I welcome you to the family and this great planet earth lil Miss Layne Kennedy Lavallee! Just so you know, I am your grandmother. The other grandchildren have dubbed me as "Mima" and I hope you will do the same. I am writing this story about you and your Mama so you will never have any questions or worries about how much you are loved by this family! Most of this will be told by my perspective because I like to write. I am sure your Mama will have plenty to say to you as well!
What a privilege to be at your birth and to support your Mama and Daddy as they begin this road called parenthood. Before you even got here, you were so loved and so wanted. Every day since your Mama shared the news of your imminent arrival we have prayed and planned and worried over your coming! The day I found out your Mama was expecting you was completely unexpected by me.
It was a Saturday in early October. Your Mama and I went to St Albans store, Lenny's to buy my brother Joe a gift for his birthday. I pulled into a parking space. Audrey reached into the glove compartment, rummaged a bit and pulled something out! She tossed it on the seat and burst into tears immediately! It was a pregnancy stick with the pink plus sign indicating that she was pregnant! I was so surprised and I think she was too but sometimes in life, the unexpected can turn out to be the best blessing of all! she was emotional, surprised, scared and happy all at once and all I could do as her Mama was hug her, congratulate her, and listen!
Your Mama was mostly in shock but I know how thrilled she was to know she was carrying a baby in her womb! To watch her plan, and adjust and load apps on her phone about pregnancy was fun. She reminded me of myself in her need to plan and learn as much as she could to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. Early pregnancy for your Mom was tricky and not without its scares. I will not go into detail but we did make a few trips to the Emergency Room. We prayed so hard that nothing would happen and that you would be healthy and that your Mama would be healthy too.
This was a few days before You were born. Mama had to sit for a stress test to make sure you were healthy and well!!
Your due date was June 6th, 2019 and in May your Mama began to experience high blood pressure readings. The midwives in Burlington were concerned about preeclamsia developing and so they decided it would be best for her to be induced. The date was set for May 20, 2019 and I was delighted that I had the day off from work and that your Mama wanted me there for the birth.
I met your Mom and Dad at their apartment and your Dad was ironing a pink shirt to wear to the hospital, knowing that you were a girl. For some reason, he changed his mind. I guess he is not a pink shirt kind of guy and decided on blue instead. Bags were packed and we headed to UVM medical center for the big day.
We got there around 10:30 am and the room was on the top floor of the hospital filled with big windows and an amazing view of Lake Champlain and the campus of the college. The whiteboard on the wall said, Goals for this stay! "Meet your daughter!" Also your nurse was Joanna and the midwife to deliver you was Cory.
They decided that since you were premature by 3 weeks that your Mom needed to have a procedure that involved inserting a Foley balloon catheter so that it would allow her cervix to ripen and thin. It all sounded so simple and easy............ This was around 12:15 pm and then labor began!!! Contractions started almost immediately and I must say that you, Audrey were amazing. By 1:30, they suggested that you go in the bathtub so that it might be more comfortable This is when I suggested that you concentrate on breathing through it. Only a woman in labor can understand how vital this is. It is truly the only thing that helps you to focus. You, Audrey took to this advice like a pro and although I have not attended many births, I admit that you were so completely in control and focused like no other! Contractions were literally a minute to two minutes apart and not much relief between. I was so proud of you although I hated seeing you in pain. Daddy and I took turns sitting with Mama while she labored to encourage her.
The nurse had suggested that Mom order lunch from room service before labor had started. So when we got her out of the bath tub around 2:40 pm, it had arrived. Mama sat on a big round bouncy ball and for some strange reason her contractions subsided. I can only say that this must have been a gift from The Lord! She happily ate some delicious chicken, broccoli alfredo as if she were dining in a fancy restaurant. (This alfredo will come back up later in the story!) I guess that was His way of giving her sustenance for the long labor and day ahead!
Your labor started right back up again shortly after this welcome reprieve and yummy lunch! You went from sitting on the balloon at the end of the bed to the recliner in the corner. Daddy had to run to work to fill out some paperwork for insurance so I sat with you. I was able to take pictures and a short video of Mama laboring. I knew when all was said and done, it would be hard to remember the details and she would enjoy looking back once the pain was over. Truly she was completely concentrated on breathing through the contractions that never seemed to stop. Honestly, I don't know how women endure it sometimes. The reward of holding our newborn baby in our arms makes it all worth while. I encouraged Mama by telling her that each pain would bring you closer!
When Daddy got back, Mama was having a lot of back pain so we took turns putting pressure on her lower back as she continued to sit on bouncy ball leaning over the bed. At around 4 pm, we were realizing that the Foley catheter has not fallen out yet. The nurse has reassured Mama that once it does fall out, that means that she has dilated a lot and then maybe things would start moving more quickly for your arrival! But 5 o'clock came and still no sign of that darn catheter. Mama awkwardly maneuvered from the chair to the bed to the bouncy ball to the toilet, she continued to have hard labor every minute with contractions lasting about 40 seconds. All I can say is that I prayed a lot, please Lord let this baby come quickly!
