It all started on Wednesday, December 19...
It was after lunchtime and I was on my way downstairs to observe my dance class like I always do. All of a sudden I felt this wet and gooeyness "down there". I looked at my friends and they also could tell something was awkwardly wrong. I speed walked to the restroom to check what just happened. And there it was. My actual mucus plug all over my undies. It looked like someone with a really bad cold sneezed all over it. I wiped it out but bits and pieces kept coming out so I put on a pantie liner. For the rest of the day I constantly felt wet and sticky. So I waited until the end of the day to tell the nurse who is very much like my doctor and mother while I'm at school. When I told her what happened she said "That means your dilating more and labor may start soon." We both got so excited but then I told her that I feel constantly wet. Then she said that I should call my doctor and make sure that I'm not leaking any amniotic fluid. So I called my doctor and he said that I should go to labor and delivery to make sure. I all of a sudden felt anxious and excited all at the same time. All I kept thinking to myself was "Is this it?"
I went to the hospital and checked in to labor and delivery and told them I wanted to make sure I wasn't leaking any fluid. They checked me...and....nothing. I wasn't leaking fluid but I did indeed lose my mucus plug and I dilated to 2 cm So they sent me home and the waiting game began. So for the next two days I walked, and walked, and stretched and walked just waited to get something started (which I then regretted but we'll get to that later). By Friday I finally just said whatever and made the decision to enjoy my pregnancy as long as I can. So I made myself pregnancy pretty. I shaved (what I could see), I deep conditioned my hair, I even took pics of myself. Little did I know that that would be the last night I get with my beautiful belly.
I woke up the next morning pretty normal. I felt no special feeling but I was relaxed. Since it was a typical Saturday in my house, I was planning on lounging the day away anyways. But then I started having contractions. At first they were so mild that I thought that they were just Braxton Hicks so I didn't pay any attention to them. Then after a few hours they got stronger. I watched as my stomach tightened up for about a minute and then go away. Something told me to start timing them. So I opened up my recently downloaded Contraction Timer app and started timing them. Some contractions were 5 mins apart, some were 3, even one was 7. So of course I thought they were still just Braxton Hicks. Yea...it doesn't help that I have a high tolerance for pain. So I got up and did my normal prenatal yoga/stretches while watching Sister Act. The contractions kept getting worse. I couldn't even finish stretching. I sat down and started to time my contractions again. Along with that, I had increased pressure in my pelvic area as if I had to poop. The contractions were at least 3 or 4 mins apart by then. They felt like the worst period cramps in the world. Since I had the constant urge to use the restroom, I went to pee and when I got up there it was...bloody show. I knew it was time. I called my doctor, he told me to go to the hospital. So I grabbed my already packed hospital bag (thank God it was!) and my step dad drove me to the hospital.
I could barely walk up to the front desk because by then I was definitely in labor. The nurse hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor and the contraction monitor The nurse said that the contractions were almost right on top of each other and that I wasn't going anywhere. I was so excited because it was finally happening. My baby girl was finally about to come. I was in the hospital at about 3:20 pm. I made phone calls and sent out group text messages saying that I was in labor. In a way that was kind of a mistake because some of the responders called right after and it became a bit overwhelming. So for about an hour I was on social media and phone duty all while my contractions killed me. Strong as usual =P. Then I finally put the phone down since it was dying and turned on the TV The television was not really any help because I was still sort of anxious and phased my the fact that I was there about to have my baby. The nurse came in an hour later to check on how I was doing. I dilated to 3 1/2 cm. I asked when was I going to get the epidural and she said I would have to wait until I was 4 cm but she gave me something for the pain in the meantime. It was some drug that was put in my iv and boy did it make me feel so high as if I was at a pot house. It kind of eased away the pain but other than that it just made me feel fluffy and happy.
After at least 45 mins I was ready to get an epidural. The guy and the nurse came in and set me up. I had to hunch over and my bed was raised pretty high. I started to get scared because of the horror stories I have heard about the needle being so big. Please don't listen to those stories. The man who gave me the epidural was so nice and he said that its only going to feel like a Texas size bee sting. It wasn't even that. It was just a little pinch like a regular shot. After that, you feel absolutely nothing. When he was finally done, they laid me down and waited for it to kick in. I felt relaxed and I finally got like 2 hours of rest. When the nurse came back to check on me, it was time to push.
I pushed for about 45 minutes to an hour, so it went by pretty fast. Before I started pushing, I had to put my hand on my stomach one more time. It hit me that this was the last time where its just me. My doctor told me that she had a bowel movement in utero which was not good at all. So he called in the NICU nurses so he could make sure she was okay when she came out. Doctor Weix had to perform an episiotomy to make more room for her to get out. Of course I wasn't too happy about that. Before I knew it, there she was. I first saw her little arm and hand go up and heard her cry. I burst into tears as they brought her to her bed to clean her off and check her out. My baby girl. My beautiful precious angel of a baby girl was finally here. Doctor stitched me up but I could barely pay attention because my eyes were on her the entire time and all I wanted to do was hold her.
