It had been a "normal" day for us. Wednesday, June 19th was a day spent with my boys. Instead of working, I had decided to take the day off to hang out with my guys. The weather was great, so we walked downtown to "shop" and have lunch. I had no clue that we would have a baby in just a few hours :) The boys and I walked into a couple of consignment shops to try to find Z a "swim shirt." We found one and purchased it. We, then, walked over to the toy store and played with the bubbles blowing outside the shop. We went in a played on the train table and looked at the toys. The boys picked out a couple of "smalls." They got Mario "legos" and a "Mystical tree" that grew stuff on a paper tree from a solution. It was well worth the 85 cents. Daniel joined us for lunch at our favorite pizza joint and took us home before heading back to work. I tried to nap while the boys played the wii but was unsuccessful.
Dinner was leftovers with the family and then to church for our usual Wednesday night. As we were leaving church, I felt a few very small "gushes." Daniel was doing his usual talk to everyone in the parking lot after church, and I tried to get his attention without getting everyone all excited. I could tell that labor was beginning. We drove our 1 mile home and began packing bags. The boys were very helpful with getting themselves all packed and ready to go.
Cindy came by around 9:30pm to pick up the boys and take them to her house. We got everything else ready to go, put the bags in the car, and headed to the hospital (about a mile and a half away). As we pulled into the ER parking lot, I started to get out and heard and felt a pop. My "water" most definitely broke. Thankfully, I didn't leave much in Daniel's car. However, I did leave puddles and a trail through the little parking lot. I wasn't sure if I should wait on Daniel to get all the bags and come in with me or go ahead into the ER. He was telling me to head in, but I decided to stand in the mulch for a little while and wait for him to come in. I was soaked. The nurses and midwives joked with me later that I was "watering" the flowers. The ER attendant made me get in a wheelchair, and I'm sure I left a wet trail all through the hospital. I know they were really excited to clean up after me ;) The whole situation was quite comical. I'm thankful that the nurses and midwife were able to laugh about it with me. I guess I don't mind having laughs at my expense, when I can't control it. We checked in around 10pm or a little later, but it took me awhile to get into the bed for the initial monitoring. Contractions weren't that bad at the beginning, so I didn't mind being monitored and having baby monitored for about 30 minutes. After that time, I didn't have to get back in the bed at all. The nurse used the doppler monitor about every hour just to make sure Moriah was doing well through it all. As the contractions got progressively stronger, I moved to the tub. I spent about an hour in the tub, but the contractions were getting stronger, and I wasn't progressing. I was beginning to get really tired.
I hopped in the bed on my side to try to rest for a little bit. That definitely didn't help my pain/contractions. I sent Daniel to see if I could get some pain meds to take the edge off and help me rest up a little. I was on the brink of "giving up." I was getting to the point of exhaustion. The midwife came in and offered to try to help me without meds. I consented, but the nurse went ahead and prepped me for an IV for meds, in case I decided that I wanted them. Since my water broke 2-3 hours earlier, I had not progressed at all and was holding at 3cm. Thankfully, the midwife suggested that we "lift" my belly. Because I carry my babies so large and out in front, it was believed that I wasn't progressing because she couldn't get in position. While the sling and lifting of my belly made the contractions even worse, it made the necessary adjustments to make me progress quickly. Sabrina, the midwife, helped me through about 6-7 contractions with the sling. She checked me, and I was at 7cm. I was left to "dance" with Daniel through the rough contractions. After about 4-5 more contractions, it was time to push. I wasn't sure how to proceed from standing and pushing, but I somehow got in bed. It was about 3 more contractions, and she entered our world. While it was way more painful than I remembered from Ezekiel's birth, it was a very successful birth. I am more of a "screamer" than I would like to admit to, but, at the end of the day, I guess it doesn't matter as long as she is here and healthy. Because Moriah pooped or had myconium in the fluid, she was whisked away to be cleaned up, so she wouldn't swallow the junk.
I remember being terrified when Z was born because he wasn't breathing, and no one would tell me what was going on. This time was much better. I still wanted to hold her, but I had to wait. She was just fine and doing well. I was doing really well, also. I didn't really tear at all and didn't need any stitches. I felt very blessed and happy to have her, finally, here with us... 5 days early. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 5 oz., and was 19 inches long. I can't rave enough about the nurse and midwife who helped me through the longest few hours of my life :) They were fabulous!
Daniel never left my side and did an awesome job encouraging me (not that I heard most of it over my screaming :). He got to cut the cord and took the picture you see above. As they were still cleaning her up, they asked if he wanted to cut the cord, again, but he refused. He wanted me to hold her first and wouldn't leave me, even to go to the other side of the room. He was holding back the tears during her birth, and even though I didn't notice his face as much as I would have liked, I could see all the love and tenderness for his (now) 2 girls. Love him!
Because labor and delivery was so busy the night Moriah was born, our poor nurse ended up working an extremely long shift. She was the one who helped me move from delivery room to regular baby room. I kept apologizing for her long night, and she just kept telling me that it was a joy to be a part of the birth and that it was beautiful. She even said if we had another one, she hoped she would be able to attend it, again. Her words were, "beautiful birth." The midwife also echoed those same words later on. They really made the difficult part so worth while.
Daniel & I were able to rest and sleep a little around 3am. I slept for awhile, but then, after about 2 hours I couldn't sleep because I was curious as to how she was doing in the nursery. She was sleeping very well, of course, but I couldn't sleep. The next day in the hospital went well. Cindy brought the boys to visit and brought us breakfast. It was so nice to have McDonald's as opposed to hospital food! Cindy brought the boys back in the evening along with Melanie & Tori. Then, our "special meal" was brought for Daniel & I. We sent Moriah to the nursery for a little while to enjoy our hospital date meal together :)
Thankfully, we were able to be discharged a little after lunch on Friday. I was starting to go stir-crazy in that little room. Both Moriah and I were doing beautifully. I was able to manage my pain with just a little bit of Motrin or ibuprofen. The boys had been dropped off about 11, and we headed home after a stop at CVS & stop for the boys' lunch at Burger King.
Friday night was a rough night and our first night at home, as my milk hadn't come in yet, and Moriah was hungry. Mom & Dad had made it in around 11pm that night and bunked down on the couches. I was exhausted, and Mom was kind enough to comfort Moriah, so I could get some sleep. Dad took Daniel and the boys out to breakfast Saturday morning. Thankfully, my milk came in later on Saturday, and we were all able to get some sleep Saturday into Sunday morning. Mom was staying for the week, and Dad flew out Sunday night. He would fly back in on Friday evening to drive home with Mom on the following Sunday. I'm so thankful to have my mom to go get groceries, take Z to therapy, and hold Moriah so I could get some rest.
The whole birth and first few days were pretty "enjoyable," and we were all able to get into a little bit of the "new rhythm."
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