Welcome to the World Kathleen

Kathleen Michelle Ladwig

August 17, 2011

6lb 9oz

19 1/2 inches

We are happy to welcome to the world and our family our little Kathleen. If you don't like birthing stories, then fair warning, you can skip the narration on this post and just look at the cute pictures of our new baby.

Because we don't have any family in Tooele and don't really know any babysitters, we decided to schedule an induction to give Grandma Kitty a day to shoot for to come to Tooele. When I went into my last doctor's appointment I talked it over with my doctor, Dr. Vered, and he said that I was favorable enough to schedule it for early that next week. Landon and I had previously talked it over and neither of us were against having the baby on my birthday, so I decided to give myself a birthday present and set the induction for my birthday August 17.

Grandma Kitty came in on Tuesday night and we made sure all of the last minute things were taken care of. We arrived at the hospital a little after 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning. We got ourselves checked in and me all hooked up to the monitors and an IV started. Dr. Vered got to the hospital right about the time we were ready to start pitocin and suggested that maybe we just break my water first and see if that would start anything. So, at about 7:15 a.m. we broke my water. I was dilated to a 2 and about 60% effaced.

Landon and I spent the next hour walking around the hospital trying to get things going. While it was unsuccessful it was good time to just spend with my husband and we got to take a pretty good look at the hospital here in Tooele including all of the cool old pictures they have on the walls. They are of the Tooele area, most of them dating back in the late 1800s to early 1900s. After an hour and no real movement to speak of I decided to ask them to just start the drugs.

So, at about 8:30 a.m. I was hooked up to the Pitocin and for the next hour my dosage was increased every 15 minutes. I took this time to take a nap, knowing that at some point during the day I would want my strength to handle the more intense contractions. At about 9:15 a.m. I still wasn't too happy with where the strength of the contractions, so I asked if I could use the birthing ball.

The next hour was spent alternating between the birthing ball and my bed. They couldn't get the monitors to work right on my belly to make sure baby was doing okay when I was on the ball, so they would let me spend about 20 minutes on the ball and then I had to get back in bed for about 20 minutes. By about 10:15 the contractions were getting more intense, but still manageable but we decided to do a check to see where I was at. I was dilated to about a 4.

My nurse knew I wanted an epidural, so she suggested that I might want to start considering it. I, on the other hand, wanted to wait until I was dilated to about a 6 before I got my epidural. The nurse warned me that the last few numbers can go really fast, but I blew her off. I mean, I had done this three times before and my fastest birth to this point had been 8 hours. I thought I had a couple more hours to go until I got to my 6.

I got back on the ball at about 10:45 a.m. Once I was on the ball the contraction intensity really started to pick back up. I was only supposed to be on the ball for about 15 minutes so I decided that I would wait the 15 minutes and when the nurse came back in ask her to get my epidural coming. By the time she came back at 11:00 a.m. the contractions were getting really intense and were taking a lot of breathing to get through.

My nurse helped me get to the bathroom and then left to get the anesthetist coming with my epidural. By the time she got back I had decided that I was done on the potty and was frustrated because it had been a personal goal of mine not to poop on the table with this delivery, but I just couldn't seem to go even though I had a lot of pressure. While I was frustrated about that, I also knew that if I couldn't poop and I had a lot of bum pressure that was not a good thing for my epidural. When the nurse came back I told her my predicament, and she asked me about the pressure. After giving me a little bit of a worried look I told her, "I know!" and we checked me. My contractions were extremely uncomfortable at this point, in fact I couldn't even make it from the bathroom to my bed without having one that I had to stop and breathe through. She checked me at 11:15 a.m. and I was dilated to an 8.

My nurse went into overdrive at this point. She pushed the nurses button and told them that they needed to call Dr. Vered and tell him to come now! She then had me sit up and get on the edge of the bed preparing for my epidural. Then she left and went into the hall to find him and hurry him in. My contractions were coming about every 30-45 seconds now and really, really hurt. Landon was a good support and did whatever I asked him to. I found I liked it best if he would hold my shoulders and put pressure pulling me into him.

