Short Birth Story

I've had a few requests to post Violet's birth story and since everyone here is still fighting over who is going to hold her I have a little time to share something small.

I had a hard time sleeping Saturday night into Sunday morning. I was contracting and they were strong enough to wake me every few hours. It was funny that I started contracting then since we had gone to our last scheduled event on Saturday evening. My calendar was now empty. Sunday morning when I woke up the contractions were still going. I decided not to go to church so I could keep an eye on things.

The contractions were coming pretty regularly about every four minutes. I wanted to make sure things kept going so I even did some waking around the house. I also rested and they didn't stop. Suddenly I was pretty tired so I laid down for a nap. They appeared to subside so I thought I must be in false labor. I woke up from my nap though and they started up regular again. They were 2 -3 minutes apart when I was up and walking and 4-5 minutes apart when sitting down. We decided to head into the hospital.

The girls were dropped off at grandma's and I was admitted into the hospital about 3:00 in the afternoon. I had been a 2 at my doctor's appointment on Friday. They had given me the chance to be induced that night, but I stayed strong and Wes and I decided to go on a date instead. When I was checked on Sunday I was a 3.

My contractions kept going regular and I ended up going to a 4 and my cervix continued to efface. They decided to keep me and broke my water. I knew they couldn't send me home from there. Things were slower than we thought they would go though and about 12:30 AM they gave me a little bit of pitocin because my contractions were slowing a bit. I was a little nervous but I wanted labor to progress.

Things picked up again and contractions started to get pretty strong. I still didn't want an epidural though. It got harder to breath through contractions, but Wes was a super support and helped me through. I started feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse checked me and I was almost an 8. I went from an 8 to a 10 in about 4 contractions.

The on call doctor arrived and in just a few pushes Violet arrived very healthy and well. I was surprised she had so much hair. She was pink right away and we had some time to spend together before they cleaned her up. She took to breastfeeding really well. I did have a small tear and was stitched.

Labor took longer than expected, but I was glad everything went well and that I was able to go natural. It has allowed me to be up and about right away. My doctor said we could be released today (about 36 hours after birth) which has been great! You just don't rest well in a hospital and I knew the girls were missing me. I am sore and somewhat tired but I am doing great.

Violet is AMAZING! She is VERY easygoing at this point and I really hope it continues. She rarely cries! I am so happy to have this special addition to our family and I'm looking forward to the time ahead to get to know her even more. I love how soft she is and how wonderful she smells. I love being her mommy! I am especially glad she made her entrance before Christmas and I'm looking forward to spending time with my family this holiday season.