If I could think of 3 ways to describe Brielle's birth it would be:
So of course after that appointment, I would have contractions for more than an hour, all the time. But each time we were tired, it was in the middle of the night, or we wanted to get more stuff done, so we would wait through them and eventually they would stop. My parents and 5 of my siblings came into town on the 22nd and almost every night my contractions would start up for 2-3 hours and at times they started to get progressively more painful. I was tempted several times to go in before my induction date, but each time decided to wait them out for one reason or another.
On the 24th (the day before my induction was scheduled), I had contractions almost all day. I worked on all the last minute things I needed to do and all during them felt contraction after contraction. They didn't hurt very bad, but I definitely noticed them. Then that night, each time I would get up to go to the bathroom, I noticed they were still coming and again they started to hurt. Around 4am, they really started to hurt, enough that I had to breath through them and they were coming about 2 minutes apart. I watched the sun rise outside, trying to decide if we should rush in or wait until 7:30 for my scheduled induction. Around 6am my alarm went off and I realized that once again, they must have stopped since I was able to fall asleep because I was so tired from hardly sleeping that night. I got up to get ready and noticed that they were still coming, but they were not as painful as they had been. We arrived at the hospital and while they were checking me in and starting pitocin I explained that I had been having contractions all night. The nurses thought it was funny I was essentially in labor while being induced :) I am so grateful I have gone into labor on my own both times and didn't have to ever be truly induced. It's nice to know that my body can do exactly what it's supposed to! :) They started the pitocin on a low dose and my contractions kept coming at a regular pace as they had been since we got there.
About 30 minutes later, at a little after 9:00am, my doctor came in and broke my water. They checked me right after breaking my water and I was 3cm dilated and about 60% effaced. The doctor left explaining that it would probably take about 7+ hours until she got there so we settled in for the long haul. I tried to watch TV, take a nap etc. but the contractions were really starting to hurt and were way off the charts. It got to the point where they hurt bad enough that I wanted the epidural because I didn't know how long it would last, so they had the nurse anesthetist come in at 11am. Luckily I didn't have to wait a long time, but it sure hurt getting my epidural. I had to remind myself that this "small" amount of pain was worth not feeling the horrible labor pains later, and so I just dealt with it. She asked if I was even feeling contractions (which I totally was) because I was so calm. She also asked if I had gained any weight at all because I looked so skinny, especially my back and hip area which she said had no fat at all. Needless to say, I really liked her ;) When she finished, I felt the medicine spreading through my body and I eventually stopped feeling my contractions. It was so nice! But my whole body felt numb and it made me feel really sleepy, loopy and out of it. They checked me after getting my epidural and I was 4cm dilated. I was so loopy that I slept for quite awhile, which was so nice since I hardly slept the night before.
They noticed that my contractions started to space out after the epidural, so they turned up my pitocin to make them go back to how close they had been before. At a little before 1pm, my doctor came in to check me and see how I was doing after they turned up the pitocin. I was at 5cm dilated and about 90% effaced and he said that I probably wouldn't have her until after 4pm. He mentioned that some girls go from 5cm to 10cm fast, but he said that is really rare and was confident it would be awhile. We asked him if he thought Richard was safe to leave to get a movie and food and he said he was 99% sure he was fine. Well right as Richard was leaving, my parents and 3 of my sisters came up to see us. I was so excited to see them and as we were chatting away and Richard was talking to my Dad about politics, I noticed that I was having some weird pain on my lower right hand side of my stomach. Even through my Epidural. Then I noticed that my contractions on the monitor were looking weird. They weren't going down at all and I had been having 1 long, hard contraction the whole time they were there. It would dip a tiny tiny bit, but never came all the way down like a normal contraction. I mentioned it to my mom and she said that was really weird. We kept talking and the pain started to increase enough to make me worry my epidural wasn't working. Then all of a sudden, I felt a huge wave of nausea hit and my family rushed out just in time for me to fill up my hospital mug (haha...gross I know). After that I decided to have the nurse come in to talk to her about the weird contraction I was having and the fact my epidural was acting weird (the nurse anesthetist said if it worked only in patches to let the nurse know so they could fix it). I also told her I had puked so I could get a new mug. She got a weird look on her face and decided to check me. To my UTTER surprise she checked me and said "you are complete and she is RIGHT there!! I need to call the doctor right away" I was SHOCKED! It had only been about 30 minutes since the doctor had checked and at that point I was only 5 cm dilated! So I was going through transition while my parents were there! I had several thoughts racing through my head, some of which were: 1. I am SOOO glad I got the epidural when I did! I was going to wait longer and if I had, it would have been too late 2. I am so glad my parents came when they did or Richard would have left and he didn't have a cell phone on him! He could have missed everything!
