Introducing…

Rayna Elizabeth
8lbs 14oz, 21 inches
Born September 30 at 5:30pm

Here’s Rayna’s Story:

Rayna was due on September 23rd, but we went right past that date, as I was half expecting but half hoping against. On Thursday September 25th, the doctor had us come in to do a non-stress test to make sure that we were ok going past the 40 week mark. A non-stress test just means being hooked up to the heart rate/contraction monitor for 20 minutes and analyzing the results.

They hooked me up and we waited 20 minutes. The doctor came back in and said he didn’t really like what he was seeing, so he wanted us to be monitored for another 20 minutes, and he warned us that we might possibly be induced that night. Hubster and I looked at each other like “holy …!” The first 20 minutes, I was lying on my back (which a pregnant woman isn’t supposed to be doing). The second 20 minutes, they put me on my side. The results of that test came back totally fine, just due to that simple adjustment. We were good to go into the 41st week.

With Peanut, I was 11 days late, but this time the doctor told us that we didn’t have to wait that long. We could pick a day the following week to be induced. After discussing, we chose Tuesday since my doctor was on call that day and it just seemed like a good day (and still in September!)

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 on Thursday, looking scared (I had this intense irrational fear that I would die in childbirth) yet ready to get the show on the road. Our wonderful nurse (I LOVE L&D nurses!) hooked me up to Pitocin right away. I’ve never had an IV before, so that was new. Since I was hooked up, I wasn’t able to walk around or bounce on a yoga ball like I was able to with Kayne. The contractions started, but they were boring, dare I say. Up until noon, not much was bothering me and not much was happening. At noon though, since the baby was dropping a little, the doctor was able to break my water. Then stuff started to get real, and I realized that this was going to happen no matter what. They wouldn’t be sending me home. Up until around 3:00, the contractions were bearable, but then they started to hit hard. I was only dilated to about a 3 thinking I had a looooong way to go, wondering if I should get an epidural.

Well, I ended up only getting a shot of Nubain in my IV, which took the edge off of about 3 contractions and made me feel dizzy and drunk for a short time. After that, they checked me and I was at a 5. About an hour later, the contractions were getting absolutely unbearable, and I said if I was still only at a 5, I was going to need an epidural. Well, too late, I was already at a 7/8 and in transition. My entire body was trembling and everything was really intense.

On a side note, since I was holding steady at a 5 for awhile, Hubster went out to order a pizza. He thought since I was only “halfway there,” he had plenty of time. Once I hit transition, which happened much faster than he anticipated, he was nowhere to be found. The nurse went out to try and flag him down and almost had to page him. We will be laughing for years to come about the dang pizza. It was delivered early too, so he had to run out right after delivery to pay the man. Everyone was waiting on him to weigh the baby because we wanted to get that snippet on tape. He was so preoccupied with the dang pizza! With Kayne, our story will always be about how Hubster turned on Jaws while I was in active labor and the blood and gore almost made me throw up. Turn that channel!

Baby came after only 3 contractions. I’ve never screamed so loud in my life! I don’t remember making any noise with my son, but this big girl was the real deal and she seemed to be stretched up into my ribs, so it didn’t feel like I could even bend. Hubster was afraid to be in on all the action, so they gave him the oxygen mask and had him place it on my mouth between contractions because apparently I was out of breath. Go figure.

Our precious baby was laid on my chest and I kissed her among all the oh my gods and hi baby-s. She was/is perfect. The biggest surprise of all was her full head of reddish hair. I didn’t expect any of my babies to have hair, let alone a color different from all three of our heads!!!

I just loved our stay at the hospital. All the L&D nurses are amazing. I just loved our doctor and all the help everyone gave us. Everyone from the lactation consultant to the pediatricians were so warm and helpful.

The first few days (weeks?) home were pretty emotional. Just like I did with my son, I cried on the way home from the hospital. First, this huge responsibility and life-changer was about to go home with us and we were leaving behind all the wonderful people and help at the hospital to do this completely on our own. Also, it was crazy trying to process the whole beautiful baby-meeting process and then realize you’d probably never see your doctor again, the person that had been beside you this whole time, let alone the wonderful nurses.

Then, the next few days, I had some intense anxiety flare-ups, I would just lay in bed terrified for no reason. That, coupled with lack of sleep, made me quite uncomfortable, to say the least. Thankfully, after my hormones evened out and they baby figured out night from day, I have been feeling soooo much better.

Now, we’re home and getting into some sort of routine. Kayne loves his sister and we just adore our daughter. I get to spend 9 weeks home with her and I’m trying to soak up as much of it as I can. Just thinking about going back to work makes me teary-eyed, knowing this will likely be my last baby, my last maternity leave, my last chance to bond completely with a newborn. Rayna is a champ at nursing and we’re just over here getting to know each other better. I can’t believe she’s all ours!!!