4 weeks ago today . . .

Four weeks ago today, I was officially 8 days past my due date and (obviously) miserable. It was, though, finally my induction day!

It turned out to be an extremely busy Sunday, which wasn't what we had expected. We went to church, then the hospital called and told us to come in at 6:00 p.m., so wanted to nap and get some rest since it was going to be a very long night. We did take a little nap, but our Home teachers came over, then Jer had to go home teaching, and then my visiting teachers came! After all of that, my mom, Stephen, Kamie, Alex, Jer ate dinner and then we headed to the hospital.

6:00 p.m. - Four weeks ago today, we checked into the hospital. They checked me at about 7:00 and I was finally starting to dilate; I measured 1 1/2 and 70% effaced. They started me on this pill thing to ripen my cervix. Normally the pill just gets things moving, but it had a HUGE affect on me. I started having contractions quickly and they began coming to close together. Mom and Kamie visited and kept us entertained for a bit and then everyone went home for the night.

3:30 a.m. - Right when I laid down to try and sleep, the pain really increased and I started having really strong contractions that were close together. I had been taking an I.V. pain medication, but it wasn't doing the trick at all. I asked the nurse for an epidural. The nurse couldn't believe that I had waited until the pain became so bad! The pain was so strong that I wasn't even really worried about the needle. After the epidural was placed, they started me on pitocin to progress the labor. Baby's heart rate, though, didn't like it at all and kept dropping really low. They stopped and started it several times, but couldn't get the baby's heart to stabilize, so they finally took me off it completely. Surprisingly, though, my body kept contracting on its own and I progressed from a 1 1/2 to a 7 really quickly.

Four weeks ago today, I was amazed by my extremely supportive husband. Everything about labor is kinda a blur, except for the single constant memory of Jeremiah constantly by my side. He was so supportive and caring and didn't care at all about his own wants and needs. He stayed by my side all day, never once complaining or turning on the tv or anything. It was really fantastic to have someone so supportive and loving by my side. It made me so much more comfortable and calm. My mom also spent a lot of the labor time with us and she was really reassuring and entertaining. The whole time I just kept thinking about the little girl that I would soon meet, and I couldn't wait to see her face.

12:30 p.m. - Four weeks ago tomorrow - Finally, they told me that I was fully dilated and could start pushing. I couldn't believe it - it felt like I had been waiting for so long and now, finally, I would meet my little girl. Jeremiah and I were the only ones in the room, and he helped me to begin pushing with each contraction. The whole experience was kinda unreal . . . I seemed like I had waited for this moment for my whole life, but then I couldn't believe that it was really here. But through it all, I just couldn't get over how grateful I was to have Jer by my side.

2:30 p.m. - Finally, after two hard hours of pushing, I asked the nurse to go get my mom because I just couldn't lift my leg by myself anymore. She helped to replenish my resolve and give me the extra support I needed to keep going. The doctors came in and told me she was close, so I had to last just a little longer. By this time the epidural had really worn off, and the cramps in my lower stomach were bad! I was exhausted, thirsty hungry, sore, and completely overwhelmed. I was so exhausted, started crying, and said "I'm losing it." The doctor asked if I wanted to use the vacuum or push for another 15 min, so I chose to push some more. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't get her to come. Finally, they pulled out the vacuum extractor and used it during one set of contractions. She still didn't come. I couldn't control my tears at this point. The doctor gave an ultimatum - if the baby didn't come this time, then they would have to prep for a c-section. I just kept thinking, "I can't wait for them to prep me . . . not after all of this work." On the next set of contractions, I pushed harder than I ever thought possible, and out came my little baby.

3:01 p.m. - Four weeks ago tomorrow, I fell in love with my little girl. They immediately put her on my chest and my tears increased a trillion times as I looked at her for the first time. She was bloody and beautiful and I couldn't believe that I had produced such a wonderful and miraculous little baby. She was 8 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long (later, the doctor decided that she was actually 18 1/2 inches). She had at least 1 1/2 inches of dark, beautiful hair all over. She was more precious and beautiful than I could have ever thought possible - so much more than my greatest dreams of her. I was instantly in love and completely dedicated to her.

2 1/2 hours of pushing, but it was all worth it. Overall, the entire day was just more than I could have expected. Labor was harder, delivery longer, Jer more supportive, my mom more needed, and Kaiah more perfect than I could have dreamed. The first day of the rest of our lives!