And then there was a Little Miss...

After 9 LOONNNGGG months, the anticipated moment has finally come!!!

BIRTH STORY


I was supposed to be induced on Saturday the 21st, which was exactly a week before my due date, but I was so done being pregnant (sick and nauseous all day and especially every night- I wanted to stay up past 9 pm, wake up in the middle of the night, brush my teeth or cough without looking around to see where the closest toilet was.)

So, when I went to the doctor for my weekly check up on Monday the 16th, I talked him into stripping my membranes.  I was hoping to have a baby that night, but no, just another sleepless night and another day with a grumpy uncomfortable mommy.

On Wednesday, I lost my mucus plug (which I'd never done before) and my contractions increased and intensified, but nothing regular and only a few of them really made me pause.  But, as I went to bed that night I decided that if there would be a night that the doctor ordered (ahem) home induction would work, that would be the night.  And sure enough, at midnight, while both Carl and I were sacked out on Unisom (the only way to sleep while you're pregnant), I awoke with an intense contraction.  At 38 weeks and 4 days, after a wretched pregnancy, you'd think I'd be excited for a contraction that woke me up, but the unisom won out, so I was irritated, and I tried my best to go back to sleep.  To no avail, they were coming every 3 minutes, so after 30 minutes of lying there irritated, I woke Carl up and said, "just so you know, I've been having contractions every 3 minutes for 30 minutes, and they are strong enough to keep me awake, but you should just go back to sleep and I'll wake you up in an hour or so if they keep up."  He slurred "ok" and turned over and went back to sleep.  I have rapid labors, like 5 hours total, I've gone from a 2 to delivered in 2 hours once my water broke and the hospital where the best OBGYN on earth delivers, is 45 minutes from my house- over a frequently closed bridge- so within a couple of minutes, he turned back to me, "you have been having contractions every 3 minutes for 30 minutes and you can't go back to sleep?  Don't you think you should call the doctor?"  FINE!  But, I just want to go to sleep.  Within 10 minutes, I was talking to the doctor, who basically said, 'you've been having contractions every 3 minutes for 45 minutes?  why are you not in the car???'  But, I'm tired, can't we do this in a few hours after the unisom has worn off a bit??? He said, 'I'll see you at the hospital Shay'.  I'm such a fun patient.

So, we drug our butts out of bed, and I poked my head in and gave my dad (who had arrived a few days earlier) some instructions (Bryant wanted to cut the cord but he told us NOT to wake him up only pull him out of school ;) and as cool as it would have been to have him cut the cord, not having him there actually turned out to be for the best.

We loaded in the car and headed out.  At 1:00 am, it only took us 30 minutes to get to the hospital.  What a record!  So much less stressful than rush hour.  The whole way, I kept thinking, 'if these contractions stop now and they send my home, I'm gonna be PISSED!'

But, they were going strong when we arrived at the hospital.  The doctor checked me, I was a 2-3 and 50% effaced (I was 1-2 and not effaced at all on Monday) so I was indeed in labor.  He ordered an IV and  fluids so I could get my epidural and then planned to break my water once the epidural was in.  The anesthesiologist came and placed the epidural and as it was setting in, the doctor broke my water  (around 2:30/3:00 am)  everybody left and turned out the lights so Carl and I could nap.  Carl pulled the couch out into a bed and settled in and zonked.  I laid there and thought about how I could still wiggle my toes.  I could still lift my legs off the bed.  I pushed the little button and waited.  I could still still feel it when I touched my legs.  I pushed the button.  My legs were tingly, but I could still feel every contraction.  Just uncomfortable, but I knew they were going to get a lot worst.  So, after an hour and a half, I woke up Carl and told him I didn't think my epidural was right and we called the nurse in.  "Can you just feel pressure or can you feel pain?"  "I can feel pain, not bad pain, but it will get worst.  I can lift my legs off the bed, wiggle my toes and feel my fingers touch my legs."  So, the nurse finally said, "I'll wake up Dr. Joki and see what he wants to do.  Maybe you are just ready to push."

I love my doctor.  He came in and checked me, (I was still a 3- which surprised us all) and I showed him how I could lift my legs off the bed.  The nurse again said, "can you feel pain or pressure?" to which Joki said, "it doesn't matter, let's give her pitocin to speed it up and get that epidural fixed.  We want her to feel comfortable."