The nurse called our doctor to tell him to get back asap and I heard her in the hallway talking to someone saying "if this doctor doesn't get back really soon, you will have to deliver her! All the doctors are gone or in surgery and this baby is coming right now!" Richard and I were in shock! The nurse got everything set up as we waited about 30 minutes for the doctor and Richard snapped some last minute pictures. Because it all went so fast, we had hardly any pictures so we wanted to get some before it was all over.
My awesome doctor came in and the first thing he said was "you weren't supposed to take me seriously when I said that some girls progress from a 5 really quick!" We all laughed and joked until he was ready (the reason I love the epidural) and then it was time to push! I was almost giddy I was so excited! We did one "refresher/test push" and her head started to crown! One real push later her head was all the way out and one more push and her body was out!!! It was amazing! The nurse kept saying over and over again "This was the textbook labor and delivery!!" Brielle was born at 1:57pm after less than 5 hours of awesome labor and only 2 pushes crying loud and hard as soon as she was born. They put her on my chest instantly and that was such an overwhelmingly special moment! I was so incredibly excited to see her finally after 9 months of pregnancy and be her mother. That first moment makes everything worth it and the rush of love, adoration and awe is more than words can describe. I was in utter heaven seeing her for the first time as I realized I was living one of the best moments of my life. I had a perma smile for the rest of that special day.
After cleaning her up, weighing, measuring etc, Richard and I were able to hold her. She had been crying while they did all that, and as soon as I was able to hold her and talk to her, she calmed right down and just stared at me the whole time I held her! It was so sweet!! After we were able to bond with her, Liam, my parents and siblings came to meet her. At first Liam was confused why I couldnt get up (my epidural was still making my legs numb), but once he saw his very own baby, he was so excited! He was a little hesitant at first with her, but warmed right up, giving her tons of hugs and kisses and was showing all my siblings his baby! He kept saying "look! Baby!" and pointing to her. It was really cute :)
Our stay in the hospital was awesome! All the nurses were great and the food was yummy. Because we wanted to get back home to Liam asap and I felt great, we actually went home a little over 24 hours after she was born. It felt so good to be back in our house with our little family. My mom stayed for a little over a week and was such a help.
Everything about this pregnancy, delivery and recovery has been easier. I was hardly sick during my pregnancy and if my epidural hadn't slowed things down for an hour of my labor and we hadn't had to wait for the doctor, she would have been born in 3 1/2 hours!! My recovery with Liam wasn't that bad at all and didn't last long, which says a lot because he was so big. But with Brielle, I was totally healed (I tore a tiny bit, only because she came out so fast) and back to normal by the time she was 5 days old! It was AWESOME! She is also a really good eater. As soon as I held her after she was born, she wanted to nurse and caught on immediately. We had no issues with latching or anything else. She knew just what to do and loves to eat! In fact, at our first appointment when she was a couple days old, the doctor said to expect a 10-15% loss of her body weight because that is what most newborns do. Well, she only lost 1 ounce! So I am glad I don't have to worry about her not getting enough! She fills her diapers to capacity within an hour or so which is really rare for a newborn. She also hardly ever cries which is so nice! When she is ready to eat (which feels like all the time) she just grunts and smacks her lips. I can count on one hand the amount of times she has cried since she came home from the hospital. But you don't get in between this girl and her food, or you will hear her very unique cry ;) It sounds just like a kitten! All in all, she is a wonderful baby and we are so grateful to have her in our lives! Liam LOVES her and is always wanting to hold and kiss her. He regularly asks for her at bedtime, when he first wakes up, wants her to sleep with him, bathe with him and pretty much anything else he does. I am so excited to watch them play together when she gets older! We are really lucky that he has not had any jealousy issues and I am hoping it stays that way!
Life has been so much more full of joy and happiness since she came, which we didn't think was possible at all! It's amazing how a new baby is born and it feels like they have been a part of your family forever. Almost like you were only away from each other for a short time and are just being re-united. I do have to say that life with kids 18 months apart is exciting, but a lot of work. Which is why it has taken me 2 weeks to post her birth story :) I have been working on it since she was 4 days old, but finding time to complete it has taken a lot longer than I thought! When I am not nursing, I am changing someone's diaper, feeding Liam, playing with Liam, taking care of Liam, eating, putting Liam down for either nap or bedtime, getting ready myself, cleaning the house, making food....etc. And by the time I know it the day is over! Motherhood takes up all my time, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
We are totally addicted to having babies!!
I am sure there will be many more birth stories coming in the near future ;)
textbook, a blur and perfect.
