Cora's Birth Story...

My due date was January 2, 2012 and to be honest, I thought I was going to be one of those people that went way past their due date. My mom had me over a week late and I know most first time pregnant ladies go past the due date. I had everything ready to go by December 1st, and I am so glad I did. December was a great month. I rested, I worked, I savored the holiday season, I spent good time with Steve. And on December 20th I became a mom. Here is my story...

I woke up around 6:30am on the 20th to make the 500th trip to the restroom of the morning. Steve and I had been sleeping in the living room for the previous week due to me not being able to get in and out of our high, four poster bed. When I came back to lay down I had two contractions back to back. They were not painful but they did feel different then the Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having for the last 4 weeks. Then about 15 minutes later I began to feel lots of fluid being release from my body. My first thought was there is NO WAY my water just broke. My second thought was to get off the couch! As soon as I stood up I was sure my water broke. At this point I calmly informed my sleeping husband that I think my water just broke. He shot out of bed- really?!

I made it to the bathroom before water got anywhere- everyone keeps asking if it broke on the couch. No- my couch is safe to sit on:). As soon as I could, I called the doctor on call. I knew I was not going to get my doctor because she was taking the whole week off before Christmas. Dr. Vyas was on call and let me say now- she was amazing AND 37 weeks pregnant herself. She asked me a bunch of questions then asked if I was sure my water broke. When I told her I filled up 4 pads she laughed and said great, you're having a baby today. She said to come in when ever we were ready- so we kind of took our time. We ate breakfast together, I took a shower, and Steve finished packing his bags. We were both super calm and it was a perfect morning to have a baby. It was cool and rainy outside. We even had time to stop by the bank (drive thru of course!) on the way to St. Luke's so I could make a last minute work deposit. As you can probably tell I was having zero contractions so I was not in pain. I just felt calm and peaceful, a feeling that has stayed with me as I have moved into this new role as a mother.

We got checked into our room around 9:30 and I got changed and situated into the room. The doctor checked me around 10am and I was only dilated to a one, which is exactly what I was the day before at my 38 week appointment. So we decided to take some meds to see if we could speed things up. I wish I could remember the name of the drug, but I can not. It was a small little pill that had BIG effects on me. I started having contractions about 30 minutes later and I labored for several hours rocking in the rocking chair. I was able to labor for 8 hours before I knew it was time for me to get the epidural.

Before I got the epidural I wanted to know how far along I was. When they came in to check me the doctor kept saying 'now do not get your hopes up, you are probably not very far along.' When she check I was at a 4 and she was actually pretty surprised. I still did not get the epidural for another hour and half. By the time the anesthesiologist came in I was in some serious PAIN, who knows how far along I was by then. They did make Steve leave the room while they gave me the epidural. Some new policy due to a man passing out in California when his wife got the epidural and hitting his head and dying- that's kind of scary (I'm also amazed I can remember the nurse telling me that story with how much pain I was in at the time). I was sad he was not going to be there but really I just wanted the pain to stop. The whole process was easy and short and Steve was back with me in no time. Over all the epidural was very light. I could still feel every one of the contractions, but they were not nearly as strong.

About the time the epidural kicked in I started to feel lots of pressure. I kept telling my nurse (who I loved- I'm so glad I had a good L&D nurse) and she kept saying 'really? Because it would be pretty early to already be at a 10.' But around the 5th time I said I'm feeling a lot of pressure she started advocating for the doctor to come back and check me. At this point it was around 5pm and the doctor and nurse were about to go through the shift change. Which we were all sad about, at this point I really wanted them both to help me deliver this baby. The resident was actually sent in to check me- I really do not think anyone thought I was going to be at a 10, but I knew something was going on. As soon as she checked me things moved in to high gear.

Not only was I at a 10, I was also plus 2 meaning the baby's head was started to descend. As soon as she said that my nurse left and got the 'team'. There were 10 people in my room in no time. My doctor came in and before I knew it it was time to push. It was exciting, it was scary, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Steve was on my right, my nurse was on my left and the doctor and resident guided the pushing. Everyone was so encouraging and excited that they were going to deliver this baby before the shift change. I pushed for about 45 minutes- maybe 12-15 good pushes and before I knew it Cora June Sargent arrived at 6:09pm. Steve cut the cord and she was put on my chest. I wish I could capture this moment in words, but I could not if I tried. It was incredible. Steve was amazing and going through this with him has made me love him in ways I can not describe. As they cleaned Cora off on my chest I was amazed that something so perfect had been given to me. The next hour passed in a blur. Cora was weighed and cleaned and had her foot prints taken. I got to see Steve hold her for the first time and the doctors took their time caring for me- for that I am grateful.

And soon it was just me and Cora and Steve in the room. I got to nurse her for the first time and then it was time to move to our room for the next 2 days. As soon as we got to our new room Cora got a real bath and I got to eat- best hospital food I had ever had or maybe that was the no meal since breakfast talking:)! And then our families came in and we got to introduce Cora June to everyone for the first time. It was so cool to get to speak her name out loud for the first time and everyone fell in love with this new life. Cora is an old name from Steve's family that we have always liked and June is Steve's grandmother's name. Everyone left around 10pm and the 3 of us spent our first night together.

I know this post does not do this story justice, but I tried. I could not have asked for a better experience and December 20th, 2011 will be a day I treasure forever.

Welcome to the world Cora June- we have greatly anticipated your arrival and look forward to journeying through life with you. Love, Mom