Our beautiful sweet Abbey was born 5 weeks ago on August 23 at 8:17 in the morning. She was the cherry on top of the amazing month August turned out to be.
You see, this past year has been..well...a struggle. After having a miscarriage last May, I found out I was pregnant again in August. It felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, God had different plans for us, and at 11 weeks pregnant, I miscarried a second time. Unlike my previous miscarriage, I was far enough along this time to experience the physical pains of labor. Having to go though that without the silver lining of a baby was devastating. However, I was lucky enough to have a husband and friends who helped me get through it.
When I found out I was pregnant again, I was a little shocked. I had put having a baby out of my mind, and didn't even think about it until I realized I was almost a week late. I took a test on Christmas Eve and the word "Pregnant" popped up. She was quite literally the best Christmas Present that year.
Pregnancy with Abbey was a lot harder than it was with Zoey. I was tired and sore, and so uncomfortable. On top of that came the stress of losing our insurance for a couple of months, Derek not finding a job, not owing a car, and knowing that at the end of the summer (a day after Abbey was due), we wouldn't have a home (meaning I couldn't even start nesting). It felt like a stack of bricks permanently attached to my shoulders. When I said earlier that August turned out to be an amazing month, that is an understatement. Derek was offered an amazing job, we finally got our car, and we signed a 2 year lease on our dream home. Everything worked out better than we could have hoped.
On August 22nd, a little over a week before Abbey was due, I woke up early to some mild contractions. While I didn't think I was in "labor" I was too excited to go back to sleep. While lying, staring at the ceiling, I felt my water barely break. I wasn't 100% sure, so I called my doctor, and she told me to come to the office in a few hours so she could check. After getting Derek off to work (We assumed it would be a long labor, and we didn't want him to waste a day off), and taking Zoey to Laurel's house, my doctors confirmed that my water had barely ruptured and told me to go to the hospital. After a quick stop to Chick-fil-a, I headed to the hospital on my own. It was totally weird to be checking into the hospital without actually being in "labor" or without Derek there. I got a lot of puzzled questions from hospital staff. Mostly "Is your husband planning on being here?"
I pretty much spent the entire day watching shows and roaming the hospital halls. Derek finally showed up around 4 or 5pm and I still wasn't in labor (in the end, it was a good choice for him to go to work). We decided to get the show on the road, and I was induced. Even being induced, labor didn't really kick in for an hour or two. As contractions got worse, I tried to hang in as long as I could. I planned to get an epidural, but I wanted to wait a while so I could reduce my risk of a c-section. I tried to stay positive throughout labor...the nurse said she never met a patient who made more jokes in labor than me. Despite the pain, there was such a happy positive spirit in the room. Derek was so helpful in pushing my hips together through my contractions (the only thing that reduced the pain). I watched house hunters to distract myself and tried to joke with the nurses when I wasn't having a contraction.
Around midnight, I relented and got the epidural. It took more than an hour for it to kick in...by the time the anesthesiologist was done, he had given me the same amount of anesthesia he would have given to someone getting a c-section. I could still feel contractions, but they didn't hurt. Being able to sleep was totally worth it. Throughout the night, they kept asking if I wanted the doctor to come in and finish breaking my water (like I said, it had barely ruptured). I felt guilty about waking her up for something that could wait, so I decided to wait until after 6am so she could get a good nights rest.
Once they broke my water at 6am, things started picking up. I went from a 6 to a 10 in less than two hours. The doctors switched over at 8, and I immediately started pushing. I swear, the entire hospital came in for the delivery. There were nursing students and nurses, and the doctor, and Derek. It felt like a show and I was the main attraction. Derek laughed because at the end of a push, I asked the nurse when I could get the breakfast menu, because I didn't want to miss it. You can tell my priorities.
At 8:17am, more than 24 hours after my water barely ruptured and about 15 minutes of pushing, Abbey Kate was born. She was 8 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long. She had the most perfectly round head you've ever seen. Holding her was complete joy and happiness. She was perfect. It felt almost surreal to go from pregnant to mom of two.
The next day and a half were a bit of a blur. Visitors, Zoey meeting her sister, bloodwork and tests and lots and lots of dirty diapers. By Sunday afternoon, I was ready to get home. We were lucky to have such great friends look over Zoey while we were gone, and she was a little sad that she didn't get to have more sleepovers.
Having Abbey the past 5 weeks have been fantastic. Zoey LOVES her. I mean LOOOOVES. She mauls her every chance she gets. Hugs and kisses and lots of cuddles (or smothering). Abbey loves to be in a carrier, and is a fantastic sleeper. I would say she spends about 75% of her day asleep. When she is not asleep, she likes to see how loud she can cry, and has become pretty good at it. At times it is a little tricky to juggle a crying baby and a needy toddler, but I am getting better at it. I am hoping that Abbey gets a little easier in the coming weeks...I guess time will tell.
Yes it's hard. No I don't get a lot of sleep. But yes I love these two little girls more than I could possibly imagine.
1 comment:
So sweet! You are so positive after how many miscarriages you have had! Such a blessing baby Abbey is!!! So glad she and Zoey made it into the world! What a fantastic blessing babies are!!!
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