welcome to the family: a birth story: baby Annalise

our little thanksgiving pumpkin.

To start I have to go back a bit.  Back around the 30's of my pregnancy I had talked to my doctor about my experience not getting an epidural in time for Drew because he came so fast and what a negative experience I'd had overall (with it being an unplanned natural birth among other hard situations) and at that time he said he'd induce me by 39 weeks if I hadn't had baby girl by then so we could avoid a similar situation this time around. But when I was 39 weeks and hadn't had her yet, it was obvious that he'd just thought I'd have had her naturally by then (Lee was born at 36 week, Drew at 38 weeks) and withdrew the offer to induce until I was 41-42 weeks. Which would be After my mom had come and gone... Needless to say I was stressed. 

Because of my boys' early births, when I got to 39 week with baby Annalise, I felt like I was past due already. And being the planner and worrier that I can be, I also worried as the Thanksgiving holiday got closer and closer, since my brother and his family were going to be staying with us before they moved away and my mom was coming to help.

I was exercising like crazy (even ran the last quarter mile of a 3 mile walking loop I did one night because I was so annoyed) but it wasn't causing any contractions at all. Nothing was. It seemed baby girl just wasn't ready to come. 

took this bathroom selfie for my family as I headed to my dr appt that morning.

At my 39 week appointment on the morning of November 21st I didn't even bother to be checked for dilation because I haven't shown any signs of labor until I'm in labor and I had another appointment on the following Tuesday before the holiday anyway. 

I had had 2 random contractions early Friday morning at about 4 am that hadn't amounted to anything but had been successful in keeping me up the rest of the night because of my anticipation. I was pretty darn discouraged on my way home from the doctor. I'd continued to have a random contraction here and there all morning but hadn't said anything to anyone because they were so far apart and random, even though there was legitimate pain with these ones. I refused to get my hopes up so I chose not to say anything until they became something more, if they did. 

It was Kevin's Friday off but he started the day off working on some projects in the garage so I spent a good portion of the morning "alone" (with the boys). The contractions continued, even coming fairly close together, if I paced, which I couldn't help but do. Finally I went into the garage and just gave Kevin a heads up but told him not to expect anything since I was pretty sure it was nothing. 

We went along with our day but the contractions started being more regular in the late afternoon. Enough so that Kevin asked me to touch base with the top people on our list to watch the boys if we needed help. I was super reluctant because what if it was nothing? I felt like I was jinxing myself but contacted them anyway. Good thing too because they had plans...it was a Friday night after all and actually the next people on our list had sick kids and then I contacted my brother and sister-in-law, but they had a babysitter set up so they could have a date night. I finally contacted a friend that lives about 30 minutes away and they Could help! But if I needed to get to the hospital in a hurry with rush hour on a Friday I was worried they wouldn't be fast enough. So I contacted Another friend who lives a couple blocks away and she said she could come until my other friends got there, they were all SUCH lifesavers. My bases were covered but I still didn't feel like it was time to go to the hospital.

I'd really wanted some books for the hospital and life in general so we headed to the library and I was still having contractions, making Kevin very nervous but I wasn't sure they were regular enough yet. We headed home and after feeding the kids dinner I sat down to see if the contractions would slow or stop and they didn't. They were really regular at this point so we packed my bag and called my friends and they all headed over. I was still nervous that I'd be sent home, I think everyone has that fear though and I pushed it out. Kevin gave me a Priesthood blessing that promised that things would go well with the delivery, that we'd be safe and that it would be a better experience than my experience with Drew's birth. 

My friend got to our house around 7 or 7:30 and we headed out. My brother's family was living about an hour away and planned to head up after their date night to relieve our friends and stay the night. 

I was anxious about whether I'd be admitted or not on the way to the hospital but tried to be calm, assuming I was worrying for nothing since it definitely felt like I was in labor. 

We got to the hospital and checked in and waited. A friend from my church congregation was just finishing up her shift and took me back to a triage room. I was only dilated to a 4 when she checked me but she felt certain, based on my history, that the doctor on call from my office would let me stay. 

She came back after talking to him with the bad news that he didn't want me to be admitted until I was at least a 5 or 6. So, my friend and the nurse replacing her suggested we go to the outdoor walking street mall here and walk around and get dinner to get things progressing more rather than going all the way back home and needing to turn around again, get babysitters again and head back out. I was instructed to come back when contractions were 2-3 minutes apart or I couldn't walk or talk during them. 

