Abigail Marie Allison

Our sweet Abigail arrived on March 15, 2013 at 12:51pm.  She weighed in at 8lb 2oz and 21" long.

I am currently typing this with her laying on my chest because girl LOVES to be held.  (Can't even lie...Mama loves it.  Although I might be creating a monster.)

I'm going to write out her birth story here- I'll try not to be too detailed...but this is good for me when I finally get to baby books.  :)

We induced labor for sweet Abby.  If you remember, I'm pretty against induction for myself...I just really want things to happen in God's timing not mine..but for the sake of help with Noah, I considered it this time.  :) The doctor had considered inducing us the day before we were due (I think since he was on call that night)  but my body just wasn't ready yet.  So then he said we could wait until Monday...which is when I decided to ask for Friday..and we settled on Thursday night.  I'm so glad we did Thursday night because I am not a quick labor woman and it took until Friday afternoon, and our doctor was able to deliver Abby.  Had we started Friday morning he would have been gone for the day I think.

Anyways, so we were admitted at 10pm on Thursday evening, my due date.  I was so anxious.  I'm not sure why. Silly lady.  I had been having contractions all day so I was pretty hopeful that things would go pretty smoothly and that baby was ready to come along.  When we were admitted the nurse informed us that no orders had been entered into the computer and our doctor wasn't on call.  Oops. :) So she had to call the on call doctor.  The good side was that we were already 3cm...the downside was because of that we had to go straight to pitocin instead of starting with cervidil.  (My day nurse later told me that was really a bummer because I probably would have gone faster with the cervidil- but oh well!)

So finally at midnight we were able to get started on the pitocin.  I was having contractions, but as soon as the pitocin started they went to every 2-3 minutes consistently.  From 12-4:30am I did pretty well.  The pain got pretty intense at 4:30am. I'm pretty sure it was back labor.  My contractions definitely hurt more in the back than the front so I was kinda miserable at 4:30.  I asked if I could have some pain medicine then..so the nurse checked me and I was still only 3 1/2 cm.  Seriously..I would give anything to be one of those women who have quick labors.  FOR REAL.  So she gave me morphine.

I didn't know you could use morphine for labor pain.  But it worked.  So for three hours I did great and could breathe through contractions but I was dreaming of the epidural.  I told the nurse that would be great if I could get it once the doctors came in for the day..she told me it was too early.  BUMMER.

Around 8 am our day shift nurse came in and asked if I wanted an epidural.  MUSIC to my ears.  8 hours of pitocin with the 2-3 minute contractions and no progression (STILL rocking the 3 1/2 cm at this time) was frustrating me.  I began to feel really guilty about inducing and feeling like this was what I got for trying to make things happen on my own time.  I just found myself praying a lot, asking our Lord to keep our sweet baby safe and hopefully to allow me to start moving along.  

Epidural went in at 8:30 and I was feeling good.  The CRNA was laughing at me because I just chatted them up the whole time they placed my epidural.  She said I was the most cheerful patient she had that was at the point of needing an epidural.  I get goofy when I'm happy.  Then finally we started moving along. 

Brad made me try to take a nap since I hadn't slept all night and I finally did.  The next time the nurse checked me I was only 4cm but she said I was much more effaced and that she was very encouraged that we would be ready.  This was around 11ish.  I think.  She said she had talked to our doctor and he was planning to be at the hospital by 2:30.  She said she was so glad I finally showed some progress because my doctor had wanted to send me home (that would have broken my heart) since I wasn't doing anything, but since we had the epidural he let me stay.  (AMEN!) But Kristen said she was sure we could make this happen now.  She thought I'd be ready to push right around when our doctor arrived.  

But then the action really started.  I started feeling like my water had broken, and like we were getting close.  By noon I was 8cm dilated, and literally right after my nurse checked me, Abby flip-flopped and my water broke.  About 5 minutes later Kristen checked me and then I was 10cm and ready to push.  

She called the doctor and told him he better come. That was at 12:25.  I'm not sure how on earth he got to the hospital as fast as he did..seriously he BOOKED it. He walked into my room at 12:40 ready to go.  And then he and the nurse had started cracking jokes together.  They both have very dry sense of humors and I loved it! :)  We started pushing at 12:45 and Abby joined us at 12:51.  

Let me just tell you 6 minutes of pushing..that's a WHOLE lot easier than 2 hours.  My goodness!  

A few moments of fear after she was born..she didn't cry right away and she was a little blue.  The nurse in me was SCREAMING but I think I barely whispered at the doctor "Why isn't she crying???"  He said she just needed suctioned and he was right.  She cried right away after that.  He said she was just bruised from coming down so fast which is why she was blue.  And he was so calm while saying so that it really kept me calm.  He later very casually mentioned the cord being around Abby's neck..which I replied with WHAT?! He said "yeah that's why I told you to push slow"  I definitely didn't hear him say to push slow. So glad I was blissfully unaware of the cord situation. 

 How THANKFUL I am that God protected our sweet Abby!  I'm so so grateful for how delivery went, and for how great our doctor turend out to be!  He was so much friendlier and sweeter than I anticipated since he was always so quiet in our appointments.  Turns out he's pretty funny.  I'm so glad we picked him.  Our nurses were phenomenal...especially our delivery nurse.  They just did such a great job!  

And now we have a sweet baby girl..who is SO loved by her big brother.  It's amazing to me. We are so in love with these two kiddos.  I just can't even believe how my heart has grown.  I look at them and I am just in wonder.  I'm so grateful for the blessing of being their mama.  Oh it's just awesome.  

That's it for now.  I'll write more soon...I'm finally feeling like I have energy again..so hopefully we'll be back on track.  

P.S. Google reader is going away.  I am so sad.