Book A Hospital Stay

We were scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, July 22nd at 2 pm.  But Maya decided she wanted to come on her own time.  She was born that morning, the 22nd, at 3:56 am.  We missed our induction by 10 hours.  And when 2:00 pm that afternoon came rolling around, we were already holding our precious bundle of joy!

This is our labor and delivery story...Get some popcorn.  This is a long one.

If you recall, at our last appointment on Tuesday, my doctor said that we were a good four centimeters dilated.  By a "good four" she meant that we were nearly FIVE centimeters!  I had been having very consistent contractions all day, since 6 am that very morning, but they were very mild.  Our doctor reminded us that my previous labor was fast so this one has a very good possibility of being faster, so if my water broke or if I was having uncomfortable contractions for 30-45 minutes I was to head straight to the hospital.  She didn't think we were going to make it to our induction.  She thought we were going to go into labor that night.  And she was right.  On EVERYTHING.  This is why I love my doctor.  And this is also why I'm going to date and time stamp as you will see below.

On Tuesday night, Brian's Mom, Mary, came down to stay the night at our house based on the fact that my doctor thought we'd be going into labor that night.  Brian and I both figured that even if we didn't go into labor, at least Mary was there in the morning to see our normal routine.  It couldn't hurt to have her there, so down she came.

Tuesday, 07/21/15 - 7:30 pm

Kate and I were running around the yard, playing.  I was semi-chasing her, trying to get her ball and she was giggling like there was no tomorrow!  It was all a normal summer night at the Hendricks Household.  (I would end up watching this video and hearing her little laugh no less than 57 times at the hospital...)

We explained to Kate that Mimi was going to stay the night at our house tonight.  We had been very open with Kate about Mommy giving birth to Little Sister and that Mimi or Gramma would be here with her while Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital.  We let her know that Mimi would be with her in the morning if Mommy and Daddy weren't.  And if we weren't, that meant we were at the hospital where Little Sister was being born.

We got Kate to bed and we were all hanging out in the living room, cuddled on the couch, chatting and semi-timing stronger contractions!  Around 10:30-11:00 pm, we all headed to bed.  I think the last time I looked at the clock it said 11:05 pm.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 1:55 am

I woke up at the tail end of a pretty strong contraction.  My water had just broken.  I looked at the clock.  It said 1:55 am and I woke Brian up.  (Why do these sorts of things always happen in the middle of the night?!)

Brian went downstairs to wake his Mom up to let her know that my water had broken and we were headed to the hospital while I changed and breathed through a couple of stronger contractions.  They were already 3-4 minutes apart.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:00 am

We hopped in the car and headed to the hospital.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:12 am

We arrived at the hospital, valet parked, and headed up to the Labor and Delivery floor.  We got off on the wrong floor but then we made it.  I breathed through several more stronger contractions while Brian got us checked in.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:20 am

The nurses admitted us to the triage room where they were going to check to see if we were in "active" labor.  We both tried to explain that I had a fast labor the first time but no one listened.  There was one nurse that didn't want to hear any stories, she just wanted to know if I wanted an epidural.  My answer all three times she asked was, "I don't know.".  And each time she kind of rolled her eyes and walked away.

(Side note: I received spinal headaches with my first labor from the epidural that I received.  I hadn't wanted to get an epidural the first time but didn't know what I was in for and decided to get it.  These headaches were THE WORST and really put a cloud over what otherwise should have been one of the happiest times in my life for two weeks!  I didn't want to go through that again, but I still wasn't sure if I could have a natural labor myself.  I'll admit, I was downright scared of what kind of pain I'd be in.)

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:23 am

Brian and I took our last parents-of-one selfie together while we waited in the triage room to get checked out.  They wanted to see if my water had really broken and how far along I was.

Soon-to-be proud parents of TWO lovely girls!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:25 am

I was dressed in my gown and my contractions were getting stronger.  I was getting nervous that we weren't in a real room and I was completely annoyed with the nurse who kept asking about the epidural.

Baby's a comin'!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:35 am

The triage nurse confirmed my water had broken, thought there may have been a bit of meconium but she wasn't entirely sure and admitted us since we were in "active" labor.  No shit, Sherlock.  When she performed my internal exam she said I was SIX centimeters dilated!

