evaleigh's birth story ((long post warning))

if you don't like birth stories, sorry. i love them. and i love to share them. so if you don't like them. i just wouldn't read this post. :) i'll do my best to get it short and sweet and to the point. and hopefully it doesn't take me too many attempts to finish it!!

so. the beginning. i actually was having a few contractions during the night/early morning wednesday. nothing major. but i was feeling them. i was in awful pain from my carpal tunnel as well...so maybe it deferred the pain of the contraction. i pretty much got up at 330 that morning. and finally got out of bed at around 430/500 i think. we left for the hospital a bit early to stop and get some breakfast on the way. i used up the milk the day before so i couldn't eat the cereal i had wanted!!

we got to the hospital and all checked in. the nurse hooked me up to the monitors soon after. and the contractions were started soon after. i was actually contracting on my OWN!! they were uncomfortable but nothing painful. my doctor came in around 815 to 'get started'. she noticed i was having contractions and that they were a bit 'good'. and said that maybe we'd just break my water right away depending on my progress. when she checked me i was 4cm dialated and 'paper thin'. so i had made quite a bit of progress on my own. ((my doctor's appt the week before i was 3cm and 60%)) she decided to give me only 1cc of the gel. because she thought if she gave me more than that it'd really overwhelm me. and that i could technically say i went into labor on my own. :)

the 1cc of gel was enough to bring the contractions more regular and a bit stronger. after laying in bed for the mandatory hour i was able to walk around. i wish they had a 'track' to walk around. it's so boring walking and turning around back the same way you came. plus with some remodeling they did, it got rid of a window that shaun and i liked to look out during our 'walks', so shaun was bummed too!! when i walked though i kept getting a weird cramp in my butt and leg. so my walks were short to rest that. it was nice when i walked though because my  carpal tunnel didn't hurt as bad. sitting in bed it hurt.

my nurse did get me some nice ice packs, so i was able to ice up. i didn't bring mine and was praying i wouldn't have to deal with it anyways. i did wear my wrist braces though during much of my labor. my doctor came in again around 1130 to check me. i was about 5cm at that point. it didn't feel like much progress honestly. but i did think woo hoo...HALF WAY!!

the nurse always had a hard time checking heart tones on miss evaleigh if i wasn't laying in bed. she was SO active during my labor. the most active out of any of my kiddos. but it also made the contractions hurt more. not only was my belly tighter than tight...but i was being kicked on it too. at one point the nurse was concerned with her heart rate though. it kept jumping up into the 170's to high 180's and staying there a bit. so she called my dr to let her know and my doctor had her start an IV port in case i needed fluids. the nurse was pretty sure the heart rate went up so much because of all evaleigh's activity though. plus it did go back down after a small bit...one nice thing though right before the IV was started...

my sister and the chiropractor were able to come and visit me. my carpal tunnel was pretty bad at that point and it was SO nice to have the 'connections' to have her come and adjust me during labor! it honestly helped tremendously. and she came just in time because as she finished up the nurse came with the IV port thing. amy and jamie stayed a bit and the contractions were for sure regular and more painful. not being able to talk through them at all. my nurse was telling me all about the amount of mother's coming in to have babies (they weren't busy that morning but got a ton busier as the day progressed) so she asked if i had any 'requests' for my night nurse (3:00 shift) being there four times in the past few years i knew a lot of the nurses i liked and i requested any of them or my cousin's wife, ryan.

at about 150 i decided i wanted some nubain. it took my nurse awhile to come in but around 210 she came in with some nubain...and ryan. and told me ryan would be starting with me then. ryan checked me before giving the nubain. i was only 6cm. i think i got the nubain in around 220. it helped me get the 'edge' off the contractions, and honestly helped me relax. i could feel myself getting really tense and just needed the drug to help me get back into 'mode'. the nubain really only worked for a few contractions. and then i felt the urge. i couldn't believe it since i had only been 6cm literally minutes before. ryan was still in the room and checked me again. i was 9!! and had a little 'edge' left. so she called in my doctor to let her know.

that's when everything went crazy. all of a sudden my back was killing me. it hurt more than the contractions did. it hurt so bad. i couldn't lay still, yet wanted to because of the pain. and plus i needed to push, but couldn't quite  yet. ryan was a total Godsend. i told her my back was hurting and she rubbed it for me right where it needed to be rubbed. and that helped me concentrate on my breathing and 'not' pushing. when the doctor came in the pain was more excruciating. like i felt like quitting. ((isn't that funny? i mean really quitting? don't think that was going to happen!))

when i tried laying on my back to push. it was AWFUL. the pain was unbearable in my back. they had me roll on my left side to try and push. that didn't help any, but it didn't hurt any worse either. when i pushed it hurt worse on my back, but i had to push to get rid of the pain as well. i held on to shaun with one arm and the bed rail with the other and tried to push with all my might. as miss evaleigh's head came down, we realized where all this pain was coming from. she was face down instead of face up.

