Ember Johanna

Those silly due dates aren't TOO bad at telling the truth after all. :) Our sweet little Ember was born on July 2 at 4:43pm. She weighed in at 8lb. 4oz. and measured 20 inches long. Perfection. We are so in love.

On her due date (July 1st), we woke up a bit disappointed that I was still big and pregnant and showing no signs that she was coming any time soon. So, we went to church...so I could learn some patience. :)

The day came and went...still no baby. July 1st wasn't the day. We went to bed that night as usual and I fell soundly asleep. Nathaniel got up at 4:00 to go to work. I usually just sleep through his alarm and wake up when he gets home at 7:00. But this morning, I woke up to some cramping. I fell back asleep and would wake up to another cramp, starting in my back and resonating into my legs. They weren't terribly uncomfortable, but I did wake up every time I felt one. Since I was falling asleep between each cramp, I figured they were about 10 or so minutes apart, but I wasn't timing them. Around 4:50 I felt like I needed to text Nathaniel to let him know what was happening.  His text back to me was, "Yes! Let me know when I can skip work." I'm glad I could help him out with that. haha He hurried home and I was glad he did. What I thought were 10 minute apart contractions ended up being 4 to 5 minutes apart. We got super excited and decided to shower and get ready for a full day. While I showered, Nathaniel made sure we had everything packed in our bags and ready to go.

Around 7:00 or 7:30, we decided we would call the hospital since I had been contracting every 4 or so minutes for about 3 hours. The poor nurse had to listen to my jumbled words and sleepy tone for a few minutes while I tried to spit out what was going on and figure out what we should do. She gave me the option to either take a warm bath and see if the contractions slowed down, or take a walk and see if they sped up. Hmmm...let me think....yeah, I think I'd like to meet my baby today! Thaniel, put on your sneakers! Slow down the contractions...ha! Anyway...we went on a walk. We walked for about 30-45 minutes and went to the park to bounce on this bouncy seat thing they have (it's kind of awkward that they have this thing at a park. I don't know what kids do on it, but it was perfect for early labor, so I went with it). On our walk, Nathaniel was timing my contractions (which were getting a little stronger). They were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting about a minute long! We went home and got there just as my OB's office was opening, so I gave them a little jingle. (Side note: My mom and little sisters had gotten to our place the day before and were just waking up as we left for our walk. When we got back, they were so excited!)  I had an appointment scheduled to do some testing, since I was overdue, at 10:45 that morning. When I called the office, they told me to come in right away. We made it to the doctor at 9:00 and waited in the waiting room until 9:30! Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal...been when you're having contractions that take your breath away for a few seconds, it's a big deal. Those poor front desk ladies. I probably highly resembled Jeckle and Hyde in those few minutes of waiting. One minute I would be laughing with the Nathaniel and the next I would have my head down, humming softly and asking him not to speak. Good times. When the doctor finally saw us, he checked me. I was 4cm dilated and 90% effaced! Woohoo! He gave me my paperwork to be admitted to the hospital and told us he would be there in a couple hours to break my water. That sounded painful and gross, so I didn't think about it.  On our way out, we ran into some friends sitting in the waiting room. I shouted, "Hey guys! We're gonna go have a baby!" all the while doing some weird raise-the-roof arm motions. No, I didn't have medication yet...

We went home first so I could brush me teeth and tell my fam what the deal was. They, of course, were beside themselves with excitement. My mom came with us to the hospital. We walked in and went upstairs to the Labor and Delivery Admit desk. I was so excited! I must have looked better than I felt, cause the admit lady asked if I was there to be induced. Um, no!! If you felt what I'm feeling right now, you'd get me to a room! (Okay...I have to pause here because this was kind of important to my whole labor experience. The pain I was feeling was...well...painful. The contractions started and then peaked and came down and then stopped. At the peak, they kind of took my breath away for a second. But I knew that with each contraction, my baby was closer. All of the last nine months had led to this point and I no longer had to anticipate the pain--I was experiencing it! That knowledge somehow kept me calm throughout my early and active labor stages. I know myself well enough to realize when I am about to break emotionally, physically, etc. And I knew that if I had panicked or lost my temper at any moment, that I would would lose my ability to cope with the pain. I couldn't let that happen, so I didn't. I made that choice. And truthfully [though, I don't mean to assume this is true for every woman or every labor], I never reached a point throughout my entire labor and delivery where I felt I didn't have control over my attitude. I truly believe that staying calm dramatically improved my pain tolerance). They got me to my room and had me change into a beautiful, figure-flattering gown.

