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| Birth Announcement by MouwDesigns |
On Wednesday, February 13, I was a day past my due date and completely miserable. That afternoon, I had what I was hoping to be my last doctor’s appointment. It was. But it didn’t go exactly how I had wanted. The weekend prior to my last appointment, I had what I thought were contractions. They weren’t. I called the nurse’s line and was told to monitor any action, but nothing out of the ordinary was going on. So at this final appointment, I had come to terms with the fact that I would just be pregnant forever. I cried a lot during my last trimester because I was so ready to meet this little girl. Our trip to my last appointment was no different. Just call me Waterworks. MJ of course drove me to the office the day before Valentine’s Day, and I cried to him because I just knew I was going to be met with the same line of “Well, no change yet.” I was mentally and physically drained. I guess crazy hormones and an extra 60 pounds will to do that to you. An exam was done, and I was right. I heard that same dang sentence about no change. Put a fork in me. I was done. Tears falling, I asked my most trusted OB doctor, “What now?” He explained that Charlotte was still sitting very high and that I had not effaced or dilated, leaving me with two options. One, we could schedule a C-section since Charlotte was already so big. Or two, we could go in on Monday, the 18th, to be induced with a high probability of a C-section. Folks, Charlotte was a huge baby. One does not gain that much weight during pregnancy to produce a small baby. That is one science fact I am sure. (And we all know science and math are not English peoples’ strong suit.) After looking like a blubbering mess in front of my doc, he patted me on the leg and told me to sleep on it and to let him know our decision the next day.
The next morning, Valentine’s Day, I called to schedule my C-section. I was told Charlotte would be arriving Saturday, February 16. I then emailed my doctor to let him know the plan and asked more questions about what to expect. After that, I called all of my family letting them know we had a date to meet Charlotte. Since she would be arriving on a Saturday, most of my family were ready to be there to meet her. This was it! The time we had all been waiting for.
Friday night, my mom and sister came to stay with us. MJ’s brother came to town, too. We went out to a late dinner (no eating or drinking after midnight for me, so the later the dinner, the better) at one of our favorite restaurants that night, and my family enjoyed a bottle of champagne. I soaked it all in, and it felt like an out of body experience. I was about to be a mom. I was about to meet the miracle that God had created just for me.
That night I made sure we had everything ready to go. Since I was going to be having a C-section, that did change some of my packing necessities, but I made it work. Thankfully, two of my best friends had experienced C-sections in their lifetime, so they coached me through what I was about to endure. That Friday night, I went to bed late filled with all of the emotions. All of them. I woke up early Saturday morning, took a shower, got dressed, and waited for the hospital to call me. I had been instructed that they would call me to let me know when to come in. They called close to 8 a.m. and said, “We’re ready for you. Come on down!” Since we live 40 minutes away from the hospital, I asked if it was okay to be there within the hour, and they assured me that all was well. MJ and I said our goodbyes to our home, our home of just a couple of married kids, as we would be returning as parents with a brand new baby.
MJ and I hardly said a word on our way to the hospital. He drove a little faster than usual, and I spoke a little less than usual. Our Charlotte Grace would be here shortly. I am so thankful that we did the whole hospital tour, because we knew exactly where to park and what to do. We pulled in to the valet around 8:45 a.m., and we hustled in to the hospital’s check-in desk. We went up to the delivery floor, I received some very fashionable hospital bracelets, and by the time I knew it, I was waiting in a pre-op room ready for instructions. A nurse came in with my green gown. I changed, and she then started my central line. She hooked me up to some monitors, and that was that. I would be moved to the operating room shortly.
Precious! You just made me realize that I have no pictures of me in the hospital in labor! None! HAHA! But I totally LOVE all of your beautiful pictures getting ready in the hospital. Gorgeous! Great story and can't wait to read part 2.
Thanks, sweet friend! You are too sweet. :)
I finally was able to play catch up and read the blog! This story brings tears to my eyes!
Aww, thanks, girly! :) It brought tears to my eyes, too.