Our Sweet P is Here!!!

Well, have I got a story to tell!  It begins back at the end of February when I found out my baby was breech.  My doctor talked to me about a procedure called an external version and gave me a week to think about it.  I did a lot of reading up on it, and as always there was a lot of mixed reviews on the internet.  Seeing that it was the only thing I could have control over (my other option was just to cross my fingers hoping she would flip on her own), so on March 6th I went in to the hospital to have her flipped.  We packed a bag because they had to treat me like I was going in to labor because there was that possibility (only they don't give you an epidural, just a muscle relaxant), so it was nice to feel prepared, but after all was said and done, it was kind of sad leaving the hospital without our baby.  However, the procedure was a success so I felt good knowing that she was head down.  That Friday I went in for a follow up visit and felt the need to ask about an induction date, mainly out of peer pressure.  Everyone was telling me how wonderful it is to be induced, but I wasn't convinced, deep down I wanted the excitement of going in to labor.   On the other hand though,  I was beginning to feel like a ticking time bomb with everyone's comments on how big I was, worrying that she might go back to being breech, and of course stressing about the placental issues I had had.  So I figured there was no harm in at least asking about it.  Next thing I know, my doctor walks back in and said that I was scheduled to be induced the following Friday at 6:45 a.m..

So you can imagine how high strung I was March 14th!  Our bags were pretty much already packed from the prior hospital visit, so then I focused a lot on Roxey.  She and I had an amazing day together and she helped pack her things.  When it came time for bed, she refused to go in her room and not wanting to fight her any longer (as it was already 11 o'clock!), we just had her sleep on our floor.  Oh, the things she slept through that night!  I couldn't sleep and around 2 or 3 a.m. I started to have contractions.  They varied so much, I didn't know what to think.  At one point they were so close together, but then they slowed down, so I quickly took that opportunity to hop in the shower.  I kept doing things to get ready to go and then would go into denial that I was truly in labor and would convince myself to stick with our original plan of having my sister come for Roxey at 6:15.  Finally, I couldn't take the pain any longer, so we asked my sister to come earlier, so instead we ended up at the hospital by 6:15.

Even though I had preregistered, for some odd reason, they still had questions to ask before admitting me.  That was a trying moment as my contractions were only 2 minutes apart!  They finally admitted me and my wonderful husband did all that he could to get the ball rolling and make sure that I got the epidural in time.  They quickly put the IV in me and the doctor broke my water.  Then two people came in and though I was in a haze due to the pain, I believe I heard them ask "Are you okay with ______ giving the epidural, she is in training?"  In my head I was thinking NOOOOOO!!!, but my sweet husband said yes.  She proceeded to prep me and then leaned forward trying to be all cute like and asked something about if I was aware of the potential ramifications of getting an epidural.  I cut her off mid sentence and said, "I am fine with the risks, just give me the epidural."  Time was of the essence!  She carefully continued; however, when she was done, I could no longer feel my legs, but could feel everything else!  Yep, I could still feel every contraction!  My husband insisted that they do something, but they were very reluctant and kept saying that I shouldn't over do it on the epidural otherwise I wouldn't be able to push when it came time.  They finally gave me another dose, only to find out that it made my legs even more numb!  I was beginning to think about how I should prepare myself for natural birth and threw up due to the pain and stress.  Again, thanks to my husband we were insistant that the trainee had failed (he said it in a better way) and they went ahead and gave me yet another dose.  My prayers were answered because that one finally worked!

Moments later my doctor walked in.  It was almost 9, we hadn't been at the hospital long, so you can imagine my surprise when he said, "Okay, we're ready to push!"  I pushed through two contractions and she was out!  So if you ask me, the Labor part was hard, but the Delivery was the easiest thing ever!  Penelope did just like what Roxey did and let out the tiniest cry just to reassure us she was breathing, then she went back to being pleasant as can be.  As I held her in deep awe, I couldn't believe how different she looked from Roxey.  Her head was perfect, I think due to being breech for a while, she wasn't squished at all!

When Roxey first came to the hospital that day, they had just taken Penelope out to do some testing in the nursery.  She ran into my room and stopped dead in her tracks, then with a very confused look on her face, she asked where her sister was.  Jordan quickly took her to the nursery to see her and then she was able to wheel her back to the room.  She promptly sat on the couch in order to hold her.  I have never seen her so proud and happy.  A short while later she said, "Thank you mom for growing her!"  My heart just melted.

The next day in the hospital, with the exception of a few visitors, I spent the whole day alone with my Sweet P.  I loved every moment of it!  Jordan needed to go into work, and Roxey was having a blast with family, but in the evening they both came to have a special dinner with me.  Then once they left, my cute sister came for another visit.  Then again we were all alone for the night.  The nurses were cute with Penny and I got some good shut eye.

By the next morning I was up and ready to go home; however, the pediatrician got stuck doing something, so we had to wait around for a bit.  (Had I known that, I would have actually gotten ready!)  Roxey was so excited to come and pick us up from the hospital to take us home.  They made me sit in the wheel chair to go out and Roxey held my hand the whole way.  I think she missed me :)!

Roxey watching a movie in my hospital bed to help pass the time before being released.

Ready to go home!

My two girls in the back of the car together for the first time.

Penny at home with her bear that Roxey made for her at Build a Bear.

Now get this, the very next day after coming home from the hospital was Jordan's birthday, so with a lot of anxiety beforehand, I made plans to take him out to lunch with Roxey.  Jordan's parents came to our house and watched Penny.  I fed her right before leaving and fortunately we have a Zupa's just minutes from our house, so we jumped on over there and ate with Roxey.  I still can't believe I did that, but I know that it made both Jordan and Roxey feel special, so all the anxiety was worth it.  Things were going so well on our outing that we even went to get Roxey a little prize for going to the bathroom all by herself in the night.  Normally, she will yell out one of our names to come and help her, like she is locked away in her room and can't get out.  She has been potty trained for eons now, so it isn't that she needs help with that either, so whenever it would happen, I kept talking to her about how when Penny comes her yelling will wake her up and that she just needs to do it on her own.  Well, I was in shock that the girl actually was listening to me all that time because not only did she not yell, but I was up feeding Penny and noticed that she didn't even turn on the light!  She really is doing well at being respectful of the baby, for the most part.  Penelope is a gem and I love looking into her sweet eyes.  She is so beautiful, gorgeous newborn pics of her to follow!

I love my cute family!!!!