Labor and delivery details

On Wednesday, we got to the hospital to check in at 6:30 AM. We got up to our room and Dr. Kemp was there shortly after. He checked me (3 cm 50% effaced) and injected the "P gel" into the cervix about 7:15. Then I had to lay in bed for an hour. At 8:15, I had to get up and walk for an hour. Mom showed up just in time to walk with me....up and down up and down the hallway. At 9:15 when I was done walking, the nurse check and I was at a 4. At this time, I asked her to start thinking about the epidural. I told her I didn't want to miss my window of opportunity (from 4-7 cm). She went to get the saline to start my IV, and ran into an anesthesiologist in the hallway and told him to hang around.

During this time, my contractions were getting pretty strong (they had been about 2 min. apart since we checked in that morning). I was getting really restless and uncomfortable. When the anesthesiologist finally got started, it took everything I had to sit still and let him work his magic. It took him about 20 min. to get the whole thing done. This was BY FAR the longest 20 min. I have had in a long time. Dr. Kemp had stepped in while we were getting the epidural put in to break my water. He waited until we were done, checked me (now at 8 cm), and broke my water. The anesthesiologist was getting ready to hook up my pump when I told the nurses that I was having A LOT of pressure and needed to push. The nurse checked me (this is maybe 5 min. after being an 8) and she said, "were there!!" They told me that I needed to hang on and let them get ready. I was really having a tough time with this....I wanted to push. Finally, I was able to start pushing. About 4 pushes later (11:23 AM) we delivered a little girl.

Everything went so fast, and it was so different from everything that happened with Cooper. Cooper's labor went fast, but I don't remember it quite as well as I do this one. I don't remember the epidural taking as long to get put in with Cooper. With Cooper, I pushed for 3 hours and personally had no problem pushing. This time, it took everything I had to push the few times I had to. I was "that lady" when I was pushing, and kept saying, "I can't, I can't push that hard." Something felt really different this time and I had a hard time. I thought maybe it had to do with the fact that my epidural did not have as much time to kick in and help me relax.

Everything went so smoothly and quickly, I couldn't be happier. Josh is THRILLED to have a little girl. He got to cut the cord this time, and we have been able to enjoy having Maylea Brenea in our room unlike Cooper who had to be in the nursery the whole time.

God has granted me the wish I have wanted my whole life. I always wanted two kids, one boy one girl. I wanted to have the boy first so that my daughter always had an overprotective older brother. Wish granted!!!!