Week 1

It is SO crazy to think that my baby is one week old today! She decided to be totally anti-Guthrie and show up early to something lol!

So for those who want to hear the birth story (and I know you've all been waiting on this with bated breath!) here ya go!

Last Monday started out like any other...I was super excited that it was my last Monday at work for a while since Emma was suppose to come today. I was getting ready to do an entire brain dump with my new boss so that they would at least have a fighting chance over the next 12 weeks at doing the job I've had for the last year and a half :) Guess God and Emma had other plans.

At about 9:30, I started having contractions. I figured it was another false alarm like three weeks prior but these felt a little different. They were intense to start with instead of all those articles that tell you they gradually get stronger...and they started out coming 2 1/2 min apart! Still, I was determined to get as much done as I could and get through the day. After consistently strong contractions coming at a consistent 2-3 min apart for about an hour, I finally decided that this must be the real thing. My new boss, who has nine children btw, was shocked that I wasn't already out the door and in L&D! I called Rory and told him to get his butt to my work so we could go in together but after a call to my doctor, they wanted me in L&D immediately...talk about a shock to reality! My brother Will ended up driving me to the hospital (which was only 5 min away) and stayed with me until Rory got to the hospital. He got the experience of being called "dad" a couple of times until Rory showed up lol. I told him and Rory that I got the idea that if a pregnant woman walked in to L&D and a guy was accompanying her, everyone would assume it was the dad :) most of the time, they're probably right, especially if the mom is in labor...still, it was funny how we had to keep immediately correcting the nurses with "oh no, this is my brother."

So once I was in a gown and hooked up to a monitor in the triage department, Emma decided to kick it up a notch. The contractions started getting stronger, which was just a blast for me...not. The nurse told us that she could give me some pain meds but that the subsequent doses wouldn't work as we'll as the first so she recommended I be in unbearable pain before I got anything. I'm proud of myself now, looking back, because until my epidural, I had no pain meds! Granted, my labor probably paled in comparison to women who have they're baby's the normal way. Emma was still breach and the contractions weren't really doing anything other than making me extremely uncomfortable. So we sat and waited for my doctor to come check on us at about 1. At that point, it got real. She looked at the read-outs on the monitor and informed us that she was not sending us home and that Emma would be making her appearance that day! Since I had the mind to stuff my face at work before I called the nurse, we would have to wait until 4:30 to have the c-section so they could let the food digest fully to minimize the risk of me getting sick. So then it was a mad rush on the phones to call and text all our family and friends and let them know that Emma was coming a week early! It was such a weird feeling to know that the next time we walked in our front door, we would have our baby with us :) 

So then it was a blurr of nurses and doctors coming and hooking up IVs and admitting us and getting all the meds ready for surgery at 4:30. Little miss E was still giving me fits of contractions but at this point, I was in such a state of shock and disbelief that I would be meeting my daughter in just a few short hours that they really didn't phase me. Although, after the epidural about 30 min before surgery, I was pretty certain that I had never felt better in my life! I felt nothing! It was glorious :D Then it was off to meet our daughter!

I met my CRNA shortly before they wheeled me into surgery and let me just tell you, he was the freakin' bomb!!! A huge shout out to all the CRNAs out there...you guys are completely invaluable! Rory had to stay behind in the triage room until they had me prepped and ready. I'm sure it was probably the longest 10 or 15 minutes of his life, bless him. So once they had me prepped and were literally seconds from the first cut, they let Rory in and we were on our way! My CRNA was pumping me full of anti-nausea meds and giving me play-by-plays of what they were doing and what I may feel (which was seriously not much more than some tugging and pressure). Rory was standing behind he curtain with me holding my hand (I'm pretty sure he would have been on the floor had he been paying attention to what they were doing) and within 5 minutes - seriously! - Emma was out! I immediately looked up into the lights above me that were reflecting just enough for me to see her and my first reaction - "Look at that hair!!" Oh yes! If you've seen the pics, you know that my intense heartburn throughout my pregnancy was NOT in vain! :D

She was perfect! Weighing in at 6 lbs 1 oz, she was a tiny bundle of half me and half Rory :*) The doctor then assured me that she had no concerns about her size (which was the main reason we had been seeing the MFM doc for the last little bit) and that she was perfect...which I already knew ;) Rory brought her over to me and we had our first picture as a family of three! To say that she had a good set of lungs as well would be an understatement! I'm pretty sure she was letting everyone within the Birmingham city limits know that she had made her arrival! It was still the most amazing sound I'd ever heard (although now, it's not so amazing at 2 am) and I was a mess of tears! I still couldn't believe that she was here and that she had come out of me! So now it was up to the doctors and nurses to put me back together and send us on our way :) They did an amazing job and I seriously could not have asked for a better experience with any of it!

Our time with Emma since then has literally been a blur! The few days in the hospital were easy with lots of love and visits from Miss Emma's many admirers. Her boyfriend was one of her first visitors (with the exception of her grandparents who got to see her in the recovery room)! He even brought her her very first set of Minnie ears from Disney world! His parents are teaching him well already ;)

Our first day at home was a whole other story...thank goodness my mom was willing to stay with us Thursday and Friday night! She seriously was the biggest blessing that we could have asked for! She let us get a good bit of sleep and pulled grandmother duty like a pro! Since I'm breastfeeding, there's not much in the way of feeding that Rory or my mom can do but they were awesome at helping burp and soothe her and letting me get back to sleep for a little while. We're still trying to get use to sleeping when she sleeps so that we're not running off fumes all day everyday lol! 

Her first trip to the pediatrician was good and she had already gained 5 oz in one day! I think she enjoys eating just like her parents ;) we have our next appt with her doctor on Wednesday so we're hoping for a good report that everything is going right on schedule :)

Thank you to everyone who has visited, kept us in your thoughts, and especially prayed for us! Rory and I are loving being parents, even though it's exhausting and emotionally draining. I know that the reward of having our daughter will far outweigh the tough times and I can't wait to see Emma continue to grow! 

I also want to say that I can't imagine going through this experience with anyone other than Rory! He's my rock and my best friend and the love I have for him is insane! He has just made me fall deeper in love with him seeing him interact with Emma and be an amazing father! I know there will be trying times for us going forward but I look forward to those experiences strengthening us and brining us closer together and to God!

God bless!