9-23-14
I could not sleep the night before I went into the hospital! Having an actual date was a double-edged sword. I loved that I was able to get everything checked off my list, but it also gave me anxiety and made me so nervous! My plan was to have a low-key evening: pack our hospital bag, get ready and into bed early, but of course we got into bed around midnight with no packed bag. I tossed and turned all night. I nervously called the hospital at 6 am and was told to call back at 8 am. Since I couldn't sleep, and I didn't feel like getting out of bed, I figured it was a good idea to spend some time trying to figure out what to name this baby!
I called at 8 and they told me to call back again at 9. At this point I was getting really anxious and doubtful that I would have the baby on this day, but instead of waiting around, Drew and I decided to get ready to go just in case.
I called at 9:15 and they said they would have someone call me within the next couple of hours and tell me when to come in. I was relieved. At least I knew I was going to have the baby today. So we continued getting ready.
At 9:45 a nurse called me and asked me to come in to the hospital at 10:30. AHHHH!! Anxiety really hit me at this point. We lived 40 minutes away in Springville, and still hadn't packed our bags!! I hung up the phone and Drew and I raced back and forth throwing everything we could think of into our bag. We grabbed Marlee, jumped into the car, and sped off towards the Riverton Hospital. My mom met us at the hospital and picked up Marlee, and from that point forward was the waiting game.
My progress was really slow at first. I was only dilated to a near 3 and was around 65 or 70% effaced. They started me on my antibiotics and Pitocin, then gave me my epidural, which was a really low dosage because it was still pretty early. Progress was still pretty slow, so we had lots of time to pick a name out of the 5 we were deciding between.
Sophie moved her hand above her head and the nurse talked about a possible c-section. I was so terrified and began to rethink my decision of being induced. Luckily Dr. England came in and was able to push her hand out of the way. Let me tell you, that was one of the most awkward and uncomfortable feelings I have felt.
Then Sophie's heart rate kept dropping every time I had a contraction (just like Marlee's), so they filled me back up with saline to try to help ease the stress on the baby (same exact thing happened with Mar Mar).
All of a sudden everything happened so fast. My contractions went from light little cramps to really really strong, almost unbearably strong. By the time I realized I needed a stronger dose of my epidural, it was too late. It was game time. The nurse could see Sophie's head, and we were waiting for the doctor to come so I could deliver Sophie. I had a death grip on the bed handle and was doing everything I could to breathe through the contractions. These were no wimpy contractions, I felt like my body was going to split in half or I was going to pass out from the pain if it lasted much longer. The ten or so minutes we waited for the doctor to walk in the room seemed like an eternity... And then finally he was there and I started pushing.
It only took me 5 minutes of pushing for Sophie to come out. But those 5 minutes were so hard and intense that they felt much longer to me. I was so relieved when she was finally delivered, because I don't know if I could have pushed much longer. When the nurse told me how long I pushed for, I was shocked at how much faster it was than with Marlee. (50 mins)
Sophie Olive Hansen was born at 7:03 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs 8 oz, and measured 20 inches.
They brought Sophie right away and laid her in my arms. Her arms were stretched out wide and she reached for my face. It was the most precious, priceless moment. I wanted to hold onto that moment forever and never let go of her.
She looked exactly like Mar Mar. It was so weird. It felt like I was in a flashback and holding Marlee in my arms for the first time. It was so surreal.
Words can't really explain the amount of love and the emotions you feel when you first meet your children. It is truly a heavenly experience that can only be understood as you are there in the moment....

