Autumn's Birth Story
Welcome to our first family blog! I realize that ever since having a new baby that things have gotten even busier. It has been a while since I last blogged. I will try and keep everyone updated on our lives as a new family. I look forward to getting back to blogging and sharing our story with all of you.
In my last blog, I was very pregnant with our baby girl at 37 weeks. As the weeks progressed, I became SUPER pregnant... My lower back pain became worse and I wondered if our baby girl was ever going to come. My due date was October 26th, so the doctors scheduled me to be induced by November 2nd if the baby didn't come sooner.
Finally, by November 1st, I started feeling contractions at about 2:30 in the morning. They almost felt like period cramps and were a little painful. I couldn't tell if they were contractions or not. I had a hard time sleeping because the cramps that I felt became more frequent. I woke up Collin at about 4am telling him that I thought I was feeling contractions. I called my doctor and she said to wait an hour to see if the contractions were getting closer together and then come in to the hospital. Sure enough, they were getting closer and more frequent.
We got to the hospital at about 5:45am. They took a look at things to see if I was in labor. I was dilated to a 3. Since I was not really dilating before, that was a pretty big deal. I went from half a centimeter to a 3 pretty quickly. They admitted me into the delivery room to get ready to have the baby!
We were both very tired, but so excited to welcome our baby girl real soon! I was then hooked up to the fetal monitor and got ready to get my epidural. The original plan was to get an epidural, because I have a very low pain tolerance rate... I got the epidural when I was still only dilated to a 3. We knew that the pain would get worse so I am glad I got it early on in my labor. After getting my epidural, I tried to get some rest. That was hard to do with the excitement of the birth of our daughter. :) I remember feeling completely numb from the waist down after the epidural took effect. I could barely feel my legs.
After getting my IV, I could only eat/drink liquids. I basically only had water, jello, and broth the whole time I was in the delivery room. You can imagine just how hungry I was during the whole delivery process...
Later, my nurse came in and told that me that my contractions were doing something funky. They were coming faster then usual, but weren't strong enough. I didn't really feel them... yet, so I couldn't tell what was going on. Eventually, the nurse fixed the problem and my contractions became more steady.
Time passed and my doctor came in to check my cervix. At this point, I was dilated to a 6. That was when she broke my water. Luckily I couldn't feel it because of my epidural. It was a relief...for a little while.
More time passed and I noticed I was feeling painful contractions...so much that it was really hurting my back. It's like I mentioned, I was feeling lower back pain before going into labor. With contractions, the back pain felt more intense. I thought that it was weird, because I had gotten the epidural. I wondered why I was feeling so much pain. The nurse had an anesthesiologist come in to give me more pain killers. After a while, even that didn't work. So the nurse called another anesthesiologist to come in. He discovered that the epidural was too high on my back. Because of this, he had to lower my epidural. That was probably the hardest part about my labor, because I couldn't move my legs. I was also already dilated to an 8 at this point so I was in so much pain. It was just so hard for me to hold still for the anesthesiologist. He eventually got the epidural replaced and my back felt a lot better.
For the rest if the time, we waited until I was fully dilated. Once I was fully dilated, I was ready to push! The doctor told me that I would have to keep pushing until the baby was passed my pelvic bone. Once the baby was passed my pelvic bone, then I would be able to push the baby out. I remember constantly feeling the urge to push with every intense contraction I felt. It was always a relief every time I pushed. It literally felt like exercise on steroids. I pushed for a long time! I was breathing heavy, really sweaty, and my hair was a rat's nest. Finally I was able to push the baby out.
After 17 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, there was a small pause. At about 11:16pm, the doctor looked at me and said, "Kaitlin, look down! Here is your baby girl!" They then placed her on my chest for skin-to-skin time. It was the best feeling in the world to bond with my sweet baby girl. That's when we decided to give her the name Autumn Rebecca. We both really like those names and they suited her.
The nurses gave her a bath and got her measurements. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long. She was a healthy, beautiful newborn who did very well the whole time we were at the hospital. She could breastfeed right away! She latched on the moment that she was born.
My mom came into town just hours after Autumn was born! Her original plan was to come on November 1st. We didn't know then that that day would be Autumn's birthday. It was perfect timing on her part. It was so neat to see her here in Texas. She came all the way from California to help us out. For that, I am very grateful for.
My overall hospital stay was good with great room service, food, and nurses. I'm not sure how much sleep I got the whole time I was there, but I enjoyed all the care I received while being there. I was able to go home with our baby after 3 days of staying at the hospital. I liked my time there, but was so glad to be home.
We love and cherish our sweet Autumn. More than anything, I am thankful that she is healthy baby and that I was able to deliver her naturally. I have also loved watching Collin become a father. He is so good to little Autumn. I love watching him hold her, kiss her cheeks, and caring for her. Not to mention he is good at swaddling. ;)
I can't believe that now we are family of 3! Well, 4 if you include our dog Chloe. :) I can't wait to see what new adventures await us.
Coming Home from the Hospital
Happy to be home
In my last blog, I was very pregnant with our baby girl at 37 weeks. As the weeks progressed, I became SUPER pregnant... My lower back pain became worse and I wondered if our baby girl was ever going to come. My due date was October 26th, so the doctors scheduled me to be induced by November 2nd if the baby didn't come sooner.
