Hannah's Birth

I decided I better write a summary of my labor experience before I forget what transpired :) I had scheduled an induction for Dec 5th after coming to the realization that she just might not want to come out on her own. However, that changed on December 3rd.

At midnight I woke up with strong contractions. I woke Jake up and told him they were becoming uncomfortable and he said "really?" and quickly fell back asleep. My mom (who was a labor and delivery nurse and now a maternal/child public health nurse) had been staying with us for a while to help with the birth, so I then went to her room and told her about the contractions. She coaxed me through breathing patterns and timed the contractions which were 5 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds. Jake woke up and finally realized what was going on. He then became really excited and nervous. Here is a quick example, Jake said "I'm gonna go pack a hospital bag!" and quickly left the room. Not a minute later he came back to the room and said "What do I pack?!" It was adorable. At 2:30am my water broke and 15 minutes later we were off to the hospital.

So it turns out that contractions are not the most pleasant thing in the world. That's an understatement, they hurt like crazy. So upon arriving at the hospital I requested an epidural and by about 4am I was a happy camper again. Epidurals are amazing. Within 10 minutes the Dr. asked if I had any feeling and I said that I wasn't sure. He then informed me that I was in the middle of a contraction and I said "Oh, well I guess it is working". Labor from that point on was actually a wonderful experience. We became worried when after contractions Hannah's heart beat would decelerate and be slow to recover. But with a change in position it normalized, which made us all rest a little easier.

By 11am I was fully dialated and ready to push. My friend Megan, who recently had an adorable baby girl, suggested that I use a mirror to help me see what was going on and push more efficiently. That was the best advice ever because as soon as I saw the top of her head nothing mattered but getting her out. 45 minutes later (at 11:51am) our beautiful baby girl, Hannah Joell Pollard, entered the world.

Now for the best part, the pictures!