My little girl has arrived! (Kirby023)

kirby023 · October 2014

I've been MIA for awhile, but that's because my amazing daughter, Hannah, was finally born!

I started getting erratic contractions at about 4am when I was 40w6d that became more regular and intense after my normally scheduled OB appointment that afternoon. At my appointment I was 4cm/75% and my doctor told me there was no point scheduling an induction because she would probably be here sooner rather than later. By the time I got home that afternoon I was in a lot of pain and contractions were about 6-7 mins apart. I was able to labor at home until about 8pm when I finally went into the hospital. The drive to the hospital has to be the most excruciating drive I've ever taken. It felt so long and so painful. By the time I got there 9cm/100% and had a bulging sac. They rushed me into delivery and said that there was a chance I wouldn't have time for an epidural. I was in enough pain at that point that I informed them that they had to at least try for the epidural. As soon as the epidural was in, they broke my water and I started pushing. H decided that she needed to be born with her hand up by her head so she got a little stuck and I ended up having to push for 2 hours. With my final push, my doctor had me reach down, grab H as she came out and pull her onto my chest. It was honestly the most amazing moment and I started crying immediately. DH was amazing throughout my entire labor and I honestly can say that I have such a renewed respect and love for him. In the end, my baby was here, healthy and I only had a 1st degree internal tear that required 1 stitch.

H is such a good, happy and alert baby. She loves to cuddle and is always super attentive to everything going on around her whenever she's awake. She has a full head of hair and the longest fingers and toes I've ever seen. I may be biased, but she's honestly so perfect. Bf-ing was a little challenging at first, but we're getting into a groove with it and beginning to feel more comfortable about it all. My parents were visiting for the first few days we were home which was awesome because it meant DH and I could catch up on some sleep and she got some great bonding time with her grandparents. We've had a few outings to the pumpkin patch and some walks and so far she's been such a trooper.

Hopefully now that we're settling into more of a routine I'll be able to get on here a bit more. I've loved reading all the birth stories and pictures of all the adorable babies!