Gilbreath Family: Happy Birthday Hattie!

On Wednesday, the 28th we said goodbye to Ainslee and headed to San Antonio for one last relaxing night before we became a family of four! We had been given a very generous gift certificate to the Westin La Cantera last Christmas and had yet to use it. We figured since we had to be in San Antonio by 6:30 am, we might as well get a head start and a little sleep while we still could. We definitely got some strange looks and questions, as most people don't stay at a resort while they look like they are going to POP! We woke up super early and headed to North Central Baptist Hospital.

I was expecting at least a whole day of sitting/laying and waiting, but apparently Hattie was ready to come quick, despite being 12 days before her due date. By 7:30 I was hooked up to petocin and after 30 min. they turned it off because the contractions were already 1-2 min. apart. Thankfully, I was able to quickly get an epidural (that came with the magical button to get more drugs as often as needed- something that was not provided and much needed when I had Ainslee). The nurse said our families needed to hurry or they would not make it in time for the birth, and at this point I was still in denial about a quick delivery. My parents made it just in time for my dad to get kicked out of the room and the real fun quickly began. After about 30 painless minutes of pushing Hattie entered this world at 11:30 am. She had the umbilical cord wrapped twice around her neck which was quite a scary sight. Apparently this caused some breathing/lung clearing issues as well. A team of NICU doctors and nurses quickly entered to start getting her oxygen levels to a better range, but unfortunately they had to whisk her to the NICU. I was able to hold her for literally about 5 seconds before she was taken. Daddy was able to follow her in to keep an eye on her and my mom stayed with me. We were hoping for a quick stay, but she wasn't released to our room until 11:30 that night.

Hattie had lots of visitors who weren't even able to hold her or see her, including big sister Ainslee. The NICU only lets parents and grandparents in and only 2 at a time. Mommy and Daddy did get to hold and feed her a couple of times, but were extremely thankful to have her released. Jason actually thought the NICU was kind of nice, since Hattie was able to get some undivided attention for so long. Everything about the labor, delivery, and our stay were wonderful. Other than the short NICU stint, I don't think we could have asked for a better experience.

The waiting game