I went to my last doctor's appointment on Tuesday, August 12th. Thirty-nine weeks and six days pregnant. I got indoors just before a strong storm started outside, with strong wind, rain, and hail. There was rain water coming in under the door, and the door kept blowing open from the wind. Still dilated to 3cm and 70% effaced, just like the previous week. I was a little frustrated about no change since I had been having lots more contractions, some of them pretty painful. We talked about induction, which I was nervous about since my induction experience with Elise wasn't the best (no epidural at first, I don't know what I was thinking). I called Matt, and together we decided on Thursday at 3am. The other options were that night at 8pm (we didn't feel like we could be ready in time) or Sunday (I didn't want to be pregnant that long).
My due date, August 13th, came and went. More rain. More, stronger contractions. That night after our girls were fed and bathed, we brought them to my sister Holly's house to put them to bed. We explained to them that in the morning we wouldn't be there because we would be at the hospital but Daddy would pick them up later so they could visit the baby.
We came home after they were asleep, got some things finished up, and went to bed. Two o'clock came too early, but we woke up and started getting dressed. Then, about 2:30am (we were going to leave for the hospital at about 2:40), Matt noticed a message on his phone. We called the hospital back, and they told us they were too busy to take us for the induction. They would call us when they could take us. They wouldn't give us any kind of timeframe. We went back to bed and woke up about 6:30am not feeling very rested. Elise and Charlotte were at my sisters house still. We hung around all morning. We even watched a movie. Feeling super guilty that we were at home with nothing to do while my sister juggled her own kids (Did I mention she has five, one of them only two months old at the time?) as well as ours, we headed to her house. We fed our kids her food for lunch, put Charlotte down for a nap that ended up literally lasting 10 minutes, and hung around some more. More contractions. No news from the hospital. We decided that we needed to get our kids home, fed, and to bed in their own beds.
By this point we were starting to get pretty frustrated, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. We ate dinner, bathed the girls, and put them to bed. I kept going back and forth about whether or not we should go to the hospital since my contractions were getting stronger. Once the girls were asleep, we finally decided to call our friend Sierra so she could come stay at our house with our girls while we went to the hospital. The people at the hospital took our information, checked me in triage, and decided to keep me there. They sent us back out to the waiting room for over an hour (busy hospital). It was after 11pm when they finally brought me back to a room. I was GBS positive, dilated to 5cm and contracting, and I had had an appointment for an induction, so they couldn't really send me home. They started me on penicillin. Crazy burning sensation in my hand I don't remember having with the other girls, but apparently that's normal. I got really shaky. I really wanted an epidural at this point. They gave me an epidural (hallelujah!), and I finally got to relax. Matt was super tired; he doesn't do well on little sleep. I was tired too, but feeling much better after the epidural.
I didn't relax long. A little before 2am, I finished getting my first dose of penicillin. Ideally, they want you to get 2 doses, 4 hours apart, just to be safe. The nurse told me to pull myself up in the bed so she could check me, and when I did I thought I felt my water break. I was right, and things happened quickly from there. I was at 6cm when my water broke. The doctor arrived shortly after that, and before I knew it I was ready to push. Just a few short pushes, and Vera was born! It was a little after 3am, so almost exactly 24 hours after my original appointment for induction and two days after my due date. No tearing or stitches. No complications. Just a beautiful baby girl.
Vera Helen Asay was born at 3:04am on August 15, 2014. She was 9 lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. Healthy and perfect. We love her so much. We have been so richly blessed.
 |
| my whole world |
 |
| beautiful baby Vera |
 |
| I love this moment. |
 |
| best big sister |
 |
| Our girls are lucky to have this man for their Daddy. |
 |
| My sister Holly and I had babies just two months apart. |
 |
| I love baby yawns. |
 |
| so very alert, right from the beginning |
 |
| love |
 |
| going home |
| "Trailing clouds of glory do we come | |
| From God, who is our home: | |
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!"
-William Wordsworth |
