Wow, it has already been a week since our amazing baby girl was born. Hannah is truly a joy and we feel extremely blessed and happy. I can't even put into words how much we already love her. I look at her all the time and can't believe she is actually OUR baby! Being a mom is such a fantastic experience. As I sit and look at my baby all cuddled up sleeping, I am thankful we are on this side of the labor and delivery process! Hannah made us be very patient as we waited for her arrival. Although Nate did a good job giving snippets of our birthing experience while it was happening, I thought I would fill in a few more details to her arrival!
We first went into the hospital Tuesday morning (4/21/09) after timing contractions all night. They had been 5 minutes apart consistently so the doctor said to come on in. When we got there I was 3 cm dilated, but they don't admit you until you are at 4 cm. So, after a few hours of walking around and checking me again, I still had made no progress. The nurse also told me I was able to smile too much during the contractions, so I was still in early labor. Needless to say, I was very disappointed but I would soon realize what she was talking about with the contractions. We went home and basically I walked and walked and walked all day! The contractions continued and became much more painful as the night went on, so the doctor said to come back in that evening and they would check again. So, we headed off to the hospital and I was still just 3.5 cm dilated. Once again, they sent us home with a sleeping pill and pain medication to help me basically get through the night. The meds worked for about a couple of hours, but most of the night I was experiencing what the nurse was waiting for me to feel with the contractions. There was no way I was going to be smiling through those suckers...talk about terrible pain!
After a very long night without any sleep, we headed back to the hospital and I was finally 5 cm dilated when they checked me. We were so happy to hear that news and knew that meant we were going to have our baby that day! I got my epidural about an hour later and could finally relax and get some rest free of contractions! A couple hours later they gave me some pitocin to help me dilate more and within a couple of hours I was at 9.5 cm and ready to push! I pushed for 2 hours and her rather large head was just not coming through. At that point, we decided with the doctor to use the vacuum to get her out. She arrived about 2 contractions later at 4:26 pm. It was the most wonderful thing ever when they held her up and laid her on my chest. Nate and I could not stop crying as we held our little miracle for the first time. We couldn't believe she was 8 lbs 8 oz...we were expecting a much smaller baby! She was perfect and we could not have been more happy to have a beautiful healthy baby! I could not be more thankful for a wonderful husband as well. He was such a calming encouraging partner in the whole journey. I am absolutely in love with my 2 favorite people in the whole world, Nate and Hannah!
