Your Birth Story

Dear Vivian:
Yay! You're finally here!!! And you're a girl!!
So we never forget, here is your birth story.
On Thursday afternoon while I say at my desk after my appointment I started to get very crampy and was having some uncomfortable contractions. I tries to time them but I was busy trying to get stuff done for work. I timed a few and they seemed to be about 7-8 minutes apart. But once I left work I didn't notice them too much. I chalked it up to just irritation from the exam.
I went about my normal business that night. We had french toast & then Teagan & I snuggled. I took a shower before bed. During the night I was having some contractions. I got up and bounced on my ball to see if I could really get them going and so I could time them. Again, they were about 7-7:30 mins apart. I went back to bed and tried to see. I did get some rest, but by 5-6am, I was havin some pretty painful ones. Dad woke up & heard me grumbling about them and he decided not to go to work. I thought for sure once I got up and moving around that they'd pick up & become regular. Well, just the opposite happened instead, they slowed down & fizzled out.
I told aunt Erin to come over for a walk, we were gonna get this baby out! So we walked about 3 or more miles. It was tiring and I didn't have a single contraction while we were on our walk. We came home and I started making us some grilled cheese (last meal I ate before your brother was born too). I had a few contractions here and there but they didn't hurt really. After lunch I bounced on my ball some more and had a few more contractions. Nothing would just get consistent!!! After aunt Erin left I decided to take a bath to help me relax. Then I went in the bedroom around 3 to lay down with Teagan and try to get a nap in. As I was trying to doze off, he kept rolling around and giggling and he'd hit my belly and I was having contractions that seemed to be about 5 minutes apart. I didn't say anything to daddy because I figured as soon as I fell asleep or got up and walked around they'd go away.
Around 3:30 daddy came in and said he was going hunting. He noticed I seemed to be in pain but I told him to go anyway. He took the day off and nothing happened with him home so he may as well go and I could see if anything happened. I asked him to take Teagan to nana's so I could be alone. It was too much trying to run around after him and entertain him while I was hurting. After they left I paced the house. Contractions picked up the more I walked. I just kept doing laps around the house, stopping every few contractions that were really bad. I went to the bathroom around 4:15 and noticed I was losing my plug. I knew that labor was near. I text daddy and told him about it. Contractions were starting to get more intense. I tried to call my dr but they close at 3:30 on Fridays. So I just paced more . Any time I sat down my contractions slow right down & spaced out. I didn't understand. So I was second guessing whether or not I was in labor. I decided I should just keep walking. At 5 I text daddy and told him he needed to come home. I knew he'd need to shower and that we'd need to go soon. I was starting to cry through a few contractions. They were about 3:30 minutes apart. I had packed Teagan's bag earlier and I grabbed his bin of trains. We went over and dropped them off to him at Nana's. At first he was saying he didn't want to go home but once he realized we were leaving for the night he was upset.
Around 6:15 I called the on call number and they put me through to my dr. I told him I was ready to have my baby now. He asked what was going on and then said that usually contractions need to be 3 mins apart for about 2 hours before going in but I could go get checked if I felt like I really needed to. It was a bit discouraging to hear that. I started to wonder if they'd just send me home.
Once we got there we had to stand at the nurses station while I filled out an insurance form since I switch insurances since I sent in my preregistration packet.
When I was finished they took me down to a room WITH ANOTHER COUPLE! I was so irritated I was having to share a room with someone else who was in labor! Apparently all the labor & delivery rooms were full and we'd have to wait. My nurse checked me and I was 3 cm dilated. I heard the lady on the other side of the curtain talking to her nurse and her nurse told her the next available room had a jacuzzi tub but she wouldn't be able to use it because she'd be on Pitocin. So that made me even more irritated knowing she was there to be induced and was going to get the first room with a tub that she couldn't even use!!
Then there was a shift change and the first nurse that had my preregistration packet left, so my new nurse made me full it out again....all 6 pages!!
And to top it off, I was starving and those people went and ordered a damn pizza!! Ooooh sooo annoying! I could smell it throughout the room and I just wanted some! And daddy said the lady over there kept farting.
My nurse called my dr and he decided to keep me. They then said I would get the available room because I was in active labor and the other lady wasn't. So down the hall we went. My room was directly across from the nurses station. They hooked me up to the monitors and said my dr wanted me to have a 1/2 bag of fluids and that once they got them going I could get into the tub. So in I went. Oh man was it heavenly. I got in around 8:45 I think and my nurse said I had to be out by 10 to get checked again. I ended up getting out around 9:45. The water was making me way too hot and I felt like I needed to be up and moving during contractions. I got on all 4s during one contraction and daddy was scared I'd drown. So I got out and started pacing my room waving my gown around because I was so hot. At 10:10 grandma & grandpa got there with some food for daddy. Right after they got there I had to be checked again and get hooked back up to the monitors.
This time I was at 7cm. She said she was going to call my dr now.
My dr got there about 10:30. He could hear my grumbling with every contraction from the nurses station right across the hall. He came in and asked if I wanted anything for pain. I told him I liked to endure the pain. He thought I was nuts. He said he'd break my water. Within about 10-15 minutes of him doing so I was about 8-9cm.
Aunt Erin and aunt Lindsey got there just before 11.
At 11:05 he came back in and said "Let's have a baby!" "Right now?" I asked. He said I could wait until tomorrow if I wanted to. I told him no. So he suited up and grandpa and aunt Lindsey left the room. At 11:08 I started pushing. Daddy said maybe the baby would come at 11:16 on 11/16 if I hurried. My dr said "I'm not going to be here another 8 minutes." and I gave about 3 pushes and out you came at 11:11pm on 11/16. I was so shocked that you were a girl. I couldn't believe it. The baby girl that I dreamed of having!!
Daddy cut the cord & called nana to tell her. Grandma went out and got grandpa & aunt Lynnie...who hadn't even made it to the end of the hall to the waiting room. Dr Dodard delivered the afterbirth and we passed you around the room.
You weighed in at 8 pounds even. Perfect in every way possible!
Grandpa & grandma left the hospital around 12:15 when it was time for me to move down to the post partum rooms. I got the last single room! Pheww no sharing with anyone thank god!
Aunt Erin & aunt Lynnie went and got me some McDonalds and came back around 12:45am. They had you in the nursery cleaning you up. Your aunts waited to see you again and then left a little after 1.
This whole experience was 110 times different than your brothers birth. It was way easier, shorter & I felt way better after you were out. I felt human again. I could walk and move around. It was great!
I love you to the moon and back baby girl.
Love,
Mommy