Oh, side note, this same nurse poked me three times to get an IV started in me AFTER I mentioned that I have small veins.  (She sounds like a real winner, doesn't she?)

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:40 am

We were admitted to a real labor and delivery room.  Thank goodness, and got a real nurse who was so nice!  I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  She also asked about my thoughts on an epidural.  When I told her my story, she respected that I didn't have a decision just yet and told me to keep in mind that it takes about 45 minutes for the anesthesiologist to come administer the epidural if I decided to get one.  That was fine with me.  She had said to just let her know if I felt the urge to push.

She was in and out of the room a couple of times, gathering supplies, checking on her other patients, and told us to make ourselves at home.  I continued to breathe through real contractions.

When she came back in and performed my internal exam I was SEVEN centimeters dilated!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 3:05 am

Our labor and delivery nurse was checking us in, like, literally taking our information to be "admitted".  My contractions were very strong, but, unlike my first labor, I actually had a little break between them where I could breathe for a minute and regroup.  I was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed and could not get comfortable to save my life.  Brian said over and over, "In through the nose.  Out through the mouth.".  (I should engrave that on a bracelet with as many times as he said it.  I think I asked him to stop at one point but I think it was his own way of comforting himself too.)

Now, you'll have to excuse the time stamps because the rest was a complete blur to me.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - sometime between 3:11 am and 3:45 am

While our nurse was still checking us in, I had a particularly strong contraction.  And I had said to the nurse, that I would like to go ahead and get the epidural.  The last time I remember looking at the clock I think it said 3:11 am or some time around there.

I was laboring through very strong contractions when all of a sudden I felt an extreme urge to push.  I didn't feel that at all with my first labor, so this took me completely by surprise.  I had said to the nurse that I had to push, she was still admitting us, and she said, "don't push.".  She didn't want me pushing unless I was 10 centimeters and ready to go.  She attempted to check my cervix for my dilation but was unable because I was wriggling and trying to push...she called for another nurse to come in and help and that's when they realized that this baby was-a-coming. 

Our nurse said something into her little call button and out of nowhere there was a whole team of people in the room.  I want to say there were seven people, but I was pretty incoherent and had my eyes closed for the majority of this time.

At this point, I was pushing.  I felt every single thing.  The anesthesiologist had not yet arrived.  Through each contraction, I pushed a little more, and then our baby was born.

Just like that.

It was 3:56 am.  Literally, two hours and one minute before that I was at home sleeping in bed when my water broke.  Our baby came INSANELY fast and it made me feel so grateful that we live close to our hospital.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 3:56 am

We delivered our baby.  There were still a lot of people in the room but oddly enough, once our baby was out of my body, every ounce of pain went away just like that.  It was incredible.  I just laid on the hospital bed with my eyes closed in exhaustion.  I had so many thoughts running through my head.  Mainly, "I can't believe I can't even open my eyes to see her [our newest baby]."  I felt so bad, but every time I tried I just had to lay back and close them again.

Right when our baby was born, I recall someone saying, "She's here!".  And I distinctly remember asking, "What's her name?".  At least in my incoherency I still had jokes.  That same person said, "You tell us!".  Brian, who was standing to my right, and I looked at each other and said, "Maya?", kind of at the same time.

And Maya it was.

❤  Maya Harper Hendricks.  Our little love.  ❤

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 4:05 am

Another nurse came in and inquired about a call to the anethesiologist.  Our nurse had said to cancel it - the baby was here.  Shortly after that, the doctor on call arrived to deliver my placenta.  It was then that I learned that the resident on call delivered Maya.  We had gone into labor so quickly that the doctor didn't even have time to get to us.  Yes, you read that right.

Once Maya was checked over, they gave her to me, bundled us both up and we had a lot of skin to skin time!  Girlfriend was already hungry because she started suckling on my collar bone while we were snuggling and left me two little hickey marks while my placenta was being delivered I was being stitched back up.  I had a second degree laceration, the same as when I gave birth to Kate, and I figured I'd hold off on breastfeeding until my nether regions were done being fiddled with.  I can't believe I just typed that.  I figured one thing at a time.

