The nurse practitioner stripped my membranes (again, she also did this at my 39 week check.) and set up the induction date for the next morning!

After the appointment, I went home, finished home schooling for the day, and finished up last minute laundry and what-not. I showed Lee how to fix up Annora's hair and such. Then we went to Walmart to get some stuff (cold meds, mostly, the kids and I all have a nice head cold.), then out to eat at Culvers.

We got home relaxed, and lined up Grandma to come watch the kids from about 7am the next day, then a family friend was going to come around 3pm to help her out. I decided to jump in the shower.

I had been cramping all day, but they were just the not-painful false contractions... until I got in the shower at 9pm. I was very annoyed at the thought, being that we had just lined up the sitters for the next day, and I really wanted a good night's sleep. So I got out of the shower, read to the kids and tucked them in, and came out to watch the news with Lee. After 3 contractions at 4 minutes apart each I knew this was "it". I reluctantly told Lee to call back his mom and told her we needed her now instead. I felt really bad, but she was fine with it. Being that we live a good 40 minutes away from the hospital, we left as soon as she got to our house. It was a little after 10pm.

We got to the hospital around 11pm. The nurse brought me into the triage room to verify that I was in labor. I was a "loose 5... can stretch you to 6, with bulging waters" when she checked me. Contractions were starting to hurt a bit. She had to call down to the lab to get my group b strep results, and, yep, you guessed it... I was positive.

So then she tells me I need to have at least 4 HOURS of antibiotics before I deliver. HA HA HA. She didn't realize why I was laughing so hard at that until an hour later...

We got a room. At this point I started wigged out. Maybe it was the fact I was tired, or had this bad head-cold, or just not dealing well with having to change rooms... but I started crying. I didn't think I could do it. Since the triage room, about 30 seconds before each contraction my body would start shaking violently. I could not for the life of me control the shaking! It would last the whole contraction, and then stop until about 30 seconds before the next one. I knew as soon as my body started shaking again that I was about to get hit with another contraction.

The nurse said all my contractions were off the charts, but when she checked me, I was the same as when we had left triage... 7cm. She tried to comfort me by saying the bag of waters was really bulging, and the head was really low, but I lost it. I started begging for an epidural. The nurse told me the epi guy would be about 40 minutes to get here, and it would be another 20 minutes to take effect. I just wanted a break! With my last delivery, going from 7cm to birth was another couple hours. I couldn't handle it that much longer!! I watched the clock hit midnight... and figured by 3 or 4 my baby would be here.

Suddenly baby kicked me really hard, and I just knew something was wrong... her whole body seemed to be convulsing in me. I asked the nurse what was wrong... then I hear the monitor start the dreaded beeping...

The nurse went over and was looking at the paper showing the contractions and baby's heart rate. I practically yelled at her to help my baby... she seemed to suddenly agree and she and Lee quickly moved me to my side. The heart rate appeared again, but way too slow and erratic. My body thought this would be a great time to start throwing up.

Then I started feeling the urge to push! Nurse checked me and said I was about an 8, but the head was about out... she told the doctor (the one on call... I'd never met him...) to come in and break the waters, because there is no way we are waiting another 3 1/2 hours. (for the antibiotics). So he comes in and to break the waters...

Here's where we must go by minutes...

12:48am... waters are broken... nurse screams into the hallway "call NICU, we've got meconium (poop)"... everyone yells at me to stop pushing... I'm not! I'm not!! Someone screams we need suction... this room is missing the tubes...

12:49am... I am flipped onto my back (I was still on my side)... the head is out... the NICU still isn't here...

12:50am... baby slides out... I never even pushed... and was still only about 9cm dilated...

I see a glimpse of baby as the NICU team gets her to the baby warmer to work on her. She seemed waaaaaaaaaaaay too small to me. DH goes over and films (I don't think he had any idea that poo in utero was a very bad thing...

12:51am... apgar score of 3... not breathing, blue, about lifeless...

I am asking over and over "how is she? How is she?" but no one answers... I figured either she's really bad, or she's not a she... so I ask "it's a girl, right???...

One NICU nurse says "I don't know... haven't really looked..." what?? Another one comments "she's pooing some more now... oh! She's peeing, too... so it's officially a girl.

12:55am... 5 minute apgar score of 8. She finally lets out a raspy cry. I ask why is she so small??? But the nurses just look at me like I'm nuts.

1am... 10 minute apgar of 8. Most of the NICU team leaves. The nurses clean her up and weigh her

8lbs 4oz
22 inches long
head 15
chest 13 1/2

Finally she is handed to me. Full head of reddish blond hair. Dark eyes. Very skinny and petite compared to all my other babies!! I am in love. We name her Marosa Jade.

Because of the group b strep thing we had to stay 48 hours. (I usually go home after 24.) She has been a real trooper. She is sleepy, and a little jaundice... but nothing bad. I need to work to get her to nurse, though. She would just sleep all the time if she could!