A Birth Story.....Mayzie

Wait, what?  My kid is 2 mos. old you say?  How did this happen?  And all of you waiting so painfully long for her birth story.  My sincerest apologies!!!

Buckle up.  Here...we...goooooo

It shall be stated for the record that I SWORE this time I was going to wait until nature just took its course and I went into labor all by myself. I wanted to have that "moment" like they show in the movies.  You know the one...just minding your own business and suddenly your water bursts all over the floor and your rushing around in panic trying to get to the hospital in time.  Or just out of nowhere a giant contraction hits and your doing the crazy breathing and rushing to the hospital.  I was gonna do it.  I was gonna wait... no induction.  Enjoy the whole process, etc.    Phlbbbbt!  You know me....patience....non existent.  Frankly, you hit that last couple of weeks and all you can do is BEG the child to get out of you!

Sooooooo.....

I went to my Doctors appt. on April 2nd, I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced.  
'Cause I'm cool like that, my body all prepping itself and all.  So He stripped my membranes and we discussed when he could induce me.  However, really I wasn't planning on waiting around for this induction.  Jere was losing his ever loving mind.  Couldn't study, couldn't focus, couldn't do anything.  He was OBSESSED with this baby being born.  And at this point...so was I.

I had a couple of pretty big contractions that afternoon after the "stripping", but that was it.  I swore I would NOT do the castor oil this time, but finally I gave in and made the orange soda and castor oil concoction.  I somehow gagged it down and waited for it to do its magic.

You guys.....I took it at 4 p.m. and I didn't even so much as toot, nor feel a rumble in the jungle until after 8 p.m.  It was wierd, and disconcerting.  But finally, I had a nice visit with my toilet and things seemed to be working in the right direction.  I started having consistent contractions about every 3 to 5 minutes starting at 9 p.m.  We were watching "The Voice" and just timing contractions.  Jere was super antsy to head to the hospital. I myself was not.  I kept assuring him we could just do this whole "laboring" part at home.  Finally, at about 11:30 we headed to the hospital.  They checked me, still at a 4.  Told me to "walk".  So after 45 minutes of doing lunges, squats, running up and down stairs, jogging in place (in the chapel for privacy none the less, 'cause NOONE needs to see that bidness) and walking I went back and I was at a 5.  They decided to admit me and see what happened.

We spent the rest of the night in our room sorta sleeping, sorta not.  I continued to have contractions, but just run of the mill, not real painful contractions.  Just before 6 a.m. I decided I needed to go to the bathroom.  I called the nurse and told her I needed to go.  I was laying on my side and when I went to move to my back to get up I heard and felt a loud POP POP!  It was the strangest feeling.  Then there was a little bit of liquid on the table.  I told the nurse what happened, she checked me and said I wasn't that wet, so my water didn't break.  I said "are you sure cause it's running down my leg right now and I'm not peeing."  I went to the bathroom, there was lots of bloody show and the trickle down my leg continued.

The nurse said she didn't think my water had broken so much as it had sprung a leak.  Whatever the case, it was enough to change my contractions to for realsie and painful.  At that point I was at a 6 to 7ish range.  I said, let's do this epidural STAT!  The guy came in and did the epidural, except it hurt and it's never hurt before.  He no sooner finished the epidural than I felt some immediate relief.

I got all settled back on my bed, the nurse walked out the door and then I may have seen the face of God. I had a contraction that hurt so bad I thought I would die.  I literally felt like my bum hole would explode.  Now remember, I've been induced with the other 2 and had epidurals...I never really FELT anything.  So I was ouching and breathing through this saying "why does this hurt, why does this hurt sooooooooo bad?  I have an epidural."  Jere called the nurse back in.  She asked if I was feeling a little more pressure.  "A LITTLE more pressure? Sister this is FAR more than a little pressure."  So, she checked me and wouldn't you know, in about 10 min. I had gone from a 7 to a 10 and that baby was crowning.

AWESOME!!

TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATER my doctor came in.  He was on his way but traffic was bad.  So for 25 minutes I had to endure those ridiculously painful contractions.  Poor Jere thought I was gonna break his thumb right off.  I might have too, cause it was intense.  Apparently I transitioned way to fast and that epidural did a whole lotta nothing.  Good thing I'm a rockstar and I don't yell.

Anywho...Doctor sits down, says give me a push which I happily did and out popped Mayzie.  No real effort at all.  She had a healthy cry and looked quite big.  He said....this is a 9 lb. baby. After they cleaned her up, they weighed her and she was 8 lb. 13 oz. to which the dr. replied....she's 9 lbs. they just dried her off. Hahahaha  He also told me I had a little tear, and then proceeded to put in TEN stitches.  Good thing that never really hurt me.

So that's it.  I actually had a baby without being induced.  It was quick and easy, other than that horrid pain one birthing a baby has to endure.  HOW do women choose to go through that pain without epidurals?  OY!

That night and the whole next day in the hospital she just never really cried.  She was so calm and so serene.  I could hear the baby in the room next to me crying alllllllll the time.  I finally said to my nurse....my baby never cries.  She just smiled and said...they come how they come, you're lucky.

Hours after she was born. All ready for visitors.

Our new family of FIVE!!

Look how handsome Jer is.

The kids were SO excited to meet their new sister. They can't get enough of her, to the point of mauling her on a regular basis.

Heading home for the first time.

I know, could you just die over her cute carseat cover?  I love it so.

And lucky I am. She continues to be the BEST baby. She is just mellow and happy. She rarely cries, she sleeps fully through the night and has since 4 weeks. She wakes up happy, never crying for food, and smiles all the time.

We're so grateful that little Mayzie chose to come to our family and is a part of our life.  She makes each day a little sweeter.

And just because i can....a few of my favorites from her newborn baby shoot.  Could you just eat this girl up or what?

I'm sorry, but I die from the sweetness every time I look at this.

The photographer declared her her FAVORITE baby EVER because she literally slept through the entire shoot.  And that was a lot of jostling for different positions, headbands, table covers, etc.

Perfect baby i tell ya, PERFECT!

Allyson