I cannot believe that it's been almost two YEARS ago I blogged last. Since Matt got home from the deployment to Iraq (Aug '09), we have had so many things going on (one wonderful one in particular) that it's hard to find the time to blog! However, with this second deployment approaching, I'm sure I'll be a little bit more diligent than I was in the past! Gotta have a way for him to see what's going on with the munchkin, right?
Which brings me to another topic... :) we found out on February 11, 2010 that we would be expecting a baby on or around October 22. My heart immediately filled with love for this little being. When I took the pregnancy test, I couldn't believe my eyes! I had to take it outside just to make SURE I was seeing two lines and it wasn't some weird lighting we had going on in our bathroom! :) I had a great pregnancy for those nine(ish) months with no complications and it all went very smoothly. Of course, at the end, I was miserable and just wanted the baby OUT, but feeling the kicks and movements were all priceless and so wonderful. I was also happy to have my husband there with me to experience the pregnancy because a lot of Army spouses don't have that "luxury" I guess you could say....
I've been wanting to write out her birth story for the longest time... I did write it in her baby book, but even now people will ask me questions about it and I feel like I'm starting to forget little tidbits here and there. First of all, let me say how OVERJOYED I was/am to have had Matt there to support me through the whole labor process! He was seriously an Angel to me and I have to say, I think I turned into a little demon throughout the contractions, apologizing in between each one. :)
On October 26, 2010 I was already four days past my due date. With my Dad due to leave Colorado that Friday, I was hoping that this (still nameless at that time) munchkin would make her appearance...and soon! That morning, I had an appointment with my Midwife who was going to be working L&D that night... and hopefully delivering my child... is what I was thinking! So, Matt, my Mom and I strolled into Labor and Delivery (my walk was more like a waddle) around nine o'clock that morning. She check everything out and told me I was dilated to a two and about 50% effaced. I was not happy. I thought SURELY there would be more progress than that. She told me if I didn't have her by October 31, then she would induce me. My first thought was "I am NOT having a Halloween baby!". My Mom, Dad and Ronnie would also be gone by that time, so it was a disappointment to say the least. So, she went ahead and stripped my membranes and told me she'd see me later.
After the disappointment, we strolled into our friends Tara and Jason's room, they had actually just had a baby themselves!! Her baby and our little one were due on the same day! :) (what a coincidence, huh?) So, we got to hold the precious Abigail and still dream of what our baby would look like and whose features she would have, etc. Abigail was (and is) so precious!
After leaving the hospital, we got in the car and all headed to the mountains to walk around a little bit. At that point, I was having some contractions, but I figured it was from my midwife stripping my membranes and would go away in a few hours. While on the car ride down, Dad and Matt were timing the contractions and they weren't regular at that point, but boy were they getting stronger!!! At about 3:30 PM we were home and I was getting a little harder to talk through them.... well, Matt and I decided to go ahead and make a trip to the hospital to see if any progress had been made.... after checking me, she said I was still dilated at a two, possibly three. They won't admit you until you're four centimeters. So, back home we went. The whole way home, I told him I was NOT going back to that dreadful hospital unless this baby was COMING! When we got home, I followed the midwife's orders to eat, take a bath and sleep. Okay, the last one didn't work, but I did eat and take a bath! :)
Around eight thirty, I couldn't take the pain anymore and was certain this baby was on her way, but still didn't want to go back to the hospital just to be turned down again! So, with a little convincing from Mom, Matt and Ronnie (Dad had already went to the hotel at this point), in we went. After they checked me for the second time, they said I was still the same, but I could walk around downstairs to see if that sped the process up, or I could take a shot of Morphine which would slow things down, but would enable me to get some rest. I opted to walk around... plus, the sound of morphine in my pregnant body without being able to even take Excedrin for the past nine months, sounded awful to me! The nurse told me to walk around for at least an hour, but to shoot for about two hours.
So, downstairs we went (thankfully it was late and the clinics at the hospital were closed, so I didn't have to worry about dodging a lot of people). As Matt and I walked around, we had to stop for my contractions as I put my arms around his necked and "rocked" through them... just as we had learned in our birthing class! :) Mom followed us around for a bit rubbing my lower left back because that's where a lot of the pain was coming from. So... we did this for about an hour- walking, break for contraction, walking, break for contraction... you get the idea. By the end of it, I was tending to hold my breath during contractions and starting to get a little dizzy and feeling like I was going to faint. At one point, Matt and Mom both told me to "Breathe, Brittany!" At that point I yelled... " I AM BREATHING!!!" :) Told ya, I was a little demon!
At that point I told them, I AM going upstairs to be checked again. That was about... 10:15-10:30ish. That elevator could not get me up there fast enough! I just KNEW I had made progress and it turns out, I was right! I had dilated to a 5.I slowly walked to the room I would be set up in and went to the bathroom before I would be confined to the bed. I'm sorry if this is TMI, but the toilet seat was honestly my best friend during some of my contractions! ANYWAY... after that, I got on the bed so that they could hook me up to an IV and all that lovely stuff.... once I got on the bed, my contractions seemed SUPER strong! I asked the doctor how long he thought I would be in labor and he told me I'd probably be there until 7 AM the next morning.... I thought I would DIE before then!!! For my own reasons, I had wanted to do this birth epidural-free, but after I was in that kind of pain, I ordered the nurse to get the "needle man" up there ASAP! As she went out of the room, I felt this urge to push. She yelled back at Matt "Don't let her push!!!!" and of course he told me not to, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do! So, unknown to Matt, I gave just a little push... not much, just enough to make me feel better (in my mind)! At that point, my water broke all over the bed and the heavenly anesthesiologist came rolling in with his cart of drugs! :)
Well, after my water broke and both the nurse and anesthesiologist walked into the room, the nurse decided to change my sheets before she checked me. At the same time, I'm having horrible contractions and the drug guy is asking me family history questions! By the way, that is quite possibly the WORST time to ask someone questions! He didn't even wait until I was done having the stinkin' contraction (I'm still a little bitter about that)! Anyway, after the questions and bed changing, the nurse finally checked me and said "Ut oh, you're dilated to an 8". I knew what that meant from our birthing class- no epidural. At that point, I was not upset at all, but I could see the anesthesiologist SLOWLY backing out of my room. I think he'd been attacked by pregnant women before who were probably given the same news. :)
At that point, I got the strongest urge to push that baby out! (isn't it the weirdest thing how our bodies know exactly what needs to be done?!) I pushed for about 5 minutes (according to my chart) and our little girl came into the world at 11:02 PM that night! As she was carried away after I got a good look at her, Matt went over with them and at that point said "I think she looks like a Carson"... I (tiredly) replied "okay!". At that point, we could have probably called her Elvis and I wouldn't have cared until later!
Dad arrived at the hospital just a few minutes after she was born! With everything going so fast, it was hard to even update ANYONE because Matt was helping me through everything!
With Carson, I would like to say I fell in love instantly.... and I DID, but at that point, you still don't "know" your baby yet. I have to say, even though I have loved Carson since the day she was created, I fall more in love with her each day as she grows, learns and responds to things and I know that love will continue to grow and grow.
If you made it through this LONG blog, thank you! But, I have to say, it's more for me than anyone else! It will be nice to sit down and read it when she is bigger! :)