The problem was, they gave me the pitocin BEFORE they fixed the epidural.  First I got tears in my eyes, then I started to moan, then I started the quit breathing with every peak.  All the time the anesthesiologist was at my back saying, "the next one should feel better."  But, the next one was always more hell than the one before!  There was no reprieve, they were on top of each other with no chance to catch my breath.  And the whole time the anesthesiologist was working away back there.  At one point, the whole room went fuzzy.  My head got really foggy and I could feel my heart beating in my throat.  "something's wrong." was about all I could manage to say.  My doctor asked me what was wrong.  "my head.  something's wrong with my head.  it's fuzzy.  my heart is beating." (I was in pretty intense pain- I'm proud of myself for communicating that much).  I heard the anesthesiologist say, "the needle needs to be repositioned." and Carl sat down on the couch and put his head between his legs.  The nurse stepped up and put oxygen on me and held my hand.

Finally after what seemed like a lifetime (it was about an hour), I could breath between the hell, then I didn't scream as loud, then I was just moaning, then just crying and that's about when they began to turn me over so I could push, but I wasn't ready, it still hurt so bad, so I was holding on to the bedrail.  (like I said, I'm a fun patient.)  Finally, with the next contraction, I felt a twinge and said, "was that a contraction?" 

yep.

Ha- le- lu- yah!

ok, Shay, push.

Seriously???  but, I'm so tired.

3 pushes and she was out.  (No tearing- YAY!- Joki is the best!)

and there she was.  She hardly even cried.  It made me nervous for a second, but she is just sweet like that.

Brooklyn Peggy

7 lbs.  7 oz. at 6:53 am.  20 1/2 in long

And it was done.  Nine long months and it was done.

Funny Stats:

-all 4 of my kids were 20 1/2 in. long

-they were all between 7 lbs. 3 oz and and 7 lbs. 10 oz.  

-the first two were born at 3:43 pm and 3: 45 pm 

-the last two were born at 7:03 am and 6:53 am

-Their birth dates are 5, 6, 18, 19

We got to tell the boys just as they were leaving for school.  They were so excited!  Then my dad loaded up Rylan and headed to the hospital.  When he arrived, he held Brooklyn for a few minutes then laid down on the couch and went to sleep because, he was tired after getting the boys off to school.  Oh Dad.  So after entertaining Rylan for 20-30 minutes, we woke him up and told him to go home and put a movie on for Rylan, then he could sleep, but WE were TIRED and we didn't want to have to entertain Rylan, we wanted to sleep after our long ordeal.

I did get sick that night.  I think the combination of strong meds, a sensitive tummy and complete exhaustion caught up with me, and in the 2 hours I was left alone, I started puking again, of course while nursing Brooklyn and talking to Carl on the phone.  I was holding her with one hand, so I dropped the phone and tried to push the nurse button and hold the bowl, which luckily was right next to me, with the other hand.

I love nurses.  I wish they could live with me at times.

It passed quickly (with the help of zofran.  But, I was SOOO done being sick!)  And then my friend Amy showed up to stay the night with me (Carl went home to help with the boys and get them off to school- and sleep- so he was more useful to me :)

I love Amy too.  I could keep her at my house too.

I slept and Amy did all baby care, bringing her to me when it was time to nurse.  She left early the next morning to get her kiddos off to school and Carl showed up with my mom a couple hours later.

And now that we are home, she is a dolly.  She wakes up during the day and looks at you like, "here I am".  She does like to be held a lot, but right now there are plenty of people to hold her, no one wants to put her down.  She sleeps 5 to 6 hour stretches at night (I hate to say that out loud, I so don't want to jinx myself) and generally I have to wake her up because I'm about to burst.  She is easy going and sweet natured and sleeps best right next to her mommy.

The boys come kiss her goodbye every day before school and check in on her every day when they get home.

My cousin Lauren came over on Sunday to take some newborn pics, but we couldn't get that sleepy look, because it was during the day and that's awake time :)

"haha.  I'll close my eyes, so you think I'm sleeping, but I think you are rather silly."

   I like this one, she looks so irritated with us.  "What's the deal with you moving me all around?"

And there it is.  We are a family of 6 and ALL DONE and all of us are thrilled to death with our little ball of pinkness.