The Life of a Butterfly: A year of Avery!!!!

Wow...

It's been a year! One of the best years of my life. A year of Avery.

Tomorrow, my baby girl will have her first birthday. I remember it like it was just yesterday...

(This is the first time I have but my birth story down on "paper")

On September 29th, 2010, this is what we got:

This is the last pregnant picture taken of me, 37 weeks 3 days:

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011, Nick and I were hanging out at the house waiting to go to the hospital at 7:00 pm to be induced. It was a relaxing day for me. I wasn't rushed because I wanted to savor the day. I wanted to live every moment and not rush it at all. We arrived at the hospital and filled out all the paperwork, got my IV, hooked up to the monitors, all that good stuff. We were put into a small room that is usually used for those that they are monitoring. The hospital had recently upgraded their birthing suites. We were told that they were planning to move us to one the following day. I knew it would be a long night, the nurses would be in and out checking on me. This night was the first sleepless night of many.

Around 2:00 a.m., the nurse came into to insert the Cytotec to start the induction of my labor. At some point in the night they decided that they would not give me the second dose of the Cytotec because they couldn't figure out is that or me laying on my back was causing Avery's heart rate to drop. Regardless, I only slept for a total of about 2 hours that night.

It was decided that they would start Pitocin around 5:00 am the next morning, May 25th, 2011, I was closet to 2 cm dilated at the time. . My contractions started fairly quickly and were easy to handle. My mom and Nick's mom were on their way to hospital, as this is who I chose to be in the delivery room with us. The contractions were easy to handle until Dr. Grinstead came in around 8:00 a.m. and broke my water. Let me tell you... The first contraction following that was a shocker. I immediately knew there was no getting through this pain meds free. I immediately asked for something to help with the contractions and they gave me Novocaine . I was a wimp and I am okay with that. The Novocaine lasted until I could get my epidural.

Now let me tell you, I was scared of the epidural. When I got one with Shalie, I was stuck 5 time before they got it in correctly. It was not fun and it scared the crap out of me. So, of course, I was scared this time too. However, the Anesthesiologist was wonderful. I barely felt a thing and it started working immediately. From here on out things sailed smoothly.

I think it was between 11:00 - 12:00 or so when we finally got moved to our "suite". It was a beautiful and spacious room. Once I was put back onto the monitors and comfortable, Dr. Grinstead came in around 12:30 - 1:00, to check my cervix. At this point I was "a good 5 cm stretched".

With every contraction I would have, Avery's heart beat would drop. Not a bad drop but a normal one. It still had me freaking out. I couldn't get comfortable and like the first time I had an epidural, it started to wear off. I could feel my contractions in my bottom, but they were still bearable. My nurse decided to put me in a sitting position to let gravity help move Avery down into position. It worked because around 1:45 pm all of a sudden I felt the urge to push. I had mom call the nurse to check me. No one thought I would be ready yet as I was just checked not too long ago. I was 10 cm and fully effaced, head was engaged. It was time...

Then they made me wait. It took all I could not to push or bear down, they had nothing prepped. So as I lay in agony trying NOT to push, they started setting everything up. I lasted about 20 mins before I told my nurse, there was no way I could not push anymore. About this time Dr. Grinstead walks in and starts getting ready to deliver. It took me three contractions a total of about 6 pushes before Avery Grace made her entrance into this world at 2:13 pm weight 5lbs 13ozs, 18-1/2" long. She came out screaming.

Many of you who know me and know that the loss of my second daughter (a story for later), this was a huge moment for me. I had a "take home baby". She was alive and screaming, that was all that mattered at that moment to me.

Nick being a bit grossed out decided not to cut the cord but Gran Gran (my mother) did. She was so excited to be able too.

A lot of the rest is a blur, I was so in love with my new baby all I could focus on was her. We started breastfeeding immediately after her birth. She was passed around to all her family. Big sister didn't get to meet her until the next day but it was so awesome. Avery is awesome.

Here are some pictures of her first day: