This is Stella's birth story

With this little lady being 6 weeks today, I thought I should blog about her story of how she came into the world.  Sorry it has taken so long...life with a newborn and a two-year old it's hard to find time to blog...but I found some time!  So here is the story....

I was so sick of being pregnant as most pregnant women get around 8 months.  I had a few break downs as most women have around that time and I just wanted this baby out of me.  I wanted my body back.  I wanted to sleep comfortably.  I wanted to meet this little girl!  Every day in the days leading up to June 17 people text me asking me if anything was happening.  The answer was always the same...nope.  I was at the point where I wanted the pains of labor.  I wanted to feel that hurt because that meant that she was going to come soon.  I decided that the second (and probably the others after the first) is harder to wait because you know what to expect.  The first it's all a mystery...when will you go into labor?  How do I know if it's really contractions?  When do I go to the hospital?  And a billion other things; but after the first, you know what to expect...for the most part.  So I was getting impatient and so was my mom.  My mom was getting a little nervous because she was leaving for our annual family vacation soon.  My due date was June 25 and they were leaving June 27 so she was hoping with all her might that she would come early so she could help out.  So on the night of June 16 she text me and said "Tonight is the night...I know it!"  Well I was done getting my hopes up so I just laughed it off.

June 17 at 2:30 in the morning I woke up right in time to feel a little trickle of liquid come out of me. My first thought was "Oh great....just peed the bed."  So I hurried and jumped up and went to the bathroom before it made a mess everywhere.  As I was changing I thought...this doesn't smell...and I'm still leaking...I'm pretty sure my water just broke.  So I calmly called out to Nick so I wouldn't startle him too much till he woke up and I said "Nick...I think my water just broke."  He just sat up and said "OK".  And I was explaining what had happened and he just kept saying "OK" ha I hadn't had any contractions yet...just water but we had to go to the hospital so I said that we needed to call my parents so we could drop off Zane and head out.  He just said "OK" ha 

I called my mom and as soon as her phone rang and she saw that it was me she knew.  By the time we got everything together, we got Zane up and to the car, it was about 4:00.  We dropped him off and headed to Park City Hospital which is about 15-20 minutes away.  As we were driving I started to feel small contractions but all I could really feel was that I was STILL leaking...my pants were soaking.  I text family to tell them we were heading to the hospital but since it was 4:30 I knew people wouldn't see it till later (except Melissa, Nick's sister, who happened to be up with her little guy) We got to the hospital and went to the front doors thinking that we could get in but no...they were locked and the sign said that we had to go in through the Emergency Room which happened to be on the opposite side of the labor and delivery area.  So we drove around to that door and got out and all I could think of was "Oh great...I have to walk through the whole hospital with wet pants looking like I peed..."  We checked in at the ER at 4:30 and this nice lady said she would take us up to labor and delivery.  As we were walking she said that there were a lot of babies being born and it was busy up there. The Park City hospital is kind of a small hospital and in labor and delivery there are only 4 normal rooms and 2 "overflow" rooms.  Then there are 2 triage rooms.  Well since there were so many babies wanting to come that particular day all the rooms were full!  They put me in one of the triage rooms which is basically a room big enough for a bed and a monitor.  They felt so bad and assured me that they would get me into a comfortable room soon.  They hooked me up to a contraction monitor and my IV (which I HATE).  Contractions were starting to pick up but not much.  

The nurse came in around 5:30 maybe to see how dilated I was and I don't know what it was but it killed me!  I think she had tiny hands or something because she was a little rough trying to feel my cervix and it hurt so so badly!  I can't even remember what I was dilated to due to the pain.  I think it was about a 4...

So I hung out in the triage room for about an hour or so and they came in and told me that one lady was going to be checking out that day so they were going to move her to the other triage room so I could have that room ha I felt bad for that lady...at 6:00 in the morning she had to gather all her stuff to move to a tiny room but at the same time I really didn't want to give birth in that tiny room and wanted to be comfy.  And at that point contractions were getting a little worse and I told the nurse that when I got to the room I would probably want my epidural.  I just had to wait till they cleaned the room for me.  

