The birth story

Wednesday September 5th (my birthday too!) at 958 pm after 19.5 hours of labor, our precious precious daughter joined the world! She weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. She looks just like her daddy but she does have my hands and toes! :)

At 1230 that morning I woke up for my normal trip to the bathroom! As I stood up I realized that my water had broke (or at least I was hoping that was what it was and not that I was peeing myself!) I called Erik to tell him to come home (he was off playing poker with friends) and he arrived in about 2.5 seconds it seemed like! I called my mom too as she was 5 hours away and I figured it was time for her to make the journey home to meet her granddaughter! Erik called L&D for me as I jumped in the shower to let them know we were coming in (I was suppose to come in if my water broke since I was group b strep positive). Once I was done showering he showered, we finished packing and off we went!

At 145 we were sent to triage to check to make sure the water did indeed break. About 10 minutes later we were admitted. I was at 3 cm at that time and I don't quite remember how long it took to get to 4 but it seemed like forever. I just remember the contractions getting A LOT stronger and A LOT closer together. I asked for some pain meds which they gave me and it helped take the edge off. Unfortunately they were only designed to work for an hour and that was all they did! After the pain meds wore off I remember my mom arriving as my contractions were getting stronger. Erik was great in trying to help me breathe through them but they felt so intense and in looking at the monitor, they were completely off the charts. :( I was sweating so badly that finally I had enough and asked for the epidural. I was finally at 4 when they gave it to me. From the time the doctor came in to give me the epidural and by the time he was finished (and I was feeling great), I went from 4 to 7 cm. It took only 20 minutes. About another hour later I was at 9 and they allowed me to try and push to help move the baby down since she was at +1 station and still too high. I pushed a little bit but then they decided to wait until I was at 10 and completely effaced in hopes the baby would make her way down herself. That took maybe 15 minutes to get to 10 and ready to push.

Then the real pushing began. The epidural must have been working because although I could feel the contractions and had the strongest urge in the world to push, the pain wasn't too bad. I remember looking at the monitor to see the contractions completely off the charts and one on top of each other!

So I pushed. I pushed and pushed and pushed. Most people will push for a count of 10 three times during a contraction. I felt the urge to push more than that just to help alleviate the discomfort and found myself usually pushing for a total of 5 times, sometimes 7 during each contraction. I guess it depended on how long the contraction was and how much energy I had during each contraction. Three hours later my doctor told me she'd give me another half hour to see if I had made progress (poor Emily was still at a +1 station) and if not, then I'd have to have a c-section. She said she could use the vacuum but wouldn't even risk it in case Emily got stuck and then we'd have an even bigger problem on our hands. So for that last half hour I gave it all I got. I REALLY wanted a vaginal birth but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

I was then told to stop pushing and to wait for the OR so they could take me in. I don't remember how long it was before I was brought in but I do remember everyone complaining it was taking so long. I was so exhausted. I remember family coming in to see me before they wheeled me in and I remember crying because I didn't want a c-section, but that was about it.

I remember being wheeled into the OR and put on the skinniest table known to man. I was shaking A LOT (which is normal) and I remember the sheet being put up in front of my head. I remember them giving me drugs that felt cold in my back and then I remember Erik coming in. I remember my doctor asked if I could feel her touching me and I said no. Then I asked what was going on and the anesthesiologist told me they already started. I was in and out of sleep. I remember staring at Erik who was peeking around the curtain. Finally I remember the doctor saying "we have feet" and Erik stood up and I told him to take pictures - which he did. Next thing I know...I heard her cry. I started bawling too. I told Erik to go take pictures and be with her and he did. I dozed off some and next thing I hear is him bringing her to me. She was so beautiful. So perfect. Her eyes were so blue. She just looked at me and looked around and was so peaceful. Then they had to take her to the nursery, Erik kissed me goodbye and went with her.

They repaired me but I slept through most of it. The next thing I remember is being wheeled out of the OR and my entire family being there. They brought me into recovery and monitored me for a while and then brought me to our room where I finally was able to hold my precious baby.

The rest as they say is history! :) She is obviously home with us now, 2 weeks old and just so adoreable. She has her schedule mixed up so her nights are her days which have been frustrating, but eventually we know they'll even out!

We couldn't be more happy and more in love with this special human being! I now truly understand what they mean when they talk about a parents love! It's awesome! :)