Maya took to breastfeeding right away and stayed cozy in my arms for the next hour, aside from Brian having a little hold!

Daddy's second little girl!

When I started asking questions, I learned the following:

-When the second nurse came into check me, Maya's head was visible, so there was no checking needed, just anyone who could spare a hand, and that is who was called to our room.
-The resident on call delivered Maya.  The doctor was still on her way.  Maya came faster than the doctor could be called to get to the room.
-The resident on call was attempting to deliver my placenta.  I don't even remember if it was a he or she, but I remember quite a bit of uncomfortable tugging and pulling.  When the doctor got there, there was a little lesson on placenta delivery.  She had explained to the resident that the way he or she was performing the placenta delivery prior was incorrect and the cord could easily break off leaving the placenta inside me.  The doctor had a much smoother approach and delivered my placenta intact and showed the resident the proper way of placenta handling.  #thanksdoc

Dr. Melissa Boyles was on call and she was also a wonderful
doctor.  Like I have mentioned, every doctor in this practice
is top notch.

-Apparently I pushed for three minutes and out baby came.  THREE MINUTES!  My body was made for babies.  I am so thankful and grateful for this.

Everything happened so quickly.  It was a complete 180 from my previous birthing experience, but as it should be.  When I had Kate I did receive an epidural.  After I had received the epidural, I didn't feel a thing.  It was peaceful and serene and quiet.  When the doctor told me to push, I pushed.  I was coherent.  The lights were low and out came Kate.  I was able to watch the whole thing.

The only word I have to describe Maya's birth is barbaric.  Yes, barbaric.  Sorry, love.  I didn't have an epidural.  I felt everything.  I couldn't open my eyes.  I was not coherent.  And then we had our baby, and all the pain melted away and all I felt was love.  Pure, unadulterated love.

It took me a little while to regain lucidity after she was born.  I recall laying there with my eyes closed with Maya on my chest - just soaking up each other's warmth and reconnecting after such precipitous trauma.

Reconnecting.  Love.

There is nothing better than this.

They weighed and measured her at 5:17 am.  Neither Brian or I were sure why they waited to do this, but she weighed in at 8 lbs. and 3 oz. and she was 20" long.

My baby.

An hour after I gave birth to Maya, our nurse asked me to get up and use the bathroom.  Literally, an hour.  I remember this clearly because I remember looking at her, like, "Lady, do you know I just had a baby?!".  I got up out of the bed with her assistance, walked over to the bathroom, and went.  She had said that she wanted to make sure that I was able to urinate before they took us to the postpartum room.  I was appreciative that she was being thorough.

We got to our postpartum room and Maya was sent to the nursery for a bath and a once over.  It seemed like forever that they had her down there.  Both Brian and I inquired as to where she was.  She was in good hands but they weren't our hands and we wanted her there.  As soon as she was done she rarely left our side.

Around 7:15-7:30 am, while Maya was getting her bath and check-up, my normal doctor came in to check on me since her shift had just started.  She checked my incision, asked me how I was, checked my legs for any blood clots, and pressed on my abdomen to see if my uterus was contracting back to its normal size.  All looked wonderful and when she read how quickly Maya was born she said, "If you guys decide to go for baby number three, just book a hospital stay!".

Book a hospital stay.  We laughed but then agreed.  They say that subsequent labors tend to go quicker.  Our first labor was 5-6 hours.  Our second was 2.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

So there you have it.  Our labor and delivery story.

When Maya was ready to be born, she and I worked hard together to make it happen.  There was no turning back.  I am extremely proud and impressed with my ability to handle childbirth naturally and should a third baby grace our lives, I would like to say that I wouldn't even consider an epidural.

...But we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

Our second little love!  Welcome to the world, Maya.
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today we had gone to our normal OB/GYN appointment, we were 5 days past our due date, and our doctor scheduled our induction for that evening.

One year ago today we were headed to the hospital to give birth to our baby girl.

We were excited, we were nervous, we were anxious, but we were ready.  And at 3:38 am on October 31st, Kate Madeline was born.

It is so surreal thinking about that night.  Childbirth is such an amazing, incredible moment in your life.  One that you simply cannot fathom until you experience it yourself.  The last year has been hard, we've have had to learn and adjust, but it has been nothing short of amazing either, and I think I can vouch for both Brian and I when I say that we wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Being a family of three has been the most incredible journey that we have been on thus far...and it is only just beginning!

