A look back...

Getting a new nursery ready for Baby Abbigail has got me doing a lot of looking back at when we were doing the same thing for Arabella. Yesterday while she napped, I looked back through all her baby pictures...and was amazed at just how little she was when we brought her home! Here'a a look back at how Bella got here!

I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00a.m. to be induced- a week late, mind you. She was in no hurry to come out! At 5:30 a.m. a nurse called and said that due to an influx of laboring women during the night, there was no room at the inn! That was frustrating, it's no like you can just go back to sleep! Finally at 10 a.m. they called and said to come on, they were cleaning a room for us. We got there at 10:30, and the floor in my room was still wet from being mopped! Two nurses got me by the arms, put towels under their feet, and scooted me safely to my bed!
They started me on an IV of Potocin at about 11. When Dr. Box came to check me at about 12:30, he decided to break my water even though I wasn't dilated at all. So out comes this big blue crochet hook thing...kind of intimidating! It didn't really hurt though, just incomfortable and lots of pressure.
Once he broke my water I started feeling those contractions! They got steadily worse through the afternoon as I slowly -slowly- dilated. Kenneth was great, he didn't leave my side the whole day. He didn't even eat, because I couldn't. He watched every contraction on the monitor with me. And every time I had one he would say ,"Is that one hurting?" It's funny now, I know he was trying to be supportive, but finally I pointed at the monitor and said, "If that number goes over 70, it hurts, okay?!!" Seriously, it's not like any of them tickle!
I got my epidural at 4:45 p.m. It was a piece of cake! Actually it went so well, once they got me layed back down I was about to panic thinking "it didn't work!". Then Kenneth said, "Hey, you're having a big contraction!" and I was like, "I am?"
We pretty much just hung out in the room with my mom for the next several hours as I slowly progressed. Towards midnight I started feeling lots of pressure down really low, and when the nurse checked at midnight, I was fully dilated. She asked me if I wanted to try pushing and I said, "Sure!" It was surprising, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. I was ready to do it, and tired of laying in that bed!
So she whipped out the stirrups and taught me to push. I'll pass along this advice to anyone having a baby- yes, it's awkward and modesty must go out the window, but my labor nurse told me this- "Honey, the closer you can get your knees to your ears, the better it will go!"
We pushed several times until the baby's head was crowning. Kenneth got kind of fidgety, and finally asked her, "Are you going to get someone in here to help you deliver this baby?" She got a kick out of that! All that pushing did make me get nauseous, even though I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours at this point. So mom put a washcloth on my head and Kenneth held a bowl under my chin...I was gagging so hard my eyes were watering, and I remember being so afraid the nurses would think I was crying! I remember saying, "I'm not crying! I'm just gagging!" Like they've never seen a woman cry in labor, but anyway!
Once Bella's head was fully crowned, the labor nurse paged the rest of the team and here they all came, with a bassinet, oxygen, more nurses, and of course my hero, Dr Box! They got me a covered in drapes (which really makes it a little less awkward). I only pushed three or four times after Dr. Box got in the room, and suddenly there she was! Born at 12:51a.m.
I had always thought that when she was born, I would cry like a baby. But actually I had such a rush of adrenaline, and Kenneth and I were so busy watching them clean her up, I think we both just teared up a little. That, and I think Kenneth was a little freaked out that Dr. Box was sitting there sewing. Gotta love those 2nd degree episiotomies!
Anyway, they cleaned her up and let me hold her a minute, then Kenneth whisked her off to the nursery. The nurses brought us a couple of trays of food about 2:30a.m.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery. The epidural worked like a charm, the doctor and nurses were wonderful, and we had a beautiful little girl. The worst I can say about it is that it was a very long day.
And worth every minute!