I can remember like it was yesterday... I remember my boobs being soooo sore, and I should have started my period that morning. My period came like clock work every month, so for it to be late afternoon and me still not have started was kinda wierd. For fun, I took a pregnancy test. I didn't tell Matt ahead of time, because I didn't want him to freak for no reason. I remember looking down at the strip and seeing the tiniest shade of pink for the second line. Two lines mean pregnant. What if one of the lines is light pink, so light you can barely see it though?? What does that mean? Sorta pregnant? Really hormonal?? My heart was racing, my stomach was flopping. Yeah, I wanted a baby, but this soon?? What is Matt going to say? So I Google it. Yes, I Google what a light pink line meant on a pregnancy test. You are pregnant. Yay!! Immediately, I fell in love with my baby.
Of course, Matt was dilly dallying on the farm that afternoon, we were visting family into late that afternoon, so it was late that night before we had time alone. I put a little piece of paper in a plastic easter egg that said,
"In January we will be hatching our own little egg! We are pregnant!"
Talk about nerves! I was shaking when I gave him the egg. I don't know why I felt so unsure of his reaction. He laughed and said, "Really?" Well, I went into this long expaination about how the strip wasn't pink-pink, just light pink...yadayada, and showed it too him and asked what he thought. He was grinning from ear to ear and said, "I think your pregnant." He wanted to call everyone right away and tell them. I told him to wait a little bit, that I would take another test in the morning and see what it looked like. There was no jumping up and down, no tears, but that's not my hubby. That smile meant everything to me though, that was his way of jumping of and down and shouting to the rooftops. Three tests later, and a RED second line on the test, it finally sank in: We were gonna have a baby!!
I can't keep secrets, so I couldn't wait to tell my mama. After about a week, I took a picture on my phone of the tests. I told her to look at what I took a picture of today, tell me if she could help me figure out what it was. She sputtered and stuttered..."Is this... are you.. does this mean...oh my goodness...are you...eekkk... (loud scream and the tears come on) I am going to be a grandma!!!" Priceless. I wish I coulda recorded it.
Looking back, I really had a wonderful pregnancy. The first trimester I was really exhausted. It didn't matter if I got 12 hours of sleep. I was a zombie. I sleep constantly. To my defense, I was working nights full time, 12 hour shifts, and taking a summer Master's class- Pathophysiology. I was nauseated some, and only threw up a handful of times... Mostly a night. I would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and run to the toilet. And the heat... ugh... Matt said I kept the house like a meat cooler. I only gained about 30 pounds, and was all baby. I kinda miss being pregnant. I miss feeling her move inside me. I miss my preggo tummy. I miss maternity jeans! Nothing beats elastic waist bands :) I really didn't swell to bad, only a little at the end of a 12 hour shift. I mowed grass, walked, planted flowers, ran (at the beginning), cleaned house, worked nights, and even moved to a new house, all while pregnant. I tried not to let it slow me down, and I think it helped with my delivery. I had minimal back pain, but I contribute it to working 12 hour shifts. After the first trimester, food tasted so much better while pregnant... maybe it was the guiltfree-ness of it.
one big preggo mama
My delivery was wonderful also. I kept thinking she was going to come early, on her own. Nope, too much like her Daddy... I had to be induced. I walked, had sex, ate spicy foods, took hot baths, EVERYTHING to try to induce labor naturally. The day I went in to be induced I was only fingertip and soft. Not very much cervical change. My OB told me to plan on being in labor for a day to a day and a half. They did an ultrasound for weight estimation on the baby, 8lbs 4 oz. Now, being 115lbs pre-pregnancy and 5'1" I was thinking "oh crap, c-section."
Matt and I get ready and I am admitted to the hospital at 8pm, December 28th. They give me the first dose of cytotec at about 10pm.
At 2am, when they checked me and before the second dose of cytotec I was only 1cm, 50% effaced... dadgum. Slow progress.
At 3:30, I was hurting BAD. I was so frustrated with myself for being wimpy. My nurse checked me and I was only 2cm. Are you kidding me?? Me being a nurse, I wanted to be a good patient and not complain, but man those contractions were kicking. They gave me Demerol and phenergan. Yuck. Never again. I was so drunk, so sleepy, so nauseated and still hurting! I threw up, I could still feel every contraction and would just fall asleep for the minute or so between them. I couldn't talk straight or think straight.
