Well, after what seemed like a very short 9 months (for me at least), McKenzie Brooke Sharpe was born on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 5:45 a.m.. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 21" long. The day didn't quite go as we thought it would. We arrived at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 4:00 a.m. for an induction. The first thing they did was put Bailie's I.V. in and then hook her up to the fetal monitors. As soon as the nurse got the monitor attached, she told Bailie that she was having a contraction and asked if Bailie felt anything. Bailie wasn't feeling any pain at all but as soon as the contraction was over, the babies heart rate went from 155 down to 60 very quickly. I could tell that the nurse was a little concerned when she saw what happened but she didn't say anything much about it. About 10-15 minutes later, another contraction came and the same thing happened to the babies heart rate. This time the nurse explained what was happening and told us that she was just going to talk to the other nurses on duty before starting Bailie on any potossin (sp?). When she came back into the room, she explained that they were going to watch Bailie for a little while longer before starting any meds to induce her labor. When it happened the third time, she consulted with the doctor on call (Dr. Partlow) who said that it was looking like they were going to have to do an emergency c-section if the heart rate kept going down with each contraction. We went ahead and called the other family members that weren't there to let them know that they should probably go ahead and get out there as soon as possible because we had been told that the baby was possibly in distress. Stephen got to the hospital very quickly and was able to see Bailie right before they took her into surgery. The doctor explained that because the babies heart rate was dropping so much with contractions and even when Bailie would sit up, that they were going to have to put her to sleep for the c-section and that no one would be allowed in the room. I was a little disappointed, but the most important thing to me was that they deliver the baby without any problems and that Bailie and McKenzie would be fine! Stephen and I waited in the recovery room and as soon as McKenzie was delivered, a nurse came out to let us know that she was fine and that they would be bringing her out soon. When the nurses came out with McKenzie, they gave her to Stephen and he walked her to the nursery. It was a precious moment that I feel very blessed to have been a part of. It was the first time that Stephen had ever held a baby! Bailie was pretty out of things the first day and was in a lot of pain but she did very well!When I had my girls, I was so filled with love that I thought I was going to explode and I didn't think that I would ever experience that feeling again. Well, I was very wrong! Just one look at McKenzie and I had that same overwhelming feeling of love again! It's the most amazing feeling and so hard to describe. I can tell that Bailie is going to be an amazing mom and Stephen is already wrapped very tightly around his baby girls finger! Papa Doug, Aunt KK and the rest of the family are equally filled with love for our new addition to the family!
