Grace Nella Mae Grove

You all {probably} know how out spoken I am about childbirth. I just enjoy all things labor and delivery and so I talk about it a lot. I thought at least maybe a few of you might enjoy Miss Grace's arrival story....

June 15th, 2012- One week "overdue" with a non-stress test and ultrasound scheduled at 1:45pm

4:30am I wake up off and on with some cramping

5:00am My first legitimate contraction that really gets my attention....so I lay there. My heart was racing! "Could this really be it?!" 

5:30am I decide to get up. I whisper to Tyler that I'm in labor :) I spend some time with Jesus {please do this in early labor if you can, I can't tell you how special it was and how much it helped} I find a verse "He whose mind is fixed on You finds peace" I decided this was going to be my anthem.

6:00am-9:00am I putter around the house, contractions are about 4-5 mins apart and bearable I play with Riley a little here and there but my mind is needing to focus more and more

9:00am My dad comes to the rescue to take Ri man to the park and make a day of it so Tyler can be with me and help me through some contractions. 

9:00am-12:00pm Ok this is gettin a little intense. I called my midwife to see if I should still plan on coming to the appointments I'm scheduled for. I think because I was able to talk with her she assumed I wasn't really in labor, so she said yes come to the ultrasound. Episodes of the "Office" kept us company...but then it just got annoying. 

12:45pm Ok fine lets just go. If I'm not too bad, I thought, I'll just go to the ultrasound. 

Then, we hit I-5, which is about 10 miles from our home and I tell Tyler to just go straight to Labor and Delivery. 

We get to the hospital at 1:45, I have 5 contractions from the car to the door. I have to sit and sign papers {obnoxious, though I'm sure many women, like I did with Ri, think they're in labor and still have a ways to go, so the women asking me to sign papers weren't taking my need to stop every 2 mins too seriously}

I go to triage to get checked to see if I am in active labor and whether or not they are going to admit me. The nurse checks me and suddenly she's moving rather quickly. 

I'm 7cm dilated and my water is about to break. Quickly the nurses get me checked in and this point on I am moving right a long. 

4:00pm I feel the "urge" to push, but to be honest in my head I thought "I don't want to do this" I was giving it quite a wimpy effort and I could tell my midwife wasn't too impressed. I remember thinking "Why the heck do I do this to myself?" But, my verse from the morning hit me and I decided to take this a little more seriously. Plus I was about to meet my GIRL!!! 

4:47pm One last push and Tyler {assisted by my midwife} pulls our daughter out and..."She was so worth it!!!"I said. Tyler handed me our baby girl and I was in heaven. 

I have to say, I fully enjoyed this labor and delivery. It was quick, uncomplicated, uneventful and just what I was hoping for. I can actually say that I am ready to do this again....someday. First I'll enjoy the two I've been given.

I'm blessed.