June 9th was my due date and everyone (including my doctor) believed that Carly wouldn't come until even after that (I thought I would have to be induced which wouldn't have been until the 17th). On May 30th I went to my 38 week doctor appointment. My doctor checked things out and said there were no signs that the baby would be coming anytime soon and I would likely be late (80% of women go past their due date with their first child). I was pretty bummed but also glad I would be able to work another week to save up some more money before becoming a stay at home mom.
On the morning of the 31st I felt some pressure/pain in my lower back that I thought was some type of constipation pain (I had no idea they were contractions). Well I went to work at 9 and into an hour of work I went to the restroom and saw some signs that labor would be coming soon (blood/mucus). Well I realized that the pain I was having was contractions. I stayed at work because it wasn't too bad. At around noon my boss came up to me and was asking about my last day of work (June 8th since I thought I would go over) and confessed to him that today would probably be my last day because I was in the beginning stages of labor. He and my other co-works kept telling me to go home but I wanted to make a little more money and it helped keep my mind off the pain. The day actually went by pretty fast. I started to time how often the contractions were coming which was a little difficult to do since I was taking phone calls at work but they were 5 minutes apart. In the early afternoon they were 5 minutes apart but the pain wasn't too bad yet but at around 3 they started to get a little worse and it was more difficult to focus on work so I ended up leaving at 4 (almost made it through all of work). Nick didn't take a lunch so he was able to get off at 4 too. When we both got home I finished packing the hospital bag. We hadn't installed the car seat yet (the day before I was talking to my sister Rebecca who said I should probably do that ASAP...she was right) so we just threw it in the back and left.
Me before heading to the hospital (the first time)
Well we got to the hospital at about 5 and they checked me into a labor room. I was only dilated to a 1 and my water hadn't broken yet. They said I could stay and check me in an hour and if I progressed 1 cm then I would be considered in active labor and could stay. After an hour I was only to a 1.5cm so they sent me home...but the pain was getting pretty bad so I asked for something for the pain and they gave me morphine. It slightly helped the pain but mostly it just made me keep falling asleep between each contraction.
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Right before leaving the hospital (I could still force a smile)
When we left the hospital it was almost 7 so we stopped at Zupas on the way home. Nick ran in and got us some food but I could only eat half my sandwich because I was in pain, tired, and kept falling asleep between contractions and bites. When we got home I got in bed. Nick sat by me as I slept and helped me through each contraction. He was such a great support and very understanding.
At about 10:30 I decided the pain was getting too bad and I must have progressed far enough for them to let me get an epidural...I was wrong. :( I had only progressed to a 2.5 but again they said I could stay an hour to see if I progressed. After an hour I was only to a 3 and the pain was getting much worse. My doctor wasn't currently working or on call and the on call doctor said I couldn't stay as an inpatient and get the epidural until I dilated to a 4 (I was definitely not a fan of this doctor). The nurse said that usually they could help the labor progress but since I wasn't 39 weeks (only 38 and 6 days) they wouldn't. Well fortunately they didn't turn me away but it is because Carly's heart rate kept dropping each time I had a contraction. The pain was getting really bad (I was clinging on the the rails on the bed and Nick was using all physical strength to put pressure on my knees to drive my legs into my hips) . It helped a lot but still really hurt. I was in such pain and so upset about the stupid doctor's rule that I decided to do something about it. I got up out of the bed and began to pace and do squats. Gosh the contractions were painful and hard to labor through while standing. It hurt so bad that I wanted to push but the nurse said not to because it would make me swell and make things worse.
I look gross and very unhappy (compare to previous happy pictures)
Well after an hour the nurse checked me since the last check and I was finally to a 4 at like 2:30am! Yay!!!!! The anesthesiologist was called and got there at 3 at which point I was dilated to a 7 (things started to go fast and I was not a happy camper). By the time he got set up and hooked me up to the juice it was 3:30am. The nurse put the catheter in and checked me again and I was already at a 10! I was thrilled but also upset that they waited to give me the epidural and made me labor through almost my entire labor! Let me tell you, the epidural was AWESOME but a weird side effect of shaking. With the next baby I am not taking no for an answer!
Although I was a 10 the nurse allowed me to rest and take a nap to allow Carly to descend on her own. Nick took a nap too (he was exhausted too from helping me through my contractions). At 4:45am the nurse had me push through the contractions. The doctor got there at probably 4:55am and with just 2 more pushes Carly was out at 5:03am! I asked the doctor if he was going to have to do an episiotomy (he was saying her head wasn't too big) but he said he didn't need to but then I ended up tearing (2nd degree). I wasn't too thrilled about that. Also, I'm not sure why but the doctor just went ahead and cut the cord. We were a little bummed Nick didn't get to do it but I guess it wasn't the end of the world. The nurses quickly cleaned Carly while the doctor stitched me up and then they brought her to me.
I couldn't believe I was finally holding her! My sweet Carly! I instantly fell in love with her and wanted to hold her against me forever! She had so much dark hair and big beautiful full lips! Weighing only 6lbs 7oz she felt so tiny and fragile that I wasn't quite sure how to hold her.
Nick went head over heels for his little girl! He was so full of excitement and joy. Doesn't he look so handsome holding her!? What a cute daddy!
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Nick's first time holding Carly
Pretty shortly after delivering they moved us to another room where we stayed for 2 days. Nick was able to stay at the hospital the whole time with me and slept on a not so comfy cot. Carly was born at the perfect time because Nick already had Saturday off because he worked Memorial day instead and he always has Sunday and Monday off.
Well, all the nurses I had during the labor, delivery, and recovery were great! At around 11pm each night after feeding Carly we had the nurses take her to the nursery so that we could get some good sleep and they would bring her in every 3-4 hours during the night for me to breast feed. Breast feeding went pretty well! The only problem I had was that Carly kept falling asleep while eating so I had to keep trying to wake her up which is surprisingly really hard to do to a newborn.
Carly's ears had this little ruffle!
She had to have an IV because I was positive for strep B and there wasn't enough time to give me the 2 doses of penicillin before she was born.
Cute little yawn
baby feet!
Heidi
Rachel
Elizabeth
Paige
Dallin
Aura Maria
Eric
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She looks so tiny in there!
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