Are you ready for it, my fellow reader? He wanted to induce my labor because he had found that babies with Down syndrome have a higher risk of stillbirth. His theory was if we could induce labor we could fool mother nature and increase Cora's chances of survival. Not the reason I wanted to hear for inducing labor. Nope, not at all. But I agreed and we made the plans for me to be in the hospital the following Friday and he would induce labor.
March 25, 2011 - Labor was induced and pitocin started at 1pm. Let me tell you ladies who have not had the pleasure of birthing a baby. Its not what its cracked up to be. There is no pretty music playing once you hit 5 centimeters, all you hear is annoying noise. And by the time your at 8 centimeters every bodies breath stinks and you really rethink your coaching choices. If you have the pleasure of getting all this with the added bonus of pitocin your are in no way agreeable to anything....unless of course they would like to remove the baby from within you and give you immediate comfort. They you are really nice to that person.
There was a pediatrician on staff for this birth, and unfortunately he had a family tragedy and had to leave. They stopped the pitocin drip at 5 centimeters and were going to transfer me to Traverse City where there was a NICU for Cora. Traverse city said no way and keep her there because she could deliver in the ambulance. Doc started the pitocin again and they found another pediatrician who was out to dinner and had to be physically tracked down for Cora's delivery. See, everyone was concerned about the heart condition and that Cora would crash after delivery.
I kept telling them to give Cora a chance. That Cora would decide what was needed after her birth. That we couldn't predict the future.
Yes, that was during my sane, less painful, less dilation moment of labor.
At sometime around 1am on March 26, 2011, Cora Jean Head made her presence on the bed. I grabbed Doc. Wilder's arm in fear and kept asking him if she was alive. She wasn't crying and all my other babies had cried.
WHY WASN'T SHE CRYING? Someone do something.
The pediatrician grabbed Cora and started working on her. When I saw Cora as they lifted her from my legs, she was absolutely blue. Not a pink speckle on her anywhere. Totally blue. My heart shattered. I started to cry as I stared at the bassinet where they were working on Cora. Then I heard the tiniest little squeak. Like a you hear from a baby kitten when they are first born. Then one gutsy little cry. Everyone looked at me then, the room full of doctors and nurses and they all smiled. I knew then that Cora was a fighter. It was then I realized that everyone in the room had been holding their breath, waiting for that beutiful sound of Cora deciding this was a journey she was going to take.
By the time she was stable and they handed her to me her outer limbs were turning pink and she was wide awake. I saw this baby for the first time. I searched her face, her toes, her fingers, her legs, her body. I touched her all over. I kept kissing her and looking at those beautiful blue eyes.
I was searching for this thing called Down syndrome. I was searching for the abnormal, not Gerber looking baby. I was searching and all I found was this absolutely beautiful baby girl with blue eyes and red hair. I found my Cora Jean. Cute as a button, this little 6lb. 9oz, 19 inch long perfect and unique, baby girl. (to this day when i look at Cora I still don't see the Down syndrome).
newborn
newborn (losing the blue tinge)
newborn (all pink)Welcome home. That's all I could think to say to her. Welcome home Button.
She's a cute little Button! I loved getting to meet her. :)
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