 Then came the most traumatic part of my experience (seriously...even over pushing). The IV. (I actually had asked for a heparin lock, which is just an IV without the fluids attached, so that I could remain active and move around during labor but still have the ability to receive the fluids quickly if I needed them). So, I'm a first time mom. At this point, I am experiencing pain I have never felt before and simultaneously being asked a ridiculous amount of questions and trying to explain to the nurse that I have never in my life done cocaine after my sweet husband thought it would be funny to say that it was my recreational drug (it really was funny, just not then). It is probably not the best time in the world to have a nurse in training put in my hep lock. She was a sweetheart and I am sure a heck of a lot more nervous than I was, but C'MON people! Anyway...after the oxygen mask and fan were in place, all was well. Once all the nurses had left and I was stable again (haha), my mom left to go pick up my sisters and Nathaniel and I headed for a walk around the floor. I could tell that the contractions were getting worse, so every half hour when the nurse monitored the baby, we would change scenery or pain-coping techniques. After about an hour, my mom and sisters were back and came in to see how I was doing. At this point, I could no longer talk through my contractions. I would bounce on the birthing ball and Nathaniel and I would hum a song until they were over.  I had no concept of time throughout the entire day, so I'm not sure how long that went on. Soon, my obstetrician came and asked my mom and sister to step out of the room. We discussed my birth plan and he broke my water. It didn't hurt at all, just felt like a warm rush of fluid. Right before that, we met my new nurse, Jess. I don't know what I would have done without her. She was such a huge blessing to have throughout the whole experience. After they broke my water, she helped me get on some traveling monitors so that I could still walk around but they could continue to monitor the baby and my contractions. We went for another walk, and I could feel the contractions getting stronger. I asked Jess to check me, and I was still at a 5. She said that if they gave me a small dosage of pitocin (a drug that mimics the natural hormone, oxytocin, that is present during strong labor contractions) we could get my contractions a little closer together and hopefully move things along faster. I had researched pitocin and had really, really hoped I wouldn't have to get it. I had learned that it made contractions a lot stronger, in some cases, more than the mother could bare. But since I was already in active labor, I consented with hopes that it would work with what my body was already accomplishing. Boy did it work. I felt the contractions even stronger and even broke down sobbing a couple of times. I was so grateful to have Nathaniel there. He held me and sympathized better than anyone I've ever known. I asked my mom to stay because she was helping me to remember to breathe while Nathaniel was helping me to relax (the perfect pair, those two). I asked the nurse to check me again and she measured me at about a 6 1/2-7cm.  I knew this would be the toughest part as I transitioned from a 7 to being fully dilated and ready to push. It was certainly the hardest part to cope through. I asked Nathaniel if they had any drugs to take the edge off.  He and Jess discussed the best options and she left to get the dose. It felt like eternity waiting for her to come back. I remember saying over and over, "Where is she?!" It's funny how when you make up your mind to have something, you want it right NOW! She finally came and just gave me a 1/2 dose of a narcotic (I can't remember the name). The dose lasted for about two contractions and didn't help the pain at all. I remember feeling super loopy and out of it.  I told Nathaniel I didn't want anymore of that drug and he made sure of it. The only positive about receiving the narcotic was that it helped me to relax. Even through those couple of contractions, the relaxation had helped me progress to a 7 1/2 or 8. By that point, the drugs had worn off and my mom had my sisters leave and wait outside. I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came out, I felt like I needed to push. That was the strangest feeling because it wasn't necessarily a physical urge yet, just a feeling. Jess checked me again and said I was an 8 1/2 or 9. Each contraction brought a deeper urge to push. She gave me the go-ahead to start pushing, but I had read that pushing too soon could cause the cervix to swell and could make the delivery longer. I told her my concern, and she said that my cervix was thin enough that she could help the baby's head get through. I was grateful that she was so supportive of me just following what my body was telling me to do. So I pushed. It was exhausting. I couldn't get through very many counts of ten before I had to stop and breathe. But one urge came, and I gave it all I had. Jess looked and back and said, "Woah! Let's call the doctor!" I pushed again, and they could see her head! My doctor made it in just in time to deliver her. We heard her cry and I was so overwhelmed. I looked to see her and they put her on my belly. I was so anxious to hold her, that I pulled her up toward me and they had to remind me her cord was still attached! Woops. I held her little body. She looked up at me and stopped crying for that second that our eyes met. I will never forget that intense feeling of love for my sweet baby. Nathaniel cut her umbilical cord and I pulled her closer to my face. She looked up and grabbed my hair and then looked at Nathaniel. She knew us! Such an amazing feeling.  We couldn't stop looking at her sweet little face. We still can't! Every morning is like Christmas for us as we wake up and get to see her lying there in crib, exactly how we've imagined for so long, completing our family.