Back To The Hospital

It had been my intent throughout our entire pregnancy not to resort to getting the epidural unless I needed it.  I knew it was available, but I wanted to be able to make the decision to get it, if we needed it, on my terms.  I had absolutely no idea what we were getting into, but I did know that women have been giving birth to children for thousands of years.  Many of them without epidurals.

My reasoning for not wanting an epidural, initially, is threefold.  First, it scared me.  Anything that gets that close to your spine and that you have to sign a release for is serious.  I had heard so many different stories about epidurals, some good, some bad, but if we didn't need to tempt fate, then I wasn't going to sign up for an epidural.  (For the record, I had to sign a release when I went sky diving and didn't think twice about it.)  Second, I am not a huge advocate of medicine.  I will certainly take something when I need to but I don't like the abuse that is too common in modern medicine.  When I need to take medicine, I want it to work.  I don't want my body to be immune to it and have to take a larger dosage or resort to alternate methods.  And third, I absolutely can't stand side effects.  I don't like not feeling like myself because of medicine, and I didn't want to incur any side effects if we didn't need to, especially after the birth of our very first child.

I kind of went into our labor and delivery with the thought that my body will produce the contractions that I can handle.  I had confidence in my own body.  I wasn't going to be laboring in anyone's body but mine, it was all me, and I believed that my strength and pain tolerance would help me through.

And it did, but the fact that I went into labor so quickly and was under the impression that I was only dilated 4 cm when I was at 10 cm and was shaking non-stop because of the pain AND had heard the lady down the hall screaming bloody murder just hours before it was our turn, I chose to get the epidural.

I mentioned in our labor and delivery post that when we did get the epidural we were given some time to relax.  This is because had we not received the epidural we would have started pushing right then and there.  Everything happened the way it was supposed to.  We know now what to expect should there be a next time, but this first time took us both by surprise.

What was even worse was the fact that I had to go back to the hospital on Monday after our appointment with our pediatrician to get a blood patch because I was experiencing severe spinal headaches as a result of the epidural.  Fear #3 came to fruition.  I was experiencing a side effect of the epidural, except this one would end up lasting two weeks.  (Yes, this post is back dated.)

The persistent headache that began a few hours after delivery was terrible.  Any position other than laying 100% horizontal caused a severe throbbing, aching pain in the front of my head.  These headaches were worse than any headache I had ever had before and have been told they are worse than migraines, but I've not experienced a migraine so I cannot say if that is true.

We had a couple of days where my headache subsided enough for me to function.  It kind of went like this:

Wednesday, 10/31/12, 3:38 am - Kate was born.

Wednesday, 10/31/12, 7:30 am - An anesthesiologist checked in on me and I explained my headache.  She said that wasn't uncommon, especially when the epidural had to be administered twice and to drink some caffeine and stay on the fluids.  We learned that when our first epidural was administered, apparently it was not placed correctly, so the needle went in and did not hit the right spot so they had to put the needle in my back a second time...  Fear #1 also came to fruition.

Thursday, 11/1/12 - Another anesthesiologist checked in on me and my headache had subsided, but was still semi-present.

Friday, 11/2/12 - Our going home day - My headache was worse than it was on Wednesday.  I was told to keep up the caffeine and drink a lot of water.

Saturday, 11/3/12 - My headache was nearly gone.  I thought this was the end!

Sunday, 11/4/12 - My headache was back with a vengeance.  I tried to continue with the fluids.

Monday, 11/5/12 - I could barely function.  My headache was worse, and at the recommendation of our pediatrician, we headed back to the hospital for a blood patch.

Once again, I was getting an epidural.  A blood patch is where they give you an epidural but use your own blood in lieu of the pain medication that would normally be used.  I, at this point, had received two epidurals with this labor - a serious tempt of fate.  This would be number three.

We were told that the procedure would take approximately one hour. I fed Kate and then Brian and I headed to the hospital while my Mom stayed with Kate. We figured we had at least two good hours which seemed like plenty of time for an hour procedure.

Boy, were we wrong. FIVE AND A HALF hours later, we were home.

