Lots to update

So much has happened over the last week I almost don't even know where to start! I guess I will start by saying that we have a beautiful, healthy, baby GIRL! I can't say that I was suprised, although I don't think I would have been suprised had they announced she was a boy either! My feeling just went back and forth the entire time so I was prepared for either one. I have to say I am so excited to have another girl! I think deep down I felt like she was a girl but I didn't want to let myself get to excited either way so I just remained kinda neutral. Big brother Brax was a little disappoined at first but got over it very quickly. His first question for me was,"I thought it was going to be a brother?" I explained to him that God had decided that he needed another sister and he was ok with that! Both sisters were extremely excited that they got their girl. I guess I had better back up to the beginning and start from there! It was a long few days to say the least!

I don't think I ever posted about my doctors appointment in which I had gained 10 lbs over 3 days. My blood pressure was a little high but nothing too bad - pretty much borderline - so the doctor ordered a bunch of blood work and a UA to rule out preeclampsia. He explained that normally if he even questioned preeclamsia he would just deliver the baby right away but he had already checked my cervix and it was not even close to being favorable. I was dilated to a one but he said everything else was still "thick and high" and even mentioned that my cervix was in a funny position. He thought it was safer to wait on the bloodwork and if that came back ok, then to monitor the baby a couple of times that week by doing a non-stress test and see me the next Monday. The bloodwork all came back ok so he felt safe waiting another week and then reevaluating at that point.

The week went by without incident. I really wasn't feeling the greatest but I was 38-39 weeks pregnant with my 4th child so my expectations weren't too high. The baby looked great on both non-stress tests and I kept my appointment for Monday. After weighing in, the nurse told me that I had lost the 10 lbs I had gained the previous week and that my blood pressure was great. No swelling either! Everything was looking good. The doctor gave me the option of inducing, even though my cervix wasn't favorable, since it was my 4th baby and we thought things would move fairly quickly regardless. I asked if there were any benefits or risks either way and he couldn't see that it really mattered and didn't really think it was likely that I would go into labor on my own even if I tried to wait it out for another week. We even looked back in his notes from when I delivered Brax and he had written the exact same thing that he had just told me a few minutes before - dilated to a 1, 30% effaced, thick, and high. My labor and delivery combined with Brax lasted about 8 hours so after hearing that, I made the decision to go ahead and set up the induction. I wanted to avoid Thursday since it was April Fool's Day and also Friday since I wanted to be home before Easter so that left Tuesday or Wednesday. The doctor left to call OB and see what day they would prefer. He came back and said Tuesday was the day! Not much time to prepare but we were ready to meet this baby!!!

I had to be at the hospital bright and early (6am!) so the kids spent the night with my mom and we went to bed early. It was a long night of bathroom trips,Tums, and a little anxiety about the next day, so I was up before the alarm - which is very unusual for me! We headed to the hospital and got checked in. We were assigned to a smaller delivery room than the one we have had in the past. Our nurse was super nice and I asked if she would back that night and she said that she was starting her three days off and so she probably wouldn't see us again (Can you sense a little foreshadowing???). They got my IV going and the Pitocin started and also put in the catheder so things would be a little easier when the time came for the epidural later. The doctor also broke my water so maybe thing woud progress a little more quickly. Things were pretty uneventful for the first few hours. Family started showing up at the hospital. We visited, watched tv, took pictures..... pretty much just hung out until I started feeling some contractions. I asked for my epidural before I really started feeling much pain. Each time I have had an epidural my legs have gone completely numb and this time was no exception. I couldn't move a muscle from the waist down. The doctor came over on his lunch break and things weren't progressing very well. The baby had it's head turned to one side and we needed it to turn it before it would slide on down into the birth canal. He thought it would be at least 5:00 before I delivered so he said he would be back after clinic. I thought about poor Brecca who was at school waiting on someone to pick her up before the baby was born and figured she was probably so excited she couldn't stand it so my sister and Tylee went ahead and picked her up early. Waiting at the hospital is no fun but at least she knew what was going on! My mom picked Braylee and Brax up at the babysitter's later tht afternoon. The rest of the afternoon was similiar to the morning... just waiting... At least I was somewhat comfortable - although I couldn't feel my legs!

The doctor came over after clinic hours and had more bad news for us - still not much progress. That baby was being stubborn! They had the Pitocin up about as high as it could go and they said sometimes it helps if you kick it back down and work up slowly again. They cut it in half and started working back up again. I took a little nap while Nate went to the cafeteria and ate some dinner. He came back and we started watching American Idol. That's when I started feeling a little sick to my stomach. Things got worse from there. I started throwing up and then just gradually started feeling worse and worse. I felt hot and then cold, sick to my stomach, weak and tired. It was so strange that it all hit me so quickly. It is all a little blurry to me from this point. By this time I had been on the Pitocin for over 12 hours, nothing to eat, very little sleep, and now I wasn't feeling good on top of all that! I know that a lady who had also come in that morning delivered her first baby during that time! The doctor said he had expected the opposite - her still in labor and me having my baby! At some point I heard I was dilated to an 8 and the nurse started getting things ready for me to deliver. The problem was the baby just would not move into the birth canal. It still needed to turn it's head and at this point, it wasn't cooperating!

Eventually the doctor came in and said if things didn't improve, we might be headed in the direction of a c-section. The baby's heartrate had dropped pretty low at one point but had bebounded nicely so they weren't ovrly concerned about the baby at this point. It seemed to be tolerating things pretty well. He said I would be pushing for at least a couple of hours to get the baby to move down and at that point, I decided I just didn't have the energy for that. I was feeling terrible and could hardly keep my eyes open and my head up long enough to have a coversation with him.... I knew there was no way I was going to be able to push for two hours! It was seriously the weirdest feeling I have ever had. I still have no idea what happened or how to explain what I was feeling. I was completely against a c-section but at this point, it seemed like the best option. I asked the doctor at what point we could just say that we were doing a c-section and he said if I was ok with it, we could make that decision at any point. Later he told me that he usually brings it up when it starts looking that way to him and gives the parents some time to adjust and then later comes back in and breaks the news that a c-section is the direction they are going. I didn't need that time to adjust! I told him I was ready and he said it would take a little while to gather the surgery team but we would be ready to go shortly.

I remember Nate, my mom, Chelse, and Nanny laughing about Nate in his scrubs and wishing they would be quiet but that is about all until they wheeled me back. It was interesting moving my numb lower half from my hospital bed onto the operating table but they managed and started getting set up. They strapped my arms down (which was an odd feeling) and put the sheet up between my head and stomach. I was afraid I wasn't going to be numb so I kept telling them that I could feel things and they kept saying it was just pressure that I was feeling and they must have been right because I never felt any pain. They eventually let Nate come in although he didn't get to stand by me. We still aren't sure why but I did feel pretty alone in there! Once they got started, it was only a few minutes before I heard the baby cry and they said she was a GIRL! I really don't remember feeling suprised - just happy and excited! I was happy she was a girl and happy she was finally here and safe and crying! They showed her to me briefly (she was beautiful!) and then Nate and the nurse took her to the nursery to get her cleaned up. Things stayed pretty interesting for the next few days but this post is long already so I'll save the rest for another day! Our baby was finally here!!!!!