Happy Birthday Emma!

Today is Emma's one month old mark! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by! I am going to take a trip down memory lane a little on this post.

One month and 2 days ago I had my weekly doctors check up (39 week check). Since 36 weeks pregnant, I was 1 cm dilated, and 50% effaced. At my 39 week check up, I was 2 cm and completely effaced, so my Dr., Kristin Craig (who I love), decided to try and strip my membranes. She warned me because I was progressing so slowly naturally, it may not work, and she would probably have to try again in a week. The stripping of the membranes only works if your body is getting close to naturally go into labor already, which is why it helps speed the process up for some women, and not for others. After the apt. I had a tiny bit of bleeding, but nothing to get excited over. I was bummed, and thought this baby was never going to come! On December 9th about 2am I got up to use the bathroom and had my "bloody show" (sorry if it's TMI)! I thought "thank goodness, it's a little bit of progress"! Most women go into labor within 48 hours of their bloody show, but some can take up to 2 weeks still! Maybe a half hour later, as I was laying in bed trying to go back to sleep, I started having back cramps. They weren't too bad, nothing you haven't already experienced with gas or period cramps already. I was able to sleep until about 4am before I had to get up and try something to stop the pain. I tried sleeping in the recliner. I tried sleeping on our LoveSac. Nada. I started to time the pains to see if it was possibly labor. They started about 20 minutes apart, then going to 10, and back up to 20, and so on. The hospital won't admit you until you have contractions 3-5 minutes apart consistently for at least one hour. So, I figured it was false labor, and again, was bummed!

Adam had to work in SLC, so after he made sure I would be okay at home for a few hours alone, he took off so he could get back asap! About 11:00 I called my doctor just to see if I could come in and get checked for ANY progress...well, it was my doctor's day off, but her nurse practitioner, Jennifer Anderson, agreed to see me. I got there about 11:30 and was almost 3 cm dilated...so really...not much progress...I wasn't to thrilled. The nurse decided to run a NST (non stress test) to make sure the baby was doing ok, and to time my contractions. After I sat there for about 20 minutes, the nurse came in and said "Oh yeah, you are contracting 3 minutes apart, pretty strongly, I'm sending you right up to labor & delivery"! I was shocked. I thought they were still sporadic false labor pains that I was getting! I immediately called Adam on my way up to L&D.

Once I got there, and checked in, I called my mom to tell her to start driving north! Adam got there about 1 pm, and my contractions were really starting to get the best of me. The hospital's on call doctor, Doctor Benedict, came in to introduce himself and get things checked out. He decided since I wasn't naturally dilating any more, he was going to break my water. "Heck, if we're going to do this, let's do it all"! He broke my water, which wasn't painful. It was actually a small relief losing some of that water! I began to dilate a little and contract a lot. I asked to get my epidural but the nurse told me they don't typically give it until 5 cm dilated, especially when you are progressing slowly as I was. They also have to have an IV in you for at least an hour to make sure you are hydrated, as the epidural can dehydrate. We got the IV started, after a few attempts (with lovely bruising afterwards). I was only at a 4 by 2pm. I started to throw up with each contraction. Good thing Adam was there to fetch me a large trash can! LoL. The nurse came to check on me and brought Zofran to inject through my IV. That helped, and no more puking!

Filing out paper work!

Finally, the doctor said I was close enough (still at a 4) that he would be okay with me getting an epidural! YAY! They began to insert the needle for the epidural, and it hit my bone. I jerked pretty badly with a shock reflex. I told the nurse I lost a lot of water, and she said "it's okay, we have a pad under your bed"..I said no it's a lot...she didn't believe me, until I lost a good pound or so all over the floor and she had to go put boots on. Ha. The epidural wasn't going in like it should, and hit my bone again, causing me to lose a lot more water..Adam was pretty disgusted. LoL. So they pulled it out and started all over in a different location. Which I didn't feel a thing, & more importantly, it worked! I started to numb up and shake...uncontrollably. The epidural made my body think it was cold, even though I was hot. You would think I was have a seizure or something! They got warmed up blankets, which helped me not shake so bad. My epidural got me to dilate from a near 5cm to a 10 within about 2 hours! That was good news to me! Our little Emma was fully dropped until I was fully dilated, then she decided to go up..little brat already! Ha! So I had to do a rest & descend. R&D is just where you lay there, fully dilated until the baby makes her way, on her own farther into the birth canal, so it lowers risk of having to use a vacuum, forceps, etc. It wasn't until 8 o'clock that night, they decided to let me start pushing!

