Craziest Day Ever

***Disclaimer: Super Long Blog Post. You have been warned.***

I think it's time to write down my experience getting Elsie here. (It's quite a story and I want to have record of it so this is more for me than anything.) I think it's a crazy story so I apologize if you finish reading and didn't think it wasn't...haha.

So it all started on Friday, Nov. 18. I had a doctor's appointment where they checked to see if I had started dialating at all. Doctor said I hadn't at all and he seemed a little worried that I hadn't. He gave me some pointers to help me start going into labor and wanted me back in a week. I was a little discouraged and worried as well but was going to go home and do what the doctor suggested. Saturday,  Andy and I went to S's high school play Saturday night. My back really started hurting and I couldn't get comfortable. I didn't really think anything of it. I was 8 months pregnant entering the 9th month and knew that I would just be getting more and more uncomfortable as the due date came closer and closer. I made it through the play and just wanted to get home and go to bed.

This was now the first night of the worst night's sleep I've ever had. I had problems getting comfortable sleeping the last few months of pregnancy because I am a stomach sleeper and having a big belly doesn't allow stomach sleeping. So waking up multiple times in the night wasn't out of the ordinary for me at this point but that night I woke up probably every hour. My back continued to ache no matter what position I was in. My doctor told me that if my back started to hurt, to take a warm bath to help my relax. So I took a warm bath at about 4am and finally was able to get a little relief and was able to go back to sleep.

I woke up for church the next morning and still felt achy but was able to get to church. During Sacrament meeting, my back was still hurting and I felt "different." I can't explain what I was feeling other than it was "different." I was having contractions but they weren't very bad and I just chalked them up to Braxton Hicks that you have quite a bit during pregnancy to prepare you to deliver. I got so uncomfortable that I turned to Andy when Sacrament Meeting ended and told him I couldn't sit for two more hours and I needed to go home. I got home and got straight into the bath and probably was in there for at least an hour. It was the only thing that helped what I was feeling. I then laid on the couch the rest of the day until we went to Andy's parents for dinner. Again, I was feeling super uncomfortable but made it through. I again came home and went straight to bed.

I had another terrible night's sleep and woke up yet again every hour and ended up taking another bath in the middle of the night. I tried sleeping on the couch but still couldn't get comfortable. I started timing my contractions and they would sometimes be 3 minutes apart, sometimes 7 minutes apart and then sometimes 15 minutes apart-not consistent at all! My doctor told me and I read online that if my contractions were 3-5 minutes consistently apart, that I should get to the hospital. So I didn't think I was in labor because my contractions weren't consistent and I was told that if I could talk through my contractions, I wasn't in labor. So I didn't think I was in labor because they never got so painful that I couldn't talk through them. Luckily I didn't have work all week for Thanksgiving so I was able to stay home and lay around all day. Andy stayed home Monday because he didn't want to leave me alone when I was feeling so horrible.  We debated going to the hospital all day but I didn't want to be THAT expectant mother that goes in thinking they're in labor and then is sent home. So we didn't go and I just layed around all day and watched Gilmore Girls (which I really wasn't hating except that I was SO UNCOMFORTABLE).

Tuesday, Nov 22 rolls around I'm still having contractions which are starting to become more painful and more consistent but not a consistent 3-5 minutes apart. Andy debated staying home again but I told him to just go because I still had a month until due date and I couldn't be in labor this early. Andy went to work and I layed on the couch. The contractions were still becoming more consistent and so I started timing them. 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 2 minutes, 5 minutes. Yeah, they're getting more consistent and much more intense. I could still talk through them though so again I didn't think I was in labor. I started feeling intense pressure during the contractions to where I couldn't even sit anymore. I finally got to the point that I needed this baby out. I couldn't handle this anymore. I called Andy at about 1:30 and said, "Get home NOW. We're going to the hospital." I didn't know this, but Andy had called my doctor and left a message telling them what was going on. Andy finally got home and ran to get me. The doctor's office was on the phone and I talked to them while Andy put on my shoes. They said I could come into their office and they would check me or I could just go to the hospital and they would send my charts. I told them very firmly (I kinda feel bad about it now), I said, "We are going to the hospital now."

So we get in the car and we have to drive from Farmington (by Lagoon) to LDS hospital. I kept saying to Andy that I couldn't do it. I wasn't going to make it to the hospital. I could barely sit in the car and seriously thought I was going to deliver right then and there. We FINALLY made it to the hospital and I got out of the car while Andy parked. I went to the information desk and asked where labor and delivery was. He told me 4th floor and I started to slowly walk away in immense pain. He then asked if I wanted a wheel chair and someone to take me up. I probably had the biggest look of relief on my face when I shook my head yes almost in tears. Andy was running through the doors as we were entering the elevator up to the 4th floor. We finally made it there and we were at the check in desk. The nurse started asking me what my symptoms were and looked very skeptical of my being in labor. The head nurse then said that they needed to get me in the exam room NOW.

I get into the exam room and they have me put on a gown. Andy was helping me put a gown on, cause I couldn't do it myself, and right as he stood up from helping me put on the socks, my water breaks. (Weirdest feeling ever might I add). They then started to try and find the baby's heartbeat. When they did, it had dropped super low after my water broke. The nurse then called some code and then 20+ people were in the room. One of the nurses then was checking to see how far along I was and had a confused look on her face. She then realized that I was fully dialated! I went from a 0 to 10 in 3 days!  The nurse then told everyone in the room that I was ready to deliver. Now the one thing that I told Andy during this whole pregnancy was that I wanted an epidural and he wasn't to let them do ANYTHING until I got my epidural. They had already called for emergency anesthesia but it was too late. This baby was coming and she was coming fast-no time for an epidural. The doctor that is on call on the floor was there and was starting the delivery process. He was cracking jokes and I was not having it. I was delivering this baby naturally, not by choice and this doctor was cracking jokes. Not feeling it! So he told me that if they couldn't get the baby out fast enough, I'd have to get a c-section. They had called my doctor to come and he got to the hospital from Bountiful in like 20 minutes! Once he got there, I was able to calm down a bit. In between contractions, he asked how I was doing. I told him my arm hurt and was tingly. He laughed a bit and we realized I had been squeezing Andy's hand so hard that my arm muscles started spasming, making my had go tingly. After pushing for about 40 minutes, baby Elsie was here at about 3:45. Those 40 minutes felt like an eternity and I never thought this baby was going to get here! Such a relief when I heard that tiny baby crying!

Elsie weighted 5 lbs 9 oz and was 18 inches long. The doctor said during my whole pregnancy that he wanted me to get to 36 weeks and then the baby could come anytime after that. Well, Elsie had other plans and came the day before our 36 week mark! She had to have some extra attention at the hospital because she had trouble with her blood sugar but other than that, she was healthy and doing great! I actually wasn't in much pain afterwards either and was feeling good by the next day! All in all, it was an amazing experience and I'm so happy to have Elsie here!