The Birth of Our Daughter and Happy 1st Anniversary!!!

Emily Claire, our first born, our daughter, arrived today, September 10, 2006 (our one-year wedding anniversary) at 6:22pm. I guess that makes Emily's birth certificate our 1st anniversary gift to each other as the traditional first anniversary gift is paper!

Here is a timeline of the events leading up to her birth:

* 4:00am: Woke up with really painful contractions that I felt mostly in my back. Mom began timing them ~ they were inconsistent in frequency so, I just tried to breath and use counter pressure on my lower back to alleviate the pain. To be honest, I have never felt so much pain in my life and each contraction brought tears to my eyes. My only saving grace was that they were only about 15-30 seconds in duration and that my mom and David were there to help me get through them.

* 5:10am - 6:10am: Contractions were coming less than 5 minutes apart and were nearly unbearable ~ I couldn't breath, nor talk and I began to hyperventilate. Mom called my OB who sent me to the hospital.

* 7:15am: Checked into Triage ~ 3.5cm dilated 95% effaced. No wonder I was in so much pain! Admitted to the hospital to Labor & Delivery Room #10. Contractions coming 3-4 minutes apart and very painful but all I could do was breath through them until the Anesthesiologist arrived with my epidural.

* 8:30am: 4.5cm dilated 100% effaced
Contractions coming less than 3 minutes apart and were so painful I could hardly breath!

* 9:00am: Epidural ~ what a wonderful invention! I didn't feel a thing except for the prick of the needle that numbed my skin. When the catheter was inserted, it felt like someone was running their finger down my spine, which is just pressure, not pain. When the medication was injected, it felt like warm water running down my back. Everything went numb from my uterus down and I was finally able to relax.

* 11:30am: Water broke on it's own (found out later it was just a leak).

* 1:15pm: 5cm dilated but feeling nothing, the nurses had to tell me when I was having a contraction. I went to sleep to try and relax.

* 1:45pm: My OB broke my water (it was just a leak earlier), which I didn't feel at all, and ordered internal monitors to better assess my contractions and Emily's condition. I was also given a catheter, which I never felt, and was told I would be given Pitocin soon as I wasn't dilating 1cm every hour like I should be.

* 2:20pm: Started Pitocin ~ not checked by nurses because contractions were irregular per the printouts.

* 3:30pm: Doubled original Pitocin ~ not checked.

* 4:45pm: Tripled original Pitosin ~ not checked.

* 5:10pm: My cervix was checked by the nurse and she nearly fainted when she saw I was 10cm 100% effaced and Emily was already sitting at +1 station, meaning she was in the birth canal ready for me to push her out. I hadn't been checked since they started Pitocin as my contractions were inconsistent ~ sometimes 2 minutes apart lasting 30-45 seconds and other times 5-6 minutes apart lasting 1-2 minutes. The nurse was certain I wasn't making any progress. Ha! My OB was called and the delivery equipment was set up.

* 5:55pm: Started pushing, which was a breeze ~ I felt no pain but I did feel Emily between my legs and I could feel her as she came out. It was the most wonderful feeling in the entire world.

* 6:22pm: Emily was born after only 27 minutes of pushing! She was laid immediately on my chest and cleaned off. David cut her umbilical cord just before the nurses took her over to her bed (right next to mine) to clean her up and measure & weigh her. Emily was 20 inches long and weighed 8lbs 6oz. She had a full head of light brown hair and big blue eyes. She looks exactly like I did in my hospital photo but you could also see that she resembled David a lot, too! She has his little button nose and LONG eyelashes.

* 6:30pm: Delivered the placenta

* 6:45pm: Given Vicodin as I had a second degree tear ~ my doctor repaired my tear as the nurses gave Emily to David and then my mom to hold.

* 7:15pm: David helped give Emily her first sponge bath ~ she cried the whole time.

* 7:45pm: The hospital staff took her security photo and footprints.

* 8:30pm: Emily was given to me to breastfeed, which she did as if she had been doing it for years. She latched right on and began sucking Colostrum, switching to the other breast after 15 minutes. What an amazing feeling, all I could think about was when I would get to feed her again.

* 9:00pm: We were all moved from our Labor & Delivery Room over to the Family Care Center (down one floor) to Room #4504 where we would all stay together for the next 36 hours (two nights).

I was overwhelmed with love and just could not believe she was finally here. My mom and David both took turns holding her while the doctors stitched me up (I suffered a second degree tear because Emily's head came out so fast)... I just stared at them with her in utter disbelief that I was now a mother. 

 

My two days in the hospital were rough as I was in so much pain (from the tear), I had a bit of the "baby blues" and well, being thrust into motherhood is frightening! Even though my mom and David stayed all night with me and the nurses were there to change her and swaddle her, I just couldn't take my eyes off her and go to bed. I noticed so many little details like how she slept with her mouth open, just like David and his mother does, and that she gets extremely upset over having a wet diaper. She also doesn't seem to like being swaddled much. She also hates when they hold down her arms to take her temperature (same reason she hates to be swaddled ~ she likes her arms to be free). She wore this cute little t-shirt from the hospital and her diaper most of the time we were in the hospital. They had her in Pampers Swaddlers Size 1 and they literally swallowed her.

I was so nervous but excited to go home on Tuesday the 12th. I was nervous to be away from the nurses and doctors but excited to sleep in my own bed, take a shower in my bathroom and wear normal clothes again; disposable panties and an open-back gown is not my idea of a good time!