Birth Story Part 2

Missed the first part? Check it out here!

We arrived at the hospital around 2am and I can't tell you how exciting it was to be able to tell the nurses we were there because I was in labor! My contractions were coming about 4 minutes apart at that point and had picked up in intensity even more. They quickly got us settled in a room and checked to see if I was dilated any more from the afternoon. I was up to about 3.5cm-whoooooo! Things were moving! 

Please take note of the "daily goals", te he he

They left us alone to hang out and take advantage of the cable (a big thing for those of us with just Netflix and Hulu!) while I continued to labor. Around 4am I was in some serious pain so I paged the nurse and asked when I could have an epidural. Apparently they hadn't even officially checked me in yet! They were waiting to see if things continued to progress or stop. The doctor (the one from earlier that afternoon!) checked again and I was about 4cm, so things were moving. The nurse gave me some Demerol and put in an order for the epidural. What seemed like daysssss later there was a shift change and we got an INCREDIBLE new nurse. She took one look at me and got things rolling. She helped me breathe through the excruciating  moments and hurried the anesthesiologist right along. Around 7:30am the world was righted again as that kind man inserted the epidural and I finally felt some relief.

David getting some rest while he could.

We took advantage of the respite and rested, well rested as much as we could. David conked out on the couch bed and I dozed here and there. Not so easy with people coming in and out checking on me, but we did the best we could. Things kept progressing at a pretty good rate. At one point the nurse said we might even have a brunch baby! I could hardly contain my excitement! Sadly, "brunch" came and went and our little girl had yet to arrive.

 Feeling goooooood thanks to that epidural!

As the day went on we continued to wait. David enjoyed a lovely cafeteria lunch while I chowed down on a ginger ale, four jello cups, and three popsicles. A girl needs her strength after all;-) A little after 2pm our nurse (did I mention how incredible she was??) came back in and decided it was about time to start pushing. I was surprised because the doctor wasn't even in the room, but our nurse said that the doctors don't normally come until they are absolutely needed. She said they get a little too anxious and are much more likely to rush things along when it's not always necessary. She's been doing this for over 20 years so I decided she knew what she was doing! After about 20 minutes of pushing we were joined by the doctor, another nurse, and a baby nurse. A few minutes after that Amelia Grace joined the party! They quickly put her on my chest and we were immediately smitten. Our little nugget was absolutely perfect:-)

We hung out at the hospital for another couple of days while they monitored the two of us. We were anxious to get home, but also appreciated how attentive everyone was to us. I also enjoyed hearing how many other babies were born in the few days were there. Needless to say the local schools will definitely be crowded in a few years!

We are now home and adjusting to our new normal. David and I are both so immensely thankful for all the prayers that have been lifted up for this baby girl. We cannot put into words how thankful we are for all the love and support that has been offered. We are beyond blessed!