And Then There Were Four (The Birth Story in Pictures)

While this post is not directly tied to Ecuador, the timing of my daughter’s birth is completely related, so I’m posting it here. If you don’t enjoy birth stories, you can skip this one and check back in August for more on the travel.

 Rob has to be in Ecuador by August 11th, and there was no chance we were going to risk Rob missing the birth of our daughter, Abigail. Her due date was August 5th, but my doctor scheduled me to be induced at 39 weeks to ensure her timely arrival. 

We got to the hospital Sunday the 28th at 7 p.m. with the idea that whatever inducing agent they gave me would work its magic overnight, and I would have the baby the next morning. Here I am, thrilled that the hospital knew I was coming, and they weren't going to send me home. 

 We were escorted to Labor and Delivery, where I was initially very happy with the room...

 Abby's heart monitor.

 Rob always wants to make me laugh (note the specimen container).

Around 9 p.m., they checked me and I was already 3 cm dilated and pretty effaced so my only option left for induction was an IV of Pitocin. For those of you who don't know what Pitocin is, it is a drug that is supposed to produce contractions. The labor officially began at 10:10 p.m. 

To start the Pitocin, they had to give me an IV. The nurse told me I had "weird veins," so she put the needle on the side of my wrist. This was the most painful IV I have ever received, and it scared me because if a needle hurt that much, how much would the rest of the process hurt?

Once things began, Rob got comfy on the laptop. 

 If you look closely, you'll see my focus items next to the T.V... A teddy bear and a card from Rob, Rob's lucky baseball that he has had with him during every important event in his life, along with a blown up latex glove (also compliments of Rob).

My contractions started coming every 2-3 minutes, and I was pretty excited that things would speed along, so I sent Rob out to go eat some breakfast in the cafeteria, and to take a picture of the hospital from the outside. When he showed me his mediocre breakfast, I almost cried from my deep deep hunger at that point because once you arrive, no food or drinks are allowed until that baby comes out. 

Despite the contractions, I felt pretty good, and needed no medications, although I couldn't sleep. So I browsed Facebook and Pinterest for hours. And then, twelve hours later, they checked me again, and NOTHING! Those were not the words I wanted to hear. I immediately started crying. How could I have twelve hours of contractions without dilating any more!? I really thought they would just send me home. I didn't want to talk to anyone. So, it was back to my phone for comfort. 

Thankfully, my doctor came in around 11 that morning and broke my water. Within an hour, the contractions came on STRONG, and I asked for an epidural. You can tell by this picture that I was ready for some pain meds. The anesthesiologist that came in was like a real-life Count from Sesame Street, minus the vampire teeth and the cape. Okay, so only his accent reminded me of the Count. It was hard to take him seriously. He smelled of Juicy Fruit gum and cigarette smoke. When he asked me if I drank or smoked, and I said no, he said, why? Followed by a shallow chuckle. When he was looking for a spot in my back to insert the needle, he first poked me with his fingernails, and as I winced in pain, his reply was, "What? (vhat?)," Once again followed by a shallow chuckle. Like, I enjoy giving pain and this is nothing. I really wish I had a video of the whole thing. 

Rob was completely there for me to break his hands during each contraction. 

No joke, within an hour, I called the nurse and told her I could feel the baby coming out. She came in to check, and yup. I was right. My doctor wasn't even in the building yet. As long as I could, I held in my urge to push while she set up this scary looking table. Yikes! As soon as the doctor was in the building, she let me push. 

10 minutes later (after 16 hours of labor), Abby was here!

She was 8 pounds exactly, and 19.5 inches long. 

Abby and the doctor. 

 Her cute little feet.

Daddy and Abby. 

This hospital encourages skin to skin bonding before any weighing or exams, so we stayed in the labor room for over an hour with her before being moved to our recovery room where the visitors were waiting. I was so excited to introduce Logan to his little sister! The first picture here is Logan, two of my sisters, and Abby. 

The second day, Logan was a little bored so daddy took him for a walk around the hospital. 

But every time he gets to hold her, he just beams with pride. 

This was Abby's going home outfit. 

I am so in love. 

So, so in love. 

Although we aren't Kate and William, I couldn't be happier with the new addition to our family.