For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13
I am so thankful I found a second to pen this story while it’s still fresh on my mind. I probably read 100 of these stories from my favorite bloggers while I was pregnant. They helped calm my nerves and answered a lot of my questions about what birthing a baby was actually like.
Tuesday, June 5th
was the sweetest day of my life. Our daughter, Alba Grace came into the world at 5:49pm weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. We showed up to the hospital at 5:00pm the night before, June 4th, which also happened to be AG’s due date. Due to a high blood pressure scare at my 39 week appointment, our doctor wanted to go ahead and induce on my due date unless things progressed on their own before then. Pearce and I had packed the car and driven to the hospital on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening for testing, a labor check, and some more testing. Each time we pulled into the parking lot excited to meet our baby girl but not knowing if it was really happening. We quickly became pros at packing the car in a hurry, running through our checklist, and soaking up what could have been our last car ride as a family of two. Each time the tests came back great and we were sent home. I’m thankful we got to experience the excitement of driving to the hospital so many times. I’ll never forget those drives.
On Monday June 4th (my due date) we woke up expecting a call from my doctor telling us what time to come in that evening. We were finally told to head to the hospital at 5pm. Thankfully I was given the okay for a “last meal” which I definitely appreciated! I was so nervous about laboring on an empty stomach (our hospital only allows ice chips during labor!) so the chance to eat dinner was a huge blessing. Shoutout to my mom and sister for meeting us in the hospital parking lot with food and a big sweet tea.
We registered and got settled into our room. Shortly after, our doctor arrived and got me started on a medication that would help me dilate. We had several visitors stop by then we met my sweet nurse for the evening. She was 35 weeks pregnant with her second baby and so incredibly compassionate! I have a whole new appreciation for L & D nurses! Those ladies are saints. Sadly my sweet nurse clocked out the next morning before we started active labor but she assured me she’d be back that evening for her second shift.
The medicine wasn’t necessarily meant to start contractions but around 10pm I started feeling them. They were much stronger and closer together than the braxton hicks I’d experienced in the past. I knew this was the real deal! I managed to get a tiny bit of sleep and then around 2:30am they were much much stronger and there was no sleeping through that. I let Pearce sleep until about 5:30, knowing he needed to get some z’s before the big day ahead. My nurse came in to check me and sure enough, I had started to dilate and the contractions were progressing. All good signs! I was really hoping to avoid pitocin so hearing that things were moving along naturally was extra exciting. By 7:30am the contractions were so strong that I wouldn’t let Pearce leave my side. The nurse came in to check me again and then a few minutes later my water broke! I actually thought I had peed all over the floor (can’t believe I’m sharing that with the internet) and kept apologizing to the nurses. Turns out it was in fact my water breaking. Thank the Lord. Another blessing because I really wanted my water to break naturally.
What felt like seconds after my water breaking, the contractions went from a 6 on the pain scale to a 10. I requested my epidural and prayed to Jesus that the anesthesiologist would walk through the door. For the next hour and a half Pearce helped me breathe through the worst pain I had ever experienced. Those were some of the most intimate moments we’ve ever had together. The contractions were so close, each one felt much stronger than the last. Pearce helped me pray and find my breathing between each one. He was my rock. I was absolutely in awe of how strong and supportive he was throughout my entire labor and delivery. Even the nurses were impressed! I joked that he should probably start a side business as a birthing coach. I honestly wasn’t expecting to experience that much pain, I thought I’d get my epidural early and the rest of AG’s delivery would be smooth sailing. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I wouldn’t change a thing looking back, that time spent with P during those incredibly hard contractions made me love and appreciate him in a whole new way. AG is a lucky little girl to have him as her daddy.
Around 9:30am the second hero of the story walked through the door. Before laboring I was pretty scared of the epidural process – giant needles were not my friend! But the fear quickly fled when I realized we had hours of laboring ahead of us and the epidural would make things a whole lot easier. Good news, the epidural wasn’t bad! I say this to help calm any nerves. My IV when we arrived at the hospital hurt worse than the epidural did. Seriously. About 30 minutes after the anesthesiologist left the room, I started to feel a lot less pain. I could still feel the contractions and my legs – but no pain! It was amazing. Best anesthesiologist ever. I quickly regained some of my strength and was able to rest a bit.
After the epidural kicked in I welcomed visitors again. It was so sweet to have friends and family stop by throughout the day as we waited for our little peanut to make her appearance. They helped calm our nerves, pass the time, and they brought Pearce food, which he definitely deserved after the intense morning we’d had. Nurses popped in throughout the day to check and make sure things were moving along. Later in the afternoon my nurse recommended we start pitocin to speed things up or it’d be a veeeery long day. We agreed. At this point I was exhausted and so ready to meet my baby. My nurse brought us a peanut ball to help my body progress. I loved that thing and truly believe it helped me progress much faster than I would have without it. Highly recommend!!!
A few hours later the nurses were concerned about how AG was responding to the pitocin so they stopped it. They warned that things may slow down at this point, but my body was ready. I started to feel contraction pain again. I knew this meant we were getting close! Around 5 the nurse came in and I was 10cm! Go time. My mom and sister came in to say goodbye before I started pushing and then before I knew it, our room was filled with hospital staff, my doctor had arrived and my nurse was walking me through a practice push. I pushed through four quick rounds of contractions and then all of a sudden, baby girl was on my chest. It was the most surreal moment. Those first few minutes of her life are a blissful blur. My baby was healthy. Her daddy and I were over the moon. Seeing that little girl for the first time rocked my world.
Once the hospital staff cleared the room and left us to be, Pearce and I spent some time alone with our daughter. We were in awe of her little face and those tiny hands. We still are. Our families were anxiously awaiting an update so Pearce ran over to the waiting room to share the wonderful news. I spent a few minutes alone with AG while P went to gather the troops. So much sweetness. Family members started pouring into our room to meet Alba Grace for the very first time. She is so loved! I realized I was STARVING so my dad ran to grab me the McDonalds hashbrowns I had been craving for DAYS. I don’t usually eat fast food but these sounded absolutely amazing. Goodness, they were! The next 24 hours were filled with joy. We learned to feed our baby, took a million pictures, and tried to get a few hours of shuteye. We met our pediatrician, baby girl passed all of her tests, and we were given the okay to head home the next evening at 6. We took advantage of the opportunity to head home early! Pearce’s parents came by to help us load up the car. We said goodbye to the sweet nurses who had taken amazing care of us, and then we were off! As a family of three we made the drive home, Alba Grace discovered her voice and then we settled in for her first night at home.
God is so good to let us be this sweet thing’s mama and daddy. I pray we never take this perfect gift for granted!
love y’all, mckenzie
