Audrey's arrival

It's Mother's Day Mania with Mama M over at My Little Life.  Today is birth stories!  I have already shared the 'fun' around Leah's birth (I'll link at the bottom if you want to read about my emergency C-section), so now I want to share my youngest's birth.

I was so ready, oh my goodness so ready for her to come!  I had an appointment on my due date, but I wasn't dilated enough to go into the hospital.  The doctor gave me these orders:  "Next week, let's work on going into labor."  Really?

So the next night I started having contractions.  Well ... I'd been having a few for a while, but I started counting them then.  Most moms know the drill ... they are coming every twenty minutes...then for an hour they come every 8 minutes ... and all of a sudden you don't get a contraction for twenty minutes again.  It was so frustrating.  To cap it off, my sweet husband kept asking, "Have you had one yet?  Are they closer?  Is it time?"  We played Trivial Purist into the wee hours of the morning and finally just went to sleep.  Ok, let me change that ... Andrew went to sleep, lol!  I tossed and turned and starting timing contractions again around 7am.  When I was convinced they were coming about every 5-7 minutes I woke up Andrew.  I was going to call in a talk to a nurse, and then head in when she told me to.  Andrew ... no my sweet husband was up, grabbing the bag, waking his mom up (who was staying with us to watch Leah) and telling her we were heading to the hospital!

I called the nurse on the way in, and she completely phsyced me out.  I asked her if I should come in.  She was all like, well you know what it feels like just come in when you feel ready.  I was all like, but I don't know what it feels like (I was sick, sick, sick when I went into labor with Leah), and I asked if  I could just come in now.  Um yeah...we were sitting in the parking deck of the hospital, lol!

I got checked in, settled in the delivery suite and found out I was 5cm dilated!  I got an epidural.  They insert drugs into your iv to kinda calm you down before they insert the epidural.  Oh, that is good stuff...Andrew said it was the first time I smiled all day, lol!  The epidural slowed down labor a bit, so they broke my water and dude ... that did the trick!

Soon after I started shivering.  I told Andrew I was so cold...could he please get a blanket.  But one blanket didn't do the trick, I was still shivering like a crazy person.  Before you know it, I'm feeling this pressure.  Andrew gets the nurse, she takes one look and tells me ... this baby is ready to come out.  Apparently shivering is a sign of labor ... hmmm ... who knew :-)

The doc rushed in and told me not to push until she was ready.  And then I started pushing.  My husband held my leg, this was all so new to us!  He coached me on breathing ... I watched through the mirror and an hour later Audrey was born!  I was amazed at the whole process!

Oh yeah, did I mention she was a vbac? It can be done ladies, if that's what you want!

Here are some fun pictures of Audrey's birth - day:

Audrey Anne was born at 3:40 PM on 11/20/2009 at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She is 8 lbs 13 ounces and 20 inches long!

I'm so excited about today!  I love birth stories!!!!!

If you want to read Leah's birth-story click here!