Cory suggested that they inflate the balloons in the catheter by another 20 cc's so that maybe it would make things move a little faster. As Mama was on the throne in the bathroom they inflated the balloons which only caused a lot of pain for her. She insisted on them removing the saline. Still the catheter remained.
Back to the bed where they adjusted Mama on all fours on the ball to help with her comfort level. Truly, she did move from ball to bed and back again!! Sh tried many positions to get through this rite of passage into Motherhood! Still no sign of that catheter. All the while, Daddy and I continued to encourage and apply pressure on her back.
At once point the nurse encouraged mama to walk out into the hallway. There is a huge set of windows out there with an incredible view but what women cares about a view while in the throes of labor?! She ate an Italian ice while holding on to a railing and was about as uncomfortable and unhappy as I have ever seen her! This is when she began to question. "How much longer can I do this for?" I can't keep doing this!"
It is now almost 7 pm and Mama is wondering if she can keep laboring this intensely. "Why isn't the catheter falling out?" "Can I have an epidural now?" The midwife tries to deter this path of getting an epidural as she believes it is going to slow down Audrey's progress, Audrey does not care anymore. She just wants to be done. Cory suggests another bath and the nurse begins to fill the tub. At this point in the day, it is hard to remember everything because things seemed to move very quickly from here on out. The tub is filling. Daddy decided that probably it is time to get an epidural and speaks up for Mama. "Do you want a bath or an epidural Audrey?" Audrey states that she wants the epidural.
Mama stands to head to the bathroom. We try to help her walk over between contractions and suddenly she begins shaking and vomiting all at once! At around 7:30 pm, the foley bulb decides to make its exit and we know that perhaps she is dilated enough and the end is in sight. Back into bed and the midwife requests the anasthesiologist to come and give her the long awaited epidural to relieve her pain. He finally arrives at 8:50 pm! I leave the room so that the procedure can be done and come back to find my girl in a lucid, calm state of mind. What a relief to see her out of pain but I am sure I was not as relieved as she was!
She continued to have labor but now we watched the monitor as each contraction came and went. One side of her body was quite numb the other not as much so. We asked the nurse to check and see how dilated she was at around 9:30 pm but the were going to insert another catheter for urine and she wanted to wait until about 10 pm. I questioned whether I should go home as I had to work at 5:30 in the morning the next day. I hated to leave her. I am so glad I stayed!
Daddy and I sat beside Mama while she labored. All of a sudden the room was full of people! We had stopped looking at the monitor for a while so unbeknownst to us, your heart rate had started to drop! The medical team came rushing in and there was talk of c-section. It seemed so chaotic and unreal. Mama was shaking and trembling. This is a normal part of labor but it seemed so frightening. One nurse had a clipboard and a pen and was asking Mama to sign a release form for a c-section to be performed. I began praying hard! I just wanted Audrey to have an easy delivery! This was not in the plan. Not at all! I quickly sent a message to Paul, Faith and Auntie Sue to pray along with me!
The doctor began to watch monitor closely and then they decided to put a fetal monitor on your head so they could better monitor you. Then suddenly your heart rate started to get better again. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Things went well for abut ten minutes and the nurse and midwife placed Mama in all kinds of strange positions so as to take the pressure off of the umbilical cord which was causing your heart rate to drop. Unfortunately this process was short lived and Dr Wagner was called back to the room. She watched closely but after three drops in your heart rate, she called for c-section!
Things moved even quicker this time! I hated watching my Audrey cry as they wheeled her from the room to the operating room. They told Daddy they would come back for him in a minute. I just kept praying! Lord Jesus please protect Audrey and baby and bring them through this safely!
Soon they came back with paper garb for Dustin to wear.
He put the clothes on and rushed to the delivery room to see you born but alas he was back in less than two minutes. That scared me but apparently Mama felt pain so they had to make him leave the room so Mama could be put under general anasthesia. We paced and worried. The midwife ran back in to get Audreys phone so that she could take your first photos! We didn't have to wait long because within minutes, a beautiful bundle appeared in the nurses arms and that beauty was you Layne!!
Daddy smiled so big. He was so thrilled to meet you and thought that you were the most perfect thing he had ever seen. The joy you brought him was a sight to see.
I was thrilled that I got to hold you so soon but we anxiously waited for Mama to wake up from the surgery. Meanwhile we examined you and counted your fingers and toes! All accounted for.
Finally Mama was wheeled back to the room. She was groggy and anxiously peering about to get her first look at you! Oh what a happy mama when she saw your sweet face for the first time! What a special day this was! Happy Birthday Layne!
I love you!!
