Our Newest Addition

On February 26 Miss Ellie Marie Doroshkin came to our family! Her arrival into this word was a little bumpy, but ultimately she was healthy and happy! I know a few of you wanted to hear the whole story, and I apologize that it is now 3 ½ months later and I’m just now doing this! To start off, I have to tell you that I did a lot of preparing for Ellie’s birth. I read lots of books and articles about all different kinds of delivery. I had my goal delivery in mind, but I prepared myself for anything that might happened. I think that my preparation is what saved me that day. Nothing went the way I had planned, and I am glad I knew a little bit about alternative ways to deliver a baby, because in the moment, there is not a lot of time to ask questions.

Sunday, February 24 (40 weeks and 6 days pregnant). Alex and I woke up to go to church, like we always do on Sunday mornings. This morning was a little different though. By the time we got to church I was experiencing some pretty good contractions. We decided to head off to church and see what happened. By noon my contractions were coming about every 8-10 minutes! We finally thought this was it. We went home and made sure everything was ready. Contractions kept coming, but not any closer together. After walking a lot (even going up to campus to walk in the WILK) and around 6 pm, contractions were finally about 3-5 minutes apart. Time to go to the hospital! We were sadly disappointed when they checked us in, did an exam, only to find out we weren’t in labor. I was only dialated to a 1 and wasn’t progressing. Bummer! That night Alex and I returned home, hopeful that in the next few days, we would have our baby girl.

Monday, February 25 (41 weeks pregnant). Because I was now a week overdue, they scheduled me for a non-stress test. Basically I was hooked up to a monitor that kept track of my contractions and Ellie’s heartbeat. There were a few concerns after the test and so they decided to induce me. Apparently there wasn’t a good reason not to, since I was overdue. So I checked into the hospital around 10am. They started me on a few different drugs to induce labor. I had really wanted to have a natural birth and so felt determined not to take any pain medication just yet. Fast forward 12 hours. 10 pm- still only dilated to about a 1. Pain was tolerable. During those 12 hours, Alex and I watched a movie, played the wii and ate French fries!

Tuesday, February 26 (41 weeks and 1 day pregnant).  Fast forward another 4 hours. Contractions were starting to become painful and very close together. Still only dilated to about a 2.  By this point, I was exhausted. After talking with my doctor, she recommended that I get an epidural. She said that there was still a long ways to go and that I needed to have some energy to push. I agreed and at 3 am I got an epidural. Wow! Did that feel great! I slept for the next 4 hours and at 7 am they came in a checked me again. I was about a 3. I was trying not to get frustrated, but I didn’t think it would be like this or that I would take so long to dilate. After a few more ideas and drugs, I was at a 5! Hurray! It was now about 2pm and I figured if I kept progressing, maybe by that night we would have a baby! Hour after hour, nothing happened! At 4:30 pm I was still at a 5. My doctor has one last trick up her sleeve. Ellie had turned and was wedged almost diagonally in the birth canal. My doctor was going to try and turn her and see if that would help move things along, and also make pushing later much easier.

The next 10 minutes were the scariest of my life. While they were trying to turn her, Ellie’s little heartbeat just plummeted. The beeps were so slow and Alex and I were very worried. My room became the scene you would see on TV! Doctor and nurses were everywhere. Trying to get me to move so her heart rate would rise. They gave me a shot of adrenaline to get my heart rate to rise and it started to have a positive effect on Ellie. In the process I heard “prep the OR, we need to get this baby out.” They prepped me for surgery, Alex got to get dressed in his gown and into the OR we went. They started surgery at 5:09 and by 5:18 Ellie was born. She was 7 lbs 11 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Alex held my hand the entire time, keeping me calm and expressing his love. I couldn't have done it without him! After 30 hours of labor, a lot of pain medication and a surgery later, I was simply exhausted. They put me in recovery, but all I could think about was holding my little girl. I was able to see her in the OR for a minute but I hadn't held her yet.

That moment when I held her in my arms was perfect! The love I felt for Ellie and Alex is indescribable. I had just done the hardest thing in my life, but the payoff was beyond comprehension. Alex’s Mom was able to come down to Provo and help me while I was recovering in the hospital and for that I will always be grateful. Alex balanced his classes and being there for me and was absolutely wonderful. We were in the hospital for 4 days and then got to come home on Friday, March 1. My mom was able to fly in from Singapore a few days later and stay for a week. It was a crazy time for our family, but so great!

Fast forward 3 months. Ellie is a perfect baby! She eats well, is sleeping through the night and smiles like crazy! We love her and have enjoyed every moment being parents. I’ll try to be better about keeping the blog updated. Thank you all for your love and support during this time!