~Charlotte's Birth Story~ { Part 1}

{Charlotte's Birth Story}

              Time and time again I've tried settling down to write Charlotte's birth story, but, as all you mommy friends know....just when you make time, the babe decides to get up, cry out of nowhere, or need a diaper change of some sort. Another classic favorite: Finally get the time but want to sleep instead of being productive. Ha! But I've discovered something. Naps and sleep IS productive. I need to remember that forever and never feel guilty for needing some rest!

Anyway....

Charlotte's birth story. I'm beginning to forget little details, so I can't wait any longer! 

{P.S....sorry it's very long. But this is for posterity, people.}

My due date was September 16th and couldn't come soon enough. I was barely making any progress as my appointments with the Doctor started turning into weekly visits at the end. I was praying so hard to just dilate to something or have some change of any kind. But little Charlotte was just so snuggly in there...she didn't want to leave! I was about a 1 and 50% effaced a week or so before and had absolutely no contractions. {Maybe a few once. And I probably convinced myself of that}.You could say I felt discouraged. At the end I was sure ready to pop and have that baby. The fun parts of pregnancy were over and I was very ready to rip that baby out. 

At the appointment before my due date, Dr. Jones set up an appointment for the 19th of September {3 days after my due date} to see how things were going if I hadn't had her already and mentioned that he would induce me on the 26th of September if I hadn't had her by then. {Oh kill me now!} But he guaranteed me that I would NOT make it to my induction date. At this point I didn't know if I could believe him. But I kept my spirits up! 

Well...my due date came and passed and I was getting super antsy. I was just trying to somehow enjoy the last days I had before I had a baby forever...but didn't really because I was just big and wanted to get to the next phase of life. I went in on the 19th and Dr. Jones said I'd progressed to a 2 and was 75% effaced. Hooray for progress! Dr. Jones said to come back in the next morning and he'd strip my membranes to see if that would help move things along. He also mentioned taking a non-stress test at the hospital sometime that weekend to see if the baby was still okay since she was overdue. 

I got my membranes stripped the next morning {which wasn't bad at all-maybe 5 seconds of it} and prayed she would come soon. I walked some more and hoped for the best! 

Saturday, the 21st, Chad and I got up like normal and planned to go take the non-stress test that afternoon before the BYU game. We both put on our BYU attire to represent. ;) I felt totally normal that morning...but by about noon I started feeling some really intense back pain. Since I had never felt a contraction before, I didn't realize at the time I was beginning to have some mild ones. The pain started from the back and made me stop in my tracks. It didn't feel like what I thought contractions would feel like at all. So I kept second guessing myself! I called my mom and we talked back and forth and she told me they were probably the contractions and that I would totally be having the baby either that day or the next. I thought she was crazy! 

Welp, then they came in pretty intense. Not enough to make me "rush to the hospital", but to realize they were contractions. Chad and I started timing them, but because they weren't close enough apart yet, we decided to go to have a little date and go to lunch at Cravings before we went to take the non-stress test. Our last meal together as parent-less married folk! By the time we sat down to eat our food, they were about 3 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart. And they hurt PRETTY bad.

Cravings Bistro in AF. Yum!

Let's just say I didn't eat much of my lunch. Darn. 

We got to the hospital and hooked me up to take the test. I had quite a few contractions during the 45 minutes we were there, and Chad helped me through them with the breathing we had practiced the night before at my mom's. {**Side note** Learn some breathing before you have your baby!!!! It helped me TREMENDOUSLY and I don't know how I would have kept together without it! And have your hubbie learn it too because having Chad do it with me made it so much easier.} I hoped they would keep me, but they told me to come home for awhile and come back if they got closer together. At that point I was 3 cm and 80-100% effaced.

We got home and my contractions got SUPER intense. It hurt real bad. Not gonna lie. I wouldn't like to experience those again, but looks like we want more kids so.....guess I gotta put up with those a bit more! I sat at the edge of the bed at first and Chad held on to me and counted the breathing. He keep a log of the timing of the contractions. They said to call after 2 hours of contractions if they were however far apart they're supposed to be in order to go to the hospital. Ha ha, I don't remember. 2 minutes apart and 45 second long? Or something? 

Sitting at the edge of the bed wasn't quite working for me, so I walked up and down our hallway, got in the shower for a little bit...and eventually found that leaning against the wall when a contraction came and rocking back and forth was the only thing that brought a BIT of comfort, ha ha. I'm glad this wasn't video taped, ha! But seriously...when you're in labor, it doesn't matter the position...whatever makes you feel better you do! I told Chad he needed to call the hospital to see if I could come so he called about an 1 1/2 hours in and they told us to come back and they'd check me. 

Well, they checked and told me to undress and they'd get me hooked up and on my epidural in no time!

Wow, that was fast.

THIS BABY was officially COMING!