Our Little Birdy

I figured Mary Ann's parents had better post something about her so she does not look back at this and think only her Uncle Jared was excited she was here. Here's how it all went down. It's long and detailed, but it sure does have a great ending!

I was due Thursday, August 23rd but that day came and went. I had been having small random contractions and at my doctors appointment that week he said it was looking like I would have her within the next couple of days. Friday night we went to bed and I woke up around 12:30 from a contraction that was pretty strong. 40 minutes later the same thing happened. I woke up Patrick and we were up all night as my contractions were growing stronger, longer, and closer together. Um...ladies...how come no one warned me that throwing up is common during contractions? That was a special little surprise.

Around 7:30 am on August 25th we headed to the hospital as my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. I have to admit, this part of labor was not as bad as I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, it's not a treat, but it did not hurt as much as I was expecting it to. We checked in and I was about 4 centimeters dilated so they did not send me home which was a relief as both Patrick and I were worried they might since I had made it through this part so easily.

Fast forward to 9:30 am and welcome the sweet sweet epidural. I was probably most worried about getting this. Have you ever You Tubed someone getting one...DON'T. It's a giant needle they stick in your spine. Luckily it went smoothly and 30 minutes later both Patrick and I were asleep.

Around 11:30 Angela, my labor and delivery nurse, woke me up and said, "The room's about to get very crowed. I'm here, just do what we ask." Before I could really process what this might mean, I was being tipped backwards, given an oxygen mask, flipped to my other side and about 5 nurses were all around my bed. I could see out of the corner of my eye poor Patrick who woke up to a room full of nurses and his wife on oxygen with a panicked look on his face. Mary Ann's heart beat was very week and they were trying to get it back to normal. After about 90 of the longest seconds ever, she came back around and started beating at a normal rhythm. Apparently I had 4 contractions all in a row without a break in between so Mary Ann did not have a chance to recover as with each contraction she get's squeezed. Since this only happened the one time, we carried on as planned.

Fast forward to 4:00 pm. I was dilated to 9 centimeters and while I was not in pain, I could feel SO MUCH pressure and it took everything in me not to push. This was honestly the hardest part of the entire process. I could feel more and more pressure with each contraction and I wanted that little girl out!

My doctor came in around 5:00 pm and said I was fully dilated and ready to push and man did it feel good to push. I can't even describe what this "pushing" was like. It really is the most crazy, intense, out of body experience I've ever had. I pushed with all my strength and before I knew it the doctor asked if I wanted to feel her head. My response, "No, I just want to keep pushing." I really wanted her out :) I don't really remember much expect hearing Angela call for another nurse as I was about to deliver. 17 minutes of pushing and then I felt instant gratification and could hear the sweetest little cry. Mary Ann was here.

I can't describe the feelings that came over me, but what I remember most is holding Mary Ann on my chest while staring at Patrick. We both just started at each other in shock and love and I'll never forget the feelings I had. Neither of us spoke, but just keep our eyes locked on each other and I knew at that very moment no matter what happened and what life throws at our family, we were going to be okay. It's a moment I know I will draw strength and faith from over the coming years.

Once everyone was cleaned up, our doctor came and sang us all a few songs. He sang For Emily Where Ever I May Find Her, Annie's Song, Wedding Song, Hallelujah, and I'm A Child Of God. It was actually very sweet to watch Patrick hold his little girl for the first time while such sweet songs were sung to us all.

Our sweet little Mary Ann was 8.3 lbs, 19 inches long and had a fairly round head since she came out so fast. We feel so lucky as she really is such a good baby. She does not really cry, took right to nursing and overall is very sweet and calm. She makes cute little birdy noises and sleeps well most nights. My favorite thing is that she loves to stretch and scrunches up her forehead when she does. I can't wait to watch her personality grow and experience life with her as part of our family. We've felt so loved by all of our friends and family through all of this. Thanks to each of you for the love and support. We are lucky to have such a loving and large support group and hope to be able to return the same kind of love and support.