New Beginnings

Hello again all! It's been quite some time since I've written, so I thought I'd jump on while I have a chance and let you all know what's knew. Granted, if you're my friend on facebook, you probably already know all of this, but I'm going to say it all anyways.

If I go in order of events, I should start with having a baby!

February 13, I was awake around 2:30 am, unable to go back to sleep, and counting very mild contractions at about 5 minutes apart. So Andrew and I went to the hospital at around 4 am. My contractions were just regular enough that they decided to keep me for observation to see if I was dilating. My midwife checked me around 8 am and told me that she would normally say to go home and walk, but being as it was well below freezing, she suggested I stay and walk in the hospital and that she'd check me around lunchtime.

At lunchtime, she measured me at 90-95% effaced and dilated to 4 cm. So she broke my water. She told me to start thinking about petosin to help move things along faster since I'd already been at the hospital that long, as well as an epidural (since most people who get petosin need one). Well, let me tell you! Once my contractions really hit, they hit hard! There was no more thinking about an epidural - I wanted one right then and there! At one point, I had to use the bathroom, and I had a contraction so back it made me poop and puke all at the same time.

SO I got an epidural. With the first one, unfortunately, I was one of those women that get a hot spot, which is one isolated area where you can still feel contractions...and it was in my right hip. Plus I was a little lightheaded. So the anesthesiologist came and took that one out and put in a new one in a different location. That was the second time I threw up. After that second one started working, though, I was able to relax and get a short nap in.

A little while later, Andrew decided to go find something to eat (he'd had about as much as I'd had to eat that day). The midwife came in as the nurse was about to check my progress and start me on petosin. As soon as the midwife checked me, she asked where dad was, so we had to call Andrew and say "it's time!" I had gone from 5-10 cm in an hour and was ready to push! (At some point in this story, they had to hook a monitor to my baby's head to check her heart rate because it had dipped so low. My memory of the day is a tad bit blurry.)

Well, Andrew held my left leg, which I couldn't feel at all, while the nurse held my right leg. Twenty minutes of pushing later, out came this beautiful 8 lb, 19.5 inch long baby girl. And we became parents.

I know there's a few things about that day that I probably left out, like when I had a contraction in front of the nurses station and told them all "This sucks!" when it was over. But that's the jist of it.

Now for other great news: Andrew and I got married! We kept it simple and just went to the magistrate's office with my parents and his dad. We plan to do a ceremony of some sort, maybe a vows renewal type thing, next year or the year after that we'll invite a lot of friends to so there's a celebration. But I'm super happy! (Also, you know it's love when they see you at your grossest...IE puking/pooping or pushing out a baby...and still think you're beautiful and are proud of you!)

Other than that, I've just been taking things one day at a time. I'm learning to be both a wife and a mom now. And I wouldn't change a thing.