Michael, Katy, Kai & Leilani: Liliana Leilani...

So I decided I should probably get Leilani's story written before she gets too old!

After having a c-section with Kai I had really hoped to be able to have a VBAC with Leilani. June 18th I started having almost seizure-type shaking when I would lay down where my legs would start shaking and I couldn't control it. It would come and go but would keep me from being able to sleep. After 2 nights of this we decided we needed to go to the hospital to find out what was going on. They monitored the baby and everything was fine but I was having contractions sporadically. They checked me and said I was at 1 but she was still really high. They had me walk around the hospital to see if things would progress. When I came back, nothing had changed. They had me wait until the doctor came before they let me leave. When he came, he said he expected we'd have a baby within the next few days. (I wasn't quite 37 weeks yet.) Well the weekend came and went...no baby. My mom stayed with us expecting we would have a baby. I went to my normal visit and the doctor was surprised I hadn't had her yet. When he checked me at that visit, he said he couldn't feel anything this time and there was no way he could "help things along." I was crushed! I thought we were going to have our baby and now it didn't appear she was going to be coming anytime soon.

Jump ahead to July 8th. When I went in for this appointment I was informed the doctor was going to be gone the next week on vacation. On top of that Leilani was now measuring off the charts. She was measuring at over 10 pounds and the doctor was concerned about her being in longer. He was willing to let me go to the Monday after his vacation (the 14th) but didn't really want me going past that. (The week before Michael had given me a priesthood blessing and at that time I knew I wasn't going to get the VBAC I had wanted. I didn't know why but I knew.) After I saw the doctor the nurse made the comment that he was doing his scheduled c-sections on Friday, July 11th and if I wanted to go that route instead I could. I would be his second surgery. I left the appointment without scheduling one. I called Michael and told him what had happened at the appointment and what I was feeling. After talking we decided to go ahead and schedule the c-section. Friday, July 11th our little girl would be here.

So I was taken into surgery at 10:30 and had a spinal tap done. It took a few pokes before the anesthetist was able to get it in but she was successful. Michael was able to be in there for the surgery and got to see her delivered (which he didn't get to do with Kai because of the curtain and how quickly they delivered him.) When the doctors went to get her out, they found the umbilical cord at the opening of the cervix and it had actually wrapped around her neck twice which is why she wasn't coming on her own! Needless to say, I was glad we decided to do the c-section cause it could have been a much more scary scenario otherwise.

Our "little" girl was born at 10:56 a.m. weighing 9 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long! I got to see her for a while before they took her out of the operating room unlike with Kai where they whisked him off to the NICU. Michael got to carry her to our room and do skin to skin with her while they finished with me in surgery. When I got back to the room I immediately got to see and hold my daughter and from that point on we were inseparable! It was so fun having her in the room with us the whole time (Kai was in the NICU his whole 3 days and I didn't get to see him the first 8 1/2 hours he was born.) This birthing experience was SOOOOO much different than my first. (In fact we were discharged from the hospital by 7 p.m. the next night cause we were both doing so well!) I am so grateful for the doctor and nursing staff for working with us to have a wonderful experience bringing our daughter into this world!