We had a MD student with us through the delivery. I swear he was a fruit cake. Super nice guy, just a little different. I felt like punching him! Every time I would contract, not only would he repeat what the nurse was saying, but he would tell me "you're pushing, you're pushing"...no shit sherlock...sorry...but it bugged the heck outta me! The on call doctor's shift was over and I wasn't going anywhere fast. He said he was going to go home for a while, and they would call him once I started crowning. He said most first labor's take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours to push, so he wasn't going to just sit and wait. He was right...2 freakin' hours. About 9:15, I still had not progressed after pushing for over an hour.

Emma was what they called a "bobber"..she would start to crown, and go back in. Great. I had two "dead" spots from the epidural (where it didn't work). One below my left ribs, and one on my lower right abdomen area...they, were not fun! The nurse who was "conducting the pushes" asked one of the other nurses to call Doctor Benedict if I still was not crowning by 9:45 to ask him about using forceps, or possibly having to do a csection if that wasn't looking like a clean option. About 9:40 she started to crown enough, they called Dr. Benedict in to come deliver! They told me no more pushing until he got there....uhhh...yeah right. Not possible. They let me do "tiny pushes" to relieve some pressure when a contraction came, which helped a little. Luckily Dr. Benedict arrive about 9:50 and told me to show him a "good push". Two pushes later, she was here! 9:55pm on 12/9/09. Adam kissed my forehead, with tears in his eyes, and said "she's here"...It was so sweet.

Getting all cleaned up!

She only made a small little cry. As soon as she was under the warmer getting all cleaned up, she was content! I however, was not. LoL! Adam and my mom got to take pictures and enjoy watching her through her first moments of life. I was frustrated, mad, in pain, and still delivering the after birth and getting my episiotomy stitched up. Because I have A- blood, they had to drain the umbilical cord and blood from the placenta. It's a safety precaution, just in case it were to tear during delivery of the placenta. After the blood was drained I had to give one more "tiny" push to deliver the placenta...That was the best feeling in the world...More relief than actually delivering Emma! I don't know if it was the position of it or what, but THAT is what caused me so much pain my whole pregnancy! The feeling I had been so used to was suddenly gone! I was like " oh wow that felt great getting rid of that"! Doctor Benedict thought he would teach the student how to sew an episiotomy. Lucky me, I was his guinea pig & he sure did take his time! I began shaking worse than before. My legs were so tired. After about a 15 minutes of stitches, I could finally "rest". HALLELUJAH!

I will never forget how precious it was to watch Adam hold her for the first time. Those who say love at first sight isn't real, they have no clue. He had tears of joy in his eyes again, just staring at her. He brought her over to me so I could finally see her. I still couldn't hold her because I was shaking so badly. I think the love we had for each other multiplied by a million right there in that second. Not only for each other, but for our daughter. So happy and relieved that she was perfectly healthy. 7 lbs 11 oz 19 1/2 inches long.

Proud new dad. Holding his baby for the first time!

Proud new Grandma! She made it just in time! Guess it's a good thing it was a long labor! At first I didn't want anyone in the delivery room except for Adam, but when time came, I am so happy that she was there to help and support me! It was a nice comfort to have her there along with Adam. Thanks for coming up mom! It meant the world to us that you were there! We love you!

Here she is...Our little Angel all wrapped up and peaceful. She is such a good baby. Has been from day 1. She is pretty spoiled with love. First grandchild on the Staples' side. First granddaughter on the Martin/Spackman side. First baby & daughter to us. The beginning of our family. We love you Miss Emma Rae. Happy one month birthday!