Duncan, OK | C-SECITON | Baby H

You can plan and predict all you want, but you truly never know how a Birth Story will go until it happens.

Kali and Lance met me at the local coffee shop for that infamous pre-Birth Story, face to face meeting. Lance already had big fishing plans for his little girl, and Kali could not have been more excited and ready to go.  They also had a great support system in place to help out once the baby was born. We chatted on about her ideal birth story, I shared some of my own personal experience, then we hugged it out with plans to keep in touch after her appointment the following week.

Induction was set for the second of April, but after the appointment with a few health concerns and monitoring, it was decided that this April baby was going to be a March baby!

Kali stopped by her mom’s beauty shop to get her hair washed on the way to the hospital for the start of the induction (such a smart move, right?) Her and I texted through the afternoon and the middle of the night of Wednesday, March 27. Her contractions kicked in strong, and she ordered her epidural. At 6:22am on Thursday, March 28 she was at 4 cm dilated. At 10:02am she was still at a 4, and the Birth Center nurses were helping her change body positions to hopefully move labor along. I was going to get another text message update at noon.

Thinking I still had some time at the rate she was progressing, and because I was pretty excited and the adrenaline was definitely already starting to flow, I thought it was the perfect time to vacuum behind and under the couch. The rug was rolled up, the couch was on the other side of the room, and the curtains had been pulled up over the curtain rod. I had swept, and was scrubbing the base boards when I get the next text message at 12:39pm : Headed for c section come on they said. It wasn’t in the original birth plan. Baby was okay, but not handling contractions as well as they would like, and it was time to get her earth side as quickly as possible with a caesarean.

I put my shoes on, grabbed my camera bag and flew out the door. Rug, couch, and curtains left right in the throes of a deep clean. (Which my sweet husband finished up later when he got home from work.)

I walked into Kali’s room as the nurses were darting around preparing her for delivery. I told her it was okay to be sad and scared and that the nurses were pros and that she was going to get to hold her baby soon. A little tear fell from her eye, and she took a deep breath. Her Momma gave her a big forehead kiss, and they took her back to the OR.

Lance and Kali’s Mom prayed together. Then we moved to a room closer to the OR for recovery to wait our turn to go back.

At 1:05pm, we were all in the OR with Kali, ready for delivery. Lance and her mom stayed really close. Her mom was massaging her forehead, and Lance kept a hand on her arm and watching the birth of his first tiny girl over the blue curtain.

Seven minutes later, Hali was born and crying immediately. Lance and Kali’s mom watched their baby, totally amazed. Then Lance went to the warmer, and I bent down by Kali, “Do you hear that? Do you hear that baby crying? That’s your baby!”

“That’s MY baby?!,” she said.

I’m telling you, that feels like the exact moment the oxytocin started flowing for the new mom.

While they were prepping for the c-section, Kali had handed the nurses a little hat with a bow on it and asked that they put it on her as soon as they could. It fit perfectly.

They brought Hali over for skin-to-skin. This is when I got my favorite picture of the whole birth story. How loved do you have to be for your Mom, Dad, and Grandma/Doodle to be leaned in so close only your nose and tiny hand is visible for a picture?

A little Before + After

The Birth Team works diligently while Mom stares at her new baby. When all is well, the newest family of 3 goes back to Room 101.

Kali looks at me once we get back to the room and says, “I’m obsessed with her. I can’t believe I get to take her home.”

More care from the nurses, Hali is ready to eat, and the whirlwind of this birth story slows down just a little.

“Has it been an hour of skin-to-skin? When do people come in to see her?,” Kali asked the nurse, and I adored the nurse’s response. “You get to hold your baby as long as you want! It has been an hour, but you get to decide when people come in to see her and hold her.” So Kali held her baby for another 15 minutes.

Before baby girl received guest, Momma wanted her in her cute little outfit and bow. Doodle helped get her teeny arms and legs in sleeper and stretched the too big bow on her hand, which was changed to a knit hat for a better fit, and then the guest came in a few at a time. With each new person that would come and see her baby, Kali would tear up.

It was so very sweet.

When Kali was starting to feel sleepy enough to nap, and the last guest had come in to love on Hali, I packed up my camera and gave her another hug. Her order of lasagna, bread, and fudge from Giuseppe’s was on it’s way, thanks to Doodle. So I knew she would get to eat soon, and it was time for Lance and Kali to soak in everything that had happened the last 24 hours.

Bianchini Family of 3, officially official just before Easter in 2024.