The L and D Story

I have to know my friends' labor and delivery stories. For whatever reason, I just need all the nitty gritty details, from the first contraction to the baby's birth weight. So, in case you're like me, here's how it all went down for me. First of all, I have to come clean, I was induced a week early. I was feeling a little guilty/embarrassed about it, but in the end, I went this route because my insomnia had gotten to the point where I could either stay awake all night long and lose my mind or take a heavy duty sleeping pill and sleep, but feel drugged and hazy and stress that these pills were doing harm to the baby. When my OB initially offered to induce me a week early, because I was already progressing, I said no, but after 3 really bad sleepless nights, I called her back and said "let's get this thing scheduled!" I have truly felt more healthy and rested these first 2 weeks of my baby's life, even with the constant middle of the night wakings, then I have in a long long time. Anyways, I will try and keep my labor and delivery story short because, well, it was short!

7:30 am - get to the hospital, am monitored for a while, find out I'm dilated to a 4, 70% effaced and having contractions every 5 minutes, which made me feel better about the whole induction thing. My baby was coming soon one way or the other!
9:00 am - started on pitocin
9:20 am - my water broke on it's own
10:15 am - got my epidural
11:20 am - started hurting on my right side, A LOT!
11:55 am - I've had it with the pain, asked my nurse if something can be done with my epidural, I got it for a reason! She checked me and told me to start pushing instead. I was very skeptical about this because there was no one else in the room and none of the equipment was out. I mentioned this and she says it's just to get things moving. Had she been around for my first quick delivery, I think she would have known this wasn't a good idea! So a gave a couple very half-hearted pushes and my nurse quickly told me to stop and ran and got the doctor (as I had expected)
12:00 pm - my doctor came in
12:08 pm - our baby was born!
12:10 pm - I got to hold her, the end! or the beginning :)

I do recognize and FULLY appreciate that I am very lucky with my labor and deliveries. I still can't believe how well everything went. Our baby was a solid 8 pounds even. I had been really nervous about what her birth weight would be. If it was below 7 pounds, I would have felt horrible for having her early. But 8 pounds? No guilt there! That girl was ready. I was much more emotional after having her then I was with A. When A was born, I was mostly in shock and scared, I mean, I was a PARENT now! I had no idea what to expect or if I could handle it. I think with T, I wasn't so scared about raising another baby, so I could enjoy the moment more. I also worried if T would be healthy more then I did with my first pregnancy, because of the sleeping pills I had been taking during this pregnancy. So when she came out and was breathing and crying and looked perfect, I just blubbered. It was a really special moment for Zach, me, and our new baby.

I am madly in love with this little girl. Miss A, bless her heart, was not so easy the first 6 months. There was basically nothing you could do to calm her down. So I haven't been a big fan of newborns. When I hear them cry it brings back all the emotions and memories of hours of her crying. But little T? Has hardly made a peep! We are still in shock over how good she is. It's crazy how much easier these first 2 (almost 3) weeks have been. She is so so sweet, I love holding her and staring at her for hours. And now I get it! I get how people like newborns! Not that I didn't love A with all my heart, I just wouldn't choose to repeat that stage with her. I would love to keep Baby T like this for a long time. I am thrilled to have these 2 little children in my life. They both make me so happy and I feel so very grateful and blessed.

(and since I'm coming clean in this post, another confession, I edited my neck rolls out in this picture. The double chin I left, I can accept that. But not several neck rolls. When I saw this picture, I asked Zach "I have neck rolls!? Those rolls are new right? They haven't been there for a while have they?" He looked away and changed the subject....)

I am also so grateful to not be pregnant anymore!!!! Right after T was born, I just started taking huge deep breaths, enjoying the sensation of being able to take those huge deep breaths and not feeling winded and oxygen deprived! Oh it's a beautiful thing. I hesitate to post these pictures, because they are not very flattering, but I like the before and after. The first one was taken right before I left for the hospital to have T, I wasn't trying to, but I think I look pretty scared (I was!). And then the 2nd picture, same outfit, but what a difference 24 hours makes! I have my baby right where I want her, on the outside!