My nurse was only gone for about a minute and she returned with the anesthetist and my epidural. She quickly informed the man that I was already at an 8 and we needed to hurry. My anesthetist was awesome!!!! Landon said he was extremely impressed. He has watched me get all four of my epidurals, and this guy kicked every other ones behinds. He was fast and accurate. I have to say I love this man. Since I was so far along and he could tell I was hurting (you know the grunting and breathing and a few swear words tipped him off) he decided to give me a spinal block first and then he would do the epidural.

I felt the effects of the spinal almost immediately and it took the pressure off my behind and back, but my uterus was still feeling it all. As I was still getting the catheter in my back for the epidural I had the most intense and painful contraction I have ever felt. (Now mind you, I have usually had my epidural long before my body ever gets to this point. So, woman who do this naturally, I do not think it was any worse than anything that you have gone through, I just have never done it naturally, so it was a shocker to me.) I embarrassed myself by full blown screaming through this one and yes, there were a few more swear words coming out. It was intense and it lasted long and all I wanted to do was lay down but I couldn't because I was currently having something shoved into my spine. During this one my nurse hit the nurses button again and the nurses at the station were greeted with my screaming. They didn't even wait to hear what was wanted, she just started running down the hall. My nurse still had not had a chance to get things set up for the baby so she needed help so that baby girl had everything she needed once she got there.

The anesthetist finished quickly and I was finally able to lay down with the contraction still hurting and going. My nurse checked me and I was at a 10 and fully effaced. It was 11:30 a.m. Just then my doctor walked in all sweaty and out of breathe. He had gotten stuck at a red light and had ran from him car in. At about that same time the spinal block finished kicking in and I was finally getting some relief on my uterus, or at least from feeling my uterus. The anesthetist and my doctor quickly joked about how the anesthetist thought he might have to catch this baby as my doctor quickly put on his stuff. My nurse was busy trying to get my bed and me ready to deliver baby. She had to enlist the help of Landon to move me down the bed and get my legs in the stirrups because I had absolutely no feeling in them.

Dr. Vered, finally set up, told me to give a little push and there was my baby's head. He had me reach down and touch it. (I have never done this before and it was kind of cool and made me just want to get the rest of her out as quickly as possible.) I gave another little push and she slowly worked her top half out. Dr. Vered then said to me "Mommy, she's reaching for you." I reached down to grab her hands and he told me to grab her behind her arms and had me pull her the rest of the way out and onto my stomach. I loved it!!! It was 11:46 a.m.

She was beautiful and sweet, and purple, and I could not get enough of her. I instantly told her "Hello Kathleen" and helped wipe her off on my tummy and then Landon cut the umbilical cord. They whisked her over to her little station and started checking her out. That is when Landon and I finally realized that there was no one else there with us to take pictures and Landon began scrambling to find the camera and start snapping. (We really had not even had time to think about getting it out until just now.)

Kat really was not all that happy with being out and in the world. She especially didn't like being poked and prodded and moved at all. She would get herself calmed down and then they would need to move her to check something else out and she would scream her protest. It was a very cute little girly scream.

I was tired, but happy to have her here and loving that I finally had some pain relief. I normally love the feeling when they afterbirth is delivered, but since my spinal block was still working really, really well I actually couldn't feel it this time. (By the way, they hooked up my epidural, but never even started it.)




After doing all the tests and checking her all out they asked if I wanted to nurse her first or have them give her a bath. I had started shaking pretty badly at this point, so I told them to bathe her while I tried to get a little more control over my body. The shakes were a first for me. I have never had them after any of my kids. The nurse told me it is common with the medication that I had this time.

Kathleen felt a little better once she had her nice warm clothes on, but she still was a little fussy and seemed to be pretty darn hungry. So, we nursed just about 20 minutes after she was born, and she was a pro from the beginning. She really must have been starving, because she chowed down and then was much happier after she finished.

After eating, Daddy finally had a chance to hold his little girl. I love the way that Landon looks at his children when he first gets to hold them. You can see it in his face just how much he loves them. It was no different for Kathleen. He loved you instantly!

While Kat got her bath Landon called Grandma Kitty to tell her that she was here. Grandma had just taken the kids to McDonalds, but she cut the trip a little short and brought down the big sister and brothers to see us.

