Birth Story

My Leah Louise is here! She was born May 25, 2009 at 1:23pm, weighing 7 pounds; 6 ounces, 19.5 inches long. She looks exactly like Zac's mom's newborn picture. Her name was so hard to choose because I liked so many, but one night I had a dream that I had a dark-haired baby girl. She was wearing a frilly pink dress. I picked her up and called her "Leah" so the name stuck.

The birth story:

Zac and I arrived at the hospital Sunday night around 11:30. I was brought into the room and dressed into the hospital gown, then given Cervidil. Around 1:30am, I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and given an IV with Pitocin. I stupidly declined a sleeping pill... My contractions were coming regularly every 10-30 minutes, each lasting 20-60 seconds. I managed to fall asleep for a few hours.

Around 6am, I woke up stronger contractions that were four minutes apart and lasting forever each. I buzzed the nurse and she came in to discover the Cervidil had come out, so she had to push it back in (ouch). Zac basically slept the whole time this was going on.

At 12pm, I was given an epidural and catheter, both of which were unpleasant. I was feeling incredible pressure on my pelvis and wasn't benefiting from the epidural at all. The pain was growing more intense and the nurses kept adjusting the dosage of anesthesia, but nothing was working. It was discovered that the epidural actually went into a vein. Mom and Zac were told to leave the room and I was given another epidural. Almost instant relief, except when they had to take the tape off my back. One long strip of what felt like duct tape from my shoulder to my butt, peeled off. Horrible.

The second epidural numbed my legs and lower abdomen, but I had a hot spot on my left side where all the contractions and birthing pain was concentrated. Leah's heart rate started dropping and I had to roll to my left side, then I started crying. I basically jumped from four centimeters to ten within the hour. My doctor arrived and broke my water and the nurse didn't get a chance to say "Let me know when you feel like pushing" before I screamed "I gotta push!" Five pushes and my baby girl popped out, slippery and gross and so perfect. I tore from Point A to Point B.

I was brought to the recovery room and spent a lot of snuggle time with Leah. Jena and Quinn came to see me and pass the baby around. They brought me a snoball. Mom went to pick up Dad and Jac and I introduced Big Brother to Little Sister. His face was so bashful and excited to see her... I cried a little. 

I had visitors! Cindy brought Miles to see me, then Katie, Olga and Alina stopped by, then Christina and Steve came. Even Kenny and Zac's grandma, Bonnie dropped in.

There was confusion over my discharge papers this morning. I was told I could go home, then I had to stay, and then I could go again. It was crazy. I had everything packed up already and it was really great to be able to just walk around right after the birth. I couldn't do that with Jac.

Marie and her family came by the apartment to visit for a little while and it's been such a busy, amazing day.