The blood patch was not fun and here's why:

1. I told one anesthesiologist that I have small veins and that it is sometimes hard to get blood.  Seven pokes later in both arms and he finally believed me.  He ended up pulling blood from an artery in my right wrist (WARNING: Close your eyes if reading blood descriptions is too graphic.) which started spurting blood everywhere.  And I thought if I didn't die or become paralyzed from this third epidural, I most certainly would be bleeding to death.

2. I had to lay flat for an hour and a half after the procedure was done.  This whole procedure took place in the recovery ward where patients were slowly coming to after surgery, so there were moans and groans and weird conversations everywhere.

3. Brian couldn't stay with me, so I had to do all of it alone.  And I was scared this time too.  Luckily, the nurse held my hand.  And, Brian was allowed back after the procedure, so he was able to comfort me then.  (THANK GOODNESS!)

4. My breasts were so engorged because I hadn't fed Kate in so long that they started leaking and they hurt.  How embarrassing.

5. We ended up having to pump some milk to get to Kate since we were at the hospital so long.  Brian ran the bottle of milk back home to my Mom and Kate, but when we started pumping my right nipple started bleeding...Seriously?!

6. The blood patch, which we were told had a 90% success rate and you start feeling better an HOUR after you get it done, didn't work.  I had headaches for another week and a half after the blood patch and a total of two weeks after our delivery.  They weren't nearly as severe, but they were definitely still there.  I think that was part of the reason that we got so far behind in our posts.  The anesthesiologist said that if we get the blood patch done a second time, there was a 99% success rate.  No.  We weren't going to get a FOURTH epidural.  Especially since the third didn't work.

What a roller coaster ride.  I am 150% thankful that we no longer have these headaches, but it was not easy taking care of a newborn and suffering.  I am also extremely grateful for my Mom and Brian who were huge helps while I was laid out flat. 

I cannot say that we will never get an epidural again.  It did take every ounce of pain in my body away.  But I do hope that if we do, it is a one time thing, and we don't have a spinal headache to contend with for two weeks.

I seriously doubt I could take care of a toddler and a newborn with a headache like I had!

2, 3, 4...10!

When it comes to labor and delivery, no story is quite the same.  You have fast labors, slow labors, easy labors, hard labors, etc.  Ours is no different.  And, like a lot of my posts, I can get quite winded, so here is your warning: this is a long story, but it is our story and we want to share it, so if you want to hear it, read on!  Or, if you'd rather do the picture-book version of our story, click on the photo at the very, very bottom of this post!

This is our labor and delivery story.

We went in for our normal doctor's appointment at 2:15 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.  We were five days overdue.  We found out that I had lost two pounds, that our baby's heartbeat was right on target, that we were dilated to 3 cm (this was the same as the last appointment), that we were 50% effaced (this was also the same as the last appointment), and that our darling girl had scoot her way down to a zero station (we were at a -1 station at the last appointment). 

I wasn't having any painful contractions and there were no signs of us going into labor, so our doctor said that it was time to induce.  She said, "How about tonight?!"  She mentioned that they typically didn't want the Mommies-to-be to go over 41 weeks and we would be at 41 weeks on Thursday.  She was on call and being that we absolutely love our doctor and would be honored if she was able to deliver our little girl, we decided that that night would be it.

Brian and I were both pretty giddy, a little shell shocked, slightly nervous, and very excited!  That night it was!  We were going to be induced!  We were going to have our baby!!  We were going to meet our daughter!!!

We were hooked up to the non-stress test monitor once more to be sure that all was going well with our little bambino inside the womb and our induction was scheduled for 8 pm - October 30, 2012.

We headed home, grabbed a few last minute items, let our family and friends know the prognosis, and headed back to the hospital.  It was game time, seriously!

We left our house shortly after 7:30 pm and when we arrived at Riverside Hospital we pulled around to the Women's Center and parked in the Labor and Delivery parking.  That was so surreal.  Are we really going to have our baby tonight?!  We were both relatively calm.  I, for one, did not envision us coming to Labor and Delivery so calm and together.  I thought more of what you see in the movies, you know, woman crying out in painful agony, man all disheveled, confused.  But that was not us.  We parked together, got our bags together (Brian was the gentleman and carried both of our bags!), and walked up to the hospital entrance - our home away from home for the next few days - together!

