So after we had told my parents we knew we wanted to tell Andy's parents in person. We had been planning a road trip for Jesse and Katie's wedding. So on the way to Buffalo we stopped in Rochester (we met them somewhere on the way ish) and gave my mother in law a birthday card on it with an ultrasound picture. I had gotten a little sneak peak on the baby at work one day! Andy's dad said he knew something was up and my mother in law was stoked!
We continued to tell people on our road trip that we were pregnant, we visited the Newmans in Ohio and told them, then Andy's sister Katie and her now husband Wade, and Rick and Kathrin and also Matt and Brooke Lloyd.
YUCK, I do NOT like my hair short, so please if I ever want to cut it like this, please don't let me!!! And really don't make a drastic hairstyle change when you are pregnant!!!
It was so fun telling everyone, especially with your first!
Alright, so I am trying to remember some details of the pregnancy, I gained a LOT of weight with Cora. I had her in January so all winter I was big and pregnant and BORED. haha I had worked up until December 1st and instead of being wise and reading books or journaling or preparing I think I did a lot of vegging and relaxing before the baby came. I remember Christmas coming and going. December 28th coming and going. That is Andy's birthday and Cora's due date. New Years Eve coming and going, New Years Day coming and going. At that point I was fed up and just thought heck this baby could just come in February at this point! HA. The last few weeks of pregnancy are SUPER difficult! Anyways, on my due date I thought my water had broken so I was admitted at Beverly Hospital and monitored. Water had not broken but the monitor was showing pretty decent contractions that I had no idea were happening.
I was sent home bummed. So anyways a week went by...Thursday night came and I went to bed. I forget why I was in the hospital that day - maybe the non stress test? Again contractions and I couldn't feel a thing. Anyways, Andy is sound asleep and I was having contractions. I think I threw up and walked around upstairs quite a bit just to walk. I actually think the midwife gave me a sleeping pill to sleep because she thought labor wouldn't start for several hours. I feel like I am forgetting why I was in the hospital because I know she sent me home with a sleeping pill saying labor won't start for some time...
I said to Andy, ah I think we should think about going to the hospital around 1145 or maybe 1? I am pretty sure that Andy said something like this better be it haha because I had wanted it to happen so bad that I thought I was having symptoms once or twice. (I should have recorded this a while ago) My red LL bean bag was packed with everything you could think of. The CD that the kids listen to at night, magazines, Scripture cards, 16 extra DD batteries in case we needed 16 because who knows how long everything would take, right?
They admitted me again and I think I was 4 cm. Contractions were mild to moderate at this point and I was walking around in the lovely hospital johnny they give you. They have to monitor you every once in a while so I can remember being strapped to the darn bed during a strong contraction and my whole body would tense up. I LOVED being up and walking or leaning on the bed, I think I used the birthing ball a couple times but not a whole lot. I remember repeating things to myself like, I can do everything through Christ who strenghtens me and my body was made for this, you can do it, God made your body to do this! I spend a good amount of time in the tub which is nice because the water is nice but it is hard to get comfortable in a bathtub in the hospital. But the water does really make you feel weightless (I had Cameron in the water at the birth center...stay tuned for that story...). I got out when I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. So a labor coach will tell you having a baby feels like you have to go to the bathroom. Yes, that is kind of what it feels like except it is a baby. And yes that is very strange. So anyways, I got out of the tub and soon after I felt like I had to push. No one had checked on us in a while and I really felt like I needed to push so Andy pressed the call button. About three nurses ran in and Andy, the first time labor partner, said "ahh, she needs to push." They said, oh that's it and left. haha This was at 7am. There was a point where Andy asked me about the epidural which I really didn't want to do. I was checked and I am pretty sure I was 8 cm or something like that so I did not want it for 2 more centimeters! After all, that was in my birth plan - no drugs! Luckily my labor had been relatively short so I could do that and I am so thankful for that!
So anways, pushing was HARD. I also don't think I really knew how to push, I wonder also if lying on my back was the best position to do that...but I can't really do anything about that now. I pushed for two hours and out she came! I was exhausted and elated!!! We called my in-laws and my parents to tell everyone that we had a GIRL. We didn't know what we were having and we named her Cora Elizabeth. She was so precious and beautiful!
WARNING: gets kind of graphic...(not that it hasn't already but this is about post partum)
Now I do have to say that after I had her, I tore very bad and they had to stitch me up. They asked me which drugs they should give me and I told them to knock me out! haha I had just had a baby au natural and I had NO idea really what needed to happen after someone has a baby. So anyways, Cora had meconium so the NICU people were in the room, and they whisked her away rather quickly. I was then taken back to surgery and Andy was left alone. I remember the nurse putting a needle in my back and soon after I totally passed out sleeping. I woke up in some room and there was no baby, no husband, no nurse nothing. I was very confused and upset. I was pretty sure I had just had a baby but I didn't know where she was and I didn't know where Andy was. I am pretty sure I was in an overflow room because they kind of forgot about me. A nurse did come and checked on me but other than that I was alone in a random room. I am kind of still upset about this. So after a while Andy came down and they eventually transferred me to another overflow room and I am pretty sure they brought back the baby at that point too. That is my least favorite part of this story, the confusion, the aloneness, and feeling forgotten about.
My parents, aunt and Grammy Sun came to see us. It was very overwhelming and exciting!
I really do think labor is actually very cool and empowering...especially with your second....
