Labor Day

I guess the next step after pregnancy is giving birth.

I actually had a relatively easy labor with Raelyn, but don't worry she made up for that. :)

I was very anxious, like most pregnant women, at the end of my pregnancy for little Miss Raelyn to arrive. My doctor told me that she would be surprised if she didn't come early... I've decided that's the worst thing to say to a pregnant women because it makes you doubly anxious...and I was. I thought for sure she'd be here before the due date. So, when August 22 rolled around and she still wasn't here, I got discouraged. (My due date was August 21st). Looking back in retrospect, I should not have been discouraged. Especially since she came on August 23. haha.

On the night of the 22nd around 10:30 pm, I was having very bad back pain. I would also get an occasional shooting pain down my leg. Steven and I went to Smiths because he had a custodial party the next day and he signed up to bring Orange Juice. My back was killing me through the store, but I did not think I was in labor. When we got home, Steven went to bed, and I stayed up to read Harry Potter. I was having some cramps, but nothing I didn't have during pregnancy. They started to pick up, but I didn't think it was THE cramps. I went to the living room to watch TV while Steven slept. Around 12:30, I began to shake, and many people told me that they shook a lot while in labor. I also felt like my cramps were strong enough to go to the hospital, so I woke up Steven. Well, I tried. He was very tired and it took me a while to get him to realize that we needed to go to the hospital. (kinda comical now).

When we got to the hospital, I was dilated 5 cm. They monitored me and said that if I progressed in the next hour they would admit me. I got to a 6, so they gave me the I.V.  That was not fun. I ended up getting an epidural around 4:00am. I was so scared to get an epidural, but my anesthesiologist was so good, it hurt less then the I.V. Then we just played the waiting game. She was ready for me to push at 12:00 pm the next day. I tried to get some sleep during this time, but I was just so worried and anxious I couldn't. I pushed till 2:40 and Raelyn came out at 2:42 pm, weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 18.5 inches long. It was crazy. It was all so very surreal, and very overwhelming. In that moment I had become a mom! My first thought was Oh MY! My second was OW! They took her away with Steven, to do, whatever it is they do, and they took me to the recovery room.

I didn't feel a lot of pain once I had the epidural, It did, however, start to wear off near the end, and that wasn't pleasant. It still masked the pain, which was great! After she came out, I was in a lot of pain, and my epidural had worn off almost completely.

The only thing that made me feel better was when they brought Raelyn back from the nursery and I got to cuddle her. (One of the very few moments of her life that she would cuddle with me) She was so tiny and so precious. It was crazy that we had made her.

Overall, labor was easier than I had talked it up in my head. It was something that I feared for most of my life. It still amazes me that I did it. I know that the Lord had a hand in calming me down and making everything run smoothly. I am a definite supporter of the Epidural. They are not for everyone, but it was very nice to not feel all the pain. Just lots and lots of pressure!  

If anyone would like to share their labor story, I'd love to hear it!

I forgot to write yesterday, but I did have a happy moment Saturday.
Saturday Raelyn was so happy. I have no idea why, but she hardly cried all day. She also didn't sleep all day, but at least she was happy. She played with her toys without crying, and she laughed a lot. She actually put me in a better mood at one point in the day. She even cuddled with me. She NEVER cuddles, maybe she finds it pointless, I don't know. I felt proud to be her mom, and I realized just how much I love her. I hope she has more days like that.

Sunday she was also pretty happy. Not as much as Saturday, but still happy. She also slept throughout the day, which gives me breaks, and makes it easier to handle her. I was able to stay in Relief society the whole time. The thing that made me smile the most is when she was drinking her bottle. She got down to the last half ounce and didn't eat it, but just played with her bottle and looked up at me and smiled. She just kept doing that for like 10 minutes. It made me laugh.