My Pregnancy and Birth Story

We found out that we were pregnant the day after Christmas, and it was what I consider an awesome Christmas present :) We were surprised but were also OH-SO-EXCITED and I immediately started looking online at all things baby (a tad prematurely, haha). Things settled down after a week or two and I started experiencing the uncomfortable nausea that comes along with early pregnancy and the frantic urge to visit the bathroom every ten minutes! All-in-all, I did have a pretty much *PERFECT* first and second trimester.
Then, on a Monday afternoon in my 34'th week I started having very regular contractions that were about 3 minutes apart. I was terrified, I had visions of a teeny-tiny preemy. As the evening wore on they began to get stronger, I finally went into L&D at about 10 PM. I got there and they confirmed that I was having contractions but I was at barely 2 cm dilated and 85% effaced. So they gave me three shots of Terbutaline to stop the preterm labor, they kept me for observation for another 3 hours after I received the shots and we finally headed home at about 4 in the morning.
Needless to say, that was a long and scary night. I was told to take it easy for the next three weeks 'till I got to 37 weeks to try and prevent this from happening again.
There are no words to describe the way that you feel when there is a chance that your child (no matter how young) could be in danger. I was frantic, and was so concerned for our little girl.
The following Saturday morning I was noticing that I was having contractions pretty regularly again, I decided to just wait it out for a while to see what would happen. After about 3 PM they were 2 minutes apart and getting stronger again. So, once again, we made our way to our chosen hospital that was and hour and a half from our house to the L&D. I was taken to a triage room to be checked and I was still 2 cm and 85%. I was 35 weeks and although they don't encourage labor at this point they don't do anything to actively stop it so I was sent home to wait it out. The contractions had stopped by 12 AM.
Two weeks later, August 22, on a Sunday afternoon around 4 PM after being woken up from a nap by my bladder :), I realised that my water broke. My contractions started coming around 6 and after doing a few last minute things around the house we headed for the hospital and arrived there at 9. There was pain, and I was scared. I was scared that it was going to be too hard for me, I was soooo scared that I was going to end up having a C-Section (I am not sure the reason for this fear, I was not high risk and had no reason to expect that anything might happen to lead to a C-Section *shrug*). I was so nervous, but I was so READY. I was ready to be a mommy; I had been waiting all my life, I wanted this more than almost anything in the world. And today was going to be the day. With my husband by my side, my heart was full!

My mom and sister got there around 10. I think that felt like the half-way point for me. From then on the pain started getting REALLY bad, and I started considering a epidural. I had TERRIBLE back labor, the pain was so bad. I remember thinking, if these contractions get any closer I wont be able to stand this; they were about 1 to 2 minutes apart. At that point I was at 6 cm and the baby was at a 0 position. I think that it was about 2 AM when I finally decided that I was going to get an epidural. I had been sitting in that rocking chair, mentally going over each body part, willing it to relax. I did this over and over again. When I got to the end, it was back to the beginning. And the thought of an epidural started creeping into my head. Once I got my epidural I went from almost 8 cm to fully dilated in two hours. My mind was racing, the nurse told me to try to sleep while I could, and believe me I tried, but my brain only wanted to think about my baby and the fact that she was almost here. When It came time, I pushed for 40 minutes and at 4:40 AM the nurse laid that slippery little body, the one that would steal our hearts forever, on my tummy. And I felt WHOLE. And I felt HAPPY. And I felt like my heart was breaking and singing all at the same time.

She was perfect. She was beautiful. And she is all mine!
I just wanted to look at her, I wanted to drink her in. The way she smelled, like pure, sweet, love. Her little tiny hands, the way that they curled around my finger. I kissed her probably about a thousand times just that first day

. And then I'll kiss her a thousand more, every day after that, for the rest of her life!

Nadia Louise is the most beautiful little girl that ever existed, she is our little angel. We love her to pieces, and I love being a Mom!