The birth of our baby girl

Alrighty, here goes. I'm FINALLY sitting down to update the blog and record Sara's birth story, just 3 MONTHS later. The extent to which I'm behind just goes to show you how crazy my life is now with 2 kids. It's crazy wonderful though! But, we'll get to that later. For now, let me tell you all about one of the greatest days of my life. Oh, and it's sure going to be detailed so read at your own time and risk. I don't want to forget this special night.

Continuing from the "My Last Supper" post, we spent the evening of August 13th in Sausalito having dinner on the bay. My mom, dad, and sister Hannah had arrived just a couple days prior. We had a wonderful meal, enjoyed walking around the boardwalk, and then headed for home at about 8:45pm. 

9:20pm- We stopped in Petaluma on the way home to pick up 2 cars that we had left there on the way down when we'd all met up. So...left in the Escalade were my Dad, Drake, and I.

9:30pm- I sat in the passenger seat while Drake and Dad ran into Raley's to grab ice cream bars that Dad was craving. While there were gone, I felt an uncomfortable ache in my belly. I didn't think much of it until I felt another one about five minutes later. There were very mild pains and having never gone into labor before (I was induced with Drake), I didn't know what to make of them. When Dad came back to the car, I told him about them and he said they sounded like contractions, so he had me start paying closer attention and he timed them for me as he drove home. I remember I downloaded a contraction app while we were driving because after experiencing 6 more cramping pains in just 20 minutes driving home, I was starting to think I really could be going into labor. I was SO afraid to get my hopes up though. I so badly wanted to go into labor on my own and had voiced this to lots of people the week prior. I was just sure it wasn't going to happen though and I'd end up having to be induced. Continuing on...

10:00pm- When we got home, I started walking around and didn't feel much for about 15 minutes, so instead of getting ready for bed, I decided to go on a walk. Mom and Hannah came with me and we walked down the middle of my dark street for about 1/2 mile and then back. I don't remember much except that it was really fun and we laughed a lot. I felt occasional pains and cramping but they seemed so random and disjointed. Once back home, I started unpacking a package (from H&M with clothes for the kids) to see if the pains were going to continue. That's when I really started feeling them. My mom timed them on my contraction app and I was continually having contractions every 5ish minutes. Some of them were bringing me to my knees. OUCH! Finally, when they weren't stopping, I could let myself believe that I really was in labor! It was so exciting! (Painful too, but exciting). Of course, the OCD came out in me and I started cleaning and straightening the house like mad. I didn't want to rest for fear that they would stop. I woke Rob up and he took a shower and started packing as well. 

11:30pm- By this time, my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and really starting to get painful so I called the Labor & Delivery department at Kaiser Hospital and was told to head on in since this was my second baby. 

12:00am- We finished up our packing and headed to the hospital. I remember that drive to the hospital so vividly. I was so excited and so nervous and just so darn thrilled that my body was going into labor on its own! The freeway was so quiet and the drive was only 15 minutes, but it felt like an hour!

Once at the hospital, Rob and I walked in to Labor & Delivery and Rob announced, "Hi! We're here for the spa treatments!" That gave everyone a good laugh, including me! 

12:40am- We went through the whole checking in process and I was checked by a nurse to find that I was dilated to 4cm. I can't quite remember if I had been at a 3 or a 4 at my previous OB appointment, but the nurse said that my cervix wasn't quite favorable for delivery (meaning it was still thick and long and needed to be thin and short). She said they wouldn't admit me yet and just see what my body was doing and if I progressed in the next hour or two, they would admit me for delivery. She hooked me up to the fetal monitor and then told me to just relax or walk around or do whatever I'd like. haha Relax? Well, the contractions got worse and weren't slowing down. I told Rob if they tried to send me home, I was going to have a complete breakdown! There was no way I was going home to handle this pain! 

2:15am- About 1.5 hours later, she came back and checked me and I was dilated at 5 to 5.5 centimeters! Yay! 

2:30am- I was admitted and had an IV started for fluids. They said they wouldn't give me Pitocin unless I needed it to progress. They liked to just let my body do it's thing on it's own. I really liked that! My nurse asked me while starting my IV if I wanted my epidural soon. I felt okay and told her I'd be alright for awhile and could handle the contractions for now.

Well seriously, from the time she asked me that question to about 15 minutes later, the contractions got horrendous! I could hardly breathe through them. So, at..

3:00am- I immediately called for my epidural and somehow survived the next 30 minutes. Rob really helped me through that part. 

3:30am- I rated my contraction pain at about 8-9 out of 10 and I did NOT want to be at a 10 trying to hold still for my epidural, so I was very glad when the anesthesiologist got started. This part was no fun though. I was having horrendous rib pain (the pain I dealt with all pregnancy) and having to lean over into the rib pain was extremely hard. The anesthesiologist had to try twice which didn't help things either, but Rob helped me breathe through it all and eventually it was done. While I sat on the bed waiting for the anesthesiologist to finish up, Rob suddenly walked away and sat down. At first, I was like "Umm hello! I still need you over here!" But then I saw his ghost-like white face and realized he was about to faint. He said he got super light-headed just seeing me in that much pain and thinking about the needle (he didn't even see it) so he laid down and quickly felt better. Oh my poor hubby- he hates needles! Anyways, the epidural kicked in, I laid back, and I felt so much better. 

3:45am- Checked by nurse- dilated to 6.5 centimeters and much softer and easier to stretch. Bulging bag of water. Still progressing and not needing Pitocin. At this time, I wrote down on my iPad, It's amazing that my body is doing this on its own!" I think since I'd been induced with Drake (which wasn't bad whatsoever), I just didn't think my body knew how to do it. I was so surprisingly shocked! With Drake, I dilated from a 6 to a 10 in an hour so we called my mom & dad and told them they had better come.

4:30am- Mom & Dad arrived (with my SD card for my camera! I had left it in the computer. Phew!) and started snapping some pictures.

I wasn't feeling too great. It was the middle of the night and I was so tired, but I just couldn't sleep.

 With Mom & Dad there, Rob fell asleep with my mom's reassurance that she'd watch over me. Mom rubbed my feet and legs because I was so anxious and shaky. I get claustrophobic when I feel numb. And the time just passed as we waited for my body to do it's thing. 

6:00am- I was checked by the midwife and told I was actually at 5cm, not at 6.5. You can imagine that that made me pretty bummed. She broke my water and said she'd come back to check again in two hours. 

Just a little while after she'd left, I started feeling so much pressure. The nurse came and checked me and I was dilated to 6cm (breaking my water helped!), and the baby's head had pushed down from a -2 station to a 0 station. I was feeling a lot of pain and pressure so I asked for the anesthesiologist. He soon came and redosed my epidural. 

7:18am- I was not feeling good at all- with so much strong pressure in my bottom. I felt numb in my abdomen and couldn't feel the contractions there, but the pain in my perineum was awful and wouldn't subside. The anesthesiologist soon came in again and gave me another bolus of medication in my epidural. Still no luck. I don't remember much from there except just hurting and being so tired and trying to relax and breathe through the pain. I have to admit that I was quite upset my epidural wasn't working the way I wanted it to. 

8:00am- My OB doctor came to check on me. He was heading home to sleep after being up all night on call. He was really nice although I didn't so much like him telling me that he was sure I was going to deliver during his shift and I never did. Boy, thanks! So helpful. No, I was definitely surprised too. I had delivered by this time with Drake's labor. (I'm sure this one took longer because I wasn't on Pitocin and with Drake I was.

 Around 8:30am- I was feeling so much pressure that I asked the nurse to come check me immediately. The nurse midwife came (Connie Sinclair- who I'd seen once in the office before and absolutely loved!) and found that I was dilated to a 10! She told me to practice pushing a couple of times. 

Well, I did as told and pushed and suddenly my nurses and nurse midwife jumped back and yelled "STOP!" (in hindsight it was pretty funny how much I scared them) I guess in that one push I almost delivered the baby and they were not set-up or ready for the delivery. Everyone went into a frenzy getting everything set up. It was all such a blur because I was in so much pain from the pressure to push. I can't remember anything ever being so hard as this was- trying not to push! 

It seemed like such a long time, but finally I was given permission to push, and push I did. Okay time for all honesty here- It was so painful and I felt a little scared. I remember looking at Rob and saying, "I'm not supposed to feel this much pain!" I also remember saying, "Put the video camera down and come hold my hand!" (in his defense, I'd told him to video as much as possible right after she was born, but at that moment I just didn't care about that. I needed my hubby.) Rob was amazing with me. And the nurse midwife and nurses were so fantastic. They talked me through it and kept me calm and in just a few more pushes....

8:49am- our baby girl was delivered. It was crazy to feel everything this time...not something I wish to feel again. But, as it should be, the second she was delivered, I didn't care about any of the pain of delivery, the stresses of pregnancy, or the sometimes rotten 9 months we'd been through to get her here....EVERYTHING was immediately WORTH IT. I felt overcome with pure joy. Pure, unconditional love for this newest tiny little being straight from my Heavenly Father's arms. And she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. 

She was immediately taken to a warmer to be suctioned out because they suspected she might have swallowed meconium. 

I was worried for a moment, but then everything was just fine. (no meconium)

We immediately knew she was bigger than her brother, but she definitely had those long, skinny features he did.

Weighing in at 8 pounds exactly and measuring 20 1/4 inches long.

That's a BIG baby for us! Drake was only 6-11.

Our sweet beauty.

Finally, in my arms-
This was an extremely emotional birth for me. I just can't fully explain the joy I felt.

And then to sweet, amazing, supportive Daddy

Gramma & Grandpa waited outside our room during delivery, but it was so perfect to have them there right after to meet her. 

We loved her every little feature, but were especially shocked by all that hair! 

I've found that I absolutely love my Labor & Delivery experiences. There is no time that I feel closer to the spirit, no time that I feel more love for my amazing husband, and no time that I feel more grateful for the blessings of my forever family. It's the most beautiful experience.

Isn't she cute and perfect.

Footprints and bath-time

And a better weight picture-

Rob couldn't stand waiting for Drake to meet her so we face-timed him. He was over-the-moon excited!

My Labor & Delivery nurses- Christy & Jennifer. They were incredible!

And the midwife who delivered me- Connie Sinclair. She was so fantastic too!

At this time our sweetie didn't have a name yet, so we called her Baby Girl. 

Welcome to the world little one.

This birth was really hard and different from Drake's- but the whole experience was beautiful. My heart grew double the size that day and it hasn't stopped growing since.