sorry I've been away....but for a good reason, I had the bean!!!!!

I truly did not mean to go MIA on ya'll. We have moved and I've had trouble accessing the internet and especially my blog for some reason. I intended to update especially when heading to the hospital, but that just didn't work.

Sorry this is so long, I've worked on it through out the day, I'm home but am having trouble with my blog. I know it's long and drawn out and I've included alot of details that are probably irrelevant for ya'll but it's my story and I only wanted to type it once! Here goes....

Friday was a normal day for me, actually looking back it seems so long ago! But that is the day I received the news of my friend Shirley delivering a preemie at 32 1/2 weeks (he's doing good btw, they are thinking she passed a group b strep to him - you don't get tested until 35-37 weeks and she had it before in delivering her baby girl, so they are thinking that maybe that was the culprit, although they won't know for a couple of more days). Anywho, that day I took a walk, hung curtains, I was so busy and so ready to have this lil baby. That evening Jeremy and I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and we chatted with some friends. I reported to them that I felt normal but I'm CONVINCED that everyday is closer (that is what keeps me sane!). We left Walmart around 10:30pm and I had had like 3 contractions in the 2 hours prior - nothing really I was used to them. I came home and ate a sandwich, took my vitamins and decided that I would put together an entertainment console that we had purchased that evening. By this time it was around 11pm and I sat down to open the box and read the instructions and I just didn't have the energy, so I told Jeremy I was going to lay down and read and get ready for bed. So, that I did. I had a couple of contractions in my lower back but they were far and few between, and besides I got them on a normal basis when lying down, it was when I was up and around they would subside. Jeremy came in and asked if I was going to have the baby that night and I said I didn't know, he replied with "I hope so" then kissed me, it was sweet! I fell asleep around 11:45pm and suddenly woke up at 12:45am with a contraction. Then I had another one. And another one. They were a bout 5-7 minutes apart the best I could tell. I got up and went to the bathroom and told Jeremy I thought I was having some contractions. I had some thick mucous brown and red tinged when I went to the bathroom and hoped this meant progress! (I really hadn't had much before then and to what I could tell hadn't lost my plug either.) I asked Jeremy to bring the laptop into our bedroom and try to time the contractions using contraction master. We tried, but couldn't get it to work right, so I just used my stopwatch on my cell phone. By this time it was around 1:30am and was having them consistently 5-7 minutes apart. Jeremy thought maybe I should get up and do some things because they normally stop when I'm active, hence false labor. I really wanted to go walking but not that late at night outside, so we considered going back to Walmart to just walk and see what they do. He took a couple of last pictures of my pregnant in the nursery in front of the crib and we loaded the car. We needed to stop at the other house and pick up a few things from there. When we left it was around 2:15am and remembered I forgot my pillow but my contractions were hurting and I thought we should just go to the hospital. Well, we get in the parking lot and Jeremy informs me that he forgot his cell phone. Because we only live a few minutes from the hospital, I told him to go back and get it and my pillow, so we did. We got back to the hospital at 2:30am and between my contractions I would say, if this isn't real I'll be embarassed, I don't want to go home, but dang, these hurt. So, we decided we would just go in and get checked and if they would keep me, Jeremy would go get our bags. I was in a room at 2:45 and they hooked me up to the contraction monitor and I was indeed having them, about 5 minutes apart. The nurse checked me and I was only 1-2 centimeters, I was disappointed because that is what I was in the dr's office on Wednesday. She didn't say it, but I could tell she was thinking I would probably go home. The one nurse was so sweet though, everytime I had a contraction she would stop asking me questions and just encourage me to breathe through it. At about 3:05 I had a hard one and I looked at the other nurse and said, "Dang, these hurt, she told me that I was just getting started and I had along way to go", needless to say, she wasn't that sympathetic. I decided that I needed to brave up and handle it. That is when I started throwing up. I told the nurse when I get in pain, I throw up. And I did. Twice. Each through a contraction. Then I told her, I felt like I lost fluid, she checked and said, yes, it was your water and there is meconium in the fluid, your a keeper! She assured me that the meconium was okay especially since I was overdue and asked how I felt about pain meds. I asked about my options and decided that if needed I wanted an epidural. She told me she would call my dr and give him my progress and ask when he would allow me to get any pain meds started. She left the room, I had a contraction, I was in there alone since Jeremy went to the car to get our bags and I puked, EVERYWHERE, it was horrible. I almost started to cry and called the nurse and she was in to clean me up. I was hurting and throwing up - nice! She issued me some phenegren