Lauren's Grand Appearance!

Finally... at 4:43 p.m. on October 24, 2008, Lauren Brynn made her entrance into the world! She is absolutely perfect and the cutest little thing to boot!

I don't really want to bore you with all the details, but here is how it went down, er, came out ;) For those of you who are interested... if you aren't, enjoy the photos :)

We went to the hospital at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening to be induced. I didn't really know what to expect, other than the end result of course, but I didn't know I was going right to Labor & Delivery! We get to our room, get settled and then a couple of hours later, the doctor comes in to start the induction process. Balloon in, check. Contractions intensified, check. Progress? Not so much! Around midnight, the nurse comes in and suggests that I get a dose of Nubain so I can get some sleep, so I take it with open arms. Let me tell you how great of a drug that is! Within seconds of it entering my bloodstream, I feel as if I am drunk! Drunk and in labor, what?! Really though, it was great. I instantly fell asleep and would stay that way until 7:30 in the morning. Other than the hour on the hour blood pressure checks, it was nice to get some rest...

Over night, my blood sugar level dropped, so nausea set in...it was so bad that my blood sugar dropped and I was allowed solid food. At this point, Pitocin was started, contractions still in action and was nauseous, such a lovely combination. This is the way I would stay until noon when the wonderful anesthesiologist by the name of Frank came in and did his work with my epidural - which I was afraid to get (Heather, let's talk about this)! I got the epidural at this point not because I couldn't handle the contractions I was already having, but if I didn't get it then I wouldn't be able to get it at all and I wasn't going to have any part of feeling all that pain!

Finally, it was time to call the family and have them come to the hospital for the show was really on the road! So from 12:15 to 4:00 Aaron and I sat and chatted with family and enjoyed the labor process. The only thing I really remember in that time frame was the wonderful experience of my water spontaneously breaking... I couldn't wait a few more minutes for the doctor to come and do it, and that wouldn't be the only time I couldn't wait for her... We were all just sitting and chatting away, Aaron and my mom watching T.V. and Mark just minding his business and there I am, feeling like I just got into a huge squirt gun fight and I was the only contender!

After that, everything happened SO fast... I don't know if it really did happen fast, but it did feel like it. Around 4, I was checked and was told "it's time to push!" Oh what? Come again? Push? So there it started and lasted for roughly 20 minutes... Yes, only 20 minutes... I was lucky enough to not feel any pain, only the urge to push. My nurse was WONDERFUL with helping me along and getting me set up for the doctor... the doctor who wasn't even back to the hospital yet. Yep, you got it, I was one of those lucky women who gets to push, then wait for the doctor! Good thing I wasn't pushing for long, I can only imagine what those women feel, oh man! Finally, the doctor shows up, does her magic, we go through 2 more rounds of pushing and the rest is history!

It wasn't...

The day has come and gone... I know it's just an "estimated" date, but seriously, they should just say "you'll deliver sometime at the end of October." It just makes more sense.

Due Date...Or is it?

It's here... today... right now... Will anything happen? We will just have to wait and see and I will keep you posted.

Part 2 of 2: Attempt to Evacuate Lauren...

Obviously, the park walk did not work, neither did the cleaning of the house yesterday, or the 45 minute walk we took Dakota on. Therefore, I told Aaron that if Lauren did not make her debut by today, we were going to the Zoo. Here are some shots from today...

Part 1 of 2: Attempt to Evacuate Lauren...

The first trip we took, last Monday, was to Wildwood Metro Park. We chose the park because of wonderful Columbus day, we would have had to pay to get in to the Toledo Zoo and we weren't going to do that! Here are some snapshots from the park...

Bring IT On!

I am SO ready to have Lauren here! I want her here so I can: put on my own socks, shoes, pants, underwear, bend over to pick something up, sleep without having to heave myself over, not pee a gajillion times in a 24 hour period of time, basically, just have some resemblance of my old self back. While I know I will never have my old self back per say, I just want to have these little things that we take for granted, back.

The entire time I have been pregnant I have not really "enjoyed" any aspect of it. That being said, I did not have a bad pregnancy at all, it's just that I am so darn impatient that I can't handle the waiting, and that's what I find myself doing... again.

An update from the last post.... I went to the doctor on Wednesday for weekly check-up and yet another ultrasound to check her size. She is just fine... she weighed in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. without her head again, I was dilated to 2 cm. and was about 80% effaced, also, the doctor could feel the top of her head. Now, I what I get to worry about is the amniotic fluid. Apparently it is starting to look low. They are not really worried about it, but they want to keep an eye on it until I give birth. OK not bad, I think. I mean, I would like to give birth before my estimated due date and everyone is high optimistic that it will happen, but it is not! Everyday I get to sit in pain and wait for something to happen, and nothing does. Is it possible to never go into labor? I feel as if I know the answer to this...

Will keep you posted :(

October Update!

Well here I am... 38 weeks, 2 days and waiting!

On Monday morning, I started to feel some pains in my belly. I chalked it up the the hot dogs I ate the night before and waited the pains out. Tuesday comes and the pains that feel like gas pains have now started to feel like PMS pains in addition to the gas pains. I decided now was a good time to contact my doctor's office. After about an hour or so, the nurse calls me back and I explain to her my "symptoms." As I am doing this, she is adamant that I must have a UTI. Um, NO! I have had those in the past and this is not a UTI! So she finally decides that I should be seen by the doctor, so I am sent to Labor & Delivery! Insert look of total shock here. So I call Aaron to inform him that when I get home from work, we will be making a trip to the hospital :) As you can bet, he loved that call! So, about 45 minutes later, Aaron and I are on our way to the hospital.

At the hospital, they get me all hooked up to the machines and she has me explain my pain. As I am doing this, I have The Pain. The nurses reaction "yeah, that was a contraction!" At this point, the blood drains from Aaron's face, for the first time. We then sit there for about 2 hours hooked up the the fetal monitors to see what is going on with Lauren.

In the end, I was having contractions 5-6 minutes apart! I was checked and progress had started. They ruled out Braxton Hicks contractions and false labor due to what they discovered. They checked me and found out that I was 1 cm (nothing much) dilated, 40% effaced and that Lauren was at a -1 station. The -1 station means that she was 1 centimeter above the narrowest part of my pelvis. The nurse said that they were going to send me home but they wouldn't be surprised if I were to be back within 12 hours. Blood drained from Aaron's face for the second time :)

Well, the hours passed and nothing happened. It's just a waiting game now.

Finally... an update!

Well here I am... 38 weeks, 2 days and waiting!





On Monday morning, I started to feel some pains in my baby area. I chalked it up the the hot dogs I ate the night before and waited them out. Tuesday comes and they pains that feel like gas pains have now started to feel like PMS pains in addition to the gas pains. I decided now was a good time to contact my doctor's office. After about an hour or so, the nurse calls me back and I explain to her my "symptoms." As I am doing this, she is adamant that I must have a UTI. Um, NO! I have had those in the past and this is not a UTI! So she finally decides that I should be seen by the doctor, so I am sent to Labor & Delivery! Insert look of total shock here. So I call Aaron to inform him that when I get home from work, we will be making a trip to the hospital :) As you can bet, he loved that call! So, about 45 minutes later, Aaron and I are on our way to the hospital.





At the hospital, they get me all hooked up to the machines and she has me explain my pain. As I am doing this, I have The Pain. The nurses reaction "yeah, that was a contraction!" At this point, the blood drains from Aaron's face