Warning: Lengthy post!
It was a long road getting Paige here...especially the last 3 weeks. I went to the doctor at 37 weeks and he informed me that I was dilated to a 4 and 70% effaced. He told me that he wouldn't be surprised if the baby was here within the week. Well that was the wrong thing to say to me. Tyler always tells me I hear what I want to hear...and he is right. So in my mind I heard your baby will be here this week. I got my hopes up pretty high and then she didn't come. At my 38 week appointment the Dr. told me I was dilated to a 5 and 80% effaced. He stripped my membranes and told me this baby would be here any day. She didn't come that week either. So I went to my 39 week visit and I was still at a 5 and 80% effaced. The nurse told me she didn't even know how I was walking...haha but I felt fine. I didn't feel anything. I didn't have any pressure or contractions. Nothing. So Dr. stripped my membranes again and told me that she should come any day...but she still didn't come. Because I was so far dilated the doctor scheduled to induce me on Thursday the 11th (one day before my due date). We were so excited...until I got a call from the hospital on Wednesday night telling me they couldn't induce me the next day because they had too many over due ladies needing to get in. And that is when the flood gates broke. I cried and cried for quite a while. They told me they would try and get me in on Saturday. So we had no other option but to wait a few more days...which seems like weeks.
On Saturday we called the hospital at 5:30 in the morning and they told us to be there by 6:30 and we would get started. So we packed our car and headed to the hospital talking about how the next time we came home we would have a little baby with us! As we were walking in the doors to the hospital I got a call from the labor and delivery until telling us we had to go back home because they just had a lady in active labor come in and she took first priority. They told us they would call us in a few hours. So we went back home empty handed and totally discouraged. We hadn't heard from the hospital by 9:30 so Tyler called and they told us to call back at 12:00. So we called at 12:00 and they told us they would call us that afternoon. At 3:30 we got a call informing us if we were there by 4:30 they would induce me. So the excitement began again until we got another call at 4:00 telling us someone had come in and they were in active labor and that they might not get us in that day. Also they said they don't induce on Sundays and Monday they already had 3 inductions scheduled. I pretty much thought our baby was never going to get here! So after a long day of waiting we pretty much gave up. Around 7:00 my doctor called and told me that it might be a long night but if we were up to it we could come in at 8:00 and get started. We told him we were be there:) Honestly that was one of the worst days ever. I am not good at playing the waiting game...no patience. I was pretty much a hot mess all day.
We got the the hospital at 8:00. The doctor came in and gave me two options. He could break my water with no epidural and I would have a quick labor with a lot of pain or I could get the epidural, wait for my water to break on it's own, not feel anything but have a longer labor. I went with option 2...no pain...I am not tough at all. So after an IV and epidural, throwing up 8 times, watching What Happens in Vegas on TV, 8 and 1/2 hours of labor (pushing for 2 and 1/2 hours), and lots of ice chips our beautiful (totally cone head) baby girl was born at 7:00 a.m. Paige Elizabeth Patterson weighed 8 lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long. The first thing the doctor said was this baby has a big head...that is what every mother dreams of first hearing about her baby right? haha Once he got her whole body out he said she is just a big baby all together...and he was right. She is a little chunk but we love her chubby cheeks with the cute dimples and her double (sometimes triple) chin!
Thanks to all our friends and family that came and visited us in the hospital!
The last 6 weeks have been better than I imagined. Becoming a parent is life changing. It is a total adjustment...but it's a good adjustment. I told Tyler last Saturday night that we should sleep in on Sunday. He looked at me and laughed...told me if Paige wants to sleep in then we could too. I totally forgot that sleeping in is very dependent upon our baby and what she wants to do:) There have been multiple times that I just wonder what I am even doing, many feelings of inadequacy, and lots of phone calls to my mom wondering what I should do and if this or that is normal. Even though all Paige does is basically eat, sleep, and poop we are so grateful to have her sweet little spirit in our home! I am also grateful for Tyler. He is amazing. He was great to put up with me for 40 weeks of pregnancy, I couldn't have made it through labor without him there cheering me on, and as I look to the future I know he will always be there right by my side. One of my favorite things so far has been watching Ty with Paige. Not gonna lie...he was slightly disappointed that we weren't having a boy but from the second he first held her you could tell Paige had him wrapped around her little finger...which is right where he should be:)
Paige, I can't promise you that mom and dad will always be perfect. I can't promise you that we will always know what to do. I can't promise you that we won't mess up sometimes. But I can promise you that we will always love you and try our hardest to be the best parents that we can be! We love you baby girl!
I love my husband!
I love my baby!
I love my family!
