Welcoming Maya Aubrey!

Ever since I started blogging (and maybe a little bit before...), my written journal entries have seriously depleted. This blog has become my journal. That being said, this is going to be a long and involved post. I don't want to forget anything. I'm writing this for me, but am inviting you to know Maya's birth story, too. I'm sorry if it gets too detailed for you. :)

Life!

On Thursday, December 6th, I had my 38-39 week OB appointment. There was not really any indication that labor was coming very soon. We set a tentative induction date for the 19th. I left my appointment feeling somewhat disappointed but hoping that I wouldn't have to get induced.

On Friday, December 7th, our ward had a Christmas party. Almost everybody I talked to asked me how I was feeling and how much longer I had. I told them all, "I'm still feeling pretty great! I have one more week." And then the conversation would move to, "Go jump on a trampoline!" "Eat spicy food!" "Walk on the sidewalk with one foot on the curb and one in the street!" "Eat castor oil!" (ew) I had already been doing things to try to bring on labor in a timely manner - exercising diligently throughout my entire pregnancy (including that day), eating dates (I read that it can make labor come earlier and make it shorter as well - I had eaten the last one I had earlier that same day), and that other thing that everybody knows is supposed to help. While I was standing in line to get food during the party, I started to feel little cramps in my lower abdomen that didn't quite feel like Braxton Hicks. I felt a little twinge of excitement, but the cramps would pass and then I would forget about them. Overall, I felt pretty normal.

Meeting my daughter

At 1 AM on Saturday, December 8th, I awoke to some obvious contractions. They weren't very painful, but they were definitely there. They were consistent enough that I couldn't fall back to sleep. At about 1:20ish I decided I should get up and move around instead of just sit in bed. I had washed the car seat fabric on Friday, so I went ahead and put it all back on. Then I walked around the living room starting at 2 AM, and by 2:15 had had 3 contractions. I went upstairs to get my book to read. I had originally not wanted to wake Ryan. Why bother him if it was nothing? But then I heard myself waking him, and telling him that I was having regular contractions and wanted to start timing them. That woke him up, of course! He got out his phone, and we lay together timing the contractions for the next hour. It was kind of funny actually, because Ryan had his hand on my tummy and could feel a contraction coming before I could. 

First bath time

After an hour of consistent three-to-five minute apart contractions, I called the doctor. My regular doctor was on a skiing trip, so I was put through to the doctor on call. After apologizing for waking her up, we had a short chat, and it was determined that, partly because of my  being Group B Strep positive, I should head into labor and delivery.

I got in the shower while Ryan installed the car seat and gathered the last minute things on the hospital bag list. Ryan took a quick shower while I finished getting ready, and we left our house at about 4:15 AM.

My two favorites

At the hospital, we checked in and were taken to the triage to get progress checked to determine if I could even get admitted. I was just 1 1/2 centimeters dilated and 50-60% effaced, and baby's head was at a -2. They told us to walk the halls for an hour. That was just SO exciting. It was actually somewhat peaceful. So quiet in the hospital in the middle of the night. And then, rather unexpectedly, a woman began wailing. She was either feeling the Halloween spirit, didn't get an epidural, or was pushing. That only kind of freaked me out, so we tried to avoid that area from then on.

After the hour was up, I was a 2 and 60% effaced. We stayed for one more, but this time waited in the room. After that hour, I was at 2 1/2 and still 60%. The doctor said, "I can tell you that I believe this baby will within the next week, and maybe even within 4 days." What??! Four days of this? Give me a break! After being told, "You're still smiling too much to be in true labor", we decided to go back home at 8 AM. On our way, we stopped at Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. It was kind of fun to be out in public whilst in labor, like we had our own little secret.

Getting hearing tested - passed with a big Gold Star!!

