We were scheduled for induction on Trick-or-Treat night. It
worked out perfectly because we got to take Caroline out for candy, put her to
bed, and then head to the hospital. Of course as much as I LOVE Halloween, I had
to join in the costume fun. I recruited a friend to come over and paint my
belly like an eyeball. It was a little chilly to walk around with a bare belly,
but the reactions were totally worth it.
Caroline was a buckeye cheerleader - so cute!
Once Caroline was tucked in bed with Mema watching over
her, we left for the hospital. I should mention that I still had the painted
eyeball under my shirt. Once ad the admission desk, the crew looked bored and uninterested
so I flashed them the Halloween artwork. They LOVED it. Immediately they went
to get coworkers and out came the phones to take pictures.
I think the nurse that was assigned to me was less than
pleased about my belly makeup until I assured her that it washes off easily and
I would take care of it before getting into my hospital gown.
The initial induction went pretty smoothly albeit slowly. I
labored all night, getting an epidural around 5cm to allow myself some sleep. Hubs
and I drifted in and out of sleep as Star Wars played on the TV in the
background.
By 7 AM, Bubby was back and Hubs and I were preparing
ourselves for a long day of laboring, I was only 6-7 cm. At 8 AM the nurse came in to check me and to
our surprise, I was fully dilated and ready to push. Considering the LONG night
we had just endured, I couldn’t believe it was time to push.
It was in the middle of my first practice push that I
realized how fast the delivery would happen this time. The nurse told me to
stop mid push because of how fast she was coming and the doctor was not yet in
the room. We waited about 5 minutes for the doctor, all of us suddenly wide
awake and buzzing with excitement. Once the Dr arrived, it only took two pushes
before we all exclaimed (with surprise) “It’s a girl!” Margaret Jane arrived at
8:15 AM.
Her hurried entry into the world left her a little shocked
and this mom extremely nervous. She didn’t immediately cry and need a little
oxygen and suction to pink up. 5 minutes later, she was perfect and ready to
cuddle with me. She is amazing and beautiful! She is sleeping soundly and nursing
like a champ.
And now there are four (six if you include the fur babies).
Check back next week to see how Caroline is reacting to her new sister.