the arrival

We were checked into the hospital on Monday night at 7pm. I was 6 days overdue and was only dilated to a 1+, so that night they were going to give me cervidel to hopefully speed up the process. The whole night nothing happened. No contractions. A nurse came in at 7 am and repositioned the cervidal. That got things going! A few hours later they gave me pitocin and a few hours after that I got my epideral. I got what they call a walking epideral. It's about 60% of the effect of a full epideral, so I was still able to walk around (with help), move my legs and best of all feel just enough of all the labor because I wasn't completely numb. I absolutely loved that! It was moving slowly but surely. It was abut 5:30 pm and the nurse told me I was around a 5+. We were just waiting for the doctor to show up so he could break my water and hopefully speed things up. When he came in just after 6 he checked me. "Oh ya, we're ready to go!" I thought he meant okay to break the water, but in just over a half hour I went from a 5+ to ready to push! It hit me! This baby was coming!! It felt like it went so fast! When they were ready I sat up, told them when I was contracting and 15 min later and a few pushes she was on my chest. The feeling was overwhelming. My adrenaline was pumping, I was crying, and she just sat there looking at me with her eyes wide open.

I always wanted her by me, so when the nurse took her for a few hours so I could get some sleep that first night, it made me nervous. I was always half asleep. I even heard a baby cry, called my nurse in and said, "I'm just being a paranoid mother, but is that my baby crying?" she let me know, "oh no, you're baby is sound asleep!"

Caden was such a support through this process! I was even surprised he cut the cord and watched some of the labor. ( this is a guy who would easily faint) She came out looking just like daddy!

So content...

She was rooting right after labor! That night she found her thumb. She's tried since, but hasn't been successful. Maybe aunt Mal just showed her that night.

We couldn't be happier!

We love you Maggie!