The Time Has Arrived!

I woke up Tuesday morning about 7:30 after a fitful sleep. I was really uncomfortable, but groggy enough not to put two and two together. Then, I felt it. Yep. No denying it. That was a contraction. A real one. Tight, a little painful, pretty uncomfortable. I just smiled. Finally! I was only 3 days past my due date, but I had somehow convinced myself that this little one was GOING to come early. My reasoning for this silliness? All the boys had been late or induced, Chloe was the only one who came early. So, since this was a girl, I was CERTAIN that she would follow in big sister's footsteps. BUZZ!! Wrong answer! This little girl was going to set her own path from the get-go...no telling what this holds for our future! :D

I got up and started keeping track of the contractions. Quietly, of course. Even though I was certain this was the real thing just getting started, I didn't want to get the kids all worked up. By 10, they were consistently 20 minutes apart, so Kelly and I started making plans for the kids and co-op. Of course, I would go into labor on co-op day! Kelly decided to take them to co-op and to stay and teach his class, then leave them in Emily's care. He was gone for not quite two hours, and the contractions practically came to a stop - I was so frustrated! I called my nurse and asked her what to do. She encouraged me to take a bath, lie down and rest. She was sure if it was the real deal, they'd start back up again, and she was right! By 3:00, I told Kelly we should start making our way to the hospital. We were in the car at 3:30, walking into L&D at 4:00. 

The Triage nurses were great. When they realized this wasn't our first rodeo, they were much more relaxed and not too concerned. When one nurse went to check me, she said I was at a 3 1/2, which is what I'd been my last two doctor appointments. I was disappointed, but not surprised. When I progress, I progress quickly. They acted like they'd send me home, but called Dr. Wotherspoon to ask her. My blood pressure was pretty elevated, and they weren't comfortable with that. She told them to send me over to L&D - we were gonna have this baby! So by 4:30, I was walking into my L&D room. They called the on call doctor to come in and break my water. When she came in and checked me at 5:00, she asked what I'd been, they told her 3 1/2. She just smiled and said, "Well, that's a good sign. She's at least a 6 now!" WOW!! All the girls were very surprised at that! They asked me if I was going to want an epidural, because they'd have to get me in line right then. I told them to get me in line! :)

We had a sweet nurse named Kelli until a little after 7:00. I really don't remember any of the other names, but they were some of the sweetest girls I'd had in all my deliveries. They all were fascinated that we had so many kids, that we homeschooled, and they all wanted to visit and share about their families. It was actually a nice distraction, and I enjoyed them all. 

The doctor came in about 6:30 to give me my epidural. He asked me if I minded if some medical explorers observed. I told him that was fine with me. So two girls, a 16 and an 18 year old, walked in the room. They may have believed they knew what was about to happen, but they were in for a surprise...about 5 minutes in, one was directed to sit down on the floor before she passed out! We had a good laugh at her expense, but she was a good sport! She even came back for my delivery, which she said she enjoyed much more than watching the epidural. LOL!

About an hour later, I knew it was time. Kelly went and got a nurse, and we were ready to roll. Unfortunately, Cadie had other ideas...somehow at some point, she had turned sideways. Nobody expected this, and she got stuck. Before I had any idea what was happening, there were three nurses standing on top of me, one grabbing an emergency call cord (which was broken and didn't call anyone, we found out later) and the other two pushing on my stomach with all they had. Kelly said Dr. Wotherspoon was pulling on Cadie like nothing he'd ever seen before. Her head was out at 7:37, but the rest of her came at 7:40. In hindsight, it all happened really quickly, but it was a scary few moments for sure. They said she was stunned and swooped her away. It took a few minutes, but I finally heard her cries. A healthy, loud girl at 8 pounds 14 ouncs and 21 inches long. Then I could breathe.

There was some concern that they may have broken her clavicle. She was very fussy through the evening, and it made me wonder, as well. But when I picked her up around 2am to feed her, I heard a pop in her shoulder. She stopped crying immediately, and didn't fuss much after that. They brought in the xray machine to my room the next morning to be sure, and it came back just fine. I was so relieved.

We have had a bad cold and flu season here in SW Missouri, and the hospitals had restricted children under 14 from the hospital. We knew about it beforehand and had prepared the kids for it. They were very upset, but knew there was nothing we could do about it. About mid day Wednesday, however, they lifted the ban! My nurse was very happy to tell me, and I called Kelly right away. He didn't tell them, but loaded the kids up and surprised them by driving right up to the hospital! Connor and Chloe stayed with me that night, and we had a lovely evening.

It's a beautiful thing, this family of mine. I am so thankful for all my children. They were all genuinely thrilled to have a new baby sister. They simply adore her. Every one of them have had special bonding time with her and are developing their own unique relationship with her. I am proud of all of them. There are sure to be moments of chaos, frustration, and probably even some jealousy, but we will deal with them all with the Lord's guidance. He has given us a most priceless gift with these children, and Kelly and I know without a doubt that we are Abundantly Blessed.