Our Birth Story

So here's a brief outline of how things went down...
Monday 3/22 -
Woke up with minor and inconsistent contractions. They continued all day. About 9pm they finally got consistent (about 10 mins apart) and were moderately uncomfortable. Still not enough to warrant a trip to the Birth Center, so we stayed home. Ended up getting no sleep that night cause they would wake me up.

Tuesday 3/23 -
Called the Midwife around 9am. She said it could still be days, so I was to ignore any and all contractions and continue on with my day. Which I did. We had a non-stress test scheduled for 2:30. Afterward, they stripped my membranes (yowser). Within an hour of getting my membranes stripped, my contractions got VERY intense and about 3-5 mins apart. We labored at home for another 2-3 hours, monitoring the contractions. We finally called my Midwife again around 8pm and she said, it's time! So we headed to the Birth Center. The next few hours are sorta foggy... still having intense contractions every 3-5 mins. My Midwife gave me a sleeping pill and a mild pain killer so I could get some sleep that night. But it didn't work. Another night without sleep. :(

Wednesday 3/24 -
My water broke about 2:30 in the morning. The next few hours are foggy. Around 9am, I was finally 7 cms so I could get into the tub. It was HEAVENLY. I labored there for about 3 hours, finally getting to about 9.5 cms. However, my contractions slowed down dramatically (about 6-8 mins) and they got concerned. Eliza's head also hadn't started to mold into the birth canal which indicated my contractions weren't strong enough or hard enough. So I had to get out of the tub. We tried other methods to try and 'jump' start my labor again, but at this point it's 1pm and I'm exhausted. I had been laboring for 40hrs and haven't gotten any sleep in two days. We decided the best course was to transfer to the hospital and try to jump start my labor with Pitocin. We drove to Trident and got some Pitocin (along with an Epidural cause I knew I couldn't labor naturally if I was getting Pitocin). They made me sleep for about 2 hours. Then, around 5pm, I started pushing. I ended up pushing for almost 2 hours. Her head would descend then rock back up. It was quite frustrating. Finally, I just got this surge of energy and pushed with everything I had left... and out pops Eliza. :) My Midwife later said I was about 5 mins from a C-Section. Thankfully, that didn't occur. She was perfect and healthy at 9.8lbs and 21.5 inches long.

That night, poor Bruin hit a wall... he had been SO good at taking care of me that he forgot to take care of himself. So he ended up in the ER with serve dehydration and exhaustion. He had a rough few days but by the following Monday, he started feeling much better.

THANK YOU to all our friends and family who prayed for us... I never thought I'd be 11 days over due AND spend 46 hours in labor. But it happened. I'm just so glad that it ended well and we are all happy and healthy. Here are a few pictures of the monumental day:


Me laboring in the birth tub.


Meeting Eliza for the first time.

And just for kicks, here was my 41 week belly shot:

The Nursery...

We are still waiting for the mirror we ordered to put over her dresser. I also haven't decided what I want to put on the wall next to her closet. Other than that, though, the nursery is done! Here are a few pictures:

From right to left:


The closet. This is just her Newborn - 3 month clothes. I have 4 more bins of clothes waiting in the wings!!


The bookshelf. We need some more books but its a good start.


I love seeing her name on the wall... I also LOVE the wall Giraffe!!


I bought the glider and ottoman at a consignment sale last year. It was a great deal!


The beautiful picture my friend Traci made... LOVE IT.


The 'French' white dresser... the website said it was just white. But its not.


A friend at work suggested using a shoe organizer behind the door to put all the 'little' stuff in. Great idea, right??

Belly Shot, 40 weeks!

My due date has come... and gone. Eliza apparently didn't get the eviction notice. :) I keep telling myself that you can't rush perfection, haha! I still feel great so honestly, its OK. SHE knows when she's coming... I just wish I did, too. :)