Tessa Noelle Callister

I escaped a scheduled induction once again! She just couldn’t wait!

I’d been having contractions all week, but nothing very strong or very regular. And at my last appointment I was only dilated to a 1 and still very thick, so I was totally planning on making it to Monday night to be induced. Sunday night I watched the season premier of Downton Abbey with my mom (and had to endure the peanut gallery comments from the menfolk in the room) and went to bed totally planning on going to Costco the next day and running other last minute errands. That night around 2 am I woke up to a painful contraction, but went right back to sleep. I woke up every half hour or so with contractions the rest of the night, but still nothing was very regular or strong. Around 5:30 they started getting stronger so I started timing them, but they were all over the place. Derrick woke up at 6:30 and started getting ready for work. He asked me if he should go in or not. I had no idea. At this point I was having to breathe through my contractions and could make no decision whatsoever. He decided to stay home. At 8 am I called my doctor’s office and told them what was going on and they told me to head over to the hospital. What a relief. I was scared I was going to have irregular painful contractions all day long until they were 3-5 minutes apart like they always tell you.

So we pack up the rest of our stuff and say a quick goodbye to the girls and my parents and we’re on our way to the hospital. We get there around 8:45 am, I get checked in and I’m dilated to a 5 already. Sweet. Since I’d been having some painful contractions for a few days, I’m feeling pretty anxious about the whole deal and wondering whether or not I’m prepared for the pain coming my way. I seriously start considering an epidural. But at this point my contractions are pretty close together and I’m not even sure I could get one anymore so I just suck it up and labor on my own. I’m not even on a running IV, so this is all me and no Pitocin. First time with no pit. Every time my nurse checks me I’m another cm dilated, and the baby’s head is super low. I start to feel a little pushy, but not overly. The next thing I know they’re taking my bed apart and I’m in stirrups and the doctor (whom I never met) comes in. Apparently I’m not complete yet (but I never ever get to a 10 anyway) and he kind of yells to the nurses about this. Since my cervix has torn both times before, he starts to stretch everything out down there. A lot. This hurts. A lot. So much so that I can barely feel my contractions, but instead only feel my crotch being pulled open with what feels like the jaws of life. I yell at the doctor a little, “What are you doooinng????” And he replies, “That’s what you get for not getting any pain meds.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What a jackass. At this point we’re now just waiting for a contraction so that I can finally push. Except no contraction comes for what feels like forever. When one finally does come I start to push. And push. And they keep having me push even after the contraction is over. Trying to push without a contraction is pretty much just like trying to take a giant poop. So I try to poop out my sweet baby for like another 5 or 6 pushes. I can’t do it. I keep losing my breath. I have no contraction helping me, no urge to push. It’s hard. Things get a little tense and the doctor calls for the vacuum and tells me we need to get the baby OUT. All sorts of things start going through my mind. I’m gonna have to have a c-section. My baby is stuck in the birth canal. She can’t breathe. I’m going to die. Then a nurse gets right in my face and helps me focus and push and another one gets on top of me and pushes on the top of my stomach to help push her out. And then she’s out. Finally. Just over an hour later at 10:03 am. And apparently I pee all over the doctor during delivery. Take that! (Although he did keep my cervix from tearing so I can’t hate him too much. Just a little.)

The cord was wrapped around her neck once I found out later, and she was a little cold so they kept her under the warmer for a bit so I didn’t get to hold her right away like I did with my other girls. But then I got to snuggle with her and she is just the sweetest thing. She was 6 lb 6 oz and 18.5” long. So far my biggest baby by an ounce. That one ounce made all the difference though…she was tough to push out! Oh, and in your face gestational diabetes…I still had a small baby!

Summer is enamored by Tessa, and will repeatedly say “she’s so cute!”, “she’s so tiny!”, “she’s so perfect!” She loves to hold her and is just the best big sister. Hannah likes her too, and will often say so. “I like Tessa,” but doesn’t really want to have to much to do with her. They both have to give her kisses before nap and bedtime though. But so far I haven’t really feared for Tessa’s safety—they are pretty good around her.

Of course, I’m in love with her hair. She’s got pretty fuzzy shoulders, too. She’s an open mouthed sleeper, just like her dad. She really is just the sweetest thing, I love this stage, where they just sleep and snuggle and eat.

It was so nice having my parents here through the whole thing. Knowing my big girls were taken care of. I came home to a clean house, all my laundry done, dinners made for me, dishes washed for me, diapers changed for me. I got to just relax and love on Tessa. They left this morning and we are definitely going to miss them! Crazy to think we are now a family of 5. 3 girls. What did we get ourselves into? Who knows, but we sure love this little babe.