Day One

I had originally been scheduled for an induction on September 13th, but since I wasn't overdue- the insurance called the doctor's office back and said they would not cover it. So I was scheduled for an induction the day after my due date. My doctor and I discussed it at my last doctor's appointment on September 14th.
Last Monday, September 19, I had been told by my OBGYN that I would  be induced at 6am. She told me to  be sure and call Labor and Delivery before we left the house to make sure they hadn't gotten behind during the night before. So I did. I told them my name and asked if it was still good to come on in. They said yes. So I get ready and pack up the last minute stuff, and get Jeremy up. We finish getting ready and take everything downstairs. I ate my piece of toast, which is all I could have. We ran to McDonald's and got Jeremy some breakfast. We then headed off to the hospital.
We get there (about 15 mintues late) and parked the car. We go up to Labor and Delivery on the 2nd floor and go to check in. Well, the lady at the desk says she doesn't have my paperwork. Not a good sign. So she calls L & D and tells us a charge nurse will come down and talk to us. All I could think was this is not going well. So a lady comes down and talks to us and says they don't have us on the schedule for the 19th. We weren't scheduled until the 26th!!! I wanted to cry. We reemphasized that I had been told by Dr. Fuson to be there at 6am on the 19th. So they call her and she says she will drive on in to her office and get the paperwork and we can wait in the waiting room! So there we are sitting in the waiting room with all our stuff: suitcase, pillow, purse, camera case, laptop case, everything. Luckilly, there was only one other family in there. So we sit until almost 8 am.
Finally someone comes out and Dr. Fuson has found where they had it handwritten that I was scheduled for the 19th, but both the hospital and the office had it down for the 26th. We finally get to go to a room and I get changed and answer all the questions for the paperwork. They do the IV, and we get the pitocin going. Around 10 am, the nurse checks me and I am a 4. I had been a 3 for weeks, so I was hoping for faster progress.
Nothing much happens until about lunchtime. I can feel the contractions slightly, but nothing major.  When Dr. Fuson came back around 12:30 I was still only dilated to a 4. She broke my water and man did things get going then! My nurse asked me if I wanted to go  ahead and get the ball rolling for an epidural. I said yes, I guess, because who wants to take a chance on the anaesthesiologist getting tied up and getting in major pain before you can get the drugs? Not me. So I say yes, let's go ahead. They had to run a bag and a half of fluids, well by the time that happened I was already in pain. The anaesthesiologist gets there and everyone assures me he gives really good ones that last a long time. Sounds like a plan to me. By the time he gets done I am having major contractions. It seems to take forever for it to kick in. My legs slowly get numb but by the time it fully takes effect, I am about 20 minutes away from giving birth. I don't know how much more painful it would have been, but let's just say I experienced the most pain I have ever been in in my life! To make things better, there was a lady giving birth naturally down the hall and was screaming bloody murder. I was trying to breath deep or whatever you are supposed to do. Like I know! I never planned on needing to know anything about Lamaze. I now know you can't take a deep breath when having a contraction.
So finally the nurse says she wants to check me again. She does and says I am complete. So they get the bed ready and she asks me to push once. I do and she immediately says I'll call Dr. Fuson. Dr. Fuson comes in and I push once and start to push and she tells me to stop and I look down and can see Miss Lillie Claire making her appearance. So after major pain, an epidural that almost didn't take in time, and exactly 2 1/2 pushes my little girl was born!

Lillie was born at 2:43 pm, she weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long.

Our smallest baby!

Needless to say, since the anisteiologist had bumped up my epidural I was good and numb for a long time. I think that is why we got to stay in the LDR room so long. We didnt' move to a regular room until almost 5 pm. I got there and got situated. They now leave the baby in the room almost all the time. She even got a bath in my room. I got to eat supper. It was so good! That's how you know you are hungry. Later that night the kids and Lonnie and Peggy came up to see the new baby.

This is it...

