Eliana Katherine McDaniel has officially arrived! I know how excited I get to hear people's birth stories, so I thought I would share for those who are interested.
You might recall that Matt and I invested in Bradley classes and that they were very successful in labor for Aynsley and labor and delivery for Gavriel.
The night of Wednesday, June 1st and into Thursday, June 2nd was a fairly sleepless one for me. I had been having mild contractions about hourly - just enough to wake me up and then I'd fall back asleep. Gavriel had also fussed fairly loudly in the middle of the night (rare for him, and even more rare for Aynsley to get up - which she did!). So I settled the kids and got back in bed, but I was awake several more times before my alarm went off. Even at the end of pregnancy, I tend to sleep very well, so this was unusual.
I had plenty of contractions on Thursday, but none of them kept me from being up and about (for the most part). The four kids and I spent the day together, and I got some cleaning done. I had planned to mop the floor, but I kept putting it off until little hands were done getting crumbs all over the floor for the day. I had also intended to give the kitchen one last quick cleaning - counter scrub, cleaning the fronts of the appliances, cleaning the sticky table and chairs, etc. When Matt got home from work, I was sitting at the kitchen table between cleaning tasks. I'd get one task done and sit down for a few minutes, then repeat with another task. Dinner was warm on the stove, and I was also getting things together so that we could go to Aldi for a quick grocery shopping trip. We ate dinner and we were off.
On the way to Aldi, I had a couple of contractions that were a little more intense, but still nothing that was difficult to talk through at all. I was telling myself that once we were home, with groceries put away and kids in bed (and after I'd mopped!), the contractions would stop.
I rushed through my Aldi list, feeling a little unsettled because I just wanted to get home. My mom called as we were bagging our items, and I spoke to her for a few minutes. I told her that I had an appointment scheduled with my midwife for Friday morning, and that I was pretty sure that I was going to get checked (for the first time, for any pregnancy, in the office!). My mom and I were both hoping I'd make it to the weekend, though.
We got home and started putting the groceries away. I had to sit down again between tasks, and I told Matt that there was a lot going on (which he knew and he had already guessed we'd be at the hospital that night). As I sat at the kitchen table with bags of groceries still to be put away, with two kids still awake, with that kitchen floor unmopped, I started crying. Matt reassured me, and he continued to do that (and sent the kids to give me hugs and tell me they loved me after they'd brushed their teeth with him, while I was packing my bag a little bit later).
Matt and I (mostly Matt) got everything put away and we went upstairs to put the kids to bed. While we were upstairs, I packed the last few things in my hospital bag and set it (along with the ready-to-go diaper bag) at the top of the stairs. Matt asked about laboring at home for a bit, and I told him that I just didn't want to come all the way back up the stairs for the bags so I was getting them now. Matt was timing my contractions by this point, but they were still feeling pretty mild. I was in the middle of reading Aynsley a story when I had one, so I told Matt that one was starting, continued reading the story, and then let him know when the contraction was done.
As I gave Aynsley a kiss and sang to Gavriel, I definitely had tears in my eyes. I was feeling scared, nervous, anxious, excited.
Once I got downstairs, I tried to keep doing things so that I could be done with my list and relax. It wasn't long after this that Matt called a close friend to come and stay with the kids until my mother-in-law could be at the house (I guess he could tell that there wasn't going to be much more labor to take place at home). I called the answering service for my midwives and was told someone would call me back. The midwife on call, Nicole, was already at the hospital for another delivery. She sounded so excited on the phone, I couldn't help but calm down (partly relieved because she was so excited and partly relieved because she was already there if it ended up being false labor). Our friend arrived and I was trying to load the dishwasher so that I could set it before we left. Matt kept trying to stop me from doing things that weren't a priority, but he wasn't ready to go and I couldn't just sit there! I was still able to walk and talk through my contractions, but I was moving a little more slowly during them.
We left for the hospital at about 9:30. At this point, I think my contractions were 2-6 minutes apart (usually about 4 minutes) and about 30 seconds long. I was still in a pretty good mood at this point.
We always get to the hospital after hours - the main doors are closed and we have to enter through the emergency room. I gave a smile to the receptionist and she pointed me to registration. I told the staff member that we were there to have a baby and she asked if I was being induced. "No, I'm in labor...Do people really get induced in the middle of the night?" Registration didn't take very long, and soon someone had arrived with a wheelchair for me.
When I was taken back, they gave me a gown and asked a few questions - had I had any bleeding, had my water broken, etc. (the answer was negative on both). I changed into the gown and waited for someone to come check me. The nurse came and set up the fetal monitor on my belly. Soon after, my midwife, Nicole, came in and checked me. She told me I was at 7 with a bulging bag of water and asked if I wanted to get into the tub. My thoughts...7?! I've never gotten here at less than a nine and been told not to push. If I was at 7, how long was this going to take?! I had heard the tub helped greatly during contractions, so I confirmed I'd love a room with a tub. A new nurse came in and asked some questions. She mentioned that she was about to check me, and I told her that Nicole had just done so (they had just missed each other as they switched between laboring mothers). I told her that Nicole had said I was at 7 with a bulging bag of water and the nurse said, "Well, I must say, you are remarkably well-composed for being at 7 with a bulging bag of water." It was strange to feel so good at this point, and I was trying not to be disheartened by not being ready to push yet.
I was put in my labor and delivery room and the nurse started to run the water for the tub. She let me know that she'd have to put an IV port in and she started to get things together. I had an intense contraction on the bed and then my water broke (which I announced). "I feel like I should push," I told (probably shouted to) the nurse. She checked me and confirmed what I had thought. There was a ton of activity as more nurses came in and I overheard one nurse saying, "Get Nicole!"
Thank goodness for my husband and for the amazing labor and delivery staff. The next few minutes weren't easy, but the encouragement I received was a huge help. 12 minutes after my water broke, at 10:56, Eliana Katherine was born.
She was 7 pounds and 4 ounces (my heaviest baby so far) and 21.5 inches long - tied with Aynsley for length (Gavriel was shorter). Since then, she's been nursing like a champ. Sometimes I think she looks like Aynsley, sometimes Gavriel, and sometimes just herself. Her brother and sister adore her and I'm truly so happy to have this little bundle of joy in our family.
Her name is pronounced El-ee-ah-na and Eliana means "my God has answered me." This is a name I've loved but, after finding out the meaning, it meant even more to me. God has truly answered my prayers with the addition of this precious baby girl to our family. Her middle name, Katherine, is meant to honor Matt's grandmother, who died in March of 2013, just a few months before Aynsley turned one. It's so special to me that both of our girls carry on the names of our grandmothers.
So there you have it. Every labor and delivery has been shorter and easier and I'm almost scared that I'll need to get a hotel room near the hospital during those last few weeks of pregnancy next time! Thank you for your prayers and congratulations. We are so blessed!