Finally, by November 1st, I started feeling contractions at about 2:30 in the morning. They almost felt like period cramps and were a little painful. I couldn't tell if they were contractions or not. I had a hard time sleeping because the cramps that I felt became more frequent. I woke up Collin at about 4am telling him that I thought I was feeling contractions. I called my doctor and she said to wait an hour to see if the contractions were getting closer together and then come in to the hospital. Sure enough, they were getting closer and more frequent.
We got to the hospital at about 5:45am. They took a look at things to see if I was in labor. I was dilated to a 3. Since I was not really dilating before, that was a pretty big deal. I went from half a centimeter to a 3 pretty quickly. They admitted me into the delivery room to get ready to have the baby!
We were both very tired, but so excited to welcome our baby girl real soon! I was then hooked up to the fetal monitor and got ready to get my epidural. The original plan was to get an epidural, because I have a very low pain tolerance rate... I got the epidural when I was still only dilated to a 3. We knew that the pain would get worse so I am glad I got it early on in my labor. After getting my epidural, I tried to get some rest. That was hard to do with the excitement of the birth of our daughter. :) I remember feeling completely numb from the waist down after the epidural took effect. I could barely feel my legs.
After getting my IV, I could only eat/drink liquids. I basically only had water, jello, and broth the whole time I was in the delivery room. You can imagine just how hungry I was during the whole delivery process...
Later, my nurse came in and told that me that my contractions were doing something funky. They were coming faster then usual, but weren't strong enough. I didn't really feel them... yet, so I couldn't tell what was going on. Eventually, the nurse fixed the problem and my contractions became more steady.
Time passed and my doctor came in to check my cervix. At this point, I was dilated to a 6. That was when she broke my water. Luckily I couldn't feel it because of my epidural. It was a relief...for a little while.
More time passed and I noticed I was feeling painful contractions...so much that it was really hurting my back. It's like I mentioned, I was feeling lower back pain before going into labor. With contractions, the back pain felt more intense. I thought that it was weird, because I had gotten the epidural. I wondered why I was feeling so much pain. The nurse had an anesthesiologist come in to give me more pain killers. After a while, even that didn't work. So the nurse called another anesthesiologist to come in. He discovered that the epidural was too high on my back. Because of this, he had to lower my epidural. That was probably the hardest part about my labor, because I couldn't move my legs. I was also already dilated to an 8 at this point so I was in so much pain. It was just so hard for me to hold still for the anesthesiologist. He eventually got the epidural replaced and my back felt a lot better.
For the rest if the time, we waited until I was fully dilated. Once I was fully dilated, I was ready to push! The doctor told me that I would have to keep pushing until the baby was passed my pelvic bone. Once the baby was passed my pelvic bone, then I would be able to push the baby out. I remember constantly feeling the urge to push with every intense contraction I felt. It was always a relief every time I pushed. It literally felt like exercise on steroids. I pushed for a long time! I was breathing heavy, really sweaty, and my hair was a rat's nest. Finally I was able to push the baby out.
After 17 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, there was a small pause. At about 11:16pm, the doctor looked at me and said, "Kaitlin, look down! Here is your baby girl!" They then placed her on my chest for skin-to-skin time. It was the best feeling in the world to bond with my sweet baby girl. That's when we decided to give her the name Autumn Rebecca. We both really like those names and they suited her.
The nurses gave her a bath and got her measurements. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long. She was a healthy, beautiful newborn who did very well the whole time we were at the hospital. She could breastfeed right away! She latched on the moment that she was born.
My mom came into town just hours after Autumn was born! Her original plan was to come on November 1st. We didn't know then that that day would be Autumn's birthday. It was perfect timing on her part. It was so neat to see her here in Texas. She came all the way from California to help us out. For that, I am very grateful for.
My overall hospital stay was good with great room service, food, and nurses. I'm not sure how much sleep I got the whole time I was there, but I enjoyed all the care I received while being there. I was able to go home with our baby after 3 days of staying at the hospital. I liked my time there, but was so glad to be home.
We love and cherish our sweet Autumn. More than anything, I am thankful that she is healthy baby and that I was able to deliver her naturally. I have also loved watching Collin become a father. He is so good to little Autumn. I love watching him hold her, kiss her cheeks, and caring for her. Not to mention he is good at swaddling. ;)
I can't believe that now we are family of 3! Well, 4 if you include our dog Chloe. :) I can't wait to see what new adventures await us.
First Family Photo. I will treasure this always.
Shortly after I got admitted to the hospital. All smiles...for now.
Meeting our girl for the first time. I look so exhausted, sweaty, and my hair was a mess. It was all worth it to bring our sweet girl into the world. We fell instantly in love.
Getting all cleaned up
Discovering the world
She likes to stick out her tounge
Shortly after getting her measurements. She wasn't too happy here, but she is a healthy baby girl
Baby Autumn all swaddled up and sleeping after a big day!
The snuggles are the best part
Taking some pictures with my cute girl
Three Generations
My
mom stayed with us for over two weeks. She was a big help with taking care of the
baby, cleaning, and making delicious food. I am forever grateful for my
mom and all that she has done for me. I hope to follow her example and
be a good mom to Autumn.
I was probably crying right before this picture was taken. My emotions were off the chart after giving birth. I also felt so much love while holding my precious daughter.
Her first bubbles. :)
Much more coming soon!
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