Starting in the 3rd trimester I started to have long series of painless braxton hicks contractions which really started to pick up around 36 weeks when I would have them several times a week. At my 36 week appointment I was excited to hear that they were helping me progress, as I was at 2 cm and 70% effaced. Not a ton of progress, but at least something. Then a couple days before I was full-term at 37 weeks, I had a 3 hour series of contractions that were 3-4 minutes a part. I remember sitting on the couch timing them and realizing that she could be coming, but my unfinished to-do list was running through my mind the whole time. I still had 3 1/2 weeks left! And she wasn't even full-term! They stopped after 3 hours, and started up again during the middle of the night, except this time they were starting to get a little painful and they were closer together. The thought of her possibly having to stay in the NICU really became a reality and I started to get scared. After praying that she would be safe, they stopped. The same kind of series of contractions would happen about 2-3 times a week.
At my 37 week appointment, my doctor said that because I was full-term, if my contractions went for 2 hours and were less than 10 minutes a part, I should go into the hospital and he would put me on pitocin to make sure they continued, because my body was obviously ready and trying. And of course, one night they went for 1 hour 45 minutes consistently 4 minutes apart and stopped right before we were ready to head in. It was a tender mercy that they stopped again, because Richard, Liam and I all had colds and the thought of delivering a baby while my whole family was sick terrified me. At my next appointment at 38 weeks, the doctor said that if they went for 1 hour less than 10 minutes a part to go in to the hospital and then also set my induction date for 39 weeks. We decided that was the best idea because of how big Liam was. He was afraid that if he let me go to or past my due date she could be as big or bigger and because I am such a petite girl (I am 5ft 4in and about 115 lbs when not pregnant), my chances of a C-section if she was close to 10 pounds (which was realistic since Liam was more than 9 1/2 pounds) would have been high. Richard and I prayed hard about this and decided induction was our best option and felt really good about it.
At my 37 week appointment, my doctor said that because I was full-term, if my contractions went for 2 hours and were less than 10 minutes a part, I should go into the hospital and he would put me on pitocin to make sure they continued, because my body was obviously ready and trying. And of course, one night they went for 1 hour 45 minutes consistently 4 minutes apart and stopped right before we were ready to head in. It was a tender mercy that they stopped again, because Richard, Liam and I all had colds and the thought of delivering a baby while my whole family was sick terrified me. At my next appointment at 38 weeks, the doctor said that if they went for 1 hour less than 10 minutes a part to go in to the hospital and then also set my induction date for 39 weeks. We decided that was the best idea because of how big Liam was. He was afraid that if he let me go to or past my due date she could be as big or bigger and because I am such a petite girl (I am 5ft 4in and about 115 lbs when not pregnant), my chances of a C-section if she was close to 10 pounds (which was realistic since Liam was more than 9 1/2 pounds) would have been high. Richard and I prayed hard about this and decided induction was our best option and felt really good about it.
So of course after that appointment, I would have contractions for more than an hour, all the time. But each time we were tired, it was in the middle of the night, or we wanted to get more stuff done, so we would wait through them and eventually they would stop. My parents and 5 of my siblings came into town on the 22nd and almost every night my contractions would start up for 2-3 hours and at times they started to get progressively more painful. I was tempted several times to go in before my induction date, but each time decided to wait them out for one reason or another.
On the 24th (the day before my induction was scheduled), I had contractions almost all day. I worked on all the last minute things I needed to do and all during them felt contraction after contraction. They didn't hurt very bad, but I definitely noticed them. Then that night, each time I would get up to go to the bathroom, I noticed they were still coming and again they started to hurt. Around 4am, they really started to hurt, enough that I had to breath through them and they were coming about 2 minutes apart. I watched the sun rise outside, trying to decide if we should rush in or wait until 7:30 for my scheduled induction. Around 6am my alarm went off and I realized that once again, they must have stopped since I was able to fall asleep because I was so tired from hardly sleeping that night. I got up to get ready and noticed that they were still coming, but they were not as painful as they had been. We arrived at the hospital and while they were checking me in and starting pitocin I explained that I had been having contractions all night. The nurses thought it was funny I was essentially in labor while being induced :) I am so grateful I have gone into labor on my own both times and didn't have to ever be truly induced. It's nice to know that my body can do exactly what it's supposed to! :) They started the pitocin on a low dose and my contractions kept coming at a regular pace as they had been since we got there.
