the birth story part 2....

The rest of that morning...or that day at least, went by in a flash. We decided that I would get the epidural before my doctor came to break my water. I think the epidural was the most terrifying part of the entire day. I was shaking so badly, but I had the best nurse in the world who positioned herself right in front of my face & talked me through the entire thing. Maybe I got so scared because my anethesiologist looked like he was 15 years old. No joke. I actually asked him if this was his first epidural. He was a grad student & assured me this was not his first (but maybe his 2nd epidural ever??). The actual anestheosologist was from western NE so he stood in the corner talking with JJ & all the while I'm thinking, ummmm shouldn't he be WATCHING this newbie administer a needle into my back??? It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. A little zing & then a whoosh of cold liquid draining down my back. Weirdest feeling ever, but my whole day was a whirlwind of weird feelings. By this point it was about 11am & time for the doctor to break my water. My actual doctor had the day off & didn't have a babysitter for her kids so she graciously brought her kids to labor & delivery where they waited in the nurses station while she broke my water & talked to me. She informed me that she had a hair appointment at 2pm, so if I had the baby before then, she would be there. So basically I was counting on Dr Fossen (on call dr) to deliver my baby. Dr Fossen popped in the room to say hi & we talked about how I had just seen her at one of my appointments a few weeks back. I liked her. See, at that doctor's appointment I had mysteriously gained 6 lbs in one week & while I was feeling extemely guilty & anxious about my large weight gain, Dr Fossen had told me it's no big deal & was probably due to all my swelling. Ahhh she's such a sweetheart! Of course those 6 lbs went straight to my ankles and not my thighs!

After my water was broken, my contractions were getting stronger (but I couldn't feel them, that's just what they told me). My mom got to the hospital at 1:00 & it was so great having her there. I know this isn't what you imagine labor to be like, but I litterally just sat around talking with my mom & JJ, reading my US Weekly & watched Family Feud up until they said I was 10cm & time to push! There was one uncomfortable moment, probably around 1:30 when I all of a sudden needed to throw up. I was used to this nauseous feeling since my morning sickness lasted up until I was 22 weeks along & would still come back to haunt me occasionally after that even. When I was throwing up the baby's heartrate dropped dramatically & I think my heart stopped. That is the scariest feeling & the worst possible scenarios started running through my mind. The great thing is, these nurses see this everyday & had me shifting positions until her heartrate was back up & normal. At 2:45pm the nurse declared that I was 10cm (Whoo Hoo!) and it was time to start pushing. They wheeled in a table full of all sorts of scary looking tools (that I'm not sure they even needed). And then they wheeled in the baby warmer........whoa reality hit me! Shortly there was going to be a baby in the room, my baby!! All I had to do was start pushing.....pressure was on! My nurses & doctor & husband were cheering me on for the whole 25 minutes. It was odd to me that at times my doctor wasn't even sitting down by my feet, she was up walking around chatting. I thought, what if my baby just falls out? She's not even there to catch her!! Finally Dr Fossen took her seat in the chair & told me that after this push, my daughter would be here, so make this one a big one. My heart was racing & I pushed with all my might until I saw her sweet little face. I spent the past 9 months envisioning what she would look like, analyzing all the ultrasounds to try to get a glimpse of her face, but the moment I saw her for the first time, I had this feeling of calmness & reassurance. Of course this is what my daughter looks like, almost like I should have known that she would look exactly like this the entire time. My little Everly Grace was here and she is absolutely perfect! They immediately took her to the warmer to get her crying & take all of her measurements. I'm not sure how long she was over there, but I just watched my husband & daughter together for the first time & I had tears running down my cheeks. It was the most incredible, best feeling of my entire life.

I'll never forget that day, never forget the way Everly looked in JJ's arms, never forget the way she felt in my arms resting on my chest. I wonder how many weeks I will look at the clock on Friday afternoons & think back to that day. I wonder how long watching Family Feud on TV will remind me of the day she was born & how we were watching Family Feud when the doctor declared it was time for me to start pushing. And most of all, I wonder every single day what Miss Everly will grow up to be like. Who will she look like? What will her personality be like? Will she grow up to be the next Jennifer Aniston or will she be the local veterinarian in her town? I can't wait to experience every first with her & every new stage of her life.