4 weeks

In 2 days Alana will be 4 weeks old...I just can't believe it! It has been quite an experience. I feel like Alan and I have already grown so much as parents. Everyday is a surprise and new challenge. You never know what the day will bring which keeps you on your toes and in a constant state of fear...I must admit! I feel like i'm just constantly waiting for the next cry. Which speaking of crying, she just woke up from her little nap. 

I will try to update again later...hopefully her next nap will be longer!!

Alana's here!

Well she's finally here!! After 41 weeks of pregnancy...and with a little coaxing she finally decided to make her debut on April 1st at 5:50 pm. 

I ended up going into the hospital on March 31st to start my induction process. They placed a catheter in my cervix and filled it with water to put pressure on the cervix and make it dilate. So of course contractions started pretty much right away...they were semi-bearable for a couple hours, but then around 3:00 am they became very painful and eventually at 4 I had to wake Alan up so he could help me through them. I breathed through the contractions...walked around the halls... and sat on a birthing ball until about 8:00 or so when my doctor came in to yank the catheter out and check to see how far dilated I was. I was already 4 centimeters when she took the catheter out so they started some petocin to get the contractions really going. This is when I opted for the epidural! I was really scared to get the epidural, but it honestly wasn't as scary as I had invisioned. He had to put it in twice too becuase the first time he hit something and it didn't take. And of course I was having full blown contractions the whole time he was trying to put it in my back...so that wasn't the most pleasant. But I made it through and was so happy to get some relief and be able to sleep a little now that I was completely numb from the waist down. 

So a couple hours later the doctor came in and was getting ready to break my water, and what do ya know...while she was getting ready my water broke on its own! So I was happy about that...at least my body was doing some of the labor work on it's own!! So after that they uped the petocin and really got things moving. By around 3 or 4 I was 8-9 centimeters and then in just a couple minutes I was 10 and ready to push! So I pushed and pushed and pushed, for about 45 minutes, with really little progress. And every time I would push the baby's heart rate was going dangerously low. So they had me take breaks and only push every other contraction to let her recooperate...but that still didn't work. So they decided it was in the baby's best interest to go ahead with the C-Section. So they wheeled me off to surgery. 

And at 5:50pm we heard her first beautiful cry!! It was amazing for her to finally be in this world and to hear her and then eventually see her. Alan was the first to get to see her and he was able to get her little foot prints on the back of his hands and come show me. And after they got her checked out and cleaned off a little they brought her over for me to see and I got to give her her first little kiss! 

She weighed 9lbs 3 ounces!!! As soon as the doctor pulled her out of my belly she looked over the curtain and said " She never would have fit"!!  So that was kind of a relief to me that I really did do everything that I could to try to deliver her vaginally...but it just wasn't in the cards for us. Maybe next time...that is if there is a next time. I'm still kinda undecided about whether I really want to go through the first couple weeks with a newborn again...let alone with a toddler and a newborn. So we'll see what happens when the time comes. 

So that's it...we are starting to settle in at home, finally, after 2 weeks of life with a newborn. It is the hardest thing i've ever done and probably the scariest too. But this morning at 6:00 am she gave Alan and I her first big smile! She's been smiling in her sleep and a little when she's awake but this was def. the first big smile that we know for sure was directed at us because she was happy! So it is also the most rewarding thing i've ever done!

I can't wait to see what the next couple weeks bring. Wish us luck!!