Tonight is the last night as a family of 4. It makes me teary eyed just thinking about it. Tomorrow we will meet our newest daughter. I am supposed to be induced at 6 am tomorrow morning.
I am excited and nervous too. Every mom knows you can have a healthy pregnancy and that really only takes care of part of it. You want to have a healthy delivery and a healthy baby too. One never knows what the future will bring. I look forward to meeting her and seeing how our older kids take to this new family member.
Jack seems very excited. He got out one of Lillie's burp cloths the other day and wanted me to show him how to do it. Then again tonight he got it out and was walking around showing Lonnie, Peggy, and Jeremy how to place the burp cloth on your shoulder.
Madalynn on the other hand, is telling everyone that after this baby she is "retiring". i.e. I don't want any more siblings. I am not sure why she isn't crazy about this. She seemed excited when I first told her. She wanted a sister and that what we ended up having. She has said that she doesn't want the baby to have blond hair, because she would be jealous since Madalynn thinks blond hair is the prettiest. I hope she improves. I tried to assure her tonight that she would always be our first daughter and she would always be special. No one can ever take her place. I hope she does OK.
Of course this is sale month in Lexington. So my husband isn't crazy about having to miss work for this. I wish the timing was better. I haven't even asked if he is just going to miss work, I am afraid of what the answer might be. Another reason I really hope I don't need a c-section! When Jack was born, a good friend of Jeremy's dad came up to be here when Jack was born. Well, he ended up having an appendicitis and having to have emergency surgery that led to complications. So Jeremy spent a good deal of time checking on him. I  almost feel like I was in the hospital by myself. It wasn't Jeremy's fault, he was tring to be a good guy. I am not one who likes to be alone in a strange place like that. I hope this time is different.
Jeremy's grandparents are here to stay with the kids. That is a good thing about being induced and knowing when you are going to have a baby... you can plan better. I have written notes and left reminders everywhere. I hope everyone goes to school the days they are supposed to and Madalynn  gets to school with lunch and snack and homework.
Jeremy's mother and grandmother will be here on Wednesday and I hope Lonnie and Peggy are leaving on Thursday. I had a really bad experience with Lonnie, Peggy, and Martha visiting when Madalynn was born. Their 'help" was me cooking supper for extra people. Being confined in my bedroom. Having people barging in my bedroom and bathroom when I was nursing. They cooked breakfast for themselves and if there wasn't anything left when I got up, oh well. They finally did laundry and some vacuuming the last day of their visit. So pardon me if "help" feels more like more work.
I hope everything goes well tomorrow.

Gripes, gripes, and complaints

Well, as my third and final pregnancy draws to a close. ( Induction 6am Monday! If they aren't busy.) I'd like to reiterate all the aches and pains that this gestational episode has brought me.
First we will start with the "normal" complaints.
Heartburn
Sleeplessness (at least at night)
Achy back
Swollen feet and hands
General Discomfort
I can handle all of these. I have had them all before. Now for the list of the ailments that made their debut this third time around.
* Hips that feel like they are going to come out of their sockets. As in during my third month, I could barely go from standing to sitting, sitting to standing, and getting in and out of the car was torture. I have days where they still bother me, but at least I'm not hobbling around like a 90 year old with a broken hip.
*General digestive illness- as in I still have days or parts of days where nothing agrees with my stomach. Not cereal, not applesauce, not anything. Weird. I also spend a lot of time in the restroom. I might feel nauseous after I eat or it might  be that everything is so unappealing that I don't want to eat anything, even though I may be lightheaded from hunger.  Thus why I have only gained 23 lbs. to this point. I gained 35 with Madalynn and 40 with Jack.
* Feeling like I am going to fall/pass out. I don't know what the deal is. I can be fine, as in not feeling hungry one minute, and feel like all the blood has drained from my body the next. Not sure why. I had to take the lovely 3 hour gestational diabetes test and it came out normal, so not sure what the problem is.
* Being so miserable physically. I have never gained so little weight during pregnancy. Now take that with a grain of salt, because let's face it, I weighed more than I should have when I began this odyssey. I have also never felt like I was so unable to move around like wanted or needed to. I feel like I literally have a basketball, a large basketball, sewn to my middle that prevents me from sitting up, bending over, crossing my legs normally, getting any kind of comfortable, etc.
*Never have I waited so anxiously for a baby to arrive! I have been ready for her for a good solid month now. I mean really ready. Room ready, clothes ready, diapers, everything. I am ready to move on to the next stage of life and see how it is going to be with 3 kids. I am also ready to get back to my "normal" life. I miss being able to do what I want in the yard and at the farm. The only slight benefit this pregnancy has had is that I don't have to clean out the litter box. I say slight, because the only time my husband cleans it out is when the stench is so bad that you need a good 45 minutes to air out the garage after opening the door in the morning, prior to actually walking through there to get to the car. The last time he cleaned it out, he only left the litter that filtered through the "litter saving bag". Did I mention he doesn't clean it often, so let's just say there isn't alot of litter left.

When I got pregnant this time, I said "I don't want to be miserable, but when it is over I want to be glad it is over." Well, guess what? I have gotten my wish.