Felicity's Grand entrance!

Well, Felicity made me wait four days past her due date to see her. Let me tell you, I was not a happy camper. I pretty much walked around, or sat around in a funk of depression. My back hurt, my feet and hands were swollen and she was so low that it felt like I had a bowling ball I was trying to not let drop. Any one who has been 9 months pregnant know's that I am not exaggerating. On Tuesday, November 15th the only thing I had to look forward to was my mom's arrival. She walked through my front door around 5:00 pm and a big sigh of relief escaped me. I started to cry, as people who feel crummy do when they see their mother.

Then I sat down and watched CHad and my mom fix the kids dinner and put them to bed.

After the kids went to bed Chad, my mom and I settled in to watch a little tv before bed time. I was determined to stay up until midnight since the night before I had fallen asleep around 8pm and woke up around 1 am only to not be able to fall back to sleep again until 5 am. So I wanted to stay up later in the hopes that I could wake up at a normal hour, in time to get to my dr.'s appointment at 11:00 am on Wednesday the 16th. I was determined to beg, borrow or steal , to get my midwife to make this baby come out! Well, my mom went to bed around 10:00 and around 10:30 my sister came upstairs to chat. She asked how I was doing. I was laying on the couch with my head in Chad's lap, because the "Braxton Hicks" contractions felt like the baby was right under my ribs, so I laid on the side to help the baby fall to a more comfortable position. While I had been laying there I had felt a lot pain in my groin area. (sorry if TMI). I just thought it was the baby's head moving around, since I knew her head was VERY Low. I didn't recognize this pain as contractions yet because I didn't feel it in my back, or even in the rest of my abdomen.

Around 11:30 Chad and I headed up to bed, that's when I finally said to Chad, "I think these are contractions, they are consistent and they seem to be getting stronger." Chad said, "Well, lets go to bed, they'll probably go away when you go to sleep. " That sounded right to me so I shrugged my shoulders and went up the stairs. I got ready for bed and noticed that the contractions didn't let up from walking up the stairs and brushing my teeth, in fact in the few short minutes they grew stronger. I decided to time them. So, I grabbed my iphone and tuned into the handy "contraction counter app." (yes, there is an app for EVERYTHING!) I timed four contractions and they were 2 1/2 - 3 minutes apart!! WHAT THE!!!? So I went down the hall and woke up my mom. I asked her if she thought they were real contractions. she said, "Sounds like it. I have my phone by my ear if you leave in a hurry." So I decided to call my nurse midwife. I described how I felt and she said I better come on in. I forgot to mention that we had a half hour drive to Park City. I switched care providers at 32 weeks to help facilitate a natural labor and deliver. We even hired a Doula. The next call was to her. I called Angie and told her we were leaving for the hospital and I would call her on the way if things got serious or from the hospital. I thought for sure I would arrive at the hospital and they would say, "Yup, you are now dilated 3 cm. Get ready for hours and hours of labor." So, Chad and I gathered our things. I decided my bag wasn't big enough so Chad grabbed a bigger bag for me that I transferred my stuff into, he started throwing things in a back pack for himself. Then he started loading the truck, my bag, his bag, the diaper bag, the video camera, the other camera, his computer bag, don't forget the ipad, oops, I need a picture of the kids, I better take a towel, just in case, oh, my coat, it is much colder in Park City. Then I said, "CHAD!!! you have to give me a blessing before we go!" o.k. so Chad gives me a blessing, I don't remember what was said, but as the events unfolded I know that my Heavenly Father was helping me through.

By the time we got in the truck and pulled out our driveway it was 12:45. yes, it took us 45 minutes to leave our house!!! That is the story of my life! I guess I can't blame it all on the kids anymore, they were sound asleep! At this point the contractions were getting stronger but I could still talk through them, so I thought I was fine. I still had some trepidation that I would get to the hospital and not be very far progressed in the labor. Well, with each Contraction I was more and more uncomfortable. Chad gets on the free way and is moving along, right before we get on I-80 to head to PC the contractions kicked up a notch. I told him to drive faster, that sitting in the truck was so uncomfortable, my back was starting to hurt with each contraction. and it felt like I had no breaks between them. I couldn't SIT any more so I reclined the seat and unbuckled, turned around on my knees and leaned over the back of the seat, that helped a little, but it must have helped the baby because just then, POP! my water broke!! We were about 10 minutes away from the hospital then. I was not handling these strange sensations well. I was pounding on the window yelling "I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS TRUCK!!" I handed my phone to Chad and told him to call the doula and the midwife and tell them what was going on. He couldn't figure out how to call, I was trying to tell him how, in between my screams of pain, and screaming that I had to go poop! Seriously, that is the only sensation I can relate it to. The feeling that I had to poop like never before! Luckily for us, the Doula called, I said, "Angie, you better come, my water just broke!!! " She said, hang in there, I'm already on my way." Then Danielle, my nurse midwife called. "Danielle, my water broke! I HAVE TO GO POOP!"

"No, that is the baby. How far away are you?" By this time we were 5 minutes away. Chad was cruising along at 90 mph, and he was remarkably calm. Danielle talked to me and told me to hang on and just make it through a few more contractions and then I would be there. I was not handling things well. I wanted to get out of the truck and walk around. I remembered someone told me that the key to a natural delivery was movement. And here I was stuck in a truck, unable to move around!

