Labor

On May 04th, we arrived at Springhill Hospital at 530am. I didn't sleep much the night before. I'd anticipated this day for 9 long months (40 wks and 3 days)! And was in for a surprise-- labor was everything I expected it to be and MUCH, MUCH more. Around 6am they started my IV with pitocin. I began to feel some contractions (mild, but I wasn't always sure if I was having a contraction or not). I'd ask the nurse, "Am I having one?" Usually, she'd say, "yes." Around 10am the doctor came in and broke my water (still at 2cm dilated). After this, I DIDNT HAVE TO ASK! I knew when I had a contraction. Contractions were stronger and more regular at 2 1/2 minutes apart. I decided to wait until I was at least 4cm to get an epidural. At 1130am I was between 4-5cm dilated. We called for the epidural. At this point, I was in some pain. However, I really felt like I was capable of tolerating the pain and having a natural birth without the epidural. But I'm sure that was the "bad guy" on my shoulder putting those thoughts in my head! The "good guy" said, "GET THE MEDICINE, YOU PAID FOR IT ALREADY!" And $1000.00 is a LOT of money to waste. So, around 12pm I got the epidural. After the epidural, I was 6cm. Really, I'm not an advocate of the epidural. I felt like I wasn't in control of my body. I lost more feeling on the left side than on my right. My left leg was dead weight, and I asked Austin to move it for me several times. This frustrated me. However, I was able to relax after the epidural and spend a little quality time with Aus. Around 8cm, I began to feel contractions again. They weren't as strong as they were before the epidural, but were a little uncomfortable. The nurse recommended that I get another dose of the epidural. I refused it because I knew that I was so close to pushing. I did not want to feel even more out of control and not know whether or not I was pushing. Between 8 and 10cm Hallie's heart rate became irregular. It would drop, then rise. The nurse tried to reposition me in order to stabilize her heart rate. At 3pm, I was 10cm. Hallie's head was transverse (side ways) in the birth canal. So, this meant extra work for me. During contractions, the nurses tried to turn her head face down, but she wouldn't keep it that way. Then, they were able to get her face up (which still meant harder labor). Once again, she turned back sideways. So, they decided to let me try and deliver her transverse. Pushing was hard work! Of course, I pushed 3 times during each contraction for 10 seconds each. Since I didn't get more of the epidural, I was able to tell the nurse when I had a contraction instead of her looking at the monitor and telling me when to push. After several pushes, I glanced at the clock. Time seemed to have stopped. Only 5 minutes had passed. So, I told them the clock HAD TO GO. Austin took it off the wall. He was so supportive during the entire labor process. He didn't sit back and watch, he helped both me and the nurses. This support and constant encouragement made it easier for me to stay focused, because there were a few times that I felt like I couldn't push one more time. I will never forget the first time Austin saw her head. The nurse said, "I see hair." And Austin said, "what? are you serious?" (This was his exact response when he found out we were pregnant with Hallie). When he saw all of the hair on her head, he glowed. It was a moment I will never forget. After an hour of pushing, they called for the doctor. Once he arrived, I pushed through two contractions (six times) and delivered her face down at 4:18pm. I remember saying, "There is her head," and at that moment tears filled both of our eyes. After pulling the rest of her body out, the doctor tossed her onto my stomach. I held her, and we admired her as tears continued to fall. Hallie Elizabeth Tanner weighed 7lbs and was 20 1/2 inches long! This day forever changed our lives....

May 04th is a day we will never forget. On this day in 2007, we officially started dating after a telephone conversation where Austin asked, "So, are we together OR what?" So straight-forward. And three years later on that same day, we held a precious miracle in our arms. First, ONE man and woman were joined together. Then, TWO created a precious life and became THREE. All on the FOURTH day of the FIFTH month.