People keep asking me how my labor went this time, so I thought I’d post the story here–

So last thursday night (march 6th) I started having some contractions, severe enough that I recognized them, but nowhere near regular or hard enough to justify going to the hospital, so I went to bed. They slowed enough to let me sleep, which was great. I woke up the next morning having more contractions, and feeling like I would probably have the baby that day, but still feeling like I wasn’t ready yet. I did, however, have a dr’s appt. at 9:35, so we got up and ready for that. When we got to the appointment, they were (of course) running behind, so we didn’t get taken back into a room until 10:00, and then it took another 20 minutes for the doctor to finally come in.

He apologized for his lateness, and then proceeded to check for the heartbeat, which was great, and then checked my cervix. Dilated to a 3, 85-90% effaced, so a bit more on my way than last week. He then asked me if I wanted him to strip my membranes, to which I of course replied yes, because I was pretty sure it would bring the labor on faster. So he proceeded to start stripping them, and was pretty aggressive about it (I don’t remember it being anywhere near so intense with Breanne…), when suddenly he sort of stopped, looked at me, and said, “Um, I think I just broke your water! That’s never happened to me while stripping membranes before.” So by now I can feel my water leaking out of me all over the table, and all I can say is sorry for making such a mess of the office… to which he responds by telling me that first of all, it wasn’t my fault it was his, and then that I am officially in labor now, and we need to go straight to the hospital. This was exciting, because it means they can’t turn me away (broken water=possibility for infection, for those that might not know), and that we were going to have a baby that day.

So the hospital is only two buildings away from my dr’s office. We rushed over there, and by the time we got there (a whopping 5 or so minutes later) my contractions had strengthened to probably twice as hard as they were before. They quickly admitted us, and we started calling people to let them know we were having a baby. At 11:00, the nurse came in to check my cervix. I was still at a 3, same effaced. So I continued to labor, at this point still wondering whether or not I would get an epidural. I mean, I was planning on it, but I always feel just a little bit like a wimp when I get one, because so many other women do without, and I honestly believe I could do it without one, but… Anyway, I continued to hold off on the epidural, and at 12:00, they checked me again, still at a 3. So they decided to start some pitocin (a drug that strengthens contractions), at which point I decided to get the epidural (pitocin brings on the harder contractions so fast, and I wasn’t really wanting to feel that). At 1:00 they checked again, dilated to a 4, so definitely making progress, though with Breanne I was at a 4 for several hours, so I figured I still had a ways to go. Around 2:00, I started to feel more pain in my body. I thought it was because I hadn’t rolled over in a while (the epidural tends to drain into the side of your body you’re laying on (since you have to lay on your side)), so I waited for the nurse to come in, and was about to ask her to help me move after she finished checking my cervix, when she said, “Um, you’re nearly there. Dilated to more than a 9, 100% effaced.”

Not what I had expected to hear… At this point we kicked everyone else out of the room (a dr once told me “if they weren’t there for conception, they shouldn’t be there for the reception”… advice I loved, because I do think it’s a very intimate time), and I started crying because I couldn’t believe it was time to deliver my baby already. The whole pregnancy had flown by, and now I wasn’t going to be able to feel her inside me anymore, and she was going to be out, and what if I didn’t love her the same as Breanne, and how would I ever be a mom to two girls… and along those lines, what if she wasn’t a girl afterall… The fears were a bit overwhelming. Cory comforted me, and assured me that everything would go wonderfully, the girls would both be beautiful and that I would be a great mom… all while eating his ham and cheese from the cafeteria (he’d thought we had more time, too).

At this point it was time to deliver. I was fully dilated, and ready to go. The dr was there, the nurse was ready, and I was in position. They didn’t give me any sort of blanket this time, which at first I thought was weird, but then I realized there wasn’t a mirror in the room, either, so I wouldn’t be able to see the baby born if they’d covered me up. When the dr. looked at the baby (still inside me) he realized that she was posterior, which means she was still facing my stomach instead of my back. He thought we’d have to use the forceps to turn her (same that they did with Breanne) which I was a little upset about (I had major recovery issues because of this after Breanne), but he had me push through one contraction and she straightened up enough that he didn’t need them after all. I pushed through two more contractions, he cut a small episiotomy (again, not something I wanted with Breanne, but so glad he did it with Janey… recovery has been thousands of times better), and out came beautiful Janey! I got to watch the whole thing, which although it might sound gross to those who haven’t ever had a baby is absolutely wonderful. There is no feeling like seeing your child for the first time. She was caked in vernix, and a little bit purpley-blue, but amazing and beautiful just the same.

The similarities in Breanne and Janey’s faces are amazing. They have the same brow and eye shapes, similar noses, and the same general face shape. I think Breanne has my lips where Janey has Cory’s, but we’ll see if they stay that way.

Janey weighed in at 8 lbs even (just like Breanne) and was only 18 inches long (Breanne was 18.5). The nurses loved her chubby little legs… they already have rolls. She has a headful of dark hair, which I think will stay pretty brunette and straight. Her eyes were so dark that at first we wondered if we could’ve gotten a brown-eyed girl, but as the days have gone by they’ve lightened up some to a deep blue, and since Cory and I both have blue, there’s not really much chance for us to get anything other than that. All in all, she is a beautiful girl, and we love her. She sleeps way more than Breanne did, I’m pretty sure, which has been a big blessing for me as I’ve been getting used to taking care of two girls.

I’m not sure what exactly has made recovery so much easier this time around (a combination of everything, I guess) but it has been such a blessing. I feel great–my episiotomy stitches barely sting, and I haven’t needed any pain meds for over a day now (with Breanne I was taking them for at least 2 weeks). I am so glad that everything went so well this time around. It has made things easier not only on me, but on Cory and Breanne too, for which I am grateful. Breanne has come down with a virus, and has been feeling pretty crappy, so I’m glad I’m capable of taking care of her while Cory continues with school and work. I also appreciate all the help my mom and Cory’s family has given us the past couple of days–even though I can do the dishes and laundry, it is really nice to not have to worry about all that, and to be able to focus on the girls.

I love saying “the girls.” I was really worried about learning to love another child in the same way that I love Breanne. I’ve come to realize, however, that they both are my children, both my girls, each wonderful in their own ways, and it would be impossible for me to not love them each, both individually and as sisters.

I will post new pictures later, but right now I need to get some sleep. If you haven’t already seen them, there are pictures of the day at the hospital at http://picasaweb.google.com/cmkilger/Janey.