I know all of y'all don't care about the details of the labor and delivery, BUT here it is if you wanted to know.
The days leading up to the delivery weren't so great. I started having contractions On the 29th. The pain was mostly in my back, so Shane was constantly heating up a sock of rice and massaging my back with it...it felt great, but not good enough. The poor guy did all he could to make me as comfortable as possible, but nothing worked. We ended up going to the hospital Monday afternoon when my contractions were 5 minutes apart. When we got their they said I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced (same as my doc appointment the week before), so they had me walk around for an hour, rechecked me (no change), and sent me home and told me to come back when I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk or talk for an hour.
So, I waited. I was so exhausted from not sleeping Sunday and Monday night and was getting anxious about getting overly tired. I prayed that it would get bad quickly or that I would get some sleep before everything started to happen. That prayer was answered by me not having strong contractions all day Tuesday. It was discouraging that I was taking a step backwards, but it was great to sleep all day. That evening I asked my my mom and her friend to come over. Her friend is a labor and delivery nurse, so I was able to ask her a lot of questions. I still wasn't feeling too bad. An hour after they left I had a good long hour of back-wrenching contractions. I had heard that back labor was the worst...well, I don't know any different, but it was AWFUL! Shane and I headed to the hospital around 12:20am. We got there and I was 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced, so I got to stay! I ended up asking for an epidural. I was in so much pain and was exhausted from the contractions...and let me tell you, that epidural was amazing. It took effect in minutes. They gave it to me around 3:30am and 5 minutes later told me I was having a contraction and I felt nothing. My back had never felt so good.
At 11am the nurse said it was time to push. The doctor doesn't come in until the head starts to crown, so she asked Shane for help. He was asked to hold one of my legs up since they were both lead weights from the epidural. Shane did so wonderful. A couple hours before then he started to get anxious and got really quiet, but when the nurse asked for his help, he did what she asked and ended up watching the whole miracle happen.
All of the nurses were wonderful. They all said I was one of their easiest patients, so that was neat to hear. It was so wonderful to have no complications and we are so thankful. Mrs. K, Meghan, my mom, Sarah, and my cousin Lauren were waiting in the waiting room all morning and were able to see Elsa minutes after she was born. The grandpas were able to meet her a few days later on the weekend since they were both out of town the day of her birth. We had a few friends visit the hospital, and are going to see Matt, Becca, Will, Konomi and Grayson next weekend.
God's timing is perfect for sure. When I got to the hospital, my favorite doctor from the OB practice was on call, and around 7:30am, she left and my 2nd favorite doctor was on call and he is the one that delivered little Elsa (there are 6 doctors in the practice). If I had stayed on Monday it would have been one of my least favorite doctors. As hard as it was to be in pain for so long, it was worth it. I forgot what kind of pain I was in once I got the meds and I was all smiles throughout the whole thing...and even now. I haven't felt exhausted yet. I take a 10-20 minute nap every other day or so, and Elsa is so wonderful. She rarely cries. She just cries when she's dirty or hungry. Not too bad. I would cry too. She's been nursing great and is gaining weight. We actually went to the doctor on Wednesday because her belly button looked funny to me (it ended up being fine) and they weighed her at 7 lb 11oz (already over her birth weight). She left the hospital at 7 lb and it's normal to be back up the birth weight by the 2 week appointment. It was encouraging to see that she is growing strong. I guess what comes in eating a lot is pooping a lot...she is going through 15 diapers a day right now. 5 -7 wet diapers and 2-5 poopy diapers is considered normal. Well, little sweet Elsa poops 8-9 times a day and pees 7 or so (at least for the past 5 days). I would let her sit in it for a bit, but she lets me know right away. This little girl doesn't like to be dirty.
I'll write about last weekend's visit with the grandparents next time. Too much has happened the last 9 days, it's stressing me out to write about it all right now.
Come meet/visit Elsa whenever you can! She would love to snuggle!
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