They noticed that my contractions started to space out after the epidural, so they turned up my pitocin to make them go back to how close they had been before. At a little before 1pm, my doctor came in to check me and see how I was doing after they turned up the pitocin. I was at 5cm dilated and about 90% effaced and he said that I probably wouldn't have her until after 4pm. He mentioned that some girls go from 5cm to 10cm fast, but he said that is really rare and was confident it would be awhile. We asked him if he thought Richard was safe to leave to get a movie and food and he said he was 99% sure he was fine. Well right as Richard was leaving, my parents and 3 of my sisters came up to see us. I was so excited to see them and as we were chatting away and Richard was talking to my Dad about politics, I noticed that I was having some weird pain on my lower right hand side of my stomach. Even through my Epidural. Then I noticed that my contractions on the monitor were looking weird. They weren't going down at all and I had been having 1 long, hard contraction the whole time they were there. It would dip a tiny tiny bit, but never came all the way down like a normal contraction. I mentioned it to my mom and she said that was really weird. We kept talking and the pain started to increase enough to make me worry my epidural wasn't working. Then all of a sudden, I felt a huge wave of nausea hit and my family rushed out just in time for me to fill up my hospital mug (haha...gross I know). After that I decided to have the nurse come in to talk to her about the weird contraction I was having and the fact my epidural was acting weird (the nurse anesthetist said if it worked only in patches to let the nurse know so they could fix it). I also told her I had puked so I could get a new mug. She got a weird look on her face and decided to check me. To my UTTER surprise she checked me and said "you are complete and she is RIGHT there!! I need to call the doctor right away" I was SHOCKED! It had only been about 30 minutes since the doctor had checked and at that point I was only 5 cm dilated! So I was going through transition while my parents were there! I had several thoughts racing through my head, some of which were: 1. I am SOOO glad I got the epidural when I did! I was going to wait longer and if I had, it would have been too late 2. I am so glad my parents came when they did or Richard would have left and he didn't have a cell phone on him! He could have missed everything!
The nurse called our doctor to tell him to get back asap and I heard her in the hallway talking to someone saying "if this doctor doesn't get back really soon, you will have to deliver her! All the doctors are gone or in surgery and this baby is coming right now!" Richard and I were in shock! The nurse got everything set up as we waited about 30 minutes for the doctor and Richard snapped some last minute pictures. Because it all went so fast, we had hardly any pictures so we wanted to get some before it was all over.
Waiting for the doctor to come so she could be born
My awesome doctor came in and the first thing he said was "you weren't supposed to take me seriously when I said that some girls progress from a 5 really quick!" We all laughed and joked until he was ready (the reason I love the epidural) and then it was time to push! I was almost giddy I was so excited! We did one "refresher/test push" and her head started to crown! One real push later her head was all the way out and one more push and her body was out!!! It was amazing! The nurse kept saying over and over again "This was the textbook labor and delivery!!" Brielle was born at 1:57pm after less than 5 hours of awesome labor and only 2 pushes crying loud and hard as soon as she was born. They put her on my chest instantly and that was such an overwhelmingly special moment! I was so incredibly excited to see her finally after 9 months of pregnancy and be her mother. That first moment makes everything worth it and the rush of love, adoration and awe is more than words can describe. I was in utter heaven seeing her for the first time as I realized I was living one of the best moments of my life. I had a perma smile for the rest of that special day.
Seeing her for the first time
(It's sad it's out of focus, but she came SO fast that Richard didn't have time to switch to autofocus! But it's a true representation of her birth--blurry and fast)
Everything about this pregnancy, delivery and recovery has been easier. I was hardly sick during my pregnancy and if my epidural hadn't slowed things down for an hour of my labor and we hadn't had to wait for the doctor, she would have been born in 3 1/2 hours!! My recovery with Liam wasn't that bad at all and didn't last long, which says a lot because he was so big. But with Brielle, I was totally healed (I tore a tiny bit, only because she came out so fast) and back to normal by the time she was 5 days old! It was AWESOME! She is also a really good eater. As soon as I held her after she was born, she wanted to nurse and caught on immediately. We had no issues with latching or anything else. She knew just what to do and loves to eat! In fact, at our first appointment when she was a couple days old, the doctor said to expect a 10-15% loss of her body weight because that is what most newborns do. Well, she only lost 1 ounce! So I am glad I don't have to worry about her not getting enough! She fills her diapers to capacity within an hour or so which is really rare for a newborn. She also hardly ever cries which is so nice! When she is ready to eat (which feels like all the time) she just grunts and smacks her lips. I can count on one hand the amount of times she has cried since she came home from the hospital. But you don't get in between this girl and her food, or you will hear her very unique cry ;) It sounds just like a kitten! All in all, she is a wonderful baby and we are so grateful to have her in our lives! Liam LOVES her and is always wanting to hold and kiss her. He regularly asks for her at bedtime, when he first wakes up, wants her to sleep with him, bathe with him and pretty much anything else he does. I am so excited to watch them play together when she gets older! We are really lucky that he has not had any jealousy issues and I am hoping it stays that way!
8 days old on her due date
Liam tickling sister
Smiles at 1 1/2 weeks old
I am sure there will be many more birth stories coming in the near future ;)
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