By this time I had grabbed that towel and I had put it on the seat to catch the amniotic fluid, and I had this undeniable urge that the baby was coming out. I could feel the baby's head so low. I actually pulled my pants down ready to push out a baby! We were so close to the hospital. The road to the hospital, after you get off the exit is a curvy road. Chad was cruising along as fast as he dared, which meant I was being tossed side to side in the front of the car. I almost yelled at him to slow down, but then I realized, no Don't slow down! Get me in the hospital!!!! WE pulled up to the ER doors and my nurse midwife was waiting there with some nurses and a gurney. They helped me out of the car and onto the bed where they wheeled me through the hospital. At this point, I told Danielle, " I CHANGED MY MIND! I WANT THE EPIDURAL!! I'm SO SORRY! I KNOW YOU ARE ALL ABOUT NATURAL, BUT I CHANGED MY MIND!"She just smiled. I was thinking, if I have to go through THIS for hours! I won't be able to do it. I also looked around and called for Chad, where was he?! ( I found out later, he moved the truck to a parking spot, then RAN into the hopsital, and to the room.) I actually said, "Hey! CHAD! CHAD!! WHERE ARE YOU!" and this male nurse who was at my head, pushing the bed down the hall said, "I'm right here." WHAT?! I looked at him, it was a good distraction. "You aren't my husband!" He said, "No, but my name IS Chad." That made me laugh for a split second. We got into the room, MY CHAd came running in, and Danielle helped me off of the gurney. All this time I kept telling her that I had to go to the bathroom, so she helped me into the bathroom. She checked me really quickly, and said, lets get you into the bed, this baby is crowning. "WHAT THE!?" I said, " What, like NOW!" She said, "Yup, hang in there this will be over in two minutes." When she told me that, I felt my second wind, I thought, "O.K two more minutes, I CAN DO THAT!" AND then a split second later, I started to feel a horrible burning sensation. I told Danielle, "OOOWOWW! THIS baby is ripping me apart!!!"

SHe assured me that I was o.k and I was not ripping apart. I didn't really believe her, but there was nothing I could do about it. They moved me to the bed, and she told me to push.

I told her, I didn't know how. I felt completely out of control. I felt like something had taken over my body and I was just along for the ride. I had no Idea how to push, I could not control a single muscle in my abdomen if someone had offered me a million dollars to do it. Turns out, I didn't need to, the contractions do the work for you and soon, we had a baby's head out, and then the shoulders and then the feet! What amazed me was the INSTANT relief!!! It was over! Like crossing a finish line, you cross the line and you can stop running. The baby's body was free and clear, and I could stop running! YEAH!! Oh, I almost forgot, Chad Delivered the baby! Danielle guided his hands, but he delivered her. So AWESOME! Chad called out, "ITS A GIRL!" But it didn't even register with me for a few moments, I was just so glad it was over, I didn't even care what gender the baby was. They put the baby on my chest while they rubbed her down, and put a hat on her. I remember thinking , "WHEW I am so sweaty!" For some reason that surprised me. Yeah! Felicity was here!!!! This took longer to tell than it happened in real time. We arrived at the hospital at 1:10 and she was born at 1:15!!! I am still amazed at how fast it happened! I have felt pretty good! She is nine days old today!! And I am feeling really well. I am so glad that we decided to go the natural route. My mental preparation for that helped me, because I would have had her naturally anyway. I was sad that Angie didn't make it in time to actually help me through it. She arrived about 15 minutes after the birth.

I had imagined this labor of sitting in the hot water of the bath tub, my husband rubbing my back, the doula telling me to try different positions to easy my discomfort. I thought we would be walking the hospital halls, and have a few hours to ease into the really hard part of transition. I was envisioning my self being really calm and self possessed. Instead, It was fast, and I behaved like a total crazy woman! I told Danielle the next day how sorry I was that I didn't handle that a little better. She was understanding and said, "I can't imagine how scary that car ride must have been for you." That was nice of her to say. Yes, that ride up the canyon was a little scary. It was full of new sensations and feelings of being out of control of my own body.

Chad and I were so happy and relieved that we had a healthy baby. Chad was a little sad that he didn't get another little boy, but as I said for 9 month, I really didn't care if it was a boy or a girl. I knew I would love whoever came to our family. But, we hoped it was a boy. We had more boy names picked out. So we spent the next two days debating girl names. The names I was rooting for were: Mabel, Marilla, Vivienne, or Elizabeth. Chad liked the name Naomi, Elizabeth, and Vivienne. But we still couldn't decide. Then Chad asked me what the names of all the American Girl Dolls are. So, I told him and he liked Felicity, and so did I. Chad researched the meaning of the name, and the cultural references. Felicity means "Happiness". We decided that it fit. We hope she is happy all her life, and we know she has already made us so very happy!

Felicity Ann, we love her so much after only 9 short days. The other kids love her to pieces. We are so grateful that she is healthy, and we are extremely grateful that my pregnancy is over! Over all, the pregnancy went great, but the last 6 weeks are so uncomfortable that it makes me think the whole 9 months were miserable. I hope to be fully back into the swing of things very soon. I am ready to be back in control of my home, and the kids, and fixing us dinner again. I am so grateful to my sister Cindy, who has helped me out by feeding my kids, taking care of Phoebe during the day, and even bathing the girls and doing my laundry. Chad has been an angel too! My mother in law has been driving my car pool and having us over for dinner! and now My mom is here, she will be here ten more days and has helped me keep this house from chaos! I am so blessed and spoiled to have all this help! Thank you!!!

I hope this all wasn't too much information :) I mostly wanted to write it down for myself, so I don't forget. What an exciting and amazing night! One we will never forget!