You could hear them coming down the hall and I was very excited to see my kiddos. Landon was sitting in a chair across the room from the door and Levi was the first one to see them. Levi looked at Kathleen and his eyes got all big and he did a little excited jump before running over to get a better look.

Ellen got to hold her first....

Then Trevor...

And finally Levi. After holding her for just a second Levi looked up at Landon and told him, "I don't like it."

Grandma Kitty was last to get a turn. Here they are, the oldest Kathleen with the youngest Kathleen. I have always said that if I ever got to name a daughter Kathleen I would call her Kat. It has been a little joke as to what my mom and daughter would then be when they were together. So, here they are for the first time, Kitty-Kat.

Landon decided to line them all up and get the first picture of our four children. Wow!!!

You have to love that face on this girl!

I was starving having not eaten anything since dinner the night before. (This was also part of my plan to try not to throw up during the delivery. It worked, I was nausea free this delivery.) I also still had the shakes and chills in this picture so I was trying to find the best way to eat and still keep myself as covered up as I could.

After the kids left we all settled in for a nap. I was able to snuggle Kat in under my blankets and we slept chest to chest for a little while. Landon snapped this before he passed out on the couch/bed they had in the room.

Right after Kat was born the nurses asked me what we were naming her. I told them Kathleen and made the comment that she and I were sharing names and birthdays. My nurse had not realized that it was my birthday until then and very really bad. So, they went out and bought me a cake.

We had a hard time getting a good picture of me with the cake. I blame it on the fact that I had just had a baby a couple of hours previous.

Ellen had also come up with a plan that she had Grandma help her pull off. For a birthday present for me she wanted to make me cupcakes. So, later in the afternoon/evening they brought me in my cupcakes. The kids spread them all over my hospital room floor, but I didn't care. They were so excited to give them to me, and then eat them. Watching them so happy and excited was the best birthday present I could have asked for from them.

When they came back I was finally feeling better, although I still didn't have any feeling back in my legs yet. (I didn't get feeling back until about 5:30 p.m. that night.) I decided that we needed to get the first three generation picture.

The three generations of Kathleen. Kathleen Hill Kunz, Kathleen Kunz Ladwig and Kathleen Michelle Ladwig.

Levi also decided that he wanted to hold her again when they came back. This was in part due to his older siblings getting to take a second turn. His reaction was much different the second time around. We asked him if he liked her and he replied, "I like it!" He referred to Kat as an it for about 2 days. He really did like holding "it" the second time around and was sad when his turn was over.

Our hospital, Mountain West, has a practice of giving new parents a special dinner the night a baby is born. You can choose between Steak, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Fried Shrimp. (Nice, eh!) We both choose Steak and ordered it around 6:15 p.m. By 7:00 we still hadn't seen our food and I was getting hungry again so I had Landon start calling to see if it was still coming. The next 45 minutes were spent with the nurses staff and the dietary staff trying to figure out what happened to our order. By the time they figured out that they had not made our food it was too late to cook it so they had us order something different. We finally got our dinner at about 8:30 p.m. that night. While it wasn't our "special dinner" it was still good food. Because of the screw up the dietary staff gave us a $10 gift card to Applebees. The nursing staff felt bad that they dietary crew had screwed up so they too gave us a $10 gift card to Applebees and a $5 gift card to ColdStone. The staff brought us our special dinner for lunch the next day. The head of the dietary department also stopped by the next morning to apologize personally and find out the details of what happened from our side of the story. She also gave us a Willow Tree figurine called "Guardian" of a Mama with a new born baby wrapped in her arms. We totally scored!!!!

Landon stayed with Kat and I at the hospital until around 10:30 p.m. that night. I spent about another hour with Kat and then nursed her and took her down to the nursery where they said they would "love on her" that night. My nurses were sooooo nice and let me sleep the whole night without coming in to check on my vitals. They did have to come in at about 5 a.m. and take my blood, but then I went back to sleep until my doctor showed up at 7. I called down and had them bring Kathleen back to me and we waited for Daddy to come pick us up. We were finally able to discharge at about 1:30 p.m. and went home to start our new family life with a 4th child.

We are so excited that you are finally here Kathleen and feel very priviledged that you chose our family. We love you and can't wait to get to know you better!