It’s hard to know where to begin – Ruby’s journey here was quite the dramatic one! Born at 9:26pm on Tuesday, November 2, Ruby came a lot later – and differently – then expected! I had tried to tell myself all the way through the pregnancy that I just needed to go with the flow and try to be as open minded as possible, and I had no idea at the time how much I would be held to that during the process! But Ed & I can’t complain, we ended up with a healthy, alert and gorgeous daughter, and it made it all worth it! So if you are up for the details, here is our story …
On Monday, November 1 we arrived at Labor & Delivery at Long Beach Memorial Hospital at 9:00am for our scheduled induction. Ruby was 40 weeks/2days and had been served her eviction notice! After getting settled in and examined, we were told to get cozy and be prepared to stay awhile! I was still only dilated 1cm, and they told us we may not meet our daughter for another 48 hours!
So, the 1st day went by … I was given medication that would help to get my cervix dilated. Each pill was administered every 4 hours, and I had 4 doses! That evening, the doctors wanted to try another procedure to help get things moving, but unfortunately – it was unsuccessful. I’ll spare you the details of what that procedure was, but wow – it was traumatic!
This is the last pregnant picture I have of myself. After being praised by the nurses for being such a trooper despite the failed procedure, I was given clearance to get up out of bed after 15 hours and walk the hallways! I was ecstatic. Now that we’ve met Ruby, it is so surreal to see her still inside of there…
The next morning we were visited by the doctor. She said that she was thinking that maybe we should let nature take its course to help the process, and she was thinking of sending me home! Our hearts sank – of course, we were anxious to meet Ruby, but man – that means we’d have to go through all of this again? The doctor examined me, and she promptly said, “Oh, we’re definitely not sending you home!” Overnight I had progressed from 1 cm to 3-4 cm, so she ordered to start up the pitocin and get things moving along!
Contractions gradually started getting pretty strong, and by that afternoon (at about 30 hours in), the nurse said that the doctor would be coming in to break my water. Finally! I was a little nervous about it, but encouraged. Turns out its a rather uncomfortable procedure to say the least – and after that, boy do the contractions really start kicking! I made it through though – my mom was holding one hand, Ed was holding the other, and we got even closer to meeting Ruby.
After that, there was a woman in one of the rooms who was a real screamer. Listening to her was terrifying, so I promptly told my nurse, “I want my epidural!” Wow, the rumors are true – it really made all the difference! As soon as I got it, I was relaxed, unafraid, and ready to get the baby party started! I kept looking the monitor and seeing these big contractions, but I didn’t feel a thing. All was looking good and at 32 hours in, I even brushed my hair and put on lipstick!
At about 7pm, things took a turn. All of the sudden, the room started spinning, I started to get tunnel vision like I was going to black out, and my blood pressure dropped to 80/50. I had gotten an infection from them manually breaking my water. Apparently, this is somewhat common – its always a risk when your water is broken manually. I was shaking violently from having a fever … I felt awful. The doctor came in and said that after 36 hours, we should just call it and go for a c-section.
Things moved very quickly after that. They got me prepped for surgery almost immediately, and Ed got outfitted in his scrubs. I was still feeling very sick at that point and having trouble controlling my shaking. It seemed like I was only in the OR for a few minutes, and all of the sudden we heard, “Here is her head …”, and moments later, we heard the magic cry. Ruby had finally arrived!!!
Inside the Operating Room, moments after her birth:
Ed got to cut the cord
Here she is! A petite little girl, but 20.5 inches long!
They brought her to me and snuggled her near my face. She immediately responded to my voice and started sucking on my upper lip!
Ruby weighs in at 7 lbs., 6 oz. She’ll hate us for posting this photo in about 13 years, won’t she?
After she was delivered, Ed had to leave the OR while they finished up my surgery. The whole family was waiting outside – both my parents and Ed’s parents, and my brother, sis-in-law and our 4 nieces and nephew. As they wheeled Ruby over to the nursery, the nurse was super cool and allowed our family to hang out and see her in the hallway for a few minutes (even though she technically wasn’t supposed to) and take pictures! My brother captured this quick video just minutes after Ruby was born. She was so alert!
It seemed like ages until I got to see my baby. My c-section revealed a large ovarian cyst that was the size of a grapefruit and had to be removed immediately. It had actually taken it over, so the entire ovary was removed. This added another hour on to my surgery, and at that point, I was just so anxious to be finished and hold my baby! By the time I got out of the OR, out of recovery, and into my room, they brought Ruby in at 3:00am. Almost 6 hours later – I finally held my baby! 
So … that’s our story! But before we sign off, a few more pics …
Ruby, 2 days old.
Ruby meets Halmoni (Ed’s mom, Halmoni is “Grandma” in Korean)
Ruby meets Harabuji (Ed’s dad, that’s “Grandpa” in Korean)
Ruby is partying with Papaw Facey on his birthday. We had a little birthday party for my dad in our hospital room with his favorite cheesecake on Nov. 4th.
Ruby loves her Grandma Facey, even if she’s crying in this pic!
Daddy brings Ruby to her new home!
View the whole album:
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| Welcome, Ruby! |
