I have decided to document Grace's birth story, so that I can read it to her someday. I will include all of the details that I can remember. Most of it is still fresh in my memory, but there will definitely be parts that I forget. It's going to be long and detailed, but that's how I want it!
Warning: there WILL be details about the whole labour process, although nothing too gross! The pictures may seem graphic, if you've never seen a new baby fresh out of the womb!
This was the most amazing moment of my entire life -
I hope you enjoy reading about it! :)
First I'll start by saying that the last month of my pregnancy was a little rough. My blood pressure was high and I was put on partial bedrest. I felt like a ticking time bomb. I was scared to do anything in case it elevated my blood pressure and put my baby at risk. So, I did a whole lot of nothing! The only positive thing about the high blood pressure was that I got to go for weekly ultrasounds. We loved that we got to see our sweet little girl each week. I was able to keep my blood pressure under control enough to avoid being induced early. My last ultrasound was on Friday, September 10th. I was 39 weeks pregnant and I remember saying to the nurse: "I really hope this is the last one before I get to meet my baby". Turns out I was right! :)
On Tuesday, September 14th, I had an appointment with my ob/gyn, Dr. Ferguson. My due date was that Saturday (September 18th) and I was anxious to have this baby! He checked me and said that I was barely 1cm dilated. I was so disappointed. He told me that he wanted to sweep my membranes to hopefully get things going. I'm going to spare you the details on what this is and how painful it was. If you're curious, google it! :) I left his office feeling very excited. I could potentially go into labour at any time now! I was ready in every sense of the word. After my appointment, I went over to my friend, Tanya's house to meet her new little boy (he was born 3 weeks before Grace). I started to have a bit of cramping when I was there, but nothing major. I just started to feel a bit uncomfortable and I had some spotting. Dr. Ferguson had told me that this might happen and not to get too excited, because it was probably just from the membrane sweep.
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| Visiting with Tanya and Ryder after my doctor's appointment. September 14, 2010 |
Tuesday and Wednesday are kind of a blur. All I know is that I was having contractions irregularly all through Tuesday evening/night and all day on Wednesday. They weren't escalating and they weren't getting more regular, but they were just there. 3 minutes apart. 10 minutes apart. 2 minutes apart. 4 minutes apart. I sat there with my little notebook and pen, writing down every contraction, praying that they would become more regular so I could go into the hospital! By Wednesday evening, I was exhausted! I hadn't slept hardly at all since Monday night. I was uncomfortable, sore and emotional. I wanted my baby to hurry up! My cousin, Sherri is a nurse in labour and delivery, so I had been calling her frequently for advice. As I talked to her that evening, she told me to take a warm bath and try to get some rest. We were both scared that by the time I was actually in labour, I would be so physically exhausted that I would have a hard time getting through it. Wednesday night was rough. I hardly slept at all. At 2am, I got up and had a bath, but it didn't seem to help. So, I went out to the couch and decided to read a book and have a snack. If the real thing was coming, I sure as heck didn't want to be hungry! LOL. My contractions were still irregular though and were sometimes as much as 8 minutes apart. At about 4am, I decided to call labour and delivery and just tell them what my situation was. The nurse was sweet and said that if I wanted to come in, they could give me something for the pain and then I could at least get a little bit of sleep. Sounded great to me! Mike (who is the most sound sleeper ever), had slept through all of my restlessness. I decided that it was time to wake him. I'll never forget his face in that moment. He thought I was in labour and I had to tell him that I was just going into the hospital to rest! We both got dressed and headed out the door. I decided at the last minute to bring my hospital bag, just in case.
We arrived at the hospital around 5am on Thursday, September 16th. The contractions were still painful, but I could walk fine and could still talk through them. We headed down to labour and delivery, where they hooked me up to the monitors and confirmed that I was indeed having contractions, but they were very irregular. I was still only 1-2cm dilated. They gave me a shot of Demerol for the pain and told me to get some rest. Mike stayed for the first little while, but then they told him that it'd probably be better if he left me to sleep. He headed home to switch vehicles (because he wanted his truck) and then did some stuff in town. I dozed on and off for the next couple of hours, but the Demerol didn't do it's job very well. The contractions were still painful and were coming more often. I remember laying there in this dark room all by myself, thinking that this might be it. Today might be the day. Nurses popped in and out to check on me, but I wasn't priority, because I wasn't in active labour. A nurse came in around 7:30am and I remember telling her that the contractions were closer together and seemed more regular. She checked the machine (which records your contractions) and said that they were indeed only about 4 minutes apart at that point and seemed to be more regular. I knew it! :) My ob/gyn was coming on at 8am, so she said that she would send him in to see me when he had a minute. I was really excited that he was working that day! Another reason to have this baby today! Turns out he got tied up and at 9am when the nurse came in to check on me, I told her that I was almost positive I was in labour. My contractions were intensifying and were only 3 minutes apart. She decided to check me and realized that I was 2-3cm dilated. I was elated! Progress! She told me not to get too excited, because labour can be a long process, but it was good news that I was making some progress.
