My Baby Girl

My Baby Girl

It was 4:30 in the morning and I had to call the hospital at 5 and see if they had a bed available for my induction. I was happy to find out there was a place for me. Laren and I hurried to the hospital before someone came to take my spot!

We lived in SE Aurora, CO at the time. We had just moved there 6 weeks before from Mesa, AZ. The pregnancy had gone fairly well and then suddenly in the wee hours of the morning of June 1, 2002 I woke up thinking my water had broke. I quickly realized it wasn't water but blood.

After a ride to the hospital in an ambulance and the scare of my life for my unborn baby's life we found that I had a low-lying placenta and the placenta was separating from the uterus. It was placenta abruptia. After seeing 5 OB/GYN Doctors and 4 days in the hospital, 4 of the 5 doctors recommended a Ceserean Section to be done immediately.

It so happened that I was assigned the one doctor who did not rush to judgement. He wanted to get a more clear picture of what was going on. He ordered an ultrasound immediately. Then he himself came in and did an ultrsound himself. Both of the first two ultrasounds showed placenta previa. He was vascillating in his mind as to what to do because the placenta was only barely covering my cervix. In his indecision, he decided to do another ultrasound.

In the meantime I had gotten a blessing from Laren. And we had said some very heartfelt prayers. I had wanted to give birth to a healthy baby first and foremost. But I also wanted to have a vaginal birth. And if possible, even though her due date was not until July 8th I really wanted her to weigh at least 6 pounds.

The results of the third ultrasound showed the placenta had moved 1-2 cm away from my cervix and the doctor, Dr. Wilson, felt it was safe for me to be discharged from the hospital on bedrest. I went home to our little apartment where we lived while we waited to close on our new home and laid on the couch all day long while my 3 little ones played in the living room.

Each day was long and even at the least expected times the bleeding, though stopped for the most part, would gush again. After dealing with this for nearly 2 weeks, my doctor decided enough was enough and that for peace of mind for him and for me he would induce labor. The baby had gotten an extra two weeks in the womb that she would not have gotten had I listened to the 4 other doctors.

In all of my previous pregnancies, I had never been induced before. I was scared. So it was nearly 6 am on Friday, June 14 2002 and shortly after arriving at the hospital I was hooked up to an IV and a pitocin drip was put in. I was already contracting every 6 or so minutes and was dilated to a 4 when I arrived.

At 7:00 the doctor came in and broke my water and the contractions got worse and harder to manage. It was then that I got an epidural. By around 8:30 in the morning I had given birth to one of the most beautiful infants in the world. She came naturally with no c-section. She weighed a healthy 6 pounds and 0 ounces! She was healthy enough, in fact, despite her earliness and Denver's high elevation, that she did not need any assistance of oxygen or any other means to survive and thrive, aside from the normal care and feeding.

We were overjoyed at the miracle that occurred. It was one that I could have never imagined possible, just 2 weeks before when I had numerous doctors telling me I should not try to keep the baby in any longer. But I felt like it would be better for the baby to get a little more lung development and grow a little more.

In the end, I was so grateful for my decision and the blessing of having been assigned the doctor that I did. I was assigned to him because he was the doctor who was on call when I arrived via ambulance, so he ultimately was responsible for me.

But I was most grateful for this beautiful, precious babe who was perfect in every way. She even weighed what I had hoped she would at least weigh.

With her being our third daughter, it was hard to come up with her name. I really liked the name Jill and probably would have went with that, but we also kicked around many other names. Another name I liked was RyAnn. Well, because Laren had a previous girlfriend with that name, he didn't like it so well.

I told him that he could choose her name, with my approval. He decided on Rilyn (pronounced: RYE'-LIN), Rilyn Nichole. Her name is unique and it fits her personality to a T. She has a lot of spunk and has her own mind for sure!

5 Things I Love about Rilyn

1. She is quick/smart, nothing gets passed this girl!

2. She is tenacious, she doesn't quit until she gets what she wants.

3. She is lovable and loving. She is very huggy and likes to give everyone lots of hugs.

4. She has been telling me lately how she listens to the Holy Ghost and how the Holy Ghost helps her not to "be bad."

5. She dreams about her future. She asks me if I will share my van with her and her future husband because she doesn't yet have one of her own! And she tells me that she is going to have X amount of kids when she's a Mom someday. (Sometimes the amount is 5, sometimes it is 3, sometimes it is 10. I just get a hoot listening to this girl!!)

Happy Birthday Rilyn, I love you more than words could ever say!!