I finally have a moment to sit down and write about the arrival of our sweet little girl! Around 2:30 am June 21st I started having contractions. Casey works nights and happened to still be at work so I called him around 2:50 after timing them for awhile and they were every 3-5 min. I asked him, "When are you coming home?" He said, "In about 10 min why?" I told him I was having contractions so he said that he was on his way and he stayed on the phone with me the whole way (he works in Salt Lake and it's about a 35-40 min commute). Well, while I was on the phone with him, my water broke. So, I got my things and Casey got home shortly after. We were out the door in no time. Luckily the hospital is only a few minutes away. We got to the ER and Casey asked if I had my I.D. and insurance cards with me. I realized I had left my purse at home! So, we turned around and grabbed it real quick. Then Casey got in the car and I asked him if he could give me a blessing before we left. He gave me the sweetest most powerful, loving blessing that afterwards I felt so much better and I felt comfort. I am so thankful for him and the priesthood! We walked up to the emergency doors as my water is continuing to leak, and got to the front desk. The lady asked, "What's going on?" I told her I was going to have a baby. That I was having contractions and that my water had broke. So, they took me to my room in a wheel chair and Casey stayed to fill out paper work. They had me undress and get into a robe. My water was still leaking. At this point everything is kind of a blur but I remember them asking me a bunch of questions and hooking me up to an IV and checking my blood pressure.
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| Nervous and excited at the same time! |
There were a lot of different nurses coming in and out doing different things. They checked me and I was dilated to a 4. This was around 4 am. My contractions were pretty intense and when each one came on I grabbed the bed rails tight and breathed thru them until Casey came and I squeezed his hand. He was there cheering me on the whole time. They had a monitor to where we could watch how big each one was and how long it lasted. The highest was a 12 and the lowest was a 3 and mine were a 12 and above each time. I had back labor and it was so painful! I lasted til about 7-8 am and had the epidural. I HATE needles. But with how bad the contractions were, it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would compared to the pain I was in. So, that was a relief! It was a crazy feeling how it burned when the medicine went in. My toes went numb first then crawled up slowly. It was amazing how I couldn't feel any pain and I could see the monitor and it was showing that I was having a contraction but I wouldn't have even known. Thank goodness for medicine! I tried to get some rest but I was so anxious and nervous. So much was happening at once and so fast. We were actually scheduled to come in on Thursday to get me started and have her on Friday. But I guess she didn't want to wait that long! The reason was because my amniotic fluid was low and they were concerned she wasn’t growing anymore. I was surprised that I went into labor on my own which I guess having a baby two weeks early is pretty normal. I couldn't believe how much pain I would feel once the medicine started wearing off. I could feel it mostly on my left side because apparently the epidural wasn't dead center. And it was in my hip. Ugh. So they laid me in crazy positions, propped my leg up, put pillows under me etc. They had me on oxygen too. The nurses were concerned because I was bleeding more than normal and what was scary was every time I had a contraction, Brooklyn's heart rate would drop dramatically. So, they had to keep a close eye on us.
Time passed and I got to a 6, then 7, 8, 9....and then stopped. I was in labor for 12 hours. It was around 2:15 pm and the doctor asked me to try and push once but as soon as I did, Brooklyn's heart rate dropped so low they told me to stop and said it looks like we are going to have to do an emergency C-section. I was terrified. I started crying and I looked at Casey and I knew for Brooklyn's life, it was what we were going to have to do. I was not planning on a c-section. I knew nothing about it and didn't think I would have to worry about it. My husband asked the doctor if they could give me another blessing. So, they did. It was very special and the things Casey said I will never forget. In my patriarchal blessing it mentions that, “childbirth will not be a problem to my body’’. Casey mentioned that and a rush of comfort came over me and I knew that Heavenly Father was watching over us and everything was going to be okay. They hurried and wheeled me into the operating room and I remember the big scary lights, seeing a bunch of people in scrubs, masks and gloves frantically getting everything together. Casey stepped out for a minute to call my parents to tell them what was going on and that I went into emergency c-section and that they should come down now. My dad told him that they were on their way. They live five hours away in Kanab and weren’t planning on coming down til that weekend. Casey put on some scrubs and was right by my side holding my hand the whole time. He got to watch the whole procedure. I was shaking and crying and practically in shock. Maybe denial. I just couldn't believe it was happening. They gave me another drug to help numb my lower half to where I could feel pressure but not the knife. Well, because my left side wasn't completely numb...I could feel more than just pressure. I was in so much pain. Casey and the anesthesiologist were both right there comforting me and telling me everything was going to be okay. I could feel the doctors pulling and tugging and moving things around inside of me. It was the weirdest feeling. I felt like I was laying there forever. Finally at 2:20 pm, Brooklyn arrived!
