Just for a recap (for those who don't know our birth story), I'll post a shortened version of the events of Hannah's birth!
(I realize this is late being published, but I started to write this on her actually birthday)
Let's start with March 21st...it was a Saturday, I was HUGELY pregnant, swollen, miserable. I whined to Micah all day that I did NOT want to return to work on Monday, nor did I want to go to church the next day and hear "You haven't popped yet?!" We lounged around for most of the day until finally, sometime in the late afternoon, I decided I was going to do something about my condition!
We got ready and headed to eat at Arbys. I ate like a horse (how unusual! ;) )despite feeling just a tad nauseous. I had had inconsistent "contractions" throughout the day, but nothing worth reporting to anyone. After dinner, we headed to Target to grab a few things for the impending birth. While there, I did start having time-able cramping...three minutes apart. It wasn't overly painful, and I was able to walk and talk through them, so I chalked it up to more intense Braxton-Hicks and we continued on our way.
After Target, we headed to Marshall's to pass time. By this point, it was around 9:00. I was getting tired, still cramping, and a little queasy. We decided to head home for the night.
On the way home, we stopped and got M&M Mcflurrys from McDonald's...I was craving one! Little did I know it would be my last meal before Hannah arrived!
Once we arrived home, I decided to lay down for bit, just in case for some slim chance I was actually going into labor. Within ten minutes, I was on the floor on all fours moaning in pain. Micah bolted up the stairs faster than I'd ever seen him and before the contraction was over, he was downstairs with our hospital bag in tow.
At this point, my water started breaking and I started panicking! I called my Mom and Dad (who were about an hour and a half from home at this point), so they jumped in the car and started on their way to the hospital. I called the doctor and they told me to head on in.
At exactly 12 midnight, my water really broke. If that is not the weirdest feeling one can experience in life, I don't know what is. Of course, Micah had to peak under the sheets to see what all of the fuss was about. He then reported that I was in fact, "sitting in a puddle of water", haha.
I roughed out the contractions until I was 4cms, at which time I opted for an epidural. The first one didn't work and only numbed my left side, leaving all of the pain on my right. They tried for a second time, and SUCCESS! I was virtually pain-free for the rest of the labor and delivery.
At around 4:00am, I felt an increasing amount of pressure, so I called the nurse in to check me. I was at 10cms and she informed me that it was time to push!
I had been waiting for this moment for the past nine months, however, upon hearing those words, I have to admit that I was gripped with panic.
As they readied the room and table, I was flooded with a million emotions. I was so excited to finally see my baby girl and become a Mommy, but the thought entered my head, What if I'm a bad Mommy? What if I don't love her?! How funny to think back on those thoughts now, a year later. If I only knew then how much I would love this precious girl! I suppose it was hormones and sheer exhaustion at that point!
And so the real work of labor began...I pushed for 45 minutes, and Hannah was born healthy and vibrant at 4:43am after a total of 6 hours of labor. She was just perfect and my heart felt as though it was going to swell out of my chest. The first time I held her was indescribable...
We were overtaken with love for her...and such joy that she was finally here and perfectly healthy!
As I sit here a little over a year later, I am still amazed that I love her more everyday. What a blessing from a good God!
<1st Birthday Party post to come!!>
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