It was after lunchtime and I was on my way downstairs to observe my dance class like I always do. All of a sudden I felt this wet and gooeyness "down there". I looked at my friends and they also could tell something was awkwardly wrong. I speed walked to the restroom to check what just happened. And there it was. My actual mucus plug all over my undies. It looked like someone with a really bad cold sneezed all over it. I wiped it out but bits and pieces kept coming out so I put on a pantie liner. For the rest of the day I constantly felt wet and sticky. So I waited until the end of the day to tell the nurse who is very much like my doctor and mother while I'm at school. When I told her what happened she said "That means your dilating more and labor may start soon." We both got so excited but then I told her that I feel constantly wet. Then she said that I should call my doctor and make sure that I'm not leaking any amniotic fluid. So I called my doctor and he said that I should go to labor and delivery to make sure. I all of a sudden felt anxious and excited all at the same time. All I kept thinking to myself was "Is this it?"
I went to the hospital and checked in to labor and delivery and told them I wanted to make sure I wasn't leaking any fluid. They checked me...and....nothing. I wasn't leaking fluid but I did indeed lose my mucus plug and I dilated to 2 cm So they sent me home and the waiting game began. So for the next two days I walked, and walked, and stretched and walked just waited to get something started (which I then regretted but we'll get to that later). By Friday I finally just said whatever and made the decision to enjoy my pregnancy as long as I can. So I made myself pregnancy pretty. I shaved (what I could see), I deep conditioned my hair, I even took pics of myself. Little did I know that that would be the last night I get with my beautiful belly.
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| The last picture I took pregnant. |
I could barely walk up to the front desk because by then I was definitely in labor. The nurse hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor and the contraction monitor The nurse said that the contractions were almost right on top of each other and that I wasn't going anywhere. I was so excited because it was finally happening. My baby girl was finally about to come. I was in the hospital at about 3:20 pm. I made phone calls and sent out group text messages saying that I was in labor. In a way that was kind of a mistake because some of the responders called right after and it became a bit overwhelming. So for about an hour I was on social media and phone duty all while my contractions killed me. Strong as usual =P. Then I finally put the phone down since it was dying and turned on the TV The television was not really any help because I was still sort of anxious and phased my the fact that I was there about to have my baby. The nurse came in an hour later to check on how I was doing. I dilated to 3 1/2 cm. I asked when was I going to get the epidural and she said I would have to wait until I was 4 cm but she gave me something for the pain in the meantime. It was some drug that was put in my iv and boy did it make me feel so high as if I was at a pot house. It kind of eased away the pain but other than that it just made me feel fluffy and happy.
After at least 45 mins I was ready to get an epidural. The guy and the nurse came in and set me up. I had to hunch over and my bed was raised pretty high. I started to get scared because of the horror stories I have heard about the needle being so big. Please don't listen to those stories. The man who gave me the epidural was so nice and he said that its only going to feel like a Texas size bee sting. It wasn't even that. It was just a little pinch like a regular shot. After that, you feel absolutely nothing. When he was finally done, they laid me down and waited for it to kick in. I felt relaxed and I finally got like 2 hours of rest. When the nurse came back to check on me, it was time to push.
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| PUSH!!! |
Gabriella Alexis Anderson
Born on December 22, 2012
@ 10:59 pm
7 pounds
19 1/2 Inches
I will write another blog on my postpartum/post-birth experience but for right now I just wanted to reflect on everything from pregnancy to this moment...
This 9 month journey really hasn't been easy. I have cried so many times and felt lonely because I was doing this all by myself. But along with those not so good moments, I have also had a lot of great and wonderful moments. I can tell you that I sat in my recovery room just sitting there thinking back from the moment I found out I was pregnant, to when I gave birth and every other moment in between. Even though I cried, I feel extremely blessed. God has given me the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for and He has brought me through so much. I mean come on. I am 18 years old, a senior in high school, no job, baby daddy is away, most of my family is 3 hours away in Louisiana so I have very limited help, I have family problems, I have demons from the past that I am still trying to deal with, but with all of that going on I am doing a damn good job so far of taking care of my baby and other things I need to take care of and I thank God for it.
So to all of you my beautiful readers and followers, please make sure nobody tells you that you cant do something or that its impossible. Because trust me, everything is possible.
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| Proud Mommy |
I'll put the link to my Picasa album to see all the pictures I have of her down below. Of course keep following this blog, me on Twitter and Instagram for more fun and updates. The fun has only begun! More fun blogs and exciting news to come. I plan on showing you all my weight loss journey, my modelling journey, my journey to graduation, personal journeys, holiday journeys, vacation journeys, of course journeys with Gabby and I, and any other journeys you can think of!
~*Gabriella*~
And...
And...
Wanna see how my belly blew up? I have an entire album showing my pregnancy week by week.
Week by Week with Gabby
More fun to come!
Keep the faith.
-Kortney
"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg
"No one can imagine their life having their own children. But when they are born, no one can imagine life without them."~ Unknown
Week by Week with Gabby
More fun to come!
Keep the faith.
-Kortney
"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg
"No one can imagine their life having their own children. But when they are born, no one can imagine life without them."~ Unknown
