Isabelle Rhiannon arrived on Monday, May 10th.
My tiny little girl was 6lbs 130z and 19.25 inches long
The labor went by extremely fast! Well, kind of...
About two weeks before she was born, I started have very small contractions that were hours apart. They were so mild that most of the time I didn't even realize I was contracting. Well, I went to the doctor and I was 2cm dilated and 25% effaced, which the doctor said is pretty normal for some women around 36 weeks. So, I went home and continued with my everyday business.
The following week, I went to the doctor again and it turns out I was 4cm and 75% effaced and she was at -1 station...so, she was starting her way down into the birth canal. The doctor wasn't too concerned, she just told me to keep a close watch on my body and if anything happens call her ASAP. I went home and nothing happened....
So, finally on May 10th, I went into the doctor again for my 38 week appointment and when she checked me, I was 6cm dilated, 100% effaced, the baby was at zero station, and my sack was engorged. The doctor was SHOCKED!! Apparently, I had been in labor for those couple of weeks and I didn't even know it. It was a so gradual that I didn't feel the contrations. She said that I need to take it easy and if my water breaks to get to the hospital right away. I was sent home to wait out the rest of this slow process.
I decided not to go into work that day because I wasn't feeling that great because of the exam and I was extremely exhausted for some reason. So, when Nathan and I got home, we decided to take a nap. Well, while taking a nap my WATER BROKE at 4:34pm! That was the weirdest sensation. During my pregnancy, I always asked people, "when will I know if my water breaks?"....or "when will I know if my contractions have started?" And everyone always told me, "Trust me, you will know."
That was definitely the case once my water broke...I knew that my water had broken because of the amount of clear fluid that gushed from me. At first, I honestly thought I had peed my pants, but once I figured it out that my water had broken I firmly woke up Nathan by saying, "Nathan, my water just broke!" He replied, "are you serious?" Once we both realized that this was really happening, we both jumped up out of bed and got ready to head to the hospital. I, of course, took a shower first. I thought since the "real" contractions still hadn't started that it was okay to take a quick shower to refreshen up.
Once in the car, the contractions started...I was trying to time them, but the pain was lasting too long and happen to fast to keep track. We got to the hospital a little after 5:15pm and that's when the contractions got bad...they were about 45 seconds apart and lasting around 30 seconds to a minute depending on the contraction. Well, it was about 6pm after getting into a room, registering, and the doctor finally showing up...she checked me and I was 8cm already.
She asked if I wanted an epidural and I said yes...I was in so much pain and it happened so fast that my body, and me personally, didn't have time to adjust to the pain that was taking over. Well, no meds for me! By the time the doctor showed up to give me the epidural I was screaming to the doctor that I needed to push, so she said "it's too late, the baby is coming now." She then told me that if I needed to push, then push....so, I did.
I started pushing about 6:15pm...and 3 pushes later, Isabelle was born at 6:23pm. The doctor said that I pushed like a professional. Whatever that means...LOL. She said that she has never seen a first time mom push that great. Well, I wanted her OUT OF ME!! LOL.
Once she was out, I was so shocked at how tiny she was...but, I was instantly in love with her. I can't explain the love you feel as a mom when that little being that you created finally arrives. I was so happy to finally have her there and to have a wonderful and loving husband stand there next to me as we watch her cry and look around.
Once she stopped crying, about 10 minutes later, she was just staring at me. This was a painful and overwhelming experience, but it was also the most joyous and wonderful experience. I would not change anything about it and I would totally do it again because of the great gift you get out of it. Childbirth is definitely the greatest, most miraculous thing!
Isabelle is truly a miracle!! :-)
Well, now it's 3 months later and she has grown so much....
I will have to keep this blog up-to-date and post more pictures....stay tuned!