Around 6:30-7:00 (I don't know exact times) the nurse came in and said that the room was ready.  I was very happy because at that point contractions were strong and painful and I wanted my drugs!  Contractions were very strong.  They were a little different from normal contractions though...it was all in my hips.  Not the normal where the whole belly tightens up...it was all in my hips.  Every time I had a contraction, it was like I could feel my hips spreading...it was very painful.  When we got into the room and all set up the nurse with the tiny hands needed to check me again and OH MY WORD it killed me!  It brought me to tears.  It seriously was the most painful thing ever.  And poor Nick couldn't do anything.  He just watched me and felt so bad and tried to make me feel better.  After she checked me I just hurt all the time....contractions were killing and I just wanted my epidural.  Nick could see how much pain I was in and went and asked where the anesthesiologist was and they said that they had paged him but he was in surgery...of course...and would be here soon.  In the mean time there was a shift change and my new nurse came in and it was my visiting teacher! ha I told her that after this, I think she fulfilled her calling for a year.  

Finally around 8:00 I was dilated to a 6 and I was hurting and the anesthesiologist walked in the door!  Hallelujah!  Now this doctor is good but he is one of those "get in and get it done" kind of doctors.  So although it wasn't the most comfortable things getting that massive needle shoved in my back, I welcomed it!  They also gave me some pitocin to get my contractions more regular.  Finally I was comfortable and could have a conversation with Nick and text people who I hadn't text yet and those I hadn't written back to for a bit.  

Around 9:00 our family close by us had gotten up and ready and were heading up to the hospital to see us and visit and pass the time.  Well around the time they were pulling into the parking lot, the nurse came in and checked me and I was at a 10!  So she called my doctor, Dr. Falk, and she came in and said "Wow, that pitocin did the trick!"  Nick text the family and told the family that I was starting to push so they would just have to wait down in the waiting room.  So at 9:30ish I started to push.  It was really cool because at that point I had kind of let the epidural wear off a bit because when I had Zane it took the epidural hours after I had him to wear off and I didn't want that again.  I wanted to feel a little bit and be able to walk and stuff soon afterwards.  So I started pushing and at 9:50 this beautiful little girl came into our world.  Stella Kathryn Wood weighing 7 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.  She had a head full of hair (we didn't realize how much till after her first bath though) and blue eyes.  When she came out the cord was wrapped around her a bit and she was a little purple but they got her untangled and handed her to me.  She was beautiful.  I was finally holding this little perfect girl.  

She was crying a bit but not too loud and they were a little worried and wanted her to cry louder so they took her over to the bed thing and she started crying then!  They got her cleaned a bit and brought her back to me for skin-to-skin.  She nursed a bit and was a happy beautiful little girl.  

The family came in and I was most excited to see what Zane thought of her.  She was so wrapped up in blankets that I don't think he really understood that it was a baby in there because he was just didn't  react the way he usually does with babies.  But after a minute we unwrapped her and then he was so excited to see her!  He pointed out her toes and fingers and nose.  He loved her!  And I loved seeing my whole family together.  It was so great!  My little family of four.  

Stella and I stayed in the hospital for two days.  Nick would go home with Zane and sleep in a nice bed at night and then they would come and see us during the day.  Zane would only stay for a few hours and would go home with grandparents and hang out with them for a bit.  

All was good with us at the hospital.  Stella ate great and slept great and had all the diapers she should so everything was great!  

We got up and were ready to go home on Thursday.  They had just done her bilirubin test and the results came back and it was high...We were all so confused!  She showed zero signs of jaundice but apparently she had it.  And it was so high that the pediatrician wanted to put her on the blue lights for a bit.  The whole time we were waiting for her to be on those for a bit, we all (the nurses included) were expecting the lab to call and say they gave us the wrong results...that's how unexpected it was. 

 The pediatrician said everything else looked great so she would let us go home with the lights if we promised to take her to her pediatrician in Heber the next day.  So we headed home!  

She stayed on the lights for about three days and everything was good!  

Six weeks later she is still great!  She is a great sleeper, great eater and just so adorable!  We all love her.  She has started to smile a bit (it's hard to get a smile out of her) and she is doing pretty good and holding her head up!