At my 38 week appointment my midwife had checked me and had said I was 3cm dilated and 40% effaced... I was excited since a couple weeks ago I had only been a 1 and not effaced at all. I had been going back in forth in my head about induction or letting things happen naturally...I wanted to let things happen naturally, but we live so far from the hospital I wanted to deliver at I was nervous about making it in time and what to do with Baylor. So at my appointment we discussed it and she felt that I was favorable for induction and I would go in Wednesday evening and begin induction early Thursday morning May 1st when I was 39 weeks. Starting that next day I knew from being checked I would be sore and have some contractions... Well I was loosing my mucus plug (I know grossest words in the world) and it just kept like that all weekend. Sunday during church I started having some contractions that were uncomfortable and I had to get up during church to see if it could help some, thankfully they fizzled out since I was really excited to have my prenatal massage on Monday while Baylor was in pre-school! We had a good rest of the day just relaxing and I went to the grocery store to grab a couple of meals until we went to the hospital. Monday I dropped my little man off at school and went and enjoyed the most wonderful hour massage a pregnant girl could ask for! I was so excited because I felt so relaxed and it was going to help me sleep! I picked Baylor up from school and we came home ate lunch and I put him down for a nap and I slept a few minutes with him. Well I went to the restroom and I noticed I had my "bloody show" (another awesome pregnancy term) and thought ok, next couple of days we could be having a baby and no induction. I really wanted to avoid pitocin like the plague! Well I laid back down in our room and noticed I was having some light contractions around 2.... by 3:30 I was like I am going to start timing these they are getting a little more uncomfortable...They were coming about every 9 minutes apart. I started thinking well maybe I am in early labor, but this could last days and I don't want to go to the hospital tonight since there are suppose to be some bad storms. Zach got home and asked how I was feeling and I was telling him what I was feeling and how the contractions were 8 or 9 minutes apart, but I would cook dinner first then call the doctor and get her opinion. I called and of course she says if you think you need to come in then you should, but generally rule of thumb is 5 minutes apart lasting 1 minute for 1 hour. Since we live farther I had already planned to come when they were 6 or 7 minutes. So we finished dinner up and took Baylor outside to play and the contractions were coming every 6 minutes and my mom was like you need to go, so I went inside and took a shower and told Zach to call his mom since she was going to stay with Baylor! So while we waited for them to get there we popped popcorn for Baylor and I sat with him and cried a little since he wasn't going to be my only baby anymore. While we are getting things together of course the storms had started a little bit and we had a tornado warning for our county! Of all things to happen a tornado!! Thankfully we didn't get any of and were able to get out the door by 7:45 to head to the hospital... We make it to the intersection at 34 and Zach realized he forgot his wallet! I was like if I miss out on an epidural I blame you entirely! lol! We finally get to the hospital and my contractions are about 5 and 1/2 minutes apart so we get into triage at labor and delivery and I get checked and I am 4cm and 80% effaced with my water bulging (I guess it was thinking about breaking). By now of course my contractions are getting a little farther apart and I am on the borderline of rather to be kept or be sent home so they send me out in a gown and my gold sandals to walk the hospital, my sweet family was there walking the hallways with me and helping me get through some of the more painful contractions. We walk for an hour and then I get checked again and am still just a 4 so they send me walking again at midnight and my parents and Zach were walking with me and the contractions were just getting so uncomfortable...I get checked one more time and I have made a little more progress so they finally decided to admit at 2am! I am so sleepy by this point and the lady drawing my blood is like I can't believe you are yawning through your contractions! It had to be the massage! ;) We finally get set up in a room at 3:30 and got my iv put in and they gave me some medicine to put the edge off and sleep.... I was so sleepy, but the contractions would randomly wake me up and I knew the way I was feeling I was working against my body and tensing up! I tried so hard to relax and just let it happen, but it was awful... When I got checked again at 6 I was only a 5 so they decided to start pitocin to help my contractions get more regular. UGH they got regular and PAINFUL!!! At 8am my midwife walked in and I was so happy to see her because she always just makes me feel better! She decided to check me and break my water, well while she was checking me I had the worst contraction and she couldn't fully check me and thought I was only dilated to a 6... This is when I decided lets get things rolling for an epidural! The fluids began and at 9 something I got the sweet relief of the epidural! Zach almost passed out since he decided to watch and I was so annoyed because it was the same time I needed him to hold my hand through my contraction with some needles sticking out of my back! loL! They decided to check me when it was in and I was already an 8. By the time my family came back in to say hey and see how I was doing I was talking to them and said Oh I am having some pressure in my butt, and my mom was like oh call the nurse! Everyone goes out and the nurse checks me and said well nothing is hanging out so thats good, and then she goes to check me and says well I can see her head! She went and called the midwife and my mom came back in the room to be there too and they begin to set everything up. The nurse said lets try a practice push with the next contraction and I guess the contraction started to push her out and she said lets not do that and Stephanie will be here in just a second. So as soon as she came in she got her stuff on and said ok lets push on the next contraction and I pushed and she was out! Stella was absolutely gorgeous and it was so shocking to see her with SOOOO much hair!! We were ecstatic! I was so happy my baby girl was here and healthy and just amazed at what my body can do! :) Stella Kate said hello and 10:38am weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and 19 1/2" long with a 13 3/8" head!
