A Star is Born

So, there we were, heading to the hospital after a very rough night to arrive by 5 AM. I was so not happy at this point!lol! We arrived and they checked me and I was dilated...To 1 cm, yes, that's correct, 1 cm, after nearly 24 hours of contractions. Did I mention this baby did not want to come out??They started pitocin and we wait and wait and wait...Around noon I think I'm dying and they check me and I'm at 3 cm. After 5 freaking hours on pitocin with strong regular contractions...And I want an epidural because I am done. My doctor is a gem and is in and out all day and calling to check on me and the nurses are awesome. Mark is amazing and wonderful and being perfect but I am done! I am STARVING to death and I can smell this really yummy bread somewhere and the nurse goes and wraps some up for me for when I am done. She didn't realize she wouldn't even be working anymore!lol!

So, this goes on and on...Sometime in the late afternoon they break my water to see if we can move any faster here...This does seem to make things progress a little more but then the nurses are looking concerned because the baby's heartrate is decelerating with each contraction, so they decide to put a monitor in her head. They do and see that her heart rate is dropping drastically. The doctor comes in and decides to basically put a sterile saline solution back inside me to give a cushion to the baby because it appears that she is pressing on the umbilical cord each time I have a contraction. This will make her float. I am trying to remain calm, but my baby's heart rate keeps dropping and they've decided that they want the NICU team in the room when she's born because we don't know what kind of shape she'll be in...The replenishing of fluid seems to work for a bit and we are allowing labor to progress for a bit, but it's been too long on the pitocin, it's stressing the baby and my body, and my doctor comes in to talk about a c-section. He sits with me on the bed, brings me a popsicle and rubs my legs while I cry and say I don't want a c-section, but I do want a healthy baby...

He checks me then and I am at 8 cm. We're going to try one more thing before we call it quits on the vaginal delivery. He wants me to try to push just a bit to see if my cervix will dilate with the pushing...I push once and that's it...My cervix is fully dilated and we're going to have this baby right now.The doctor gets ready, the nurses are ready, the NICU team is in the room and with three, yes only three, pushes, at 10:32 PM, out flies my baby with a huge gush of fluid.

She was purple, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and under her arm...I was terrified. They gave her right to the NICU team after the cord was cut by her daddy. I was so worried, asking "why isn't she crying, is she okay" The doctor and the nurses telling me she'll be fine and then I hear it, the lusty newborn cry. The cry of a healthy baby. My girl. We've been waiting for you...She is declared healthy and given to her daddy to give to me. She calms immediately on hearing my voice as I say to her "welcome baby girl, we've been waiting for you, we're so happy you're here, you are so beautiful" She latches on immediately and nurses like a champ from the first moment. I tell her all about her big brother and how he has been waiting for her. She nurses and nurses and nurses. I try to take her off, she screams, she wants to be attached to mama! They finally tell me how much she weighs. 8 lbs. 5 oz, 20.5 inches long. Daddy holds her for a few minutes, but she is, from the beginning, a mamma's girl.

She nurses through much of the night as she rooms with me and her daddy sleeps on the pull out bed in the room with us. Big brother is with Nonnie and cannot come in to the room to see her as the hospital is closed for RSV reasons.after a tiring night, we are released early the next day.Big Brother comes to the hospital waiting room and gets to meet her first. I asked that no one come to the hospital since I wanted her brother to meet her first. He is in awe. He adores her. We all do. We are a happy family.This baby was much wanted and is much loved.

And today, she's 11 years old. It hardly seems possible. Where did the time go? Watching her grow has been amazing. She is such a blessing to us. She's a beautiful, talented, smart and loving girl. She a great sister and a great friend. Every day we are more and more proud of the person she is becoming.

This morning we woke her up with a decorated house, a birthday song and a cake made of Krispy Kremes. I'll be taking her favorite lunch to school and then tonight the house will be filled with the sounds of her friends. 15 laughing giggly girls. What a blessing!

I'm putting some pictures in Flickr of her first year and of this morning. Watch for pictures of the big party sometime this weekend!