Sophie's Birth Story

I started writing this on the 25th, one week after Sophie arrived and the day I was scheduled to be induced. Obviously I didn’t make much progress because it’s not getting posted until now. I've always had an aversion to writing, which is why my journal for the past 10 years only has about 5 entries, but this is something I wanted to record because the details of Sophie’s arrival are already starting to fade. So here I go….

This is rather long, so scroll down if you’d rather just see the pictures :)

On Sunday I was one day past due with no signs that labor would start anytime soon – no cramping, bleeding, contractions, nothing. I was a little discouraged and went to bed ready to face another week. At 4:30am I suddenly woke up with painful cramping. It wasn’t horrible, but bad enough that I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up and started debating whether or not I should go into work. I had a doctor appointment that afternoon at 1:00, so in the end I decided that I would rather spend the morning working where my mind would be on other things, than sitting at home doing nothing.

When Dave woke up, I told him how I was feeling. I also told him that he should probably drive to campus instead of taking TRAX, just in case. He left for school, and then my mom dropped me at work before going to see my sister in Provo. I had my hospital bag in the car, and told her to keep her phone close so she could pick me up if something changed.

Well, nothing changed. I worked until it was time for my doctor appointment. For the past three weeks I had been 80-90% effaced, but only dilated to a 1. Each week my doctor would tell me no significant change, I probably wouldn’t deliver that week, and that he would see me next Monday. Today I got slightly better news – I was dilated to a 2.5 – progress, but still a ways to go. He asked if I wanted my membranes stripped, and I gritted my teeth and said yes.

I left my appointment in pain, but with the hope that something had started. When I got home the pain was building instead of fading. I decided to take a bath. While I was in the bath I was watching the clock and realized that the pain was coming in waves every 4-5 minutes. These were contractions! I stayed in the bath for about an hour and then got out and told my mom that I thought labor had started.

This is where I have to make a confession. Mom, you asked me how far apart they were coming, and I lied. I wasn’t ready to go to the hospital yet, but didn’t want you to panic, so I lied and only told you about every other contraction. They were not coming 7 minutes apart – more like 4. I’m sorry I wasn't honest, but if I had told you the truth you would have made me go to the hospital right away instead of making dinner, and the grilled cheese sandwiches you made got me through the night :)

Right after dinner we texted Dave, who was still in class, and told him we were leaving for the hospital. When we got to the hospital around 5:00pm the contractions were coming every 3 minutes. I skipped check in and headed straight up to labor and delivery. A nurse took me to a room for observation and told me I was only at a 3. I was so afraid they would send me back home. I was in a lot of pain and didn’t know how I would survive a night at home if this was not the real thing.

The nurse told me that they would have me stay for now and check me again in an hour to see if anything changed. Unfortunately an hour later was during shift change and no one came back to my room until 6:30. That was a hard 90 minutes to wait and I was not a very happy camper. Luckily Dave arrived during that time, and I was glad to have him there. When I was finally checked again, I had progressed to a 4.5 and they took me to the delivery room – hooray!!

By now the contractions were less than 2 minutes apart and practically coming on top of each other. Dave was being very supportive, but I was not handling the pain very well. When my nurse asked if I wanted an epidural I said YES, but the anesthesiologist was in the OR. She got me some other pain medication that helped take the edge off, but I was starting to get really shaky and was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to do the epidural because I literally could not hold still for more than 2 seconds.

The anesthesiologist arrived around 8:30pm, did the epidural, and by 9:00 I was in heaven. I literally could not feel anything. I was sooo happy. Now that I was comfortable, I realized I was hungry (thank goodness I had at least eaten that grilled cheese), so Dave brought me juice, a popsicle, and jello.

Now things were staring to happen really fast. My nurse checked me again and I was at a 6. When my doctor came in 20 minutes later I was at an 8. By 10:00 I was at a 9, and by 11:00 I was fully dilated and ready to push! My doctor was also helping with another delivery down the hall. He called the other room, and it was decided that I was moving faster so the other mom-to-be should stop pushing because he was going to stay with me until I delivered. I am sorry other mom that I cut in line – I hope you didn’t have to wait too long.

Pushing while numb was an interesting experience. My epidural worked so well, I could not feel anything, not even pressure. The only way I knew I was having contractions was by watching the monitor. I just followed the instructions of my doctor, who said I was doing good, and after less than an hour of pushing Sophie arrived!

She was so beautiful. I thought I would cry, but I didn’t. The first comment from the doctor was that she was big! Throughout my pregnancy I had been told that she was measuring small and the doctor had estimated that she would be around 7 to 7.5 pounds. She surprised us all by weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces. What a chunk!

After she had been weighed, measured, and cleaned, I got to hold her. She was so perfect and she was mine! I had been thinking about and waiting for this moment for years. I am a mom! Dave is a dad! We are so excited to be parents and are looking forward to this adventure.