for nausea through an iv. Jeremy was back and got out the video camera and documented that it was 3:37am, that my water broke at 3:15am and I was a keeper. I went to the bathroom and had massive diaherra, and bloody show, big time. I hurt. I came out and the nurse said the dr said I could have an epidural whenever I wanted one and told me that it would take about an hour to get everything going. So I said to start the process and we would go from there. I told her about that I felt pressure in the bathroom and she said, not to push but if I had diaherra or anything to just let it come, lovely. At this time, it was 4:00am she decided to check me again while waiting for the lab tech to come take blood and to my amazement, I was 6 centimeters dialated! We realized at that point that time was not on our side for me to get an epidural and they would need to work fast or I progress slow if I was to get in by 7 centimeters. I told the nurse I hope I can get this, I really want it, she told me she couldn’t guarantee anything and they would try. She also said she would need to check me again before he issued it to see my progress. The anestesiologist dr came at about 4:40am and began the process. During that 1 hour from 3:30am to 4:30am, I had some very strong contractions and I was hurting, and hurting very badly. It was difficult to concentrate and breathe through the contractions because of the phenegran, it makes you very drowsy and sort of lethargic. I just kept telling to breathe and take it one contraction at a time. I was squeezing Jeremy’s hand and just tried to keep focus on the ceiling and breathe. It was difficult for me, they are painful and you have to breathe and concentrate and I struggled a couple of times. I just kept telling myself breathe and Jeremy would tell me I’m doing good. - that helped. After my epidural, I felt better immediately. I was amazed at how quickly it took effect and the instant relief. The nurse checked me at 5:10am after it was in and working and I was dilated at a 9 ½!!! I was moving so quickly and it wouldn’t be long and I would have this little baby. She called the dr and he said to have my labor down on my own and just relax. I felt marvelous. Jeremy said it was so different, I was talking and laughing and just having a good time, not like I was contracting and having a baby. I labored for about an hour and around 6:10am she had me begin doing some practice pushes and called the dr, because the head was right there. I started pushing and it was hard work. I figured that the pushing would be the hardest for me because I don’t have a lot of endurance nor upper body strength. I pushed until 6:40am and they went and got the dr, he came in, sat down and started checking a few things. They wanted me to start pushing again around 6:50am. I really focused and had Jeremy support my back because I didn’t have the arm strength to pull up and push out, my arms were weak and shaking. I was actually shaking a lot during my labor process, the nurse said it was my hormones, but I remember not even being able to hold my cup to drink because I was shaking so badly. At one point I told the nurse I couldn’t do this , she reminded me I was the only one who could and it was the hardest work I would ever do, and that I could do it. The nurse seemed like it was odd that I wanted Jeremy to push up on my back, but that is what worked for me. I started to get the ring of fire feeling and it burned, even through my epidural, I was surprised. I did feel the pressure to push and it was like a huge bowel movement. I was in my second push with the dr there and I looked at Jeremy and he was messing with the camera (I didn’t know that then) and sort of hit him and said “Pay attention, what are you doing?” Everyone laughed. I started pushing again and after a couple of pushes, I felt a warm sliding sensation and thought it was my water or blood or something after that push, I said “Push again? “ And they said no honey, your baby is out! I was shocked. It was complete silence. No one said anything. It was the longest 2 seconds ever. I looked at Jeremy and he looked down there and I looked around and the nurse said, “Well, are you going to tell her?” Speaking to Jeremy, he was supposed to tell me either the baby was a boy or girl. He had out the camera and right then the baby let out a little cry and Jeremy said, “What does it sound like?“ I said, “A little girl“, and he said, “Your right!” At 7:02am, on November 8th, only 4 hours and 17 minutes after checking into my room, Macy Elizabeth Grace was born. She is so beautiful, she has dark hair like her daddy and dark eyes. She has a very pretty complexion and perfect lips. We are in love. She had some dry skin and red splotches that have started to fade and a little baby acne. She weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces and was 20 ½ inches long. I am truly blessed to have been able to be pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby, I am just thanking and praising and the Lord. Macy Grace is doing good, I am breast feeding and it has been going good. I have a few stitches from a minor tear and I’m pretty sore from the pushing. I passed a lot of blood and have had quite a bit of cramping. My back , neck, shoulders, and arms are still aching but I’m healing nicely and getting around fine enough.

Sorry I couldn't update sooner, we didn't have wi-fi at the hosptial and it's been a busy day. I'm home and will get caught up here on the blog as I have time.

I have lots of pictures to share, but for starters, here are two!