ava - birth story

:: dec 22 9:20 am ::
38.5 weeks pregnant. it was my last dr appointment. i was scheduled to be induced the following week. my due date was dec 31. i was absolutley miserable. my gallbladder problems had become so bad that i could only eat campbells chicken noodle soup. for every meal. and bread. (but it was a bread i had to make. so every other day, i would make myself a loaf.) and i was sleeping. a lot. like 12+ hours a day. i finally asked my doctor if that was normal... and they immediately had my iron levels tested. i was at 33. when you are 30 and below- you run the risk of needing a blood transfusion after delivery.

so at my last appointment, my doctor could see just what a toll this had taken on me. she said she would check me... and maybe, just maybe, my water would magically break. and a few minutes later, it sure did. with a little help of course. ;)

but wait... my bags werent packed! (luckily, i finished ava's diaper bag a few days before, and packed it) and my girls were with me. their bags werent packed either. and... i didnt even finish getting ready that morning! so much was going through my mind. i called daniel... told him to head to the hospital, because we were gonna have a baby! i drove my girls to my parents, went home (and yes, i finished getting ready.) then i packed my bag. and headed back to the hospital.

:: dec 22 10:00 am ::
i got checked in. they led me to my room. and then i waited. i thought, wow- perfect time to get some pictures of the room! (because of course, i was NOT contracting. not at all.) i reach for my camera. and i realize... there is NO memory card. you've got to be kidding me. so i sent daniel to best buy to get me one. but by the time he had returned... i was getting prepped for labor. IV's were started, questions asked... and soon i had settled into a (somewhat) comfortable position just waiting for those contractions. an hour went by... nothing. so they started me on the pitocin.

:: dec 22 afternoon ::
things were slow moving with the pitocin. it seemed as though ava didnt want to come out. i'd have super weak contractions. and the nurse would come in, and turn my dose up. my labor with aly was 8 hours. amy, it was 6. i thought for sure i'd be done in 4. up to the recovery room by dinnertime. but as the hours wore on, i quickly realized that would not be the case. daniel and i decided to pass time by watching avatar. it took us a bazillion hours with all the pausing we had to do. and sometime during early afternoon, i got my epidural. we sat and chatted with the anesthesiologist for a while. i was worried about epidural complications- like last time. but it took like a charm. i was beyond thrilled. and again, we sat and waited.

:: dec 22 evening ::
i guess ava was turned. thats why i wasnt progressing. so, they had me lay on my side. and i actually felt her turn. it was crazy. but as soon as she did, things started to go quickly. we called my friend, janae- who was coming to photograph the birth. now time out... i was a bit nervous to have the birth photographed. but honestly? i am so, so glad i did. there is so much about those moments that i wanted to remember. and having those photos? the best ever. thank you, janae.

:: dec 22 10pm-ish ::
it was time to start pushing. i was focused. i had read the hypnobirthing book during my pregnancy. and because my body was so worn down, i opted for an epidural. but, i still used the breathing techniques. i was calm. i remember those moments. i remember pushing, being so focused. being so aware. listening to the coaching of my doctor and the encouragement of daniel. it wasnt long before little ava was here. (10:15 to be exact. 13 hours after they broke my water.) i remember them lifting her up, and handing her to me. oh what a beautiful moment it was. her cute face was all squishy and i just wanted to kiss her. i held her tight and then they got her cleaned up. after that, we got to spend some skin to skin time together. she snuggled right up to me. she took to nursing right away. it was such a special time.

These photos were taken by Janae Cooper Photography. thank you janae. so, so much.

our delivery room...


monitors...



here she is!!


first hold.




i love her expression here!






and this is my most favorite shot. ever.