Birth Story

Well I thought I would post my birth story for those who might be interested and so I can always remember January 26, 2009.

Monday, January 26 I got up to go to my 38 week doctor appointment. I got there the nurse checked my weight, blood pressure, you know all that great stuff. I got in the little room and waited for about 5 minutes not realizing my life would change forever.

Dr. Friday came in and immediately said "Well I guess you can have a baby." (I'm thinking she said that because she just got back from FL and so she was now in town so if I went into labor she'd be there.) So I just giggled. She does all the checking and measuring and tells me my blood pressure was alarmingly high (150/100). She jokingly says, "You know with having your baby 2 weeks early she won't be as big!" Now I know she means TODAY!

At this point Brian is choking or something because she asked Brian if he was sick. No just choking. And I am in complete shock! I literally couldn't even talk. I never thought that when I went to bed Sunday night the very next day I would become a mom. So Dr. Friday tells me to head on over to the hospital and they would be expecting me. I had so many emotions just running through my head. I still was prepared to carry this little one for another 2 weeks so I hadn't thought about the whole labor and mom thing yet. Maybe a good thing?

Well we drive home after calling work off (I still had 3 more days at Children's Orchard) and Brian was scheduled to work as well and also calling family to notify that we were on our way to parenthood. Grabbed the bags and stopped at Mc Donalds because I was informed they don't let you eat and headed the Mount Carmel East Hospital.

We got to labor and delivery at about 11:15 am, got our bracelets, filled out millions of paperwork (why do they have you pre-register to just show up and do more paperwork?), and found ourselves in our room. Boy those rooms were NICE! Any who, they wasted no time. They stuck some balloon thing in me to stretch out my cervix and got me dilated to a 3-4, then started the patosin (spelling?). In the meantime while they are monitoring things, the nurses keep telling me "oh you won't have the baby until sometime tomorrow." Which I was fine with until the contractions came on stronger.

The contractions weren't really too too bad until about 15 minutes after they broke my water (which they broke at 4:30pm). WHOA! Definitely the worst pain I'd ever felt at that point. Brian kept saying, "breath babe breath". Well you know I've realized that is ALOT easier said then done. Now I'm really really feeling the pain and call the nurse for the epidural which couldn't have come quick enough. The sting from the needle actually felt good because it relieved the contractions. Let me also note the most annoying thing to me now is: shivering cold, trying to hold still, while your blood pressure cuff is inflating, WHILE the bald man with a broken leg is sticking a needle that could paralyze one, WHILE one is having a contraction! All this at once really makes a hormonal pregnant women sent off the edge!

Now 15 minutes later, I'm on cloud nine. I loved everything. I didn't have a care in the world! So I planned Brian and mine television line up for that night. I was so excited to see the Bachelor at 8pm and True Beauty at 10pm.

So the nurse comes in and checks every so often and at about 7pm she says, "You are at a 9cm." What?! I totally thought she was kidding. She asked me if I had been laying on my back this whole time which I had because how was I supposed to move when my legs weighed as much as a pregnant elephant. So she turned me to my left side. BAD IDEA!! For some reason right then I started feeling the contractions again and I immediately called for her to come back to check my epidural and refill it or do something! Well they couldn't...baby was coming! They called Dr. Friday to come back to the hospital and had me do a few "practice" pushes. Well everything was down hill from there. After 15-20 minutes of pushing Ahlyssa was born at 7:52pm. (Just in time for the Bachelor :)

Dr. Friday and the nurses were so impressed of how quick my labor was. Especially since I was induced (again remember for high blood pressure) and being my first baby. I was so happy to have it all over with! Because 45 minutes of contractions and feeling the actual birth really took a toll and I almost just said, "Please just do a c-section, I can't do this!" But I didn't and I would do it all over again a millions time more to have her again.

So we got cleaned up headed to the recovery room were we called home for 3 days because once again my high blood pressure kept me there! :( But we had lots of visitors come see her and watched the "Big January Winter Weather Storm" from our huge window.

Now, here we are in our own cozy home and Brian has been off work since last Monday and will return tomorrow. I am so bummed because I have been so spoiled with him here. He is such an awesome dad. He loves her to pieces and will do anything and everything I ask. She is what we live for now and look forward to her journey in this life.

Here are some pics we took yesterday.

She absolutely LOVES covering her face with her mittens!

Just layin out on daddy

We call this her "Pirate Eye"

Thank you to everyone for the phone calls, food, love, and support as we celebrate this new life into our own. We love you all.