Paisley's Birth Story....

It all started around 6:30 in the morning. I woke up to contractions and couldn't go back to sleep. Todd wanted to time them so we laid there for a good hour talking and timing. They were about 5-6 minutes apart then tapered off to 10-11 minutes apart. That's when Rome woke up so we got up and I sent Todd off to work. The next 3ish hours I had maybe 5 contractions so I went visiting teaching and on the walk home I had 3 more during the 2 block distance. They hadn't been strong at all up to this point and as we got closer to home Roman asked to go to the park. So we wandered over to the neighborhood park for a while and my contractions started picking up again. I wasn't timing but they didn't seem to be consistent at all so I wasn't worried. We got home and started lunch around 12:30pm. Gentry stopped by to bring Rome some cars he left at their house and I told her I was having contractions. She was headed to work and I told her it probably wouldn't be till the next day or so, if it was even real labor. As we finished eating I started timing contractions again. They were anywhere from 5-9 min apart, so yet again not really consistent. I put Rome down for his nap and decided I take one too, just in case something was really happening, I would be rested. I was super tired that day. But before I got to sleep, my mom called me back from earlier and I told her about my day of contractions and she told me she thought I was really in labor and that she'd come over and sit with Rome while I went on a walk to hopefully get things going but I insisted I wanted a nap. About this point I realized they were getting a bit stronger so I sent Todd another update as well as Crystal. After recieving that text, Crys called me and said the same. She told me to go pack my bag, (since I hadn't yet) but I insisted on napping. During our conversation I realized my contractions jumped to about 2 min apart. So once I got off the phone with her, I decided I'd pack my bag then take my nap if they tapered off again. I had 4 or 5 in row, of about 2 min apart. I thought if I have 2 more, that close together, I'd call Todd and have him come home. I only had one more before my water broke. (I wasn't 100% sure it was my water but I was about 95%) So I called Todd and he rushed home. I also called my mom to come stay with Rome while he was sleeping. Todd helped me finish packing my bag and we left a few minutes after my mom got there. I told her I'd call when we knew more, so she could come down. By the time we reached the hospital they were around 1 min apart. We got checked in and the nurse checked me. I was dilated to 4.5cm (which was great because at my doc visit the day before I was at a 3 and 80% effaced.) She said she thought my water had broken too but wasn't sure either. She said they'd check me again in an hour and we'd know if I was staying. She continued to get things started, asking the routine questions. She asked me if I wanted an epidural and I told her I wasn't sure. She left for a few minutes and my contractions started getting very strong. I decided I couldn't take several hours of the pain so I told Todd to call the nurse and when she walked in I told her I wanted an epidural as soon as they knew I was staying. She said "I just talked to the doc. You're staying." So she started getting the IV in me. Impatiently I asked how long til I could get the epidural. She said about a half hour because they wanted half the bag of fluids in me in case my blood pressure drops from the epidural. Just about then I got a really strong contraction and felt a ton of pressure. I told the nurse and she said you might be complete and hurried to check me. She said "if you're at an 8 or 9, do you still want an epidural?" I told her "no" (knowing it wouldn't have time to really help.) She checked and said "you're a 7. Do you want one?" I said "yes" knowing with Roman I was at a 7 for hours. As soon as she realized I was at a 7 she called for other nurses to come it. They were all rushing to get things ready. That should've been my first clue things were gonna happen fast but I was in so much pain I could barely think. I told Todd to call my mom cuz I really wanted her to be there. My contractions were so strong and close together I didn't see much of a separation. The anesthesiologist got there a few min after all the nurses rushed in and he started the epidural. I never even got a chance to see his face, since I was turned the other way, working through the contractions that were one on top of another. I was feeling more and more pressure with each one and the nurses kept telling the anesthesiologist to hurry they needed to check me. Finally, he said they could lay me on my side to check while he finished up. The nurse that checked me said "she's complete and crowning." I told Todd to tell my mom to hurry but when Todd got her on the phone the nurse said "Tell her not to hurry. She won't make it." She was pretty much at the hospital and I prayed she would. The Dr. on call was Dr. Dayton. He came in at that point and they started having me push. I was excited when my mom got there about then. I pushed through 2 contractions and at 4:22pm our beautiful girl was born. She was crying and healthy. I couldn't get over how much she looked like Rome. When I thought about what we should name her I could only think Roman. She was even small like him. Smaller. She was 6 lbs 2oz. and he was 6lbs 7oz. I couldn't believe everything went so fast. She was delivered exactly one hour after we got to the hospital. And about ten min after my epidural. If I had known it was that close I wouldn't have gotten it but I thought it was still a ways out. Especially since I was in the tough transition phase when I got it. I did get a tiny bit of relief, but not much. I felt pretty much everything; my legs, my episiotomy, and the stitches after (even with a local anesthetic they gave me since I wasn't numb.) From the time I was convinced I was in real labor, to the time she was born, was about 2 hours, so I sure am glad I didn't take that nap. Now Todd and I have another beautiful child to love and care for one this Earth. Man I love her so much. It's going way too fast!!!