Any of you avid readers may have been wondering where I disappeared to over the course of the last month. I promise, I haven't forgotten about you or the blog. Instead I took a few weeks to welcome my darling daughter into the world, Alex Rose.
You may be scratching your head in wonder, as she hasn't been mentioned in any of the previous blog posts. I decided to keep our life personal and private for the duration of my pregnancy, and the moment my eyes met her Grey eyes that match my own, I knew I could no longer keep her under the radar. She must be shared with the world.
I eagerly awaited Alex's arrival, just as I had been doing since I found out about my little peanut, after the shock wore off. I went to my first non-stress test on Friday, March 4th and was told I had a happy healthy baby waiting to come into the world, who was due to be born the next day. And after no baby arrival, I came back again on the 8th with the same news... and then again on the 11th. After 3 NST appointments with the same verdict and still no baby, I was scheduled to be induced on March 12 at 9pm.
I tried every old wives tale under the sun to try and get her to come out naturally. I bounced on a birthing ball, I ate jalapeños, I walked, walked and walked some more, I even tried the worst one on the list.... The god awful castor oil. Nothing worked. She was happy, and perfectly content right where she was.
With no sign of her arrival I spent the evening of the 11th driving around in the gloomy and rainy weather. What started out as just a run out for dinner ended up with a drive up to Julian and around Lake Cuyamaca for hot apple pie. Maybe not the smartest decision, but after no movement for a few weeks, it seemed like an okay deal.
After walking in the door around 9pm, I had a sudden shift at 9:30 and felt awful and nauseated. I did what I always do when not feeling well and sat in the shower. As soon as I got out, I realized I was in the early stages of labor. I took myself downstairs and put on Netflix and absentmindedly listened to it in the background while my contractions started. At 11:30 they picked up and I began timing them on my recently installed app. They were a steady 6 minutes apart.
And then the wait started... Movie after movie, I sat on the couch and continued to time them. Still 6 minutes. Finally at 2:30 I called into the hospital since they had picked up in intensity, but weren't getting closer together. The lovely nurse on the other end told me there is no way of knowing and I could still be pretty far out, but the choice was mine. So, not wanting to risk being sent home or sit in their hospital beds forever and a day, I waited... And waited... Had some tea, and waited some more. I did everything to pass the time. I ate some pretzels, put on another movie, put on some makeup, braided my hair, paced up and down the stairs, timed more contractions, and kept on waiting... Until 4:30am when I couldn't take the wait any longer, snapped my last pregnancy photo, and decided it was time to head in.
I was checked into triage at 5:30am, where I was told I wouldn't be sent home and I was already 5cm dialated. At this point the contractions were intense and my birth plan went out the window. Where I was hoping to have a natural birth, I opted instead for an epideral as I could feel the stress my body was undergoing.
I received my epideral around 7:45 in the morning, and from there I was on cloud 9. I could still partially feel my contractions, but nothing like they were. I was able to relax and ease through them, and even nap at one point. I was checked by my lovely midwife at 11am, where I reached 8cm dialated and had my water broken by the nurse.
My next check didn't come until 2pm, when I was fully dialated and we were ready to push. I prepared myself for the worst case scenario, and figured we would be at this stage for a while. I texted my family and told them it could be a two hour process, but I will let them know when to head over to the hospital to visit. My sister had just arrived and walked in the room, and we were ready to get started...
I looked over at the clock on the wall while the nurses got everything ready; the time was 2:18pm. I waited for the midwife to begin my coaching through the first contraction and push. After an "ohhhh..." She immediately paged the nurse that would be looking after Alex. The nurse hurried in the room, and we went back to pushing... 4 contractions and no more than 10 minutes later, Alex Rose was born at 2:32pm on Saturday, March 12th at 7lb 10oz and 19.5 inches long.
She was beautiful and perfect with a full head of white-blonde hair and my grey eyes. She looked at me, and I knew right away, this little blessing was mine and I was her mama, and nothing would or will ever break that bond.
Over the course of the next two days in the hospital, we had nurses and midwives shuffling in and out of our room what felt like every 20 minutes. After each test result and check we got the same answer... "She's a beautiful little girl and completely healthy." Every families dream come true.
And now I'm sitting here, snuggling my now 8lb 7oz little peanut in my arms, trying to figure out where the past 25 days have gone. She's already grown so much, as has the love that surrounds her. She's a miracle and a gift that I wasn't sure I would receive, and now that I have I am ever grateful. My wonderful readers, I proudly introduce to you my miracle, my peanut, my daughter, Alex.