We took the "Patient" elevators to the third floor which we learned were not necessarily for "patients" and got checked in for our induction.  Our labor and delivery nurse, Jamie, got us all set up in room 3204, and assured us that she would be by our side at least until 7 am when her shift ended.  She made it very clear that she didn't expect to meet our little girl with us.  (Little did we all know, she was going to be mistaken.)

While Jamie left to get the orders from our doctor as to how our doctor would like us to proceed, I undressed and suited up in the oh-so-flattering hospital gown and Brian checked the room and scoped out the floor for all the necessary items we learned about in our birthing class - birthing balls (we had FOUR of various sizes!), hot water in the shower, ice chips, etc.  It appeared we were all set!

(Side note: While we were getting situated with Jamie and filling her in on our pregnancy history, we heard this woman cry out in a very shrilly, screechy, bloody murder kind of scream.  I must've gotten a bit pale because Jamie said, "That woman screaming scared you, didn't it?"  I nodded.  I wasn't going to lie to my nurse.  What I had just deemed was going to be the "best night ever" had taken a drastic turn.  Jamie explained that that was probably the final push and we probably won't hear anything else...Well, a few more screams later and this woman was still screaming.  I tell you this story because my intention this entire pregnancy was to not receive an epidural.  I, obviously, had never done this before and I knew the epidural was available, but I wanted to approach labor and delivery as natural as possible and resort to it if I needed it on my terms.  Fortunately, the woman down the hall stopped screaming, but her screams left a lasting impression on what we were in for.  I'm not going to lie to you either, that was when I started to get a little scared about what was to come.)

Anyway, when Jamie returned, we learned that our doctor's orders were to break my water, have us do two 45 minute walks around the hospital floor and go from there.  So, a resident was called to get us started.

I was hooked up to an IV and we were placed on monitor to keep an eye on our baby and to establish a baseline to measure all future stats against. 

The resident broke my water at around 9:30-9:45 pm, and after I was dressed in oh-so-sexy hospital panties and a protection pad, it was time to start our first 45 minute walk.  Hospital attire is just top notch, wouldn't you say!?

Brian's Dad, Andy, and stepmom, Kathy, joined us for our first walk.  We walked around the labor and delivery floor and the postpartum floor numerous times.  The laps weren't necessarily very long ones so the scenery didn't change much during our walks!  I still didn't feel very many strong contractions.  I could walk, talk, and breathe the whole time.

Upon our return, we were hooked up to the monitor again to check the stats on me and our sweet girl.  Our nurse wanted to be sure that we were all doing alright before she sent us out again on our second 45 minute journey.  Andy and Kathy headed home after our first walk so our second was left for us to traverse alone.  We started our second walk slightly before 11:00 pm.  And shortly thereafter, maybe 20-25 minutes, I started having contractions...real contractions - you know, the ones that have you doubled over in pain?!  Yeah, those kind of contractions.  The contractions I had been waiting for. 

It was definitely time!

Toward the end of our second 45 minute walk, my contractions were very strong and about 4 minutes apart.  I could not walk, talk, or breathe through these contractions.  I had to stop walking, stop talking, and really concentrate to breathe!  Jamie saw that we were progressing well and met us back at our room to check our progress.

We arrived at the hospital 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby at a 0 station.  After our water was broken and we had taken two 45 minute walks, we were 4 cm dilated, 70% effaced and our baby was still at a 0 station.  We were hooked up, again, to the monitor to keep an eye on progress.  And in a matter of 15 minutes, my contractions were right on top of each other - like 30 seconds apart.  The moment one ended, I could feel another beginning, and they were not lousy contractions.  They were strong, they packed a punch, and they left me completely drained. 

Knowing that we were at 4 cm and had 6 cm more to go AND we were having contractions right on top of one another, I opted to get the epidural.  I was scared from that freakin' lady screaming earlier on, I was in pain from contractions - like I could not stop shaking - they had me on oxygen because they thought our baby girl's heartbeat was low but we just weren't getting a good reading because I was shaking so much, and I was very nauseous.  I didn't think I would be able to do this for 6 more centimeters without some pain meds.

In the time that it took Jamie to call the anesthesiologist, wait for the anesthesiologist to arrive, and have the anesthesiologist administer the epidural (approximately 40 minutes), we dilated from 4 cm to 10 cm, but we didn't realize it until after we received the epidural and our doctor came in a checked us.  We were at 10 cm, we were fully effaced, and our baby was at +2 station.  (+4 is crowning, mind you.)

Our nurse said to us, "No wonder you were in so much pain!  You were going through transitional labor!"

Our doctor told us that we would've started pushing but since we had just received the epidural she would let us enjoy it for a little bit and then we would start pushing.  We were given an hour, and I didn't feel a single thing.  The epidural took every ounce of pain away.  It was really kind of strange.  We joked that we would be naming our baby girl Jamie Grace - Jamie for our nurse who stood by our side and Grace for the anesthesiologist that took our pain away!

(Another side note: I wish our nurse had realized we were going through transitional labor and checked us once more before the epidural was administered.  We know now what to expect if we are lucky enough to bring baby #2 into the world, but we were doing this blindly and put all of our trust in someone else telling us where we were.  We went through the entire labor, minus the pushing, without an epidural.  And I'm told the pushing doesn't even hurt as bad as labor.  Hindsight is 20/20, I know, but I just wish we would've known we were nearly there and didn't need an epidural since that is what I had wanted to begin with.)

Anyway, so there we were - at the hospital and ready to push...just about to meet our little girl!

We "relaxed" for about an hour.  (I use this term loosely because even though you are not feeling any pain, I don't know how "relaxed" you can be knowing that you are about to meet your very first born...Oh, AND push a BABY out of your nether regions...)

When it was time to push, Jamie walked us through our breathing and we got started.  We pushed for about 15-20 minutes and it was time to grab our doctor.  Our little baby was crowning and we waited...and waited...and waited for our doctor to join us.  Apparently, our doctor who was right outside our door had stepped away, so we waited, watching our little girl's head make its way out slowly until our doctor arrived.

She gasped when she came into the room not realizing how far along we were and grabbed a pair of gloves, she didn't even bother with her surgical scrubs until after our baby was born, and delivered our baby girl.  At 3:38 am on October 31st, 2012, Brian and I became parents to a healthy, beautiful, 7 lb. 9 oz baby - Kate Madeline.

The moments were completely and utterly surreal.  We were in the wee hours of the morn, and it was relatively quiet. The lights in our room were dim and calming except for one bright light for our doctor.  I had no pain.  I watched my body give birth to our daughter.  It felt like there was no other world outside of the room we were in, and, to us, there wasn't.  Our entire world was right there in our arms - happy, healthy, beautiful.

Our doctor placed Kate on my stomach and Brian cut her umbilical cord.  Another nurse, not Jamie, whisked Kate over to clean her up, weigh her, and give her a once over.  Ten fingers?  Check.  Ten toes?  Check.  Healthy, beautiful baby girl?!  Check!  Check!  Check!!!  Kate's Apgar score at one minute post-birth was an 8 and at five minutes was a 9.  We did good! 

Our doctor then delivered my placenta and made sure it was healthy too.  She stitched up the 2nd degree tear that I received (the worst degree is 4th), and assured us that she would check up on us in a few hours in the postpartum area.

Jamie took care of us for the next couple of hours while we did a bit of Kangaroo Care and then took us to our pimp postpartum room - room number 3116.  Yes, I said pimp, and I say so because it was three times the size of all of the other postpartum rooms.  Only the finest for our baby girl!  So, yes, P-I-M-P!

We stayed in 3116 on the postpartum floor until Friday, November 2, 2012.  All of the nurses that tended to us over those few days were fantastic!  Our entire experience (aside from the spinal headaches which is an entirely separate post) was phenomenal!  It's no wonder that people have more than one child!

We will never, ever forget this day or the moments that we brought our sweet baby girl into our world.  She is everything that we could ever ask for and she has already tugged on our heart strings.  We are so, so in love and even that doesn't describe the depth of our feelings toward her.

Welcome to the world, Kate!  We love you and are so excited to experience life with you!

Our labor and delivery story in photos.