Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Vivian's Birth Story

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind!  We've been blessed with so many well wishes and help from family, friends and co-workers.  Vivian was able to visit with all her grandparents (with the exception of one that couldn't make the trip out just yet)- a time we will always cherish.  Our fridge has been, and continues to be, stocked by my wonderful work family.  And we've been showered with sweet cards, gifts and advice that have been oh so helpful.

My mom was wonderful enough to come out and stay with us for the last couple weeks.  She just left us yesterday, and now we are getting used to being a family of three (well four if you count the four-legged family member).  It has really been the best two weeks of our lives.  Despite the lack of sleep, we have had a ball getting to know our little munchkin and learning more about her little personality.

We welcomed Vivian Rose Clapp to the world on Saturday, February 4th at 7:07 a.m.  She was due to arrive on February 17th, and since she is our first kiddo, I didn't anticipate having her early.  I was certain she would take her sweet time and arrive sometime this week....but I was wrong.

You may have read my blog post from February 3rd titled "Snow Day," and if so, you may remember that I commented on feeling my first Braxton Hicks contraction.  Little did I know, they weren't Braxton Hicks, I was in active labor!  I woke up the morning of the 3rd, anxious to see how much snow was on the ground and if we would be having a snow day at work.  The City had been anticipating this big snow for a week, and it was forecasted to cover Denver with up to two feet of snow.  Throughout the week I had joked with some co-workers and friends that the big storm could bring Baby C as well, but in all honesty I didn't think it would actually happen.

After waking up early that morning, I laid in bed a while trying to get some more rest, and that's when I felt my first contraction.  As I mentioned before, it was the first contraction I'd ever felt.  Throughout the day I felt very sporadic contractions and tracked them here and there, but since they were so inconsistent I became a little frustrated, as I didn't know if this was active labor or not.  I'd always read and learned in our birthing class that real contractions have an obvious pattern and become more intense as you progress.....and that wasn't happening.  So, I went on with my day as usual (as it could be).  Adam was on alert at work, just in case.  Once he made it home we decided to do something to get out of the house and get my mind off the frustrating day I'd had.  We decided to stroll around Wal-Mart- a place I never go, as I'm not a big fan, but it's close to our house, so I agreed.  And I won't lie, a few times I thought about that movie "Where the Heart Is," where Natalie Portman has her baby in Wal-Mart.

When bedtime rolled around I decided that if the pain woke me up, it was the real thing.  And just a few hours later- at 1a.m. I was woken by a TERRIBLE pain.  Way worse than any I'd felt all day.  Adam woke immediately when he felt me moving around, and immediately began tracking my contractions.  They were anywhere from 1-4 minutes apart and lasted 30-50 seconds each for an hour.  This didn't fit the oh so important "5:1:1" rule (5 minutes apart, lasting one minute, for one hour), so I wasn't sure if it was time to call the Doc.  The last thing I wanted to do was make a trip to the hospital in the 20 inches of snow and be turned away, only to have to return later.  But, we decided since the contractions were so short, it was best to call the Doctor.  I could tell he was a little skeptical, but said I should go ahead and come to the hospital.  So, we gathered our bags, jumped in the car and headed to the hospital.

By around 3a.m. I was finally all setup and the nurse did her examination, only to discover I was dilated to a 5, and in the process my water broke.  Wow!  I was shocked.  I couldn't believe I'd progressed that far so quickly, and that we would actually be having this baby soon.  I was certain we still had several hours of laboring to go through, but once my water broke, I quickly realized the pain was just too much and the contractions were coming SO quickly- about a minute apart- so we quickly decided I was going to get an epidural.  Once that was complete, around 4a.m., the nurse did another examination- and I was fully dilated to a 10!  Ok, I'm in complete disbelief at this point.  The nurse decided to give us some time before I started pushing so that we could get a little rest (yeah right).  At 5a.m. we started pushing, and it was surprisingly a very calm, relaxed experience with just Adam, the nurse and I.  At that point I was so glad I'd gotten the epidural!  Our nurse, Erin, was going to be finished with her shift at 7a.m., so she was adamant that we would have this baby before she had to leave.  They gave me some pitocin to speed up the process and before we knew it, the doctor and about 5 other nurses came in for the final pushes.  At 7:07a.m. Adam announced to me that we had a little baby girl, and I couldn't have been more overwhelmed with excitement and love for this sweet little daughter I soon had in my arms.

So, in just over 6 hours, I went from a restful sleep to a mama of sweet, little Vivian.  Our nurse warned us multiple times through the whole process that baby #2 could easily be born on the side of the road if we weren't careful.  Both the nurse and my Doctor said they were certain I'd be turned around because I didn't seem to be in much pain and was too polite when I came into the hospital.  I guess I just have a high tolerance for pain.

She weighed in at 7lbs and was 19.25 inches long, and as of yesterday has gained 14 ounces and grown another 1.5 inches.  She changes so quickly, I can't even believe it.  I'm so lucky to be able to spend her first 12 weeks with her.  We couldn't be more lucky and blessed to have a beautiful, healthy daughter.

Here are pictures from our trip home from the hospital:






Doesn't Charlotte look SO happy to have a Baby Sister?  She's still adjusting to this little person that's turned her life upside down.

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