Still working on a post...

We are home, settling into life as a family of three and doing great so far. I keep meaning to work on a blog post, but I seem to spend most of my free time (the few hours I do get) staring at her. How could you not??? Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to it...

Sophie Howe

Sophie arrived early this morning. She has lots of dark hair, chubby cheeks, and has so far been a very sweet, mellow baby - we are in love. More pictures and her story will be coming soon.

Officially Late

As of today our girl is officially late and the waiting game continues. She is happy, so I am happy, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. I am seeing my doctor again on Monday and am hoping he will have some good news for us.

I grabbed this little dress at a clothing swap a few months ago - it would have been a little big, but I thought for sure she'd be here in time to wear it for St. Patty's. I guess she had other ideas, so this will have to do...

Taco Belly

My growing belly has caught the odd crumb here and there, but yesterday was the first time it took the brunt of a spill. I was opening a package of taco seasoning (apparently very badly) and it exploded all over me. Amazingly enough my belly caught it all - nothing made it to the floor!  I'm just glad it was dust, and not something like boiling water. I am wondering if this will give our little girl an affinity for spicy food...

39 Weeks

The end is near! Or at least I hope it is. I am now counting down the days, instead of weeks, and can't believe that she will be here any day now! So far I haven't had a single contraction or any other sign that labor is imminent. Right now she seems content to just hang out until her due date. I am not super comfortable, but overall feel really good.

I am still working full time at my school and am grateful that the bathroom is literally 10 steps from my desk :) Right now my plan is to work through next Friday, one day before my "official" due date. We'll see if I make it that long... I leave every day wondering if I'll be back in the next morning.

The day I got a flat tire

A few weeks ago, on my way home from work, I got a flat tire - not an ideal situation for someone who is 37 weeks pregnant. The car in front of me suddenly kicked up an object that was grayish-black and about the size of a brick. I had about one second to respond and managed to avoid it hitting it head on, but it still hit my rear tire. It lost pressure immediately and I pulled off to call Dave for help.

As you can see from the picture, the impact put a good size hole in the tire and dented the rim

Normally when something like this happens I get pretty angry at the situation, but this time I just kept thinking of how it could have been so much worse. In hindsight, I am grateful that:

• It was a beautiful day - a little chilly, but no rain, snow, or wind
• I was able to keep control and avoid a collision with another car
• I was already in an exit lane next to the ramp so I could pull right off the freeway instead of having to navigate across 3 lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder  
• I was only 1 exit from home and Dave was not at school so he was able to come to my rescue really quick
• That Dave knows how to put a spare tire on a car
• My mom was visiting at the time and got dinner ready so there was food waiting for us when we finally got home
• We have two cars so Dave and I were able to work out a way to still get to work and school while our poor Focus was getting repaired.
• Our insurance will cover the claim under our comprehensive policy so we only have to pay the $100 deductible instead of a $600 bill!

Dino Date

We bought a Groupon for two passes to the Museum of Ancient Life and dinner at Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point. Since neither of us had school/work on Presidents' Day, we took our Groupon and went on a date!

We were probably the oldest people there, other than the parents there with their kids, but we still had a great time. We took our time and looked at every display and did all the little interactive activities together. After spending a couple hours at the museum, we made our way over to the restaurant and enjoyed a nice dinner.

It was a fun date, and probably one of the last times we can go out for a long time without having to worry about a babysitter!

Encounter with a dinosaur

Celebrating a belated Valentine's Day

My blackberry lemonade - it was soooo good and I got at least three refills

Valentine's 2013

We are going on a "big" date courtesy of Groupon over the holiday weekend, so we kept our Valentine's day pretty low key. Dave woke up early and made me pancakes before I left for work (he is the best pancake maker ever), and then I made him a heart pizza for dinner. Happy Valentines Day!

I was actually quite proud of my pizza! I struggle to draw a good heart on paper, so I was pleased that I was able to mold the dough to look like something other than a blob.

35 Weeks

We're approaching the final countdown! Only five weeks to go, unless she decides to make an early appearance, which babies in my family tend to do. I'm not planning on her coming early (just so I don't drive myself crazy if she comes late), but we're going to have everything ready just in case.

I'm a split personality these days.  When I think about how much I still want to do at home, or as I prepare for maternity leave at work, or when I visit the diaper  aisle at the store then I think "please stay in!! I'm not ready!!"

But then when I can't sleep or sit comfortably, or when I wish yoga pants were suitable work attire, or when I think about holding her and what she'll look like (I imagine dark hair that curls when it gets longer and dark eyes) then I want her right now.

At my appointment this week my doctor told me I don't have to worry about having a 10 lb baby - phew! She is measuring on the petite side for now, but still feels big to me!

Her bed is ready and waiting! We don't have the space to set up a formal nursery or even a crib, so she'll bunking with us in a pack-n-play until we get a bigger place (hopefully) this summer.