Happy Birthday Allison!

My little baby turned 3 this year. Here is the story of her birth as I shared it with my online mommy friends a few days after she was born:

We left Friday morning at 6:30am for the hospital. A neighbor came over and stayed with Audrey and Amy until David's mom could get there.

We checked in at 7. As we were headed to our room, a gal I had taught with years ago and had run into at a kid birthday party back in March was behind us - checking in to labor and delivery herself - such a small world!!!!

We got checked in, my doc came and checked me - I was at 3 cm, still 50% effaced, baby had dropped a little. So I started pitocin but didn't get the epidural. They wanted to make sure I was actually staying to deliver before they started that. I was feeling a little disappointed - and guilty - like I should have waited on the induction - pushed it to Monday maybe to give the baby more time. Felt like we were messing with nature too much. I still feel that way but with the move to Ohio fast approaching, I felt so much pressure to have the baby by the 9th ....anyway......By 10ish I was up to 4cm, still not feeling much. I was having contractions but didn't always feel them - still no epidural. VERY different from the induction with Amy. I started feeling a little uncomfortable around 11, decided to go ahead and get the epidural. They told me this meant I was staying and having the baby one way or another. Getting the epidural was NOT fun. It hurt this time. Not the sting from the shot but like someone was pinching me really hard. I cried out in pain, freaked out that something was wrong, tensed up, which made it hurt more - David was tearing up, that freaked me out more ..... UGH!!!!! I hate needles!!!!! But got it done, felt better, my doc come and broke my water and we waited ...... When the epidural kicked in I felt DRUNK. Complained about it, nurses said maybe I was just relaxing after weeks of tension. I felt like I was going to slur my words, couldn't keep my eyes open, couldn't move my left leg at all. My doc came to see me and I told her how I felt. She said I shouldn't feel that way. Plus I wasn't dilating anymore. So she had them turn down the epidural, elevated my head more, and had them turn up the pitocin. Finally felt right - was hanging out, chatting with the nurse and David, still trying to decide on names ..... I was sooooo hungry - all they would give me was ice chips. Baby was still kicking me - could feel those more often than contractions - lol. So another nurse stuck her head in a little after 2 and said my doctor was on the phone and wanted them to check me. Nurse checks me and makes a face. I thought she was going to tell me there was little or no progress. Nope she said I was at 10cm and ready! Eeegads! I have never seen a nurse fly so fast to prep things!!!! Then we were waiting on the doc.... they were telling me not to push if I could help it but it was getting hard not to all of a sudden ..... Doc gets there says push once but stop immediately if she says stop. So on the next contraction I start to push and they all yell stop. More scrambling while they get the doc prepped. I was laughing and they told me to stop - said I might laugh the baby out! Next contraction I get to push again and her head came out. David starts crying. Next push and she was there. I couldn't believe it!!! All that waiting and waiting and then BOOM! A baby girl was born!!!!

Still didn't have a name. They held her up for me to see, she looked so small. I told David I thought Allison fit her better but we still didn't have a middle name. I finally decided on Grace, Sunday morning. I was reading through my baby name book and my mom's name, Nancy, means "grace". Plus I feel like God's Grace has been upon us surrounding our move and this pregnancy. Plus there is a Bible verse that says "....My grace is sufficient....." which I have always liked.

She is beautiful - I think she looks like me some times and David other times. David and Jessica, my Sister-In-Law, think she looks like my younger brother.

She is very sleepy- we're trying to keep her up and get her to eat. She eats well from about 10pm -2am but likes to sleep the rest of the time. I had a lactation consultant visit me twice at the hospital. She has a recessed chin and we have been working on getting her to latch right. She's doing better and my milk came in today so that's helping. On Saturday night I had the nurse from HELL. If I had been a first time mom she would have scared to no end. Got on me for Allison nursing so much, kept pestering me to run tests and perform assessments. (Allison cluster fed that night from 8:30-2am) Ran STAT blood sugar tests on Allison, said her blood sugar was way low, said she wasn't getting anything when she nursed, stood over me and made me supplement with one of those ready made bottles of formula Telling me I HAD to feed every two hours exactly and I need to supplement each time afterwards with formula. I am not opposed to formula or supplementing but she was so rude about it. Oh and she was also late bringing me my pain medicine and then acted like I had really interfered with her routine by asking for it!!!! (they won't just leave the medicine with you and let you take it on your own, you have to ask for it each time) AND when the pediatrician came the next morning - she wasn't concerned about Allison near as much as Stella – stupid, witchy nurse - had been. She told me there was no need to supplement quite yet. Yes, I did complain about that nurse to the hospital staff!!!!!! All the others I saw were great!

Allison was a little jaundiced - took her to check the levels today. They've gone up so we have to go back again tomorrow. And she's down to 7lbs 10 oz from her original 8lbs 5oz. I'm working on getting her to wake up and eat more so she can pass more meconium. Hopefully her levels will be OK tomorrow.