On Thursday, April 10th, we decided to take a family walk on the trails near our house. I had been to the doctor 2 days earlier for my 39 week checkup and hadn't made too much progress since the last week. Earlier that day I had started having some small contractions here and there and decided that maybe a nice long walk would induce labor! I even posted these pictures on Facebook with the comment "Took a long family walk on the trails tonight. Hoping to get this baby out!"
What would be our last family pic with only 6 feet. :)
My big belly and my big boys!
The trails we walked circle around a large shopping and restaurant area, so we stopped off for dinner at one of our favorite places, Mandola's.
Lane LOVES their bread!
After we got home that night I snapped this pic of my belly. Excuse the messy bed in the background. I just had a feeling that this might be one of my last nights with a baby in there!
{39 wks 3 days}
And boy, was I right!! Around 1am, my contractions really picked up and were coming every 10-13 min and lasting about a minute long. I started timing them using an app on my phone and they quickly became so painful that they were waking me up every time. I was basically taking 10 minute naps and waking up with each contraction. They were STRONG, and I could tell they were not Braxton Hicks! By 3am I couldn't take them anymore, so I woke up Kyle and let him know what was going on. I decided to get in the bathtub to see if they would go away or continue. The tub felt great in between contractions, but they continued and I can remember them feeling just as painful in the water as they did in bed! I knew then that this was probably the real deal! If it had been mid-day I would have already called the doctor, but with it being the middle of the night I decided to wait it out and see if they got closer together. (My doctor had always told me that they needed to be about 5-7 min apart to be serious enough to go to the hospital.)
For the next few hours, they continued to come every 10 min on the dot. I remember them hurting so badly that I would literally say "ouch" out loud over and over, my body would stiffen, and I would have to do the labor breathing techniques I learned 4 years ago at childbirth class! 6am rolled around and I absolutely couldn't take it anymore. I decided to call the doctor on call and she got back to me immediately, advising me to go ahead and get to the hospital! The time was here!!!
The next 30 min were a blur. I rushed downstairs to get the rest of my belongings packed and added to the bags I already had packed and waiting. We had to wake up Lane and get him in the car, and Kyle took a quick shower. My contractions were really picking up and getting unbearable. I went out to the car with Lane while Kyle did some last minute things inside and I remember laying on the horn for him to get his booty out there! We arrived at the hospital at 7:15 am and were in our room by 7:30 or so.
Smiling through the pain--excited to see Ellis' sweet face!
The nurse checked me right after I got changed and into my gown. I was already dilated to a 6 and was told my water could break at any time! Looks like those all night contractions had done the trick! I was relieved to hear I had progressed so much already and knew it wouldn't be long until we could meet our little girl!
The nurse wrote this "plan" on the board while we waited for Ellis' arrival
By 9:00 am I had my epidural and was feeling MUCH better. There was a scary moment soon after, where the baby was in a little bit of distress. I had rolled over to my left side and evidently Ellis didn't like that too much. The nurses all got really serious looking and had me flip back to the right side, while intently watching the monitors. The next thing I know, Dr. Walker, the on-call doc came rushing in out of breath. I knew then that whatever was happening was serious. Things quickly turned around and Dr. Walker said I must have just gotten in a bad position that was affecting the baby. She ended up breaking my water while she was there, and things really got moving! This was at 10am and I was already dilated to an 8. The nurses went ahead and called my doctor to head to the hospital! (She was at the other hospital she works out of that day in Lakeway.)
Having some ice chips and all smiles in between contractions.
Dr. Schneider arrived and checked me at 10:20 am. I was 9.75 cm....ready to push! I started pushing about 10 minutes after she checked me around 10:30 am. Just under an hour later, Ellis Paige Coots was born at 11:20 am on 4-11-14!
She looked perfect! Getting all cleaned up...
They weighed her 3 different times and got a different weight each time. They ended up taking the middle weight of 7 lbs 8 oz, and measured her length as 20 inches -- the exact same weight AND length as I was when I was born!!!
Kyle snapped these pics of her on his phone.
All cleaned up and in Mommy's arms! The best feeling ever!
Our first family picture with our baby girl! Just missing her big brother...
Getting her first bath
She had to lay under the heat lights for a little bit to get her temp back up.
Our perfect girl! Very alert after her first meal. (She nursed like a champ right away!)
The nurses brought me an ice water cocktail complete with a diaper koozie!
9 months of waiting to conceive, 9 months of waiting for delivery, and it was ALL worth it!!! We are so thankful for a uncomplicated delivery and a healthy baby.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELLIS!
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