Ryleigh's Arrival

It all began early in the morning on Thursday, Feb 16th. I woke up around 415 am to go to the bathroom. About fifteen minutes after I went back to bed, I felt what I thought was my water breaking. It was a small gush of water but it soaked through my shorts. I woke John and told him that I was pretty sure that my water just broke. He was half asleep and grumbled that I probably just peed my pants. Here is a little backstory. My dad had just shared my mom's experience having me with John. Apparently they went to the hospital three times because she thought her water broke, but it turned out that the first two times were false alarms and she had just peed herself. Their doctor told them that of she could soak through a pad then it would be the real deal and not just pee. My dad told John that when my mom's water actually did break, he made her soak through three pads before he would take her to the hospital. Ok, back to Thu morning...I told John that I was pretty positive that it wasn't pee because I had literally just gone to the bathroom and it wasn't the same sensation. He told me that I should put on a pad and see if it soaks through. He really didn't believe that my water broke since I wasn't having any contractions and since I wasn't dilated at all at my doc appt two days before and since it was still two weeks until my due date. I, on the other hand, was pretty convinced this was it. I got into the shower and started packing up the items that weren't already packed. I called St Jude and explained why happened and they told me to head in..
John was still in bed at this point and was pretty grumpy that I wanted to head into the hospital. He was convinced it was a false alarm and I started doubting whether or not I was actually in labor since I wasn't leaking anymore water and I wasn't having any contractions that I could feel. We arrived at St Jude at about 5:30 am and I was checked by our wonderful nurse Patty at about 6:30. She confirmed I was dilated to a 1, but the strip they use to test for amniotic fluid was testing negative. Nurse Patty was confused by this because she said he was positive she was looking at amniotic fluid, but instead of turning blue, the strip was turning orange which meant that it wasn't amniotic fluid. Since nurse Patty thought it looked like my water broke, she suggested that I walk for an hour to try to get more water to leak out so she could get a better test. She also repositioned he baby's head because she thought it may have been blocking more water from leaking out since it was so low-OUCH by the way! In the meantime, John is asking me where I'd like to go for breakfast on the way home! We walked for an hour or so and then I was checked again with the strip. Still orange. Since nurse Patty was sure my water had broke she wanted the on call doctor to check me out to see what she thought. I actually overheard the doc and nurse arguing about checking me. The doctor didn't want to come in and examine me since my strips weren't turning blue. When she did come in to check me out she exclaimed "oh my, this is definitely amniotic fluid. Patty, go get a different role of strips because this must be a bad batch." A few minutes later an orderly brought a new roll of strips an within seconds of the doc testing it, it turned bright blue. All that because of a bad batch of strips! Nurse Patty and I were smug because no one believed that I was actually in labor. So, once they confirmed my water did indeed break, I asked of that meant baby today. They said that I would be officially admitted but since this was my first and since I was in really early labor, she may not be born until the following day. Boy were they wrong!
Once it was confirmed that it was baby time, we made the calls to our fam. I didn't want to alert everyone if it was just a false alarm. The doc said she was going to leave me for a few hours so I could progress. I still wasn't feeling anything even though the monitor showed I was contracting. About two hours later, they came and checked me and told me that since my water broke, I could get my epidural at any time. I opted to get it then before the pain hit. The nurse told me not to worry about the pain bc everyone tells her that her iv hurts worse than the epi. She was totally right. The anesthesiologist came in and did his thing and it didn't hurt at all. It was a strange feeling of fluid filling up around my spine, but definitely not painful. After getting the epi, they administered some pitocin to speed things along. We settled in and watched some netflixed shows on my iPad. After a couple of hours or so, the doc checked me and I was three cm. They decided to give me some benadryl through my iv in hopes that it would relax me and let me sleep, allowing my body to progress faster. Within seconds of getting the Benadryl, I felt very drowsy. All the visitors left the room so I could sleep. I was on my left side and I was dozing off but could feel a sharp pain low in my abdomen every minute or so. I assumed this was a contraction but I was only feeling it on my right side. Just as it was getting too painful to ignore, the anesthesiologist popped his head in to check on me. I let him know what I was feeling and he turned me up and within seconds the pain disappeared and I was able to continue my nap. After an hour of napping I was checked and was at a 6! I went from barely three to six in an hour. I was flipped to my other side and told to rest for another hour or so. In the meantime, our friend Ryan and my BIL David stopped by. They visited for a little bit in the room with me and then John went out into the waiting room with them so I could sleep. About five minutes after John went into the waiting room, the nurse checked me again. I couldn't believe her when she said I was done, it was time to push! I went from three to ten in an hour and forty five minutes! They went and got John and a team got everything ready for her arrival. Since her head was so low, they didn't think I would have to push for long. I started pushing at 5:40 and at 5:58 Ryleigh Erin Hall was born! She weighed in at 6 lbs 8 oz and was 19.5" long. Pushing was the only part of the whole process that was hard for me. It was seriously the most athletic thing I have done! But, she was born in ten contractions which thy nurses all said was something to brag about because most people push for an hour or two. I really don't know how I would've done that. Ryleigh was handed to me for a second and John cut the cord. Then she was whisked away to be cleaned off and checked since she wasn't crying. All of a sudden, the nurse yells out "can I get some help over here!" and within seconds a team of people were surrounding her including the neonatoloist. I knew that couldn't be good but the doctor assured me that she just had some fluid in her lungs that they needed to clear out and that she was fine. They suctioned her little lungs for about five to ten minutes, and we watched as our little smurf changed from blue to pink. She started to cry and was deemed fit to stay with us instead of heading to the NICU, which was great. They gave her to me and told us visitors could come in if we wanted. I was in a haze for most of this time, and really don't remember much. I think I was still out of it from the benadryl and the pushing. I was completely starving since I hadn't eaten anything since the night before. I really regretted not stopping for breakfast on the way in to the hospital b/c I knew that if I was admitted I wouldn't be allowed to eat. But, it was 4:30 am and I didn't have food on my mind. Anyway, within an hour of her birth, John headed out to pick up food (and smoke a cigar w/ his pals), and the family got to meet Ryleigh. By 8pm I was cleaned up and getting settled in our post postpartum room. Our first night went great. We had to wake her up to feed her, and it has pretty much continued that way ever since. She is a really low key baby. We've only had one rough night and it was after I ate a really spicy meal, so I think that may have irritated her tummy. We came home on Sat morning and have been loving life with our little munchkin. And now for the photos...

Alerting the family that it's baby time!!

Getting settled in

Grandma and Grandpa are ready!

Grandparents

Time to push!

Hi Smurfette!

Ryleigh Erin...6 lbs 8 oz, 19.5"

Bath Time

First family photo

Day 2, refreshed from my shower

Hall Fam

This is the nurse who delivered John 28 years ago

Aunties visiting Ry, and sharing labor and delivery stories...sorry boys!

Going Home!

First car ride

Welcome Home Ryleigh

Visiting at Grandma and Grandpa K's house

Chillin' at home

Snuggle time

Ryleigh Erin has Arrived

Our little early bird arrived on Feb 16th at 5:58 pm. She was thirteen days ahead of schedule which made her uncomfortable mama very happy. She weighed in at 6 lbs 8 oz and was 19.5" long-a dainty little lady. She has a full head of blonde hair and is a fantastic baby. I'll be back with the details of her arrival soon, but for now here's a pic of our girl.

38 Weeks

Today marks 38 weeks...exactly two weeks to go until I reach my due date, and no more than 3 weeks to go at the most before this whole pregnancy thing comes to an end! It can't come soon enough! I know we should be enjoying these last moments of peace and quiet, but it is all overshadowed by the anticipation and complete discomfort! I had a visit with the doc yesterday and he told me that he will induce me next week if I am dilated at all by my next appt (on Tue). I was not dilated at all yesterday, but baby's head is very low, which he said will help dilate my cervix faster, which is nice. But it also is what is contributing to all the uncomfortableness in my lower regions. So, we shall see...next week would be very convenient since John will be out of town on my actual due date. He will be somewhat local, working a trade show in San Diego, but it would be a relief for him to know that I won't go into labor at any time while he is 2 hours away.

On a non babe note, yesterday was V-Day, and what a lovely day it was. I had a doc appt in the am, followed by a little lunch outing with John. After work, we got all dolled up and headed to Taps, one of my fav places that I always manage to forget about. Since it was Valentine's Day, they had a fixed menu, and my all time fav dessert, their chocolate souffle, was not on it. I knew about this ahead of time, but I was still hoping by some miracle that it would be on the menu when we arrived. Well, it wasn't, but good ol John asked our server if they could prepare a souffle for a desperate pregnant lady, and they did! John, who has a thing about menu alterations and asking for special things at a restaurant, was my hero last night! Anyway, we had a delish meal of crabcakes for me, oysters (ew) for him, lobster pot pie, and some amazing souffle. I couldn't really move by the end of the night since I was so stuffed, but it was worth every last calorie!

OUCH!

Over the past 9 months, I have to say that I haven't had any of the stereotypical emotional side effects of pregnancy. My husband will even vouch for me on that one! No meltdowns, no yelling fits or sudden, unexplained crying. Not even any strange food cravings. I've felt just like a larger (and sicker) version of myself! I've been in good spirits despite all the sickness in the first half, and overall have felt pretty good. But over the past week or two, I have hit a wall people! I am so done with being pregnant, and I can feel the grumpiness setting in. My entire body hurts all day long. And sleep? Forget it! Everyone warns you that by this point in pregnancy, you don't feel good, and man are they right on this one. It hurts to sit on the couch. Lying down in bed is somehow even worse, and when I walk (or waddle) around, oh the pressure-I feel like something is about to fall out of my lady parts! Let's hope it doesn't go down like that! I have also been extremely spacey, which John can def vouch for. I guess my mind is officially occupied by all things baby and has no room for anything else.

Despite all this discomfort, it does come with a few perks, like being able to work from home since week 35. My Doc actually asked at my 35 wk appt if I had to keep working. I thought that was a strange question because there are no complications going on that would cause him to put me on bedrest or to suggest not being active. He said that he recommends that his patients who don't have to work the last few weeks of pregnancy should not. My work situation is unique, but it got me thinking-what normal, working lady has the luxury of beginning their maternity leave 5 wks before baby? Wouldn't you want to save all that time for after baby is born? Anyway, almost 3 wks later I can see what good ol Doc Buchanan is talking about. Being this prego is HARD on your body. I sit at a desk all day, and even that got to be painful. So, I am now working from the home office, and it is bliss. I shower each morning and then change into a fresh pair of pjs. I actually get annoyed when I have to venture into public and wear real clothes. I tell myself that trend will end when my "real clothes" fit comfortably again.

In an effort to cut this pregnancy a week or two short, I have been walking like a mad woman and drinking red leaf raspberry tea like crazy. I know that she will come when she's good n ready, but if the fact that I'm good and ready is taken remotely into consideration, I want her to know! I have been having a lot of contractions over the past week, and they are getting more frequent and intense, but nothing timeable. I am also adamant that I will not be going to the hospital and leaving w/out a baby, so I plan to wait until I KNOW I am in full-blown labor before I leave the house. Hoping it won't be much longer now...

Nursery and an Update

We spent the last several weekends putting the finishing touches on little Ry's room. I am so happy with how it turned out. I don't have the best pics to share since these are all courtesy of my iPhone, but you'll get the idea.

Crib and Wall Letters

Another Shot


Bench and Glider...and her animal menagerie courtesy of her daddy. The custom bench cushion was made by The Baby Guy, who also did her bedding

Bad lighting, but her little R courtesy of her auntie Brooke, Meg, and Ash

Dresser

Letters made by Auntie Brooke

In addition to the finishing touches to the room, all of the washing is done and her little clothes are folded and ready to go! All we need is baby now...

Speaking of baby, I had my 37 week U/S this morning, and caught one last glimpse of the babe before we meet in person. I have not had much luck in the U/S dept and today wasn't much different. This girl is definitely camera shy! Our tech today was pretty awesome and she was determined to catch a shot of her face before the end of the scan. Baby cooperated slightly and moved her hands out of the way, and we got a small preview of her chubby cheeks. We also found out that she somehow has a full head of hair, which leads me to wonder just whose baby this is! I never knew you could see hair in an U/S, but sure enough, we were able to see those locks blowing in the wind (or floating in the fluid!). I guess that explains all the heartburn I've been having! The tech predicted what I suspected-that this is one tiny little lady. She weighs in at approximately 5.5 lbs right now with three ish more weeks to grow. They estimated that she will be about 6.5 lbs by her birthday, and I hope they're right considering her dad was nearly a 9 pounder! Other than that, they confirmed that she is indeed head down and ready to go, so I'll be spending these next couple of weeks walking and walking and walking trying to get this kiddo to make her debut. I don't think I can face the thought of being pregnant for another 3 weeks, or 4, God forbid, if she comes late! So, wish me luck in my labor inducing endeavors!

Here's a little shot of our dainty lady