Madeline Rose Goodman was born September 14, 2011, at 4:41 PM. She weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 18 inches long.
Jeff and I had just had our 35 week appointment with Dr. Wilkerson on Tuesday, September 13th. We had our last sonogram and everything looked great. I was dilated to a 1 and was 50% effaced, but we were reassured that I would probably deliver very close to my due date, which was October 15th, 2011. Still a month to go before meeting our baby girl…or so we thought!
The following morning I awoke at about 5:15 AM to go to the restroom (something pretty routine late in pregnancy) and found that I was bleeding pretty heavily. I called out to Jeff, who was sound asleep in the bed room, that it was time to go to the hospital. Jeff didn’t believe that I was in labor, and reassured me that it was probably just a severed blood vessel or something and that I could not be in labor yet. Getting ready, I had a feeling that we might not be returning without a baby in tow. I tried to get things that I knew I would need for my stay at the hospital. Both of us moving around the house, not saying much. Once we were on the road to Paris
Checking in to the hospital went rather quickly. They set me up in my regular room to be checked out. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and I can remember savoring the sound of Madeline’s heartbeat. So strong. I wouldn’t let them turn it down. They completed their exam. I had not dilated any further, but my amnio swab came back positive, which meant that I was leaking fluid. Dr. Wilkerson came in and seemed genuinely concerned about the situation. My water sac was still in tact, but something wasn’t right. “We are going to have this baby today”. He didn’t want to take any chances for an infection, so he proposed that my labor be induced and told us that we would be delivering by this afternoon. We were in absolute shock. What happened to delivering close to due date? We have 4 and a half weeks to go!
Jeff left quickly to go back home to gather our belongings and to tend to Ty and Macie. While he was gone, they moved me to a labor and delivery room, where they proceeded to break my water for me. At this point, my mom was with me. She sat next to my bed and we both prayed for Madeline’s health. My phone rang- mid prayer- I hit ignore. Once we were finished, I checked my voicemail. It was Pastor Jack, offering a prayer over the phone for Madeline. I was so touched. We were so blessed to have so many people praying for the safe delivery and health of our baby girl. My water was clear- a great sign. So the wait began. My contractions started. I began to get nervous that Jeff wasn’t there. I kept thinking, “what if I dilate quickly and he misses it”. I didn’t want him to miss a single moment of this day. I had my mom call and ask him to come back as quickly as he possibly could. They came to check me, but my progression was slow. I had only dilated to a 2. They decided to begin the admission of pitocin in my IV. Contractions began to come more regularly and stronger. Karen and Dick arrived. We had waited to call them until we found out what Dr. Wilkerson was going to do. Jeff returned—Still worried. Michelle and Kirk also arrived. We had a full house! The nurse came in and enforced a new rule: only 2-3 people allowed at one time in the delivery room. It was lunch and everyone began to get hungry. I insisted they all go eat…I wasn’t going anywhere. J They took shifts going to lunch. I asked that they not tell me about where they were going since I had not eaten all day and wouldn’t be allowed to eat until after Madeline was born.
Lunch was over and so was resting. My contractions had really picked up at this point. They offered the epidural around 3:00 and I agreed. I was dilated to a 3. This was by far the most painful part of Madeline’s birth story! They excused everyone from the room and had me sit on the side of the bed, hugging a pillow. They instructed me to push my back out. I could feel the needle and requested more local anesthesia. After, what seemed like forever, the epidural was finally in place, however, I could still feel my contractions on one side. Jeff and my mom returned to the room to find me still working through my contractions. The anesthetist returned and adjusted my epidural. Thankfully, it worked! They checked me and I had progressed to an 8! Everyone came in and visited with one another. I slowly began to feel pressure in my pelvic area. When the nurse returned, I mentioned it to her. She had everyone leave the room and checked me one last time. I will never forget her saying, “it’s time to have a baby”! Jeff and I were both in shock that the time had come so quickly. The room quickly transformed and was prepped for delivery. I began pushing at around 4:00 PM. It was amazing. I know labor is supposed to be difficult, but I didn’t mind it at all. Dr. Wilkerson came in, as well as other hospital staff. At 4:41 PM, our beautiful baby girl was born. What a wonderful noise those cries were to our ears! I couldn’t wait for them to wrap her and place her in my arms. She was healthy! We spent the next 30 minutes alone with our Madeline in the delivery room. Our family was eventually invited back and took turns holding her. What a special and unforgettable day this was.
Madeline Rose, we love you so much. You have brought more joy to my world than I ever knew was possible. I knew from the moment that I met you that God meant for you to be my daughter. You are my greatest blessing and most amazing accomplishment.
First sight of little M!
Holding my precious baby for the first time.
Our first family picture!
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