As soon as I heard her sweet cry, nothing else mattered. It was such an amazing feeling. 6 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long.
I didn't get to see her right away. They took her to another room and Casey left my side to see her. As they were putting me back together, the doctor gave me another drug that put me to sleep temporarily. He called it, "taking a nap". Apparently while I was out of it, Casey told me that I was growling because I was in so much pain. I got 18 staples. Once they were done, I woke up slowly but was so groggy I couldn't keep my eyes open. Casey showed Brooklyn to me and I could barely see her. From what I could tell, she was absolutely beautiful. More beautiful than I could have ever imagined. She had so much dark hair, dark complexion, really long eyelashes, and a dimple on her right cheek! She was so small! I fell in love with her instantly. I was so happy I finally had my baby. I really wanted to hold her and kiss her and just wake up. I was so frustrated that I was so tired! It was a horrible feeling because I felt like I had no control. They wheeled me back into our room and I hardly remember anything. They gave her to me and I couldn’t believe I was actually holding her. I felt like she had always been mine and I have always known her.
My memory is a little foggy but a few things I remember were falling asleep with her in my arms, which was the best feeling! I started breast feeding her right away which I was really looking forward to. It is so special! They had me hooked to a catheter and another machine on both of my legs that helped prevent blood clots. I was taking different medications for pain every three hours and had an ice pack on my incision. I was so sore! Nurses would come in every so often to check on me. My bleeding was pretty heavy and it hurt to move. We had to stay til Friday which was good because we weren’t expecting to leave til Saturday but they let us go early!
Casey’s family came and visited first and then my family got there that night. Other close friends stopped by during the week.
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| Grandma and Grandpa Warren. Grandbaby number 13! |
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Proud first time uncles (minus one, Jacob's on his mission in Colorado) and proud first time Grandparents
(Clarissa was in Cali with her hubby) |
I got breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. I got to walk around once they took out my IV and I got to take a shower which felt so good! Casey stayed the whole time and slept on a couch next to the bed.
These are just all of the little things I remember. I'm trying to think of everything I can. All I know is that I am so happy that everything went well and that Brooklyn is healthy! I was so worried but everything is okay. I'm so blessed and so thankful to be a Mom. That God would trust me with one of his spirit children. It's something I have wanted for a very long time. More than anything. And it's finally happened. These last couple of years have been a roller coaster. With losing our first baby at 8 weeks which was incredibly hard. And then trying for a year being devastated month after month with negative pregnancy tests until finally we got pregnant. We were told that there wasn't a fetal pole but there were two empty sacs. Then we were told there was one fetal pole but no heartbeat to there is a heartbeat, then I lost the empty sac and miscarried it. We had to take stress tests and see the doctor every week. It was just complication after complication but…she made it! She is so strong. Our little miracle baby. We couldn't be happier! All of the heart burn, the sleepless nights, the rashes, the back pain, the nausea etc. It was worth it. I ended up gaining only 24 lbs. and it was all belly. Even with the not so fun things that come with pregnancy, I loved it. To feel her move, to see her kick, to feel her hiccup is such an amazing thing. And now she is here. And I get to hold her, and kiss her, and smell her, and everything else that I have waited so long for! It just means that much more. I love our little baby. She is our world. I want to thank my wonderful husband, for everything he has done. For running to McDonald's at 2 in the morning haha! For the massages. For loving me no matter what. For coming home and kissing my belly and talking to her every night. For holding me and comforting me when times were hard. For making it to every doctor appointment. For always being there for me. I love you Casey. Thank you for making me a mommy. You are the best husband and daddy I could ever ask for. And to Brooklyn, you are everything I have ever wanted and more! I am so happy you are finally here and I love you with all of my heart!
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