i heard my doctor telling the intern see the hair and how it doesn't end...that's not a forehead. lol. i actually giggle about it now, at the time i don't even know if i cared. all i wanted was my baby girl OUT! my doctor suggested trying to roll over again, as sometimes this helps aiding in the baby flipping and it'd be easier to push. i was all for anything. i tried to roll to my right side but couldn't. i stayed on my back. my contractions were literally one right after the other. super super fast and strong. my doctor even tried letting me rest during one instead of pushing, but my body had to push. so i kept on pushing. i don't even know how long i pushed on my back but i remember all of a sudden there was a baby. ((my  mind may just be trying to block it all out!))

as soon as she was born. the pain was gone. and this sweet little baby was staring back at me! (please forgive the non-editing of the pictures. i have only had time to edit one picture!)

miss evaleigh jo faith was born at 3:18pm on 7/7/10

8lbs 13ounces

20.5 inches long

((head circumfrence of 36cm...it's big apparently))

i was super excited because shaun cut the cord again. he had only done dustin's previously. we had talked about me doing it. but i don't know if i had the strength to even do it at that point. i was bawling because it was finally 'over' and i finally was holding my baby girl. i also bawled a lot during the delivery. it was my 'loudest' i'm sure. but the pain was also the worst out of any delivery. labor wasn't bad. delivery...that was awful.

i ended up only needing stitches where i've already had them, so that wasn't too bad. but because of her coming out 'sunny side up' ((nothing SUNNY about it!)) my tailbone was also super sore. and still is. which is why it's taken me a week to blog her birth!! it hurts to sit on the chair by the desk for too long. i'm praying that it gets better soon!

overall though. so worth it. i mean even the awful pain. i've got my baby girl and couldn't be more blessed. it's a great ending to the awful year we had leading up to it. as i birthed her i thought about the two babies before her that we have yet to meet. and how she wouldn't be here had they been here. (of course i would've taken them in a heartbeat...well i think you know what i mean) every time i look into her deep blue eyes i'm reminded of God's faithfulness through all of it. and i'd say He has been oh so faithful. and i'm so excited to share with her as she gets older the story of her getting to be here, and why she has two middle names. and why one of them is faith. faith has gotten us here. no doubt.

okay some more pictures now. :) here is us after she was born.

shaun i think still has the 'deer in the headlight' look. he said i completely freaked him out during labor. after i said that was awful awful awful. he said. i had to watch it. i love him!! ((i also couldn't figure out for a bit why my right arm was so sore and felt strained. then i did. it was because i was clinging and grabbing him so hard. he didn't have bruises, but i'm surprised. i actually had finger nail marks in my legs for hours after delivery! so i'm sure he had finger nail marks in his shoulder))

the next day i was able to wear my 'hot mama gown'. i didn't want to get it all 'gross' during labor. i was excited to wear it and feel all pretty. and pretty i felt.

i was blessed to get the gown for a review for my blog. i purchased the matching swaddling blanket because i'm anal like that!

the hot mama gown is made out of 100% organic cotton. i really didn't think that mattered much. til i put it on. it's so soft. and comfortable. i loved wearing it. it also buttons completely up and down the back. and has super convienent nursing access. i never felt like i was showing everyone my entire chest while nursing. ((which sometimes feels like it happens in a hospital gown))

the nurses all loved the gown too. and i felt sort of like a celebrity when we took a walk in the hallway and the nurses were 'ohh-ing and ahhing' about the gown. i guess it was cool to feel 'cool'. i know that sounds funny. but sometimes after the baby is born...the baby is the one who gets all the new attention. so it was fun to get some attention. maybe i'm just being goofy. but oh well!

it's also fun because it looks like a nightgown. so i can wear it at home and feel all pretty and get more use out of it than just at the hospital. i don't think this is a 'need' to have...but it's a for sure 'want' to have for the hospital. and i think totally worth the splurge. how often as moms do we do something for oursevles anyways? this is one treat for yourself...and it makes you feel pretty after labor. or even during labor if you wanted. i think it's totally worth every single penny you'd spend!

the kids of course also loved meeting evaleigh. the girls fell in love with her and dustin did too! he even rocked her in the rocker. it was such a blessing to see the love for her. we managed to get a halfway decent family of SEVEN picture the second day at the hospital.

dustin didn't want to sit. caitlyn liked looking at her sister. amelya and breigh thought it was cool to stand on the back of the bed.

like i said i've only edited one picture...so i'll share that with you too...

today marks ONE WEEK! since miss evaleigh has entered our family. i can't imagine our family before her. has she completed it? i don't know. and i know God will tell us. i did say after she was born...i think she's trying to convince me five is enough! lol. we'll see. and really we have at least six weeks to worry about that. :0)

i know this post is already super long. but i'll say that evaleigh is my best sleeper ever!! the past two nights she's gotten up ONE TIME!! at around 3. and then again between 6 and 7.  so i get a ton of sleep. which is so nice considering i have four other kiddos to take care of during the day. so blessed!! yesterday was my first day as an official SAHM to five kiddos by myself. God blessed it by giving me an 'easy' day. i know there will be hard ones, but i'm thankful for the first one being easy!!

like i said i have a hard time sitting for long periods of time at the computer. the chair is just a folding chair. :) so i will try and catch up with all of you as soon as my bum can tolerate the chair again today! or tomorrow...

hope you're all doing well! thanks for the prayers and the well wishes and congrats. it truly truly truly blessed me to pieces!!