Monday, January 31, 2011

Meet Aubryn Joy

We'd like to officially welcome our precious baby girl, Aubryn Joy, into the world! I'll rewind a little over a month to tell the story of her arrival.

I was due on December 24th and had an induction scheduled for the 29th if she hadn't arrived before then. So the evening of the 28th we anxiously made sure we had all of our last-minute items packed, and we tried to get some sleep before the big day. I was going to be waking up around 4:30 to take a shower and be at the hospital by 6, but at 1:30 in the morning (after maybe only falling asleep for 30 minutes), our plans changed. I woke up with pretty strong contractions, and within the next hour, my contractions went from 9 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart! This was really it! We got in the car, called the family, and then were quickly admitted into the hospital. Within the next hour I got all settled into my room and received my epidural. I was excited to see that I was already dilated to 5cm and didn't have to be induced...they say inductions make for tougher labor, so I was thankful my body kicked into gear on its own. My family arrived quickly, and we enjoyed visiting with my parents and sister while watching massive contractions on the monitor and not feeling anything! It was great! David and I tried to get a little snooze, and we peacefully watched an incredible sunrise while listening to the sweet sound of our little girl's heartbeat.


I was progressing steadily, and by around 11:30 we were ready to push. As I began pushing (which is challenging when you can't feel anything from your waist down!) Aubryn's little heartbeat would fall with each contraction and push. The doctors kept a close eye on us both, and I really was never worried. I LOVED my doctor- I felt very safe and confident in his care. Around 12:30 in the afternoon, the doctor decided to use forceps to get her out since she was already so low and in a perfect position for forceps. So, with a couple pushes and the biggest salad tongs you've ever seen...Aubryn was born. With a loud cry and an immediate cuddle on my tummy, I had my baby in my arms. She was a healthy 7 lbs 6 oz and 19 inches long.
It was such a surreal, incredible experience, and I really loved every second of the labor and delivery. God's design for life is so intricate, careful, and perfect. I feel so blessed and privileged that we were able to share in the process of God's creation! Stay tuned for one month updates!