Welcome Penny Margaret Low

Penny came to us April 21st, 2013 at 6:55 am. She was 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long.

Jason and I really like naming out kids after someone that they can look up to as an example and strive to be like. Usually the first name is just a name we agree upon. Talia Lee was named after my Dad, Mom, and Me. Talia for my Dad- Tal, and Lee for my Mom and I. It's a middle name we both have and hopefully will be passed down. Jace Douglas is after Jason, Jason's Dad Brian, and his Grandpa Low. Douglas is a family name that has been passed down through those generations.

Penny Margaret is named after the show LOST Jason and I both watched. We both liked the character Penny and thought the name was great. As for her middle name it is a family name from both sides. Margaret is the first name of Jason's maternal Grandma. And Margaret is also the name of Jason's paternal Grandpa's Mom. We wanted to name after both Jason's Grandmas because of how great of woman they are. Jason's paternal Grandma just passed away, was name Zelma so we used Margaret as the family name instead. Both these woman are great examples and love the flow of Penny Margaret.

Out of my 3 deliveries this one was the closest to a typical delivery.

My first delivery, Talia, was a long very eventful process. My water broke and was not in labor and ended up being induced. She was OP (position wrong), broke my tail bone, and ended up being a forcept delivery. And my second delivery I was induced at 41 +1 weeks. It was about a 8-10 hour process and he ended up being a pretty good shoulder dystocia. Anyways I tell you that because my doctor thought it would be good to be induced at 39 weeks just because my babies are a bit too big for my pelvis. We thought about it and since my belly wasn't as big as my previous belly's we thought we'd go to MAX 40 weeks just to give me a chance to go naturally on my own. So we got an induction date for my due date April 23rd.

I didn't have much hope that I would go on my own and would go right to my due date, but at least I have an induction date. I knew it would be much easier because this baby was SO low already and had been so low since early 30 weeks. Anyways I was getting desperate. I was tired and feeling bad for my other kids because my life was on hold. It was too hard to take my two kids out on my own so we stayed home a lot. I was also cranky! My poor family.

So before I tried anything I knew Jason had 2 shifts one on Friday and one on Saturday the 20th. The last two days I had been contracting regularly in the evenings for 2-3 hours only about 5 per hour and then it was would stop and start up in my sleep but then during the day nothing, so I thought nothing of it. Saturday Jason got home at 7 30 pm. And I told him I might take castro oil. I was terrified and wasn't really sure if I wanted to. So I took the baby dose ha. 10-15 mls and  not the recommended 60 mls to induce labor. I took this at 7 30 and NOTHING! no cramping, no pooping, no nausea. So I waited till midnight and decided I was tired nauseated and went to bed.  I had Jason sleep in the basement because I thought if for some reason 5 hours after taking this small dose of castro oil it works he can sleep and deal with the kids in the morning. Anyways the castro oil didn't kick in, I didn't have any intestinal cramping or diarrhea BUT I did wake up at 1 am with contractions 2-3 minutes apart lasting from 1-3 minutes long. I was shocked. It was like never ending real contractions. I think you;re supposed to wait for an hour to make sure they stayed but after 20 minutes of basically 6-8 contractions lasting long I called Jason in the basement and told him. I was also concerned because contractions every 2-3 minutes and I was 4 cms already I DID NOT want to miss my epidural opportunity. Anyways we called my mom. She got here just before 2 am. Jason got the car seats out of the car and put into my moms car. So while I was talking to my mom my water broke in the kitchen. I am totally familiar with that feeling because my water has broke on it's own with all three. It's the typical pop and then depending a trickle and when you move usually a gush. I had both. Then I was really worried because when my water broke with Jace it took 1 hour till we delivered from 5 cm. So my guess is the Castro oil didn't work and I was in labor on my own but who knows?

So we were on our way to the hospital. Contractions were getting stronger. We got in the assessment room and they determined I was in "real" labor. Think I could have told them that. Got in our room and I requested my epidural. I was worried the epidural would make my contractions stop because that has always happened in the past but then again my body has never been in labor without being induced. Got my epidural by 330 am and it was the greatest epidural EVER. After that we just rested/ slept till 6 30 when my nurse checked me. I wasn't sure if I had been contracting but she told me the monitor was still picking them up frequently. She said I was 8 cm and when I felt pressure to push to call her. No later than 10 minutes I told her I had pressure and I was 10 cms. Now the nice thing about this epidural was i could feel when i had a contraction and when i had pressure but if i needed to rest pr sleep i could. I guess you could say it wasn't to strong or too weak, it was just right! So My doctor who happened to be on call this weekend came in at 645 am, we chatted and she said we could start pushing but before she left the room to let me push with the nurse she wanted to see how well I pushed. So at 6 50 got me all ready and I gave one push and her head basically popped out. So they all screamed wait and Dr. Colliton got gowned and then said OK lets go. So I pushed her head out fully then... she got stuck. She had a minor shoulder dystocia. I remembered this scenario all to well. The nurse got up on the bed and pushed on my belly, and they moved the baby around, called for the obstetrician. Her shoulders ended up popping out with no major interventions other than again my third episiotomy. So she was out by 6 55 am. My quickest delivery.

I think it was so quick because of 3 things. 1.) The baby was so low from the start, 2.) Epidurals are the most amazing thing ever and if I had been laboring for 3 hours without it before I started pushing, I would have been pretty tired and not able to push as effectively, and 3.) after 2 really hard deliveries that possibly should have gone to c section I learned how to push really effectively and hard. I had to push so hard to get those two out.  In the moment of my previous 2 labors I didn't think I was pushing great but after learned they were hard ones and was lucky to have not gone to c section, so maybe that's why?

Either way she came out healthy and a good size for 39 +5 weeks old. My doctor did suggest lets not go over 39 weeks next time and if I wasn't in Edmonton for my next delivery she was going to note this so my whoever my next doctor was doesn't suggestion a c-section. So I guess My due date will always be a week earlier than planned. Hopefully I can go naturally before then because it was such a better experience than being induced. Delivery has always been the part I enjoy most and this one by far went the smoothest.

We're grateful Penny came in to the world a healthy girl. We love her so much. Especially Talia. She was wanting a girl so bad, so Penny fits right into her plan. She is my bigger eater, similar to Jace I guess. The only thing is she has a smaller mouth so she has hurt me A LOT and I am healing from that. You forget how much nursing can hurt especially when you get an improper latch at the start. I blame her small mouth. I still have to open her mouth wider for her. Hopefully she will learn.

Well now we're a family of 5. Hopefully Jason and I can maintain the craziness!

Here are some pictures: