[MamaAnna]

Just before 10pm on August 16th I had a very light contraction. When it stopped Elizabeth moved and I felt a little damp. I assumed that I would finally be able to go to the bathroom so I got out of bed. By the time I got to our bathroom door, just a few feet away, I had fluid down my legs to my ankles. I figured I had simply had one of those lovely pregnancy accidents and got in the shower to clean up. It didn't stop though, so I had DH help me get out without making a mess. He had me call the OB on call just in case and we were told to come in just to be on the safe side. We called my mom and once she got there to watch the kids we left for the hospital.

When we got to the hospital they took us into one of the normal rooms and set in to the usual routine. They told me to pee in a cup, put on a gown, and then they hooked me up to the monitors. Elizabeth's heart rate looked great and I was having very few contractions. They were up to 30 minutes apart and I couldn't feel them so they were nothing to get excited about. My assumption at that point was that it was simply very watery discharge and we were going to be sent home.

Around 11:30pm the nurse had finished the usual questions about allergies and things and got out one of those strip tests that they use to check for amniotic fluid. The strip immediately turned blue. She told me that my water had broken and I was going to be admitted. She did a check and I was only 3-4cm and still 75% effaced so the few contractions I was having weren't doing anything. She stepped out to call my doctor and came back with his instructions. While they got the room ready for a pending delivery I was supposed to walk around for 30 minutes after which I was supposed to shower for 30 minutes. Their hope was that the walking or the nipple stimulation from the water would trigger labor. She put an IV line in my hand for later and sent us on our way.

Skip to an hour later and they hooked me back up to the monitors to see what was going on. Pretty much nothing! My contractions had picked up a little in intensity, but not in frequency. She notified the doctor who had her finishing hooking me up to the IV so they could get a bag of fluids in me while we waited to see what would happen.

A little before 4am the nurse did another check and nothing had changed. This time when she called the doctor he decided it was time to come in and get things rolling. While he was on his way they got everything around for an epidural and induction. When he got there shortly before 5am he did a quick check and gave the go ahead. They put in the epidural and then started the Pitocin. Both were at the minimal dose at that point. They gradually increased the Pitocin until I was on a dose of 10 at around 7:30am. By then I was still around 3-4cm and only 90% effaced.

Around 8:40am the midwife went on duty and came in to see how I was doing. I had finally progressed to 7-8cm and fully effaced. Then the nurse and her student came in to work on their electronic charts to make sure all of my information was in the system. They still had the epidural on the lowest dose and not long after the midwife left things started to feel different. I told the nurse who said she would get the midwife, which she was obviously in no rush to do. By the time I got them to get the midwife it was about 9:20am. She came in to see what was going on and discovered Elizabeth was making her arrival without them. They got ready incredibly quickly, dropped the foot off of the bed, and I began pushing. It only took a few pushes to get her out up to her waist. Then they had me reach down and pull her the rest of the way out and lay her across my chest. She was born at 9:35am on August 17th. She weighed in at 7lbs 9 1/2oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. Her Apgars were 9 and 9 and she was perfect.

I came out of it with some "skid marks" because she was born with a round head, but nothing that required any stitches. She has borderline high risk bilirubin levels that she's being treated for as a precaution. Nursing is going really well and she has had daddy wrapped around her little finger since the moment he first saw her.

[smilanatu]

Aww Congrats again!

[adam*s_mami]

Congrats again Anna..and thanks for the details !!!

[Cheet_oh]

Congrats and thanks for sharing your story!

[.x~KAT~x.]

congrats!! i cant believe how close together our princesses were born! but hey we were always cycle buddies! I am so happy you got your little miracle xxx cant wait to see* her!