Welcome to the world, Sommer!

Little Sommer was just not coming on her own. So I decided to be induced three days after my due date. I felt very calm and peaceful about the decision until I could see the hospital and then I got a little nervous. Jacob and I walked into the maternity ward and the nurse asked how she could help me. I said, "I'm here to be induced." She told me that I was scheduled for the Friday before (which was my actual due date) but they had enough rooms and enough nurses. What a relief! I would have hated to go back home when I was already prepared for the day.

We got checked in pretty quickly and by 8:15 I was getting all medicated and ready to go.

 I was already feeling shaken up after getting the IV. Jacob told me I looked like a sad little puppy and I hadn't even been induced yet. I was insistent that the nurse get that anesthesiologist on his way. Thankfully he was pulling into the parking lot when she called and he came in shortly after I was induced. In fact, I didn't even feel my first contraction, that's how soon he came. I don't remember feeling a thing when I got my epidural with Zach, probably because I was already in so much pain, but I definitely felt all the pressure from the needle going in.

After that I thought I was smooth sailing. I could see that I was having contractions on the monitor but I didn't feel a thing. The nurse came back from time to time to see how I was progressing, but after three hours the baby's head was still very high, too high for the doctor to break my water, and I hadn't made much more progress in any other way either. They couldn't give me any more drugs to induce me because I was having contractions too often and they didn't want to put too much stress on the baby. I was feeling extremely discouraged and started to wonder why I had felt so calm and peaceful about everything. The nurse finally suggested that  I turn over onto all fours. I thought I'd never be one of those weirdos, but I was willing to try anything at that point and that's when things really took off. I only sat that way for about 30 minutes and when the nurse checked my progress again an hour later I had gone from a 4 to an 8 in an hour. I was really starting to feel my contractions and I upped my dose of the epidural. The nurse called my doctor, who was working in her clinic and told her to come. The doctor, Dr. Hughes, said she had one more patient to see and she would be right there. My contractions were just getting harder and harder and I HAD to push. The nurses in the room kept telling me not to, but then I felt the pressure of the head. I thought the head was still in the canal, or whatever you call it. When I said I felt the head the nurse drew my blanket back. I was laying on my side and I lifted my head up and there she was!! A very purple head still in the cul (amniotic sac). I remember the nurse picking her up but the rest of it is a blur until they laid her body on me. She was born on March 3 at 2:36 p.m., weighing 8 lbs even and 18 inches long. I didn't see when or how they broke the water. The doctor walked in a minute later to do the rest of the work. After everything had calmed down in the room, I just sat there and laughed. Everyone looked so shocked to see a baby there.

We had visitors and soon after that Sommer had to be taken to the nursery because she was making funny breathing noises. We learned that her blood sugar was extremely low, and her white blood cell count was extremely high, and the funny breathing wasn't going away. Later she had a chest X-ray where the doctors determined she had some fluid retention in her lungs. I remember the nurse telling me they were going to take her to the nursery and I felt so sad. I just wanted to have her with me. The nurse pushed me down the hall way and I was holding back tears the whole time and I had the shakes. I think shock had finally set in from what had just happened and I felt scared for Sommer. When I finally was in bed in my recovery room I couldn't hold my tears any more. I only cried for a minute or two and felt better. We went to visit Sommer and she was under a heater and looked so warm and comfy. That made me feel better, but I still wanted to be with her. By 9 or 10 that night, they handed her back to me. We had to stay an extra night at the hospital for a couple of more tests, but on Wednesday morning, we were finally able to go home.