I have been needing to write down all the memories of the day Lyla was born..before my mommy brain forgets some of them:) Obviously this talks about the birth of our daughter, but I don't get into to detail about that for your sake haha.
October, 12th 2013.
Just typing that date makes me cry (but what doesn't lol) because 6 days have already past and it's going too quick.
The number twelve has always been my family's 'lucky' number. We all had our guesses, but my mom 'claimed' the 12th as her pick for Lyla's debut. Little did we know she would actually come the 12th and in hospital room 12:)
Although real labor didn't officially start till the 12th about 5:30pm I will start with Thursday, the 10th, when I was getting ready for bed I started having contractions. Not very painful at first, but gradually grew stronger and closer together. Therefore I though that this was the start of something. From 10pm to 4am I stayed awake bc I was too uncomfortable to sleep with contractions coming every 7-10 min. At one point they became 5 min apart which is what your looking for so I woke Mason....then unexpectedly they grew back apart. Suddenly tapered off at 4am and I attempted to get a few hours of sleep after the 'excitement'. Waking a few hours later I was dissapointed I was not having a baby. NEVER had any type of 'false' labor with Breyton. With him my water just broke getting in to bed one night and then contractions hit hard and we had a baby in our arms a few hours later.
Anyways, went on with my day all of Friday and Saturday having no immenent signs of labor, but sporadic contractions off and on.
Saturday morning I woke up at 6 and read my Bible and said prayers while still laying in bed. Though always focusing on praying for a healthy baby whenever God decided for her to come that morning I prayed for a baby today. At 39 weeks and being petite I felt stretched to my limits and tired of the aches and peeing 5 times a night...bc doesn't waking up to nurse a cute baby 5 times a night seem a little better at least!??
The day went on and I jokingly(well half serious) told Mason all day we are having a baby today. Anytime he'd say something about the evenings plans I said well doesn't matter because our daughter is coming today.
All morning and afternoon passed with no signs of labor.
Then I'm cooking dinner and about 5:30 I started having minor contractions and they became close enough to time at about 10-15 min apart. An hour later at 6:30 they were 6-7 min apart and I told mason we better get the boys ready and things in the car because I believe this was not a false alarm. A short 30 min later at 7:00pm I told him to hurry we needed to go now. We got the boys loaded in the car and locked up house and by 7:15 we were headed to hospital and my contractions were quickly getting close together at 3 min apart. Not a fun 35 min drive with 2 kids in the backseat!
Breyton is back there chattering away asking me a million questions about what was going on when I could barely talk through the pain....of course adding his humor by asking if 'he could tackle me or punch me in the stomach once Lyla was out' lol. Then he was saying, "Momma when Lyla comes out I'm gonna say she's sooo cute..are you?"
Finally arrived at the hospital and had to find correct entrance where Mason dropped me off so he could go find parking and unload the boys.
Of course at this point I'm in LABOR.
Therefore I'm trying to get to labor/delivery floor between contractions and of course I can't find a nurse because it's after hours I suppose. Then they want me to casually do paperwork. I think no one was expecting that I was about to have a baby...like any minute.
They had me in a waiting room of sorts while they got a delivery room ready. Our parents haven't made it, so both boys make it through pretty much my whole labor with me. My friend and photographer, Danielle, arrives first. (Like last time everyone else barely has time to get there before the birth) The nurse checked me and I was 5cm dilated with contractions 2-3 min apart. I was a little dissapointed I was 5cm considering my pain level lol. At 8:30 they moved me to delivery room and I'm begging for an epidural. I'm thinking at this point I still have a few hours to possibly to go bc I was at 7cm when arriving with Breyton and he was born 2.5 hrs later...and I'm in excruciating pain and can not imagine doing it for hours longer. Little did I know I was in 'transition' the worst part of all where you think you can't take it any longer (I remember that with Breyton as well) and about to need to push.
Anesthiologist(epidural guy) gets in the room and is in no hurry. Asking questions and typing away at his computer. Between tears and contractions I nicely, or not so nicely, ask if we could do this after I'm not in unbearable pain haha.
Finally he comes over and preps me then has me lean over the bed to place the needle and I say, "I feel like I need to push and now!" Probably not believing me he inserts needle anyways. I'm asking how long till this takes affect once medicine is in and he says 15-20 min. This is when I realize it's too late I'm having this baby naturally. Which is what I had planned for again and wanted...I just didn't think I could handle that intense of pain for hours. Thankfully it was really almost over:)
In a more serious voice I say, "I have to push now the baby is coming NOW!"
Therefore they didn't even bother to finish placing the epidural and I lay back in the bed while they frantically call my midwife and about 4 min later @ 9:14 pm they lay my daughter on my chest. Now that 4 min seemed like a eternity in the moment.... but then your child, the one you've waited 9 months, (or in our case over 2 years of praying and waiting for this child) is laid on your chest and it's instantly all worth it.
I mean I'm looking at my daughter. I mean you can dream about this for 9 months, but it's surreal when it's actually happening.
They left her with me for a few hours for skin to skin bonding and closer to midnight they came to weigh her and get her measurements, etc.
Lyla Grace weighed 6lbs 1 oz and was 19.7 inches long. Completely perfect.
One bad thing about having a quick labor in my case was that I had tested GBS positive a few weeks ago(harmless bacteria that some mom's carry, but potentially dangerous for newborn) and you are supposed to have 1-4 hrs of antibiotics during labor/delivery and I didn't get a full hour, so poor miss Lyla had to have an IV to ward off a possible infection. I hated watching them try to get the IV port in because they stuck her multiple times before the got it right. We had to stay 48 hours due to the antibiotics, but we left at the 47 hour mark because I pleaded with them to not make us stay another night lol. We came home at 9pm Monday night and are sooo glad to be back in our own environment. Hospitals are no fun, though, I will say their bed with all the controls was something I wouldn't mind taking home:)
I can't believe this time last week Lyla was still wiggling around in my belly and now we are holding her in our arms. We fell in love with her so quick and can't imagine a life without her. I well up with tears just looking at her sometimes and I sit and tell her about all the things we will do one day. So much has happened in just one weeks time and I can't wait for all the memories to come. I also can't wait for more sleep;)
