January 6 (35 weeks prego) - dilated to 1ish and 80% effaced...I'm thinking, "Yay, progress!"
January 13 (36 weeks pg) - 1.5 ish and 90% effaced...same thought as week before.
January 20 (37 weeks...) - NO CHANGE...not cool
January 27 - maybe dilated to a 2, induction date set for Feb. 3
These weeks and days dragged by. I should have been learning patience but instead wallowed in self pity....I really think not knowing the gender of our baby added to my impatience. I was so ready to meet this baby and know his or her name!
February 2 (MY BIRTHDAY!) -
No signs of anything all day. I knew it was my last day before I had my baby in my arms yet went about my business as usual...BSF leader's meeting, lunch with friends, etc. Later that evening, Daniel and I took the girls to Chili's for our last meal as a family of 4. My parents met us at the house afterward and we settled the girls in to bed and sat up chatting and watching TV.
9:30 PM - I feel a slight cramping feeling but don't say anything to anybody...
9:50 PM - I mention to mom and Daniel that I might be feeling contractions but probably not.
10:45 PM - pretty sure contractions are going so I should probably go to bed and sleep. Afterall, I have to be at the hospital at 5AM! (this feels so silly typing now!)
11:30 PM - can't sleep, contractions hurt...still, I must get some rest before I go to the hospital at 5! haha!
February 3
12:00 AM - call hospital to explain what I'm feeling, nurse says drink water and try to sleep.
12:15 AM - three STRONG contractions since calling hospital...I tell Daniel we should go
12:20 AM - wake mom to tell her I'm going in to be checked but I don't think I'm too far along. She assures me that I am in labor.
12:45 AM - check in at ER
1:00 AM - they finally wheel me upstairs and say they're going to admit me since I was going to come in at 5AM anyway.
2:00 AM - nurse FINALLY checks me and I'm dilated to 8 cm. I have a momentary freak out b/c this is what I was when i checked in with Caroline and I missed that epidural!
2:15 AM - anesthesiologist walks in...whew!
2:45 AM - epidural started and pain starting to dissipate. I think I love Dr. White more than my husband at this moment...ha!
3:00 AM - no pain whatsoever. Yay!
3:15 AM - my water breaks on it's own and Daniel goes to tell nurse
3:20 AM - nurse comes to check and I'm fully dilated and baby is ready.
3:25 AM - I ask Daniel, mom, and Kate to help me put my headband on...I needed to look decent for pics, right?!
3:30 AM - nurse has me push a couple of times, tells me it's time, goes to get dr.
3:40ish AM - I remember telling the Dr. and the nurses that I was sorry if my breath smelled bad. I love that the epidural was working so well that my only concern was whether or not i had bad breath!
3:48 AM - IT'S A GIRL!
4:15 AM - phone alarm goes off telling me to get up and go to hospital...I need that laughing so hard I'm crying emoji right here!
1:00 PM - Annie Grace finally has a name! We really could not decide between Annie Grace and Charlotte. Both are beautiful. We decided to type a text to each other with our #1 name and hit send at the same time...Annie it was!
My days were all screwed up for a couple of days post-baby. Not sleeping from 6:30 AM on Feb. 2 until 3:45 AM on Feb. 4th will do that to ya! I also didn't get to leave the hospital until 4:00 PM on Feb. 4th b/c doctors were so behind. We had a great meal brought over to us later that evening. I'm forever grateful to ALL of the friends and family that helped us out those first days home. Annie Grace was a great sleeper from the get-go so I felt rested but the help with food and the big girls was so good for Daniel and me.