I was really disappointed, of course, and frustrated, my fears confirmed. But we headed out anyway and started walking the loop at the walking street mall. It was already decorated for Christmas and it was a pretty busy weekend. We got sandwiches for dinner as well, the whole thing felt so bizarre, being out and about surrounded by people, thinking I was probably in labor. My contractions continued and got increasingly more painful but not 2-3 minutes apart. Though I did have to stop during them most the time. 

Finally we felt like we should just go home since I wasn't consistently having to stop and I Really didn't want to get sent home a second time. Just after we passed the hospital on our way home we felt like we should go back, just to be sure, since the round trip drive is nearly an hour depending on traffic. So back in the hospital we went. They recognized me, of course, and I went into a triage room again. I was checked again and despite my contractions still at a 4. The nurse called the doctor again and once again, he said not to admit me but offered to prescribe a sleeping pill so I could hopefully rest until I was in active labor. The nurse recommended I take Unisom (an over the counter sleeping pill) instead since the sleeping pill was really intense (like so intense she said Kevin would have to walk me into the house by the time we got home from the hospital). Kevin again voiced concerns about not being able to get back to the hospital in time because I have babies so quickly and she told us of 24 hour ER places en route if I felt like I wasn't going to make it back and to call 911 if I was home and didn't feel like I'd make it....I could tell she felt bad and concerned about sending me home but it wasn't her call. So back home we went, about 10:30 pm by this point. I was pretty upset and doubly anxious. I did not want to have the baby at home or en route and I really wanted to have a successful epidural. 

My brother and sister-in-law were home and were very patient with my frustration, my brother even got me to laugh quite a few times, which it turns out hurts an insane amount in the middle of a contraction. My contractions were still quite far apart, 7-15 minutes but lasting maybe a full minute or more each. Kevin and my brother gave me a Priesthood blessing of peace and comfort.

Finally about midnight we all headed to bed, with the help of the Unisom, I actually slept in between each contraction somehow. But finally about 1 am Kevin said he felt like we really should go back to the hospital because of how painful and long my contractions were. I refused for a while not wanting to get turned away again. Finally, he gave me no option since I was in such extreme pain and he was getting really concerned. I could barely make it out the door, the contractions were so bad that I really could not move during them. On the way I kept alternating between being afraid that they'd turn me away again (somehow) and that I'd have the baby in the car.  Once we got back to the hospital I had to stop 6 times on our way in (Kevin counted) because of how intense my contractions had become. Finally I made it to the check in desk again... People kept offering me a wheelchair but I couldn't sit down, someone did eventually convince me to hold onto the railing while I waited to be taken to a triage room. 

Back in the triage room I was checked again I was dilated to an 8. First thing I said was, “I’m not getting an epidural, am I?” 

My nurse got me in a wheelchair and into a delivery room, where there were so many nurses. They were trying to get my blood taken to send off to be checked (standard pre-epidural procedure) even though there was no way I was going to make it that long.  Not soon after they got my IV in I knew I was ready to deliver. The nurses were INCREDIBLE, unlike during my unplanned natural delivery with Drew, these nurses coached me through my breathing and helped me stay in control. And though it was still intensely painful, it didn't leave me in shock like when I had Drew. 
Baby Annalise came very quickly, I maybe pushed twice.  My triage nurse delivered her as the doctor was still on his way to the hospital.

I was so overwhelmed to hold that perfect little girl in my arms on my chest.  I don’t know if it came because I wasn’t quite so blindsided by giving birth in general (like with my first) or by an unplanned natural birth (like with my second) but this delivery was the most emotional I’ve had, not in the crying way, I don’t really do that with births (at least so far), but in the “feeling emotions at all” way. In the past I felt more numb than anything else. But this time I did feel emotions and  I was so happy, so happy. My GIRL, I had a baby girl, a baby. 

It’s impossible for me not to think about those years I thought I’d never be in a delivery room myself each time I’ve been blessed to bring a perfect miracle into the world. I never thought it’d happen. But there I was holding a third tiny, perfect miracle in my arms. I can’t really express my gratitude for that miracle. 

I was distracted enough when I was in labor to miss the fact that I was only in the delivery room for 15 minutes before I delivered. I literally barely made it.  The nurses that helped with the delivery all came in quite a bit to check on me that night (early morning officially) and they told me how insanely quick it had been. I knew it was fast but I didn’t realize how close I was to delivering in the hallway, or the parking lot, or the car...
From the time I first tried to check into the hospital it had only been six hours total. 

Since her delivery Annalise has continued to make our family so happy, she has brought a unique and special goodness to our family and home, we love her so much. 

I am over the moon happy to have our sweet baby Annalise safe and sound and here with us now.