Overall I was still doing good. I had gained 28 lbs (still below the 30 my doctor had said was ok) but was starting to swell pretty good each day. And I cant even count how many times I was having to get up in the night to pee. So when my doctor asked if I wanted to be induced I looked at Jared for a few seconds and then said "sure!". I could see all kinds of benefits to this. I would know what day we were going to the hospital avoiding the "should we go or not" delima, I could shower and put make up on where if we went in the middle of the night I wouldn't, my doctor could help to progress things rather than just waiting around forever....so yes, I was sold.
So when he said okay be at the hospital at 5am the next morning I was a little speechless. I mean I was ready but was I ready? Jared and I went straight home (my appt was at 4:15 when we made this decision so in 12 hours we had to be at the hospital) and we started to make sure we had everything. Yes the carseat was in the trunk, my pajamas were packed, we had extra pillows in for Jared, the camera was charged....were we forgetting anything?
I got up at 3 am to shower. Yes, I knew after a day in labor you probably wouldn't be able to tell but I was at least going to try and make myself presentable. They wasted no time and by about 5:20am I was already in the hospital bed, on an IV and Jared was teaching himself how to read the monitors. Ha! Oh and the crazy part was that as soon as I was on the monitor the nurse told me I was having contractions. Yeah, I couldn't feel them at all but they were about 4 min apart! So I probably would have ended up there in a day or two anyway.
Wow...could I have looked any puffier? And you can see in this pic Jared stationed himself in front of the monitors. He watched that thing all day long.By lunch I still had not felt a contraction although my contrations were getting stronger and more frequent according to the monitor. My doctor came in and told me I needed to go ahead with the epidural and then he could break my water. So I did...and then he did....and we waited some more. I was not crazy about getting the drugs when I wasn't feeling any pain but I'm sure it was good I did. However, I did NOT like being that numb. I couldn't feel anything from my ribs down.
About 6pm I was still contracting but still at a 2 and not thinning. Yeah...what a long freakin day. About this time I also had some issues with a "hot spot" where all of a sudden I could feel the left side of my stomach. Not pleasant!!!!! Wow going from not feeling any contractions to feeling them really intense and about every 2 minutes was super painful. My day went from perfect to painful really quick. My doctor came back in and instead of the fun and games we'd been having in my room I was squeezing Jared's hand off and had tears covering my face. Luckily my dear sweet friend Dr Patel (no joke) came back and changed the drugs in my epidural and within minutes I was pain free once again. All I can say is THANK HEAVEN FOR DRUGS!!
At 7pm the nurses changed and they checked me once again. Still at a 2....seriously why was nothing going on? They said the baby was in position and my contrations were great but no sign she was coming out soon. I was getting frustrated and feeling bad about the fan club that had been in the waiting room since about lunch. At 8pm they checked me again and were going to consult with my doctor if nothing had changed. I really was not wanting to end up in the OR and Jared assured me he would freak out if we did. Luckily the nurse announced I was at a 10 and ready to push. Yeah, in an hour I had made some major progress.
Everything went great. My doctor came in and I pushed for about 30 min which was nothing. I was in no pain and in between contractions Jared and I chatted with my doctor about everything in the world. And then during the middle of a push my doctor told me to look down and there she was! I didn't realize we were that close to getting her here because I wasn't sweating or screaming or any of the things all the women do on the movies. But there she was flopped up on my stomach slimy and screaming and with a head full of hair. Jared took this picture and he says it brings tears to his eyes every time he sees it.
It all happened so fast. I remember thinking she felt huge even though she was only 7 lbs and 4 oz but all I could think was how in the heck was that inside me?
The next little bit flew by too. I remember watching them move her to the warmer in the corner of the room. Jared was over there snapping pictures just like I had reminded him a 1000 times before that day. And he got some great shots....I'm super proud of him. I could see them working her over, drying her, giving her oxygen, flipping her every which way.
Before I knew it my doctor was done with me and the nurses were handing me my little bundle back. It is the most amazing and overwhelming time in the world. I was so blown away by that little face and at that moment I knew I would do anything for this little girl. We had wished for her, and waited for her, and now we were finally holding her.
Jared went out and told everyone waiting her name. I think they had guessed every name in the book but finally we announced Presley Lynn Hicks was here! After 15 1/2 hours of labor this little girl had decided to meet the world. She was super alert and had her eyes open during the pictures and when everyone came in to meet her. She wasn't going to miss anything. About 11pm when everyone was gone Jared took this last picture of me holding her. I had just nursed her and she decided to close those sweet little eyes. She looks so tiny in this picture! I saw a shirt that I need to order for her. It said "All of God's grace in this tiny face". That's exactly how I felt at that moment. Jared and I stared at her forever and kept asking each other what we did to deserve such a perfect little blessing. I hope I never forgot that day or that feeling.
