Meet Penelope Ann!

 What a week it has been having Penny home!! As most of you know, Penny didn't come before June 12th on her own as we had hoped!! So we went to the hospital the morning of June 12th to be induced.  Surprisingly I got a good night's rest, woke at 4:30 am and had a light breakfast. We dropped of Elijah with his Aunt Ashley, and made our way to the hospital. It was hard to think that in a matter of hours I would begin a new experience, and be on a new adventure with my husband! We enjoyed our drive over to Evanston, the sun was shining, we jammed to our favorite tunes, and talked about how excited we were to meet Penelope. :O)

I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 7:30am. Once everything was all set in place and ready, Jamie gave me a blessing, and we settled  in to be induced. They started my pitocin at 9:30am, shortly after that, my doctor came in and broke my water. Man was that a relief of some pressure! I still was in awe that this was all really happening. I kept looking over at Jamie, and we just kept smiling at one another. After my water was broken, it was just a waiting game for the contractions to kick in. I had an EFM( External Fetal Monitor) internally. They wanted to do the in womb heart monitoring for Penny since I was a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). That way they would know right away if anything wasn't going like it should with her.

 It took a couple of hours before I finally started to feel some strong ones.Ive heard from just about everyone that they feel like menstural cramps. Too me it feels more like gas cramps! Pretty much identical really! As they started to come stronger and more often, I decided I was done laying in bed. So I got up and was able to walk around a bit, rock in a rocking chair, rock on a birthing ball, or just stand, and bend over the bed. It felt good to have choices, and be able to move freely from one thing to another as my contractions begun to get stronger. Jamie and I were still talking up a storm about this and that. Don't really remember now. We ended up playing a game, "guess the pressure of that contraction" since I was being monitored internally, the pressure reading of my contractions were right on. Jamie would watch the monitor, and then ask me what the pressure of that contraction was. I was usually close to dead on. It wasn't long though (when the pressure reading was around 86) that, that game began to SUCK, and I didn't even want him talking to me through a contraction haha.

I labored naturally for 12 hours. Until my cervix got to 7cm. Then the doctor came in, and decided he would try to help things along, and he tried to stretch my cervix. Which was quite painful!!! After he stretched my cervix, things started to go down hill a bit. Penny and I were in distress. Her heart rate dropped, and my contractions started to really take the life out of me. I was then confined to the bed, laying my left side. They told me I could no longer walk, rock, bounce or stand. Laying there made my contractions feel even worse, and made me more tired. I decided to get the demerol to take the edge off, and it worked like a charm! Then I really began to just put things in perspective, and I decided to just have the epidural. Even though I couldn't feel my contractions as intense. I was just really ready to relax. I knew I was almost there, but at this point I was so exhausted! The epidural worked great, I had a walking epidural. Even though they kept me confined to the bed. If Penny's heart rate got stable, they would then allow me to walk with support, and use my birthing ball and other tools to labor.

Penny's heartrate still wouldn't level out, without me staying in one position. So they stopped by pitocin. Which really sucked, because once she was finally level, and they started again, it took my contractions forever it seemed to kick in. I was at an 8 for about 2 hours. Once I was at a 9, the doctor came in to check again, and he helped my cervix stretch to a 10. This time I felt nothing, ha, it was quite nice! He then told us that we were ready to push. I couldn't believe it. It was a weird feeling, it was all just so sudden! Penny was now 1 week and 1 day over due. I had tried everything in the book to kick start a natural labor, and here I was laboring for 13 and a half hours. It felt like I would never meet my little Penelope. Now all of a sudden it was time? Could it be!? The doctor then told the nurse to grab my left leg, he turned over to Jamie, and told him to grab my right. I had some brief instructions on how to push.



Then we started. I pushed for and hour and a half. It was the most exhausting part of my entire labor. I had an oxygen mask on for Penny, and it made me closterphobic, so between pushes, I had to pull off the mask and breathe deep for myself a couple breathes, then put it back on and steady my breathing for Penny. It was incredible having my husband right there encouraging me, I knew he would be amazing at this part. He truly was. I could tell he was a little nervous now and again. It was because between pushes I would lay back, eyes closed, and didn't say a word. To me everthing was really calm and peaceful. Jamie didn't know what to think, until he asked me. I reassured him I was doing great, just tired, and needed to revamp for the next push. My epi wore off at about the time I started to push. Which was awesome, because I still couldn't feel anything but after an hour of pushing, I was finally able to feel my contractions, and was able to work with them. They didn't hurt, I could just feel the sensation. That is when things really progressed. I perked up, and had more energy. I could tell she was getting close, Jamie kept telling me how much hair she had. Finally after a few big successful pushes her head was out. The doctor then said he just needed to get her shoulder out, right after he said that, it was meerly seconds, and she was in my arms, on my chest. Her little eyes were open and she was looking right at me. It was the most incredible and beautiful moment ever. I was overwhelemed with emotion. I had actually done it. She was finally here..all 6lbs 6 oz, and 19 inches of her!! Welcome to the world Penelope Ann!!! Mommy and daddy love you!