I think it's a good idea to write down all the details (well not ALL the details) so that others can enjoy and I'm able to go back and re-read in the future.
I woke up around 3:30 on Saturday morning with some back pain. I was having trouble telling if the pain was stronger during the contractions (Which I'd been having for a few days now) so after a few hours I went back to bed. Before going to bed though, I prayed specifically that she would come soon, and that I would know when things were happening and wouldn't have any doubts. John and I woke up around 8:15 and were laying in bed. Around 8:20 my water broke. It all worked out so well, I was able to make it to the bathroom before any leaking occurred and the best part was that I had no doubt what was going on (and I knew that once I made it to the hospital they wouldn't send me home!)
We got to the hospital around 9:00 and got all checked in. My parents showed up about an hour later. For the most part I wasn't in any serious pain until about 2:30. I knew that I could probably handle the contractions for another few hours but since I didn't know how long things would take I decided to go with the epidural. I got the epidural around 3:30 and it helped immensely. Around 5:00 I realized that while I didn't feel any pain on my right side, my left side was hurting pretty badly. As things progressed the pain was really strong and I asked if something could be done about it. Around 6:00 they increased the epidural. It worked...not only could I not feel the contractions on my left side, I couldn't feel anything from my stomach down. It was such a strange feeling! Everyone was touching my legs and I couldn't feel it at all. Once I realized it was fairly normal I kind of thought it was funny.
Every time I dilated, I would throw up, so it was kind of a weird sign that I was progressing. Around 10:00 I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. Lilly arrived around 11:16 and I was stitched up and everything around 1:00.
Lilly got some fluid in her lungs and so they hooked her up to an IV and put her on oxygen. After her initial birth John and my parents were finally able to see her around 3:00 AM on Sunday. I was in serious pain after the delivering the placenta and had been hooked up to some intense drugs...and was pretty out of it. I babbled to my dad for about an hour about absolutely nothing, and of course he listened intently the whole time.
We were able to see her a few times on Sunday and had a lot of friends come visit and see her as well. Finally on Monday morning we were able to hold her! Which was so exciting. I just got back from visiting her this morning and she is off of the oxygen and has moved into a normal little bed. From what the Dr. told us yesterday she should be able to come home by Friday...which will certainly be a huge celebration at the Ralls' house!
John was AMAZING during the whole process. Things got pretty intense there at the end and I was pushing and throwing up simultaneously for about an hour. He stood by my side and held a bucket for me to throw up in and never left. He also cut the cord and never complained about getting no sleep. Having to leave her at the hospital was pretty difficult and all of yesterday I was a teary mess but he has been so encouraging and supportive. I'm so thankful for him.
Our family and friends have also been so great, it was great to have so many friends come see us in the hospital and support us when they knew we were having a difficult time leaving Lilly. We are definitely loved by some great people.
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