We got our call at 6:12am on 9/7/21 that a nurse and a room was ready for us to come in for our induction. We got to the hospital at 7:15am and they admitted me to our room. We got all settled and the nurse started me on pitocin and we waited for an hour before breaking my water. I was at a 1cm dilated and 80% effaced and had been for over 3 weeks.
Once they broke my water contractions really started to kick in, I labored for 3 hours watching friends trying to relax as much as I could, then decided to get my epidural so I could get some rest so my body could dilate. Before I got my epidural my room all of a sudden started to smell of paint fumes. Turns out they were painting the room right next to mine, and all the fumes were making it’s way to my room. The nurses and Spencer started to freak out because obviously a laboring mother can’t be inhaling paint fumes haha. Well they had me get my epidural before moving rooms, and I was trying so hard to not throw up from the fumes while they were placing it.
They finally got me into a new room and we settled in. By 3pm I had only dilated to a 3 so things were taking it’s sweet time. While I was progressing I kept thinking about a dream I had had about Lany shortly after we found out she was a girl. The dream was of me in the delivery room getting ready to start pushing, then it jumped to the doctor placing her on my chest, and it was so real. I could feel her warmth on my chest and I could hear the distinctiveness in her cries. It was so surreal. And now I was there waiting for that moment!! Within 2 hours of laboring with the peanut ball I dilated to a 7-8 and we called our birth photographer. They turned my pitocin down as much as we could since my nurse could tell my body was going to do the rest quickly.
Our photographer got to our room at 6:10pm and at 6:20 our new nurse came in to check me, and told me it was time to push! As soon as Spencer heard the nurse he started to cry. He came over and hugged me, and we had this special moment where it was the two of us for the last time. We were both crying saying that we were about to meet our baby girl. We did 4 sets of practice pushes, while waiting for our Doctor who was coming to special deliver her. He had me stop pushing while we waited for him and those 15 minutes were so sweet, I felt no pressure or pain. It was nothing like I thought labor was going to be like. Spencer and I just chatted and laughed together with our videographer.
Our doctor finally made it and it was go time. I pushed only 5 times, during my last set of pushes I started to get so emotional, that dream was about to become my reality. Then we heard “here’s your little girl!” Hearing those first cries and feeling her on my chest it was so familiar, like I had already done this before. I couldn’t get her close enough to me and I kept saying “hi baby girl” it was the most euphoric thing I’ve ever experienced. I never understood when people said they loved labor and delivery, and no I understood it. It was the most magical thing I’ve ever experienced!!
At 6:57pm Lany Anne was born weighing 6lbs 3oz and was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better delivery experience, heaven was so close and I wish I could relive it over and over again!