Sophia Ann
November 6, 2012
6 lbs. 13 oz.
19.5 inches long
What a beautiful gift from God!
So the story goes like this....
1:45 am Tuesday morning I woke up with contractions. This was the fourth night I had done so, (not in a row) so I wasn't sure at first if it was the "real thing" or if they were just going to quit like the other times. By the time 3am rolled around the contractions were much worse, were timing around 6 or so minutes apart and were anywhere from 30 seconds to 2.5 minutes long so... I decided to wake up Dan and let him know that we were probably going to be heading the hospital sometime that day! I told him to go back to sleep while I stayed up and walked around, folded some laundry, took a hot shower and managed the contractions standing!
Around 7:00am the contractions were getting bad enough to call the midwife and she suggested that unless they got even worse or were closer together that I should keep my 8:15am apointement. Haha...by that time I wasn't at all in the mood to walk into an office where a bunch of pregnant women could watch me have contractions while they waited to be seen! But we loaded up for the hospital just in case and headed to my apointment. By this time my contractions were a lot worse and were getting closer together (anywhere from 2-5 minutes). My midwife office is right across the street from the hospital and as we were getting close, I asked Dan, "Why aren't we just going to the hospital!?!?!?!?". We pulled up to the appointment and I called my midwife again (had to leave a message and wait for her to call me back). Meanwhile we decided to just slowly make our way into the appointment. As we were in the hall, almost there, the midwife called back and told me to forget the appointment and head over to the hospital. When I called originally the midwife on call was getting off work and when I called again a new one was on call...who "just happend", or should I say God orchestrated, was my favorite midwife, Karen, that I had seen during my prenatal visits!!! YAY! I was so thankful! I had prayed she would be there when it came time to deliver! It was a good reminder that God pays attention to details! She would rub my back juuuuuuust riiiiight during contractions...ahhh...
We were admitted and soon the midwife checked me. I was already 5.5 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced! Whoohoo! Things kept progressing and it all was hurting enough that I decied to take Fentanyl just to take the edge off. Trust me, the idea of getting an epidural crossed my mind with pretty much every contraction! The drugs made me really tired/drunk feeling so between every contraction I was way out of it! At times I'd feel myself stop breathing/breathing really shallow and Dan would whisper, "BREATH!"! He was such a help with helping with my breathing during contractions! He wiped my face with a cool cloth, encouraged me, and held my hand. Couldn't have done it without him! Around 11am (this might have been before the drugs...sorry I can't remember, but I was zoned!) the midwife became concerned about the baby's heartbeat. The actual heartbeat was fine (in the 130s) but she was concerned that it was fluctuating at all. Dan said it remained around 130 for about 3 hours and only moved up and down by a few beats in that time. So around 11-11:30ish she desided to break my water to see if it affected the heartbeat. It didn't, so soon she decided that I needed to have an in-utero monitor on the baby (attached to the head) and a tube up in to the uterus to rehydrate the womb since my water was broken. I believe this was to 1) obviously monitor the baby closer and 2) see if the added water would get her to move if she was on her cord. Didn't do anything. Between times of being completely out of it, I noticed that Karen had the doctor come in to check the situation. I remember groggly asking Dan, "Am I going to have to get a C-section?" I was relieved when the doc seemed to think everything was ok. Thanks God!
The contractions were so much worse than I had ever anticipated! But really, time went really fast. I "woke" woke up and heard them tell me, "You're at 8cm!". Soon, "9cm!". Trust me, I was praising the good Lord! Both Dan and I were shocked to hear the midwife say that they were going to set up for delivery. Honestly, I thought, "I'm the one in labor...and I don't feel that delivery is around the corner...shouldn't I be the one to know that?!?!" But they got ready anyway and suddenly the urge to push came. I don't think that a lot of what I said during labor was very congitive but the words "AH! I feel like I have to push!" were quite clear! I must stop for a moment and say a bit about my wonderful polish nurse. She was fabulous. She was motherly, yet commanding enough when she needed to be. She was great when it came to push. Loved her! Again, just praising God for a wonderful midwife and nurse! They were there until the end!
I ended up pushing for about 20 minutes or so. Had to get a small episiotomy and I tore a teeny tiny bit...but who really thinks about that when they hold up a beautiful baby!?!? "It's a girl!" Dan exclaimed and then got to cut the cord! A beautiful girl. She immediately was put to my chest and this mommy fell so deeply in love! Its amazing how a little blueish, slimy, floppy little human can leap into your heart. Ah.....so worth everything! Tears and thanksgiving. Our God is a miracle maker!
Loaded up and ready to go!
I LOVE this picture! This little bundle of joy also stole her daddy's heart. That has been one of my favorite parts of this whole thing too...watching Dan love on his little girl.
Getting checked out!
Our Polish nurse giving Sophia her first bath....which she wasn't a fan of!
Daddy went to "check" on Sophia, laughed and said, "She is spread eagle over here! I think she is enjoying having SPACE!"
Proud Grandpa! Mom and Dad Leman were able to see us while were still in the L&D room.
Mommy's in loooove!
The nurse gave Sophia's hat a bow! What a little angel.
Daddy-O's first diaper change! Great job Dad!
Two nights in the hospital was quite enough! Getting ready to leave!
All the nurses, CNA's and Docs were amazing. Thanks to all of them!
Lets go home!
Haha...funny story. I was feeding her and she wasn't really caring about what was going on, so I teasingly told her about the starving children in Africa (don't worry, I'm not going to harp that message to her!). Then I look down and she is "praying" for those poor children in Africa!
Uncle Jake :)
Chilling out with Daddy
She's sucked her thumb a couple of times!
Hmm.....big bed much?!?
Her going home outfit from Auntie Alisha
We are praising God for our little miracle! Our prayer is that she will always love Jesus and that she would chose to follow Him all of her days. I have prayed that if we would ever have a girl that she would be a beautiful woman of God...that her heart would be meek and quiet, chaste and pure, and that her true beauty would come from a heart that fears the Lord.
We love you so much Sophia! By God's grace we will try to parent you the way that God would have us!
