Our Little Family: Audrey Ann Pratt

Our baby sister is here and we are SO in love!

At 36 weeks pregnant we found out that she was Breech. I spent the next hours online researching "how to flip a breach baby". Turns out there are a lot of at-home solutions so i went right to work. I laid upside down. (literally) I played music down by my hips, while i was upside down. I shown a flashlight on my belly to try and get her to "follow the light". I spent countless hours talking to her. telling her she was safe and could turn, that it would be more comfortable and she would have a better delivery. I went swimming, which felt wonderful. I did flips and handstands in the pool every other day for a week. But when I arrived at my 38 week appointment, she was still breech.

At this point my Dr. was preparing me for a cesarean delivery. She wanted me to deliver via c-section at 39 weeks. This was hard news for me to swallow. I cried. a lot.

I had a plan, I have always been a firm believer in letting the babies come when they are ready. I don't like the idea of inducing, or taking c-section. My last two deliveries were so picture perfect, it was hard for me to imagine that things were going to go against my plan.

**I now realize that my Heavenly Father will continue to show me that he has the plan for me. I need to trust Him more fully in the details of my life.

We prayed a lot. James offered many special prayers with the boys that I would find some peace and comfort with this plan that the Dr. had insisted on for safety. The truth is, all I wanted was for her to arrive safe and healthy. But I was still struggling with it in a big way. On January 23rd the plan was in place: We were going to the hospital in the morning to try a External Version (I would be given a muscle relaxer for the uterus, and the Dr. would try to turn the baby into the head down position from the outside. sort of as if my belly was a ball of dough and she was just kneading away. ) If the Version was successful I would be induced with Pitocin. If the version didn't work, they would take the baby via c-section right away. This meant that either way, the delivery for our little angel was not going to be hard on me. James offered to give me a blessing Thursday afternoon.

Shortly after the blessing I felt at peace. literally. My mind was able to relax, spend time with my boys, and prepare for another sweet angel to come into our home. That night I also received a Father's Blessing from my dad when I dropped the boys off for their sleepover. Once again it was confirmed that the Lord was aware of my feelings and that I had no reason to fear.

That night I couldn't sleep. I was suppose to be to the hospital at 6:00am. But I was already up and in the shower by 2am. I was excited to see my baby girl and couldn't believe that it was finally happening. It was a strange feeling to know that you were going to have a baby that day, while my body was not indicating any signs of labor. In the past, I have always labored at home for as long as I can. And as strange as it sounds, I've enjoyed that. This time, I was feeling zero pain, yet I knew in a few (or many) short hours we would have our little daughter join our family.

James and I arrived at the hospital at 6am and signed it. I was hooked to monitors for the baby's heart rate. (it was the dr. #1 concern with a version.) I was also given the relaxer medication. Around 7am Dr. Ann Blackett arrived and said she was very optomistic! And so were James and I. I laid flat and the version started. It was SO painful, and yet I knew that pain=movement and movement= success. So though, I was in pain, it was a joyous pain!

She was able to turn her about 80% face down before her heart rate fell drastically. I was given oxygen and laid on my side while we waited to see if she would get her heart rate back up. It was a scary situation for a minute. Dr. Blackett had the ultrasound on me during the whole thing, but we were having a hard time determining her exact position and where the umbilical cord was. So she did a vaginal check and said that all she could feel was her head!!!!

It was a miracle!

Our Heavenly Father had answered many of our prayers.

Though, we were not completely out of the clear for a c-section, things were heading in the right direction and so she broke my water at that point.

By 7:30am I was started on Pitocin and we all prayed that once I started contracting, the baby's head would fall into place.

At 8:30 I had only dilated from a 1 to a 2. regardless of awfully painful contractions.

At 9:30 I received my epidural and was about to relax a little, though still felt the contractions pretty strong. (p.s. i hope I never have to have pitocin again.)

By 10:30 I was only dilated to a 3.

James and I were pretty certain that this was going to take all day long. :)

By noon I was at a 4.

Yay! progress!

And the best part, baby was now fully head down and had moved her little feet away from her face.

This was when pain and pressure started to amplify.

By 1:30pm I was dilated to a 10 and ready to start pushing!