SHE'S HERE!!!

Ok... I don't have a nickname for our little bundle yet... so.. "Peanut" is here!!!



I have to laugh... The morning after my last post my contractions started (again)... well, you can see the results. LOL!!

THE STORY:
I went to my regular 37 week visit at my midwives office. I was contracting and feeling less chipper than my regular self. Did all the usual check-up stuff. When the midwife checked to see how dilated I was her face changed. Her eyes bugged out a bit and she said "Oh, BOY!! You're 7cm with a bulging bag". So off we went to the hospital (only a couple of minutes up the road from the office).

They were expecting me and rushed me to my L&D room. Got there around 11:45am. 30 min later I got my epidural (yay!!! I did not have one for the last 2 pregnancies and have some long term damage from things going so fast). I was hoping the epidural would slow down my labor (it did by about 30 minutes).

The midwife had 4 other ladies in labor at the time. It was a very busy day. Apparently the weather was playing into the day's events. It had been sunny and a BEAUTIFUL day until after Peanut was born. Within 20 min of her birth this is what it looked like outside:



The midwife came in a little before 1 and asked when I wanted her to break my water... I said.. whenever you have some time and want to deliver this babe (I don't stay pregnant for very long after my water breaks. With Tinkerbell - she was born about 30 min later).

That epidural was AMAZING!!!! I didn't feel much. I got to watch the monitor tell me I was having contractions. They started coming so fast one couldn't end completely before the next one would be going full force. Then her heart rate dropped to about 100BPM (should be in the 140's). They put an oxygen mask on me and turned me onto my right side. Well.... they did tell me that the epidural works by gravity... My right side went totally numb while my left side started to wake up. Then I started to FEEL the pain during transition. I rotated back to my back - slightly tipped to my left trying to convince the meds to move over (YES, I pushed the button for more drugs ha ha). It didn't have really a chance to do it's thing before the nurse came in to confirm that Peanut was "right there".

Wall buttons get pushed... midwife and nurses come rushing in. Everyone is moving in such a swift and smooth pattern it looked rehersed. For the first time ever (Peanut is my 5th child) I got to SEE one of my babies get born. I also was given the opportunity to help pull her out. WOW was NOT expecting that one.

I can honestly say that this was the easiest and literally most FUN birth I've ever experienced. I never knew that it could be so awesome... and controlled. I'm use to TONS of pain and my brain being Liquified GOO from all the chemicals and pain surging through my system. Rather than being in chaos I was in AWE.

Here's Peanut being held by daddy right after birth:



I got to enjoy some time with just the youngest 2 girls:



Here is the family... READY to visit the new baby:



Our Greeting when we got home: