Hey everyone!
I've been super busy moving and taking care of a newborn so I didn't get to write this out as soon as I wanted to. I've been doing it little by little on my phone. Anyway, Mia is 4 months old now. Here is her birth story:
My due date was November 16, 2014. It came and went with no action, and I was really surprised. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions since the beginning of my 2nd trimester, and had been losing pieces of my mucus plug for the past month, so I was shocked that she didn't come early.
The morning of November 19th was no different than any other morning. There were absolutely no signs that I'd be meeting my little girl in less than 24 hours. That afternoon, I started cramping lightly. This was nothing new, it happened pretty much every day, so I thought nothing of it. I had sex, thinking that it would either stop the cramping or get labor going. (With Lexi sex induced labor, so I was hoping it would do the same this time...and it did!!) Immediately afterward I started cramping harder. I wasn't sure if I was in actual labor or it was another false alarm, so I downloaded a contraction timer app and started timing my contractions. They were all over the place, and the length and intensity varied greatly. At this point they were just uncomfortable, like period cramps. I went to the bathroom and lost my mucus plug. It scared me because it was big and bloody. With Nevaeh I lost my mucus plug during labor and it was just clear/white with no blood. I don't remember losing my mucus plug with Lexi. I also noticed that I was bleeding lightly. Around 7 pm, I decided to take a nap and see if the cramping gradually got worse or if it slowed down or stopped altogether while I was sleeping.
Around 11:30 pm I woke up with severe cramping. I realized now that this could definitely be labor and I needed to get to the hospital. I woke up Lexi and got her dressed. Me being the dumbass that I am, didn't pack MY hospital bag ahead of time so I just threw a bunch of random stuff into a bag for myself. (I forgot pretty much everything that I actually needed.) Luckily I did pack Mia's diaper bag in advance so she had everything she needed.
At this point I had to actually stop what I was doing and breathe through a contraction. They were getting more and more painful and were definitely more regular than they were earlier in the day. My contractions were very close together now, only a couple minutes apart. We left the apartment and raced to the hospital. My labor with Lexi was SUPER quick just like this one, and I was scared that I was going to deliver in the car. Luckily the hospital was only about 15 minutes away and we made it there in about 7. I got dropped off by the emergency room entrance while he parked the car. I had to stop on my way in because I had a really intense contraction. At this point the contractions were consistent and MAYBE 2 minutes apart. There was a couple in front of me and I remember it seeming like it took FOREVER for the nurse to get to me. Finally they got me a wheelchair and put my hospital bands on me. A nurse took me upstairs into a little room and had me change into a gown. She checked me and I was already 8.5 cm dilated. When she told me that, I had the horiffic realization that an epidural probably wasn't going to happen and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Lol.
She wheeled the bed into a delivery room. They put the monitor for the baby around my stomach and started trying to get an IV in me. Trying to get a vein on me is nearly impossible, and I had visions of slapping the people that were attempting to do so during a contraction. After about 5 attempts they finally got the IV in.
I remember rolling onto my side and lifting up my leg with every contraction. The nurses kept telling me to keep my legs closed and not to push....easier said than done. Lol. With Lexi I screamed during every contraction. This time I just stayed still (for the most part) and COMPLETELY silent. It felt like it hurt more to scream.
The doctor finally came in and checked me after the broke down the bed and got everything ready. I was completely dilated and effaced. My water broke with the first push. It didn't explode like last time. This time it just kind of leaked out. They put the oxygen mask on me while I pushed. The doctor said the baby was really low but I had to push more than I did with Lexi and Nevaeh. I probably pushed about 8 times this time. I did scream towards the end.
I put my hand down there to see if I could feel anything, but I didn't. I pushed one last time. Her head and body came out all in one big push, which surprised me because it took two pushes with my other two to get them completely out. She started screaming immediately. The nurses commented on what a "healthy set of lungs" she had. Haha. Another nurse said that when babies are first born it's hard to tell who they look like, but she said Mia looked just like her dad. They cleaned her off and handed her to me. The doctor checked to make sure I didn't tear while I was holding her and had me push one more time to get the placenta out. I breastfed her for the first time and she latched right away perfectly. After that I did skin to skin with her for an hour. This labor and delivery was just as quick as Lexi's was. It was just as hard
and just as painful because once again I got there too late for the epidural. Just like with Lexi, I wasn't sure if I was in labor because I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions for so long. My labor and delivery with Mia didn't go exactly as planned but it was beautiful and just as special as my labor and delivery experiences with my older two kids.
Although this pregnancy was a total surprise for us, we were so excited to find out that we were adding another princess to our family. I am so blessed to have 3 healthy, smart, beautiful little girls. We were very surprised to see how much Lexi wants to help with the baby. We were nervous at first because she's used to being the youngest and a having all the attention to herself, and now she has to share it. She's super helpful though and loves to help feed Mia, bring diapers to us, etc. I am so blessed to have my girls and don't know what I'd do without them. Mia is rolling over already, smiling/laughing, and babbling (trying to "talk"). I enjoy spending every minute with her and love watching her grow. 💖
