Somehow I need to blog this in order....so if you are reading this now, it will late be 'out' of order from what you are currently reading, but hopefully I can add in all I have missed the passed two weeks and get it all in order of what happened, according to the layout of my blog. I also only have 45 minutes to tell a lot and post a lot....and think about how and what Order I want it in!
First of all is to tell of the Events week of July 26th. I'll be brief and try to keep most of this to one maybe two posts. I already have journaled details of that week, so hopefully this won't be too full or boring details!
Monday night that week I started having some abdominal pain, something new to me, but not worrysome, I just had to be careful when and how I moved to minimize the pain.
Tuesday I felt fine, still had to move carefully, but otherwise was able to continue with my super busy day getting things ready for baby. At this point I was pretty sure baby wasn't coming for at least another week, but Duck wanted her early so bad, and there is always that possibility, I figured it would be good to get everything I wanted ready and in order by Wednesday the 29th, specifically because then the next day was going to be busy getting ready for Duck's birthday party.
Tuesday night I started having the pains again but this time it was during contractions. Slightly painful...okay pretty painful, like I'm in labor pains. LIke 4 hours into labor! But they were of course just a few every hour and nothing consistent. So, braxton hicks....I have had these before, but not so painful. I assumed that meant we might be on our way, but that when I have the real labor....golly it was going to hurt!
Wednesday day I was fine again. I went to Girls camp that day, had a blast, but that evening as I was planting flowers and getting things ready for Duck's birthday BBQ the next night they started again! I was getting pretty frustrated with these at that point! Well instead of going away and being fine on Thursday they continued throught the night and day. But still really inconsistent! I continued with my day, shopping for the party cleaning the house, but then I was talked into going to the hospital to have them check me. Well when we got there, there was going to be a wait...I wasn't feeling good, I could tell the nurse didn't want to mess with someone who was just having false labor, we had three wild kids who were tired and I didn't want to wait. I knew I wasn't in labor....I have been in labor three times before, although these contractions felt the same....the consistency and length were nothing like real labor should be like.
Duck finally convinced me to not have the BBQ that night, but to go home and rest and then later we could go to the GYM, have the kids watched while we walk on the treadmill and try move along whatever the heck was going on in my body! So we went to the GYM....it was really good, I got a good work out, only had to slow down three times during these contractions. We went home, did dinner....had birthday cake and contractions continued the exact same way.
Ducks fabulous(not) ice cream cake.
Around 7:30 noticing that I had even gone 20 minutes without a contraction (a sign this is false labor), Duck calls me into the room to tell me that he finally knew what he wanted for his birthday. His request was for me to go to the Hospittal with him to have me checked. I rolled my eyes, sighed, and agreed to go if he would call the hospital first to make sure I wouldn't have to wait.
Duck got a sitter, called the hospital, and cleaned the house while I showered and got ready. I accepted the fact that I might be dilated enough to have them break my water and go into labor, so I made sure to have everything I needed packed just in case. We left about 8:15 for the hospital. I walked in, embarrased to even ask this, like I was some first time mom in false labor not knowing what the heck was goign on....but luckily the CNA that was going to admit me was there, asked my name and took me in to triage.
I was in the bathroom changing into the most fashionable robe when my water broke! Yay! This was great because at least know I could KNOW i was in labor and that we were having baby! I was still though a little worried about how painful it was going to be if I was just getting started and I had been having such painful contractions! Well the nurse came in....checked me and sure enough I was dilated. .....to a 9!!!! Immediately I looked at Duck and the huge grin across his face. And for anybody that didn't already know it, it had been his birthday wish the past 9 months that this baby would come on his birthday!
They wheeled me into the delivery room, and within an hour Savannah was here! It all went so fast, and even though I technically had been laboring for 24 hours...it was awesome that I only FELT like it had been 1 hour! Amazing things happen and wishes can come true! Duck's sure did.
Whew! So now that the basics of the story are out...here are the first pictures.
Since delivery went so much faster than anticipated I told Duck he had to go and get Maliyah right away. She had to come and be with her baby sister. So after we arranged who was going to spend the night with the boys Duck picked up Maliyah. She was ecstatic to be with her new sister and just in awe at her. Maliyah had been waiting for this moment for way too long! She was so lucky to be there for such a special time. She got to help with the first bath, weighing her, foot prints. The CNA was really great to let Maiyah be part of all that. I let Maliyah spend the night with me and we stayed up till 2:00 AM just too full of excitment to go to sleep!
WE left the hospital Saturday night just a couple hours after my mom, brother, sister-in-law and their two kids arrived! We were about to start a fabulous week of fun and family! Oh, and a new baby...let's not forget that part!
A few more pictures taken by mom once they got there.