I suffered, and cried, and screamed (yes, I am embarassed to say it) until about 6am. They came in to give me the 3rd dose of cytotec and I almost refused it! I told the nurse I thought I was going to have to get my epidural or something because I was dying ( and yep, I really thought I was dying. I said I was never doing this again. (get pregnant that is)) it was horrible. I am still so embarassed. During those last few weeks, I thought I might be having contractions... um no, they did not even compare to the contractions I was having in the hospital. It felt like someone was cutting me open with a jagged blade. Worst. Pain. Ever. I will never forget it. I truly admire people who can do it naturally. I don't think I could have focused enough through the pain to push my baby out! Too, the demerol had me so dopey that I couldn't focus enough to really breath through my contractions. The nurse told me she didn't think I had dilated far enough to get my epidural, but she would check me anyways. Six centimeters!! What?!? This whole time I thought I was just being wimpy and I was making progress. Dang! Why didn't I ask for them to check me sooner?! Oh yeah, because I had NO IDEA what to expect. Please, dear Lord, give me my epidural!!!
Now, because we thought I would be in labor for so long, we told our moms to stay home and rest. My sister couldn't stand it though, she came to the hospital at about 3am. (Later, I was glad she came while she was holding my hair through the puking). While they were setting up for the epidural my waterbroke. In my drunkenness, I thought the baby had came out., then I thought to myself if I could just sit in the warm amniotic fluid because it kinda helped with the contractions (ew?)..haha. Immediately Matt and my sister were on the phone telling everyone to get to the hospital. My sister had called my mom a few minutes sooner when I was hurting so bad. In the mean time I was about to panic because I thought I was going to have to have my baby naturally! My nurses were awesome though.... they pressure bagged my fluid bolus in (which you have to get IV before you get an epidural to prevent low blood pressure which an epidural can sometimes cause), and my anesthesiolgist was awesome. One stick and 15 minutes later I was a different woman, in labor and delivery heaven! Thank the good Lord for fentanyl. I apologized to my nurse for my outbursts and pain intolerance, and thanked her for good work.
post epi-dural, one happy pregnant lady :)
Anywho... my labor progressed right on. My mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law all arrived in record time. The epidural didn't slow me down a bit. Maybe it was because I was already in very active labor when I got it. I only felt pressure for the contractions. My OB was very suprised. At 9:05am I was complete and started pushing at 9:40. At 10:40 my baby was here! Now let me just say this, that pushing is no joke. It's not like the movies, three pushes and baby is out. I pushed, and pushed, and panted, and pushed. Kudos to my nurses though... my delivery was very laid back. I would push during a contraction, then we would all chit-chat until the next one. My L&D nurse did a lot of the work. My doctor didn't show up until about 30 minutes into pushing. I started to get worried that I might not be able to get her out, but they assured me I was doing good. I also asked for the mirror, yes that might be strange and gross, but it helped. Ecspecially when she started crowning, it gave me the extra motivation I needed to really push! They kept telling me to get mad and push... how could I get mad during such a happy time! I was about to meet my angel!
Words cannot describe the feeling when she was born. Talk about happy tears :) Everyone cried.
Everyone was in shock about how big she was! And the blonde hair! Oh my. She shocked us for s
ure. Throughout my pregnancy I had pictured a petite, brown haired, little girl. Life is full of suprises. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was love at first sight. It was so overwhelming. I felt suffocated with emotion and nothing else in the world mattered. She was perfect. Ten perfect fingers, ten perfect toes, chubby little cheeks, absolutely precious. How can you not believe in God after something like that?
Norah Kate
12/29/2011
8lbs 11.8ounces, 20 3/4 inches long
She was the biggest baby in the nursery!!
After she was born, I don't remember if I felt any pain while they were stitching me up. I had a third degree tear. Every thing I had experienced... all of the pain and discomfort, the labor, it was all worth it. Oh yeah, and I decided that I just might go through it all again... one day :)
Our First Family Pic!
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