By 10am, the contractions were so strong that I could hardly talk. I had stopped timing them, because it didn't seem like there was any break between them. I remember the nurse coming in and telling me that I was not going home today. I was having a baby. She told me that they would get my IV in and get me into a fresh hospital gown. I didn't care about that stuff. All I cared about was getting my husband back! He was hanging out at his grandparents, completely oblivious to the fact that I was in labour! My Mom was going to be there for the birth, as well as my cousin, Sherri. I needed to call them! The nurse told me to get up and come out to the desk to call them, but when I went to get up, I realized that it would take me forever to walk out there. I was in so much pain that I couldn't stand for more than a few seconds. The contractions were completely on top of each other! This had all happened so fast! So, the nurse (her name was Anitra) went out and made my calls for me. This was it. It was real. I was going to be a Mommy and SOON! I never once felt nervous or scared. I was 100% ready and I was insanely excited. After the calls were made, the next thing on my mind was the epidural! I knew that I was only 2-3cm the last time I was checked, but I wanted that epidural as soon as possible. I had heard horror stories of people who were too far along to get it and I did not want that to happen to me. The nurse called and told me that they'd be down soon to give me my epidural (turns out it was more than an hour later that I actually got it). I wasn't in a birthing room yet, so we had to move to a new room. That little walk from room to room felt like the longest walk of my life. We had to stop a number of times, because I couldn't walk from the contractions.
My Mom and Mike (my husband) arrived shortly after that. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of relief when Mike walked through the door. A lot of people say that they forget about the pain of the contractions or they can't remember details of that day. I remember it all! I remember sitting on the edge of the bed, feeling like my body was ripping apart. I couldn't talk. I couldn't move. I just had to breathe. Deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. I remember them bringing paperwork for me to sign. I think it was for the epidural. My signature looked nothing like it usually does, because my hands were shaking so bad. My Mom was an old pro in the delivery room (she was in with my aunt for her 3 babies). She knew exactly what to do and exactly what not to do. Mike did amazing, considering he is terrified of needles and gets weak over blood. :) I wasn't one of those people that yells and swears from the pain. I was just quiet. I didn't say anything. At one point, I do remember mumbling "epidural" and was assured that he would be down soon. Sherri arrived shortly after Mom and Mike. It was her day off, but she came in to support me (as we had planned). I felt so blessed to have her there, as well as 2 other amazing nurses.
At 11:45am, Dr. Farmer arrived to give me my epidural. He explained to me what would be happening, but I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to darn thing already! I didn't feel a thing when he gave it to me. I think the contractions took over the pain from the needle. I remember him telling me that we were done and that I had done great and all I could squeak out was "how long?" He knew exactly what I meant and told me that it would start kicking in before too long, probably within half an hour (I think that's what he said). It didn't take long for me to get some relief. Seriously...epidurals are AMAZING! After that, I couldn't feel any contractions. I could still move my legs and was totally relaxed in the hospital bed. It was sheer bliss! Instead of focusing on the pain, I was able to focus on what was about to happen. My baby was going to be born soon!
Around noon, my ob/gyn, Dr. Ferguson arrived to check on me. He was very surprised to realize that I was 7-8cm dilated! Last time I had been checked, I was only 2-3cm, so this was great progress. Things were moving quickly! He attempted to break my water, but there was no fluid. This is still a mystery. Apparently my water broke at some point and we didn't notice. Over the next hour or so, I was very relaxed. I didn't feel any pain. We just hung out in the room, talking about what was happening! I believe it was at this time that I called my best friend, Sherri, from the phone in the birthing room. She had recently given birth as well and I remember her saying that she couldn't believe how good I sounded. I promised that I would call when Grace arrived! My cousin, Sherri got me a popsicle, we charged the battery on my camera and Mike got into position up by my head, where he stayed for the whole process.
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| Only a couple of hours before Grace was born. |
At around 2:30pm, I told Sherri that I thought I was ready to push, as I was feeling quite a bit of pressure. So, we decided to give it a go! I pushed my little heart out! :) Sherri was down there the whole time (which you'd think would be weird, but it wasn't at all). She was an incredible support and she kept telling me how amazing I was doing and what a great pusher I was. I remember Mike asking if she was almost out, about 5 minutes after I started pushing. I think he figured that it would happen faster! :) It's impossible to describe the determination that comes over you when you're about to deliver your baby. I didn't feel tired, despite the fact that I hadn't slept in days. I remember Mom wiping the sweat off my forehead, but I didn't even notice how hot I was. I had one goal in mind and that was to get this baby out! Thanks to the epidural, I didn't feel any pain during the pushing (besides the contractions). I remember Mike's hand on my shoulder and Mom wiping my forehead with a cold facecloth. I remember that overwhelming feeling of excitement and the realization that my whole life was about to change.
