Charlotte Rose is here!!

My little baby girl is finally here! She was born this evening at 6:51pm, 7 lb 10 oz and 21 inches long! Perfectly healthy, came out kicking and screaming, and surprisingly more pink than most babies I've seen born! (You know, all those babies on TLC's "A Baby Story") :) Only 5 hours before her due date!

Here is the delightful story of my horrendous labor!! Ugh!! :)

Like I said in my previous post, my doctor stripped my membranes last Thursday. It is supposed to induce labor and is successful 50% of the time within 48 hours. Well, she was born much later than 48 hrs after it was done, but I had horrible painful contractions all weekend long, so I don't know whether to attribute it to the membrane stripping or umm.. "other methods"... or just it being her time! I don't know.

Yesterday, on Sunday, Thomas and I went to church then went to eat at Olive Garden. Very good by the way! And I was contracting the whole time. Sometimes they were regular, and sometimes not. We go home and I keep timing the contractions, they are anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart. I had to work that night, but at around 4pm, they started getting more regular and wouldn't go away, even while walking, which is what all the baby books says differentiates false and true labor. I get ready to go to work anyways. Actually, I DO go to work, only to be in more pain when I get there. Luckily, I was able to go home because I really though, "This is it!!" which I later proved to right!

Fast forward.... ALLLLL night long I was up and contracting. However, they were only 5-10mins apart, although they got much more intense and painful as time went on. The blasted hospital told me NOT to come in until they were 4-5 mins apart for 2 hours. What?!?! I don't think that'll ever happen!! lol. So... the next morning (after a 3 hr nap, man, I wish I would have slept more!! I didn't because I was afraid I would stop the labor! ha) the contractions tapered off a bit, but came back with a vengeance, that's for sure. Thomas and I took a walk around the neighborhood, which seemed to help get them back to where they were.

Still anywhere from 5-10 mins apart but getting even MORE painful. How frustrating is that??

At about noon, I just couldn't take it anymore. By this point, I have been in labor for 20 HOURS!!! I call the doctor and the nurse tells me to come in and get a labor check, which we do. When I am there, she checks me and I am only 3 cm dilated. Why was I not surprised? But she said since I was in pain, I could check into the hospital.

So we go across the street to the hospital, get checked in, IV'd, monitored, and all that good stuff. Now, up to this point, I was against having an epidural. I really wanted to have a natural labor and delivery, but seeing as how I had gone sooo long with so little progress, and this pain was just about unbearable, I gave in an had an epidural. But now I am not sorry about that at all, because it actually sped everything up.

Got the epi at 2pm, by 3pm I was 4.5cm.

By 5pm I was 8cm.

By 6pm I was 10cm, and ready to push!

It was pretty awkward trying to push when you couldn't feel what you were supposed to push!! Haha. Thomas was there with me and my mom was with me, too. I pushed for about 30 mins, and out she came -- face up!! Haha. No wonder I was having all that back pain!! I tore a little bit so I had to get stitched up from that...

But they put this little pink alien on my chest... Seriously, that's what I thought at first!! lol I don't think I knew WHAT to think! I just couldn't believe this little baby just came out of me. I don't know what I was expecting... haha. But she had a little conehead (which is normal) and she was wiggly and cute as ever! Oh, and so much HAIR!!! Definitely wasn't expecting that one! :)

Of course, then they cleaned her up and gave the little angel back to me....

We tried to breastfeed, but I think she was a little doped up from the epidural, so she didn't latch on very well. We've tried again later when we got settled in the mother/baby room, but she just keeps falling asleep or just won't latch right. Hopefully things will get better.

Of course, I haven't had any sleep, and I'm not expecting to for the next few days. They just brought her back from the nursery in the CUTEST little setup ever!! Since it is close to Christmas time, they brought her out in her bassinet in a huge red stocking, complete with a little white and red hat. SO CUTE!! See for yourself...

So right now we are just getting used to being mommy and daddy! I didn't realize babies eat so often! Every 2-3 hours! Sheesh. That'll take some getting used to. But in the mean time, here are some more pics of the little cutie pie!

Looking up at mommy!



Being assessed! Perfectly healthy, by the way! :)



Resting quietly. In her little candy cane hat!

I'll add a little more once things get settled!! Hopefully I'll be able to update the blog a lot, but if not, you can add me as a friend on facebook, Hilary Hill. That's where our ton of pics will be stored!!! We are so blessed to have this little sweetheart enter our lives. But I realize the adventure has only begun!