Harper's Birth Story

Saturday, May 20, 2017.

I had just stepped out of the shower and was getting ready to go to lunch with Matt and Sawyer. I had been craving BJ's all week and told Matt I wanted to go for lunch just in case we weren't able to make it to dinner. For some reason I just had a feeling Harper was on her way.
It was about 12:30 pm, I had just gotten dressed and was about to blow-dry my hair and I felt my water break. Just like so many people had told me, it was just a little bit but enough for me to know I didn't just pee myself. I went out into the living room and told Matt. He called his mom to come watch Sawyer (who was taking a nap).
I knew Matt's mom would be at least 20 minutes, so I decided to finish getting ready so I could look decent during the process. However, what no one told me is that I would continue to leak fluid... (I apologize for all the times you may think "TMI" during this post) Every time I moved more would come out. I kept having Matt get me towels and then having to replace them. I went through about 4 just in the 20-30 minutes while we waited for Matt's mom to get there. At one point I just stood in the shower and let Matt get all my stuff packed into the truck.
I was so sad to not see Sawyer before she woke up from her nap, I knew that our whole world was going to be different the next time I saw her.
We got to the hospital around 1:30. I sat in the truck while Matt went in to get me a wheelchair. The next thing I see is him walking out just holding a towel. He said they told him just to give me the towel and put in on the chair in the waiting room while we waited to get registered. Two thoughts came to mind. 1. Can't you register for me and they can take me to a room? 2. NEVER EVER sit on the chairs in the labor and delivery waiting room... GA-rodie.
So there I stood in the middle of a crowded waiting room just dripping away as I waited for my turn. There were about 4 women in labor that all came in at the same time. I was 2nd, thankfully.
We got registered and then they took us to another waiting room, but this time it was private and had a bed. Every time I moved at all, more would gush, it was rather embarrassing. When the nurses came in to check me they said, "Normally we'll check the fluid just to be sure it's amniotic fluid and not just urine, but I think it's safe to say it's amniotic fluid." They kept asking me if my doctor had mentioned anything to me about having excess fluid because with how much I had expelled and how much was still left. I told them all they had ever told me was that it looked good.
Thankfully we didn't have to wait there very long before going to a delivery room. I was only at a 3 when we got there but the contractions were already pretty painful. I just kept thinking, "HOW did I go natural last time??" Since I've had Sawyer all I've thought is how I wished I would have gotten an epidural with her. I was just in so much pain and screaming the whole time that I think it took away from the experience. BUT feeling the very beginning contractions and how painful they were already and knowing that they got SO MUCH WORSE made me pretty proud that I made it all the way without an epidural last time. That being said, I told the nurses I wanted to get my epidural in just as soon as possible.
They came in and gave me my IV and took some blood samples. Not too long after that I told the nurse, "I'm feeling pretty lightheaded" She told me just to take some deep breaths. Then I said, "I think I'm going to pass out" and a couple seconds later I said, "Yup!". Little did the nurse know, I've passed out several times in my life and I KNOW when it's coming. The next thing I knew I was waking up to the nurse calling my name and telling me to keep my eyes open and to breathe! Apparently I had been out for about 30 seconds, normally it's only 5-10 seconds that I'm out. I asked Matt if it was obvious that I passed out or if they thought I was just closing my eyes. He said it was obvious and that it was not fun for him. I kind of chuckled about it, but the nurse and Matt both assured me that it was NOT FUNNY. They gave me some oxygen to breathe until I felt all better.
I started getting a lightheaded again not too long after that and the nurse took it much more seriously when I brought it up, I was given oxygen, a cold compress and smelling salts to make sure I didn't pass out again.
After that drama the anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural. Bless her. They numb you up pretty good so you don't feel much pain from the needle, but it is a weird feeling that I can't really explain. Just pressure right in the middle of your back. Each time it gets pumped into my system I would get a cold rush from my shoulders down my back. My legs went numb pretty quick, but they never felt like they were just gone. They just felt like they were asleep, which was so annoying. You could touch them and I wouldn't feel a thing and I certainly couldn't move them, but they were tingly the whole time. I kept trying to move my legs to try and wake them up (out of habit) but I couldn't budge them. All that is TOTALLY worth not feeling the contractions though.
They adjusted my bed so I could sit up and Matt and I played some phase 10 while we waited for me to progress. I gotta say, that is a lot better than just screaming the whole time. When they came back to check me I hadn't progressed very much so they wanted me to lay back down again.
Our friends Ben and Breann and their daughter Isla came to hang out with us for a bit. Breann was going to stay and take pictures. They got there at about 6 and the nurse had told me I was only at about a 5 and probably had a good 3-4 hours left before anything would happen. I sent Matt with Ben and Breann to go and get some dinner since neither of us had lunch (I was so sad that we weren't able to go to BJ's). They got back around 7:45. Breann was sweet enough to pick me up some treats from Sweet Tooth Fairy to eat after I had the baby. I was almost as excited to eat them as I was to meet my newest daughter. The nurse came in and told me I was at a 6 so at that point I figured Harper wouldn't make her appearance until after midnight. Ben had taken Isla home, so the three of us were just hanging out and chatting. About an hour later they came back to check me again. The nurse said, "Ok, you're complete" I was super confused. I said, "Complete as in...?" She said, "You're at a 10" I could not believe it. I went from a 6 to a 10 in an hour. She asked me if I felt any pressure to push and I told her I couldn't feel a thing (I love epidurals). Once my doctor got there they told me on the next contraction to start pushing. Since I couldn't tell when I was having a contraction, they had to tell me when that was. The next contraction came and I pushed three times throughout. I asked them if I was even doing anything and my doctor assured me I was doing well. The next contraction came and three more pushes. On the 3rd contraction Miss Harper Leigh was born. It was SO EASY! I immediately started crying and was so happy. She was perfect. She was all cheeks and I was so immediately in love.
She was born at 9:52 pm, weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. Sawyer weighed 7, 15 but was also 5 days late, she was also 2 inches shorter.
I'm convinced that my girl's personalities are a direct result of how they came in to the world. Sawyer came in with a lot of screaming and Harper came in really peacefully. We'll see how/if that changes throughout their lives.
We are so blessed to have two healthy girls. It's still surreal to me that I am a mother, and now I am a mother of two.
Welcome to the world Harper Leigh Halls.