Baby Brinley is here!!!

So it's been a long week but we had our little angel a week ago today! ...just oneday past our due date! For all of you first time moms, I thought our birthstory might ease some of your anxiety...as I was terrified prior to delivery!

I started having contractions for the first time last Saturday night (our duedate) while my husband and I were out having dinner and seeing a movie! Theywere an hour apart and didn't sound any alarms. They continued through thenight at an hour apart until I finally decided to get up at 6:30 and take awarm bath.

At 7:30, the contractions started coming 20 minutes apart and we called ourdoctor. They asked us to wait until they were 5-7 minutes apart before headingto the hospital. Within an hour and half, they had progressed to that point. Myhusband was packing our things and insisted that we go after an hour ofcontractions at that pace. On our way to the hospital, they were coming 3minutes apart and were really miserable. (We live about 25 minutes from thehospital.)

Once we got to the hospital, they checked us in and got us into our room. I wasdialated to a 3 at noon when we arrived and right about that time my waterbroke. The contractions were getting really strong (later we found out why) andthe epidural was given about 1:15. It took a couple of doses of medicine tocatch up to the contractions but once it was in effect, it was heaven!

The nurses monitored the contractions and at 4:30 she checked my progress again.Her face looked shocked but she said I was fully dialated and ready to push!After another nurse checked, she called the dr and we decided since I wasn't inpain to let her work her way down for an hour or so on her own.

The dr. came in at 5:30 and Brinley Anne Rhoades was born at 5:50 after 20 minutesof pushing! 6 lbs 11 oz...19 3/4 in long and perfect in absolutely EVERY way.

The whole experience still seems so surreal! Almost like we lived through a moviescene!

Best of luck to all of you waiting on your little ones and congratulations to those ofyou who already have yours!!!!