The long story of Evie's birth...

Since little Miss Evelyn was nearly a week late, I was scheduled to be induced on Friday, March 21. I was admitted just after 8 AM. Upon first examination, I was 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, posterior and Evie was at -4 station. This all means that my cervix needed to dilate another 9 cm and Evie needed to drop another 4 cm before she was "engaged."

At 10 AM, a Foley catheter was inserted to dilate my cervix and pitocin was started. Every half hour the pitocin was increased so that my contractions would become more regular and stronger. I was having a good contraction pattern and Evie was tolerating them "beautifully." Around 6 PM the Foley came out and I was 3-4 cm. Close to 6:30 PM, medical staff ruptured my bag of water and again began increasing the pitocin. After an exam close to 10 PM, I was still at 3-4 cm and I asked for some pain relief hoping for sleep, relaxation, and of course dilation. I was administered 2 doses of Nubane which made me feel loopy, but didn't seem to take the edge off the contractions, so I was only able to sleep in 2 minute bursts between the contractions. At 2 AM, I was still at 3-4 cm!!! The contractions were nearly unbearable, so I broke down and asked for an epidural, again hoping that relaxation would lead to quicker dilation. I was finally able to sleep through most of the contractions. They stopped the pitocin in the night in the hopes that nature would take over, which it did but the contractions weren't as strong or regular as they needed to be. By 8 AM, I had not passed the 3-4 cm dilated mark, so we began talking c-section.

I really did not want a Cesarean section, but 24 hours after being admitted and 22 hours into labor, I was ready to meet my little girl. The doctor was called at 9 AM with the decision to go ahead and he was on his way in. I was wheeled into the operating room at 9:40 AM, Justin joined me by 9:50, and Evelyn was successfully evicted at 9:59 AM weighing in at 7 pounds 9.4 ounces, 21 inches long, and absolutely beautiful.

I cried at the announcement that it was a girl and cried even more when I heard her crying. Justin was able to take some pictures in the operating room and Evie was able to stay with us even in the recovery room.

So far, Evie has been a peaceful child for the most part. It is taking us some time to get used to her various cries and needs. She sleeps more during the day than during the night, a habit that our pediatrician has advised us to try to break sooner rather than later. (We were extremely grateful for the 4 hour nap she allowed us Wednesday afternoon.) We have found that she gets fussy just before she dirties a diaper.

I've been breastfeeding which is a very interesting, sometimes painful experience. We did break down the second night in the hospital and asked for a pacifier. She has not had any nipple confusion. We have supplemented with maybe a grand total of 4 oz of formula at times when I was too sore to provide that consolation. (Note to new moms: do NOT allow yourself to be "mommy binky" no matter how much it soothes your baby.) My milk seems to have come in today, so now when Evie burps there is some liquid to them and that's oddly reassuring. She is a voracious, but lazy eater. There have been several occasions when she has fallen asleep at the table, so to speak.

Justin has been a great daddy, really stepping up in having to care not just for one new person, but for two people as I recover from the C-section. I have to remember to take care of myself first when it comes time to take my pain medication so that I'm not too sore to sit up or move about.

I'm recovering well from the C-section, but have decided that upstairs is better/easier than downstairs and I probably will not go down again for a few days, after I've recovered more. This means that I get served breakfast in bed, but I can shower. Our bed is easier to get in and out of than I had thought it would be given how high it sits off the floor. The bed rail serves as a little step and I'm able to climb in with relative ease.

We continue to post new pictures to our photobucket account, so check there often for the baby pics!