I pushed for 45 minutes, but it only felt like a few minutes to me. She was coming out upside down (with her head facing the wrong way, so the doctor had to come in at one point and rotate her head (sounds scarier than it was). After every push, I remember asking how I was doing. Was she getting any closer? I knew the time was near when Sherri yelled to the other nurses that it was time to get Dr. Ferguson, because her head was almost out! He arrived and asked a couple of quick questions before telling me to push again. He asked Mike if he wanted to cut the cord. Mike had already decided that he had no intention of doing this, but surprised me when he said "Ask me again when she's out". He then asked me if I wanted her on my chest right away, which I did. I remember Dr. Ferguson saying something like "Let's do this then!"
Then, finally, at 3:17pm on September 16, 2010, I heard the most beautiful sound: my daughter's first cry. Dr. Ferguson lifted her high in the air and placed her on my chest. There she was. Grace MacKenzie Roberts. My daughter. In that moment I fell in love. She stared up at me with those big, beautiful eyes and we connected instantly. I was her Mommy. This was my little girl. Mike and I had created this perfect human being. I remember looking up at Mike and feeling so overwhelmed with love.
We had done it. She was ours.
Mike shocked us all when he decided to cut the cord and then they took her over to clean her up. Sherri was my photographer and captured some great pictures of Grace's first few minutes of life!
She was checked over and got a perfect bill of health. They swaddled her up and brought her back over to me. We were surprised by how small she was (we were expecting a huge baby), but she had very long legs, fingers and toes. She had stopped crying and was perfectly content to be in our arms. She stared right up at us, as if she were studying our faces.
The bond is instant.
The love is instant.
In a quick minute, our family had grown from 2 to 3.
Our lives had changed.
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| Our first family picture. We're just a little bit proud! :) |
After we had gotten settled a bit, it was time to make some phone calls! There were people home waiting to hear the exciting news! Mike had a list of people to call, so he went about doing that. I think his Facebook status was also changed within half an hour after the birth. He was one proud Daddy! I called my best friend, Sherri from the phone in the room and we chatted for a little while. She was so excited for us! :) We were all curious about her weight, but they said she wouldn't be weighed until we were upstairs in Unit 4 (in our hospital room). I think I remember telling her that I thought she was around 7.5lbs. I promosed to call again when we were upstairs. My Dad arrived soon after this too and since we were still down in labour and delivery, he came in to see us. We all just spent our time staring at her.
We were smitten.
There was a complicated labour occurring at the same time as this, so the doctor and nurses were pre-occupied. As a result, we were stuck down in labour and delivery for quite a long time (I think it was almost 3 hours), before we got to go up to our room. We didn't care. We just sat in that room admiring Grace the whole time. Someone (I think it was Mom) found me a tray of food from the cafeteria. I was starving, so I ate it up! Finally, I got into a wheelchair with Grace in my arms and they wheeled us up to Unit 4. What a proud moment, wheeling through the hospital with your new baby in your arms. Incredible.
When we got up there, they weighed Grace and we were all shocked to see that she was only 6lbs.11oz. What a small baby! She was long though - 22inches. She was absolutely perfect in my eyes.
The nurses gave her a little sponge bath to clean her up, put a diaper on her (she hadn't had a diaper on until then. I still don't know how we avoided wet blankets), and handed her over. Their job was done and it was now all on us. It was time to see what parenting was all about! We headed off to our room and got her cozy in her little bassinet.
We had requested a private room, but there were none available. Fortunately, my semi-private room became a private, because I never had anybody beside me! The things I remember most about the next 2 days in the hospital are: lots of visitors (which we loved), very little sleep, overwhelming emotions, amazing support and more love than I could have ever imagined. I was happier than I had ever been in my life.
Then, on Saturday (Sept. 18th), we got the thumbs up after our check-ups and it was time to take our little sweetie home!
Let the parenting adventure begin! :)
The last 7 months have been a whirlwind, with many ups and downs. It felt so good to sit down today and think back to that incredible day in September when our lives changed. I will never be the same again, because I'm a Mommy now. The amount of love that I have for my daughter is unbelievable and I thank my lucky stars every day that I was blessed with a healthy, beautiful baby.
You are my world, Grace MacKenzie Roberts.
Mommy loves you more than words could ever say.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
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