited diet.. Most of my meals where high protein and very low carb. My hopes and wishes for a natural and low risk pregnancy was not completely dashed, but was limited by the complications that I could have had if I chose a different route. Which is why I feel at peace with how everything went in the end.
Kalthleen's birth:
08/13/16:
Felt very off that morning and was having a lot of Braxton hicks contractions.. I felt very heavy in my pelvic region and was questioning if labor had began yet. Decided to rest on and off that day as much as possible. I made dinner and then laid down for the night. Could not sleep and decided I needed to finish up my pregnancy blog as I knew it would be the last one before I had the baby and started to write her birth story.. After a few tears I was gearing up for my induction Monday morning.
08/14/16
At 3:45 am I was woke up by lower back cramps that where not severe at the time, but where most definitely something I had not felt before that night.. I decided to try to sleep through them as much as possible ( trying was the real word ) . At 5:45 laying in bed was not comfortable anymore and I decided to go sit on the toilet and try to use that as a way to relieve the pain, contractions where 10-15 minutes apart at that time .I messaged my friend who was coming into town and let her know what was going on. She begged me to not have the baby before she got there!! I told her no promises , but at least I wouldn't have to be induced!! I Noticed a lot of bloody show and decided a bath was the next best choice for me. I woke my husband up and told him that I was not sure, but I felt like labor had begun.. I Tried to rest between contractions while running the water. By the time I ran the water and was settled the contractions where about 8-10 minutes apart. 6:30 am comes and I can't seem to even get through the contractions without having to breathe .. The water isn't as soothing as my last birth!! I was very annoyed with this and got out.. I Tried to lay back down to sleep for awhile to no avail, the contractions where too strong!! I Finally decided to get up and move to the living room with hubby and asked for a back rub and some counter pressure on my lower back. I Labored in living room for a few hours until my friend and her husband arrived at my house . I Decided to eat a small snack and quickly discovered that my stomach was not going to handle that. At 12:45 I had enough and decided to go ahead to the hospital with my friend and told my husband to join us if I was truly in labor. Arrived at the labor and delivery and was told they where keeping me and I was in labor and they where keeping me.. I was transferred to my labor and delivery room and was quickly told I had to lay still and allow them to monitor the baby.. I was not impressed at this point.. My hope was to have labored naturally like I did with my son . A few hours passed and my husband joined me in our room along with my friend. I begged them to start the epidural as my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest.. I was told I had to wait till the first bag of fluid was in my body and they would call ... Another hour passed and when the nurse came in again I begged for them to call for my epidural .. Each contraction sent pain into my legs and into my toes... It took them another hour to finally get the anesthesiologist in and another hour for him to put it in ( after bending me into what seemed a pretzel) .. It wasn't long after they did the epidural that I felt the same feeling I had before during transition.. I felt like my body was freezing and that I needed to go to the bathroom. I told the nurse to check me since I felt like she was a lot lower in my pelvic region. Sure enough she was ready to come out!!! Nurses scrambled around my room to get the birth area prepped and then pull me down to the edge of the bed.. God bless them because what was supposed to be a twilight epidural had completely left me unable to move!! We struggled for about 20 minutes to get my legs into the stirrups!! The doctor they had on call was prepping himself when I felt her head drop lower and I freaked out . I loudly called out " um are you going to catch the baby?!" Not even two second later a tiny baby was laid onto my chest!!! I was shocked on how little she was !!
I was expecting a baby 2x her size!!! When I looked at the doctor he clearly had a concerned look on his face and was working furiously to get her cord cut and across to the nurse. I hear him call out "Baby's cord was knotted!! Call nicu!!" At that moment all the emotions of my pregnancy and the loss of my previous baby flooded me and I began to cry. My head swam with worry as they swept away her tiny body from my chest and onto the warmer..
Her first loud cry was heard from across the room.. I had missed my perfect birth, but was just glad to hear her doing well. I was asked several times if i was sure of my due date, if I had complications, and several other things. It wasn't until they told me how much she weighed did my heart drop... It was an hour before she was finally given to me and 2 hours later before we settled into our recovery room.. My mom, dad, hubby and friend all got to have turns holding her. It wasn't until the next day my other children came!! 
We left the hospital 2 days later and have been settled for about 3 weeks now!! I am so thankful to have been able to do this again. While it wasnt the birth I had planned, It was the birth that had my sweet Rainbow baby here safelySo we are proud to announce the birth of
Kathleen Rae McDowell
Born August 14, 2016 at 7:35pm
5lbs 4oz
19 in long
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