I decided to start this blog mostly so family and friends (especially those who live out of town) can see what is going on in our lives and have up-to-date pictures of Rachel. Since she is only three weeks old, I will start from the beginning of her life.
It was Sunday April 5, 2009 and Matt and I were at our friend's house (Josiah and Katie). I was 39 weeks pregnant and ready to have our baby. I had some of her white chicken chili for dinner and we decided to be proactive about this baby thing. Katie joked that we would go for a walk and walk the baby out. So, we proceeded to walk up and down her long driveway a few times. Well, of course, nothing happened and Matt and I went home. In the middle of the night, I kept getting up and noticed that I didn't feel good, but who doesn't at this point in their pregnancy. I brushed it off and kept going back to sleep. I woke up around 6:30 am, which is about the time Matt leaves for work, and thought to myself "Maybe I am having contractions." So, I called my Mom and she told me to start timing them. I timed them for an hour and they were consistently five minutes apart. I informed Matt that I was pretty sure I was in labor and that he wouldn't be going to work today. We were not in a big hurry because from what I hear, you just sit around at the hospital or they send you home because you come in too early. We both took showers and I packed my bag for the hospital stay. We also called the doctor, but they were too slow in returning our call. We headed up to their office at 8:30 am and I got checked around 9:00. I noticed the contractions were hurting more, but for the most part they hadn't been too bad. She asked me if I had planned on having an epidural and I said yes. She then told me that I was about 7-8 centimeters dilated and I need to go to the hospital immediately. We rushed over (thankfully it was only a two minute drive) and as the security/check-in person was trying to tell me where to go, the contractions got really bad. We found our way up to the third floor and was put in a labor and delivery room right away. So, I sat there for an hour and a half or so laboring the old fashioned way, with NO DRUGS. I was miserable and even cried a few times. The epidural finally came and yes, I do think that was the hardest part of the whole experience. The pain was gone and I was happy again. It took about 5 hours for me to finish dilating and after an hour of pushing, I heard "It's a girl!" Boy was I surprised. Most people thought we were having a boy and I did too somewhat. Matt cut the umbilical cord, which really surprised me. He was so great through the entire process. He was a proud papa. My Mom was up in the delivery room too and she was so excited. I was relieved to have that baby out of me.
Rachel Elizabeth was born on April 6, 2009 at 6:16 pm. She weighed 8 lb 6 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Like most newborns, she was puffy and red, but we still found her adorable. At the weight she was, I was very happy she was 5 days early.
This must be after the epidural. I am smiling.
One of our first family pictures.
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