We got back home around 9:30 AM and went back to bed. I managed to sleep for two hours before the contractions got too hard to sleep through. We got up and tried to do things to take up time. Eventually we put in The Avengers redbox movie we had, and Ryan made us Mac and Cheese for lunch. By then, it was 1 or 2 PM. I had Ryan call the hospital a couple of times because I wasn't exactly sure when we were "supposed" to go back. They told us to go by our gut. Eventually, my contractions were really starting to super duper hurt. I began to feel the Halloween spirit myself, and was yelling and wailing through contractions. I'm sure it made it difficult for Ryan to enjoy the movie! Ryan kept asking me if I wanted to go back, but I didn't, until after a particularly dreadful contraction, after which I said, "I want to go! This sucks!" Ryan quickly got everything together and we arrived at the hospital at about 4:30 PM; almost exactly 12 hours after the first time. Only now, I wasn't smiling. I quietly whimpered and shed tears as I wheeled to the New Life Center.

We went into triage again and I was sorely disappointed to hear that I had only progressed to a 3. I wanted to cry some more. Eight hours of excruciating pain at home, and all I got was a 1/2 a centimeter more?! They gave us the option of an epidural or wait an hour, and we decided to wait an hour because we had heard that an epidural can slow things down. So I got on a birthing ball and rolled my hips around while Ryan watched The Big Bang Theory. After the hour passed, the nurse checked me and I was a 4. Hallelujah! And she said, "Do you want an epidural?" And I said, "Why, yes! That sure sounds lovely!" She strapped on the wrist band that made me temporary property of the hospital, and we went to our room.

At about 8 PM, the most wonderful person came into the room to stick a big fat needle in my back (I never saw the needle, so the size is an assumption). By 8:25 PM I was sitting pretty.

Ryan had called our brother-in-law Joel a little earlier, to ask him to assist in giving me a blessing. He and his wife, Lisa, arrived around 9 PM to do that. Joel anointed me with the oil for the sick and afflicted (I was quite afflicted!!) and Ryan administered the blessing. It was a wonderful blessing, in which my body was blessed to function correctly, and my mind was blessed to respond correctly when the time came. I really believe that blessing was instrumental in what was to come.

Snuggles with Daddy

Our little snowflake

After the blessing, Ryan slept, and I closed my eyes. My body may have been dead to pain, but my mind was not dead to thought. Additionally, the nurse was coming in fairly often to reposition me because baby's heart rate dipped so significantly with contractions. I also got a fever, so I was popping extra strength Tylenol, and then I was put on oxygen to also assist in keeping baby's heart rate up.

The nurse checked me at about 3 AM and I had progressed to a 9. At this point, my brain didn't know what was going on, but my body was shaking uncontrollably as it entered the transition stage. Extremely annoying, but also exciting. The doctor lady came in at 4:30 AM to check me and said that it was time to push. Ryan got up, and the doctor and nurse got everything ready.

Ryan was an AWESOME coach. The doctor told him that he should go to every delivery. She also kept complimenting me on my strength and how well I was performing. I really enjoyed all of the cheerleading. :) The only real problem was that my contractions were 6 minutes apart instead of the typical 2 - 3 minutes at that stage. Because of that factor, it wasn't until 2 1/2 hours later that Ryan and I met our precious daughter. At first her appearance was frightening ( 2 1/2 hours in the birth canal yields a very odd shaped noggin), but then it was just an emotion of relief and love. She also has a few Angel Kisses, or Stork Bites, on her little face as a result of doing a 180 degree turn as she came out. We have been told that those might take up to a year to fade.

First time in the car seat - she looks like an angry cat! Ha!

Maya Aubrey Koenig left the pre-mortal life to join our family on December 9, 2012, at 7:14 AM. She weighed 5 lbs 14 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She is a very sweet and healthy baby, whose only imperfection thus far is keeping Mommy and Daddy up until 2:30 AM. She eats like a champ! The lactation nurse said, "I had heard about you two, but couldn't judge until I saw it myself. She is very good at nursing!" When she left the hospital, she was down 6 ounces, but by her first pediatrician appointment, four days later, she had gained back 3 ounces! She also loves her car seat and doesn't make a peep during car rides. When she sucks on her pacifier (which we originally were going to avoid, but with how well she's eating we decided to cave, and also... yeah right) she sounds like Maggie from The Simpsons and it is adorable.

First tummy time

We love this little girl and feel so blessed at her safe arrival! Here's to a lifetime of parenthood!