true story...Nat's birth

Natalie is officially a week old!

I can hardly believe it...yet I can totally believe it. It's been a long week. Not a bad one by any means. Just...it seems that each time I forget how hard it really is to heal from a delivery and have a newborn.

That said...we are doing pretty amazing considering.

I had a lot of anxiety about having to go through the whole ABO blood incompatibility issue that we went through with Reid. They didn't test her blood type (which I think is weird) but it seems she has mine because my blood didn't try to attack hers. Reid has Jared's blood type - which is why we had issues, and I'm pretty sure Owen has mine.

In fact, Natalie's bilirubin was SO low, that it was way below the low risk line, which was a huge relief to me.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Let's start from the beginning.

I turned 38 weeks and the fun began. I started to get REALLY fatigued and tired all the time. I was uncomfortable. A PUPS rash started to develop all over my belly. I have never had that before. I became just kind of useless. We starting eating out a lot. I didn't want to use up my freezer meals yet for reasons I can't really understand myself. I was emotional. I had contractions that weren't going anywhere fast.

It's safe to say, that I was ready to be done. So when my doctor asked if I wanted my membranes stripped at my (almost) 39 week appointment, I said sure. I was already a 3 and 80% effaced. It wasn't a guarantee that it would work and I figured if she was ready to come, she would. If not, we would schedule an induction the day before my due date, because my actual due date was on a Saturday.

Wowee...never had my membranes stripped before. That's something you remember.

That was in the morning. We went about our day, running errands, doing laundry. Eating out. :)

Then that night while Jared and I were watching the Mentalist and folding laundry, I started to feel contractions that were a lot stronger. They were still inconsistent so I didn't really take them seriously.

I packed my bag for the next day...when I figured things would really start happening. I asked Jared for a Priesthood blessing and then he went to bed - he had been up since 4 am so he was pretty wasted. I showered and then planned to hunker down on the couch and time my contractions. I went upstairs to grab a digital clock. I worked through a contraction as I went up the stairs...the exertion must have been too much because when I got to the top and reached for the clock my water broke. Another first for me. My water has never broken on it's own before.

Well...from there everything happened pretty quickly. My water broke just before midnight...maybe 11:45...you think I would know since I was grabbing a clock but I was distracted. I woke poor Jared up. We got a sitter to sleep on our couch and stay with the boys, then we were out the door. I was so grateful my bag was already packed. I have to admit. I did contemplate blow drying my hair before we left, but I had a feeling there wasn't enough time.

The contractions immediately started to get closer together and really, really intense. This time I got really quiet through the contractions though. That might be why the nurses didn't really take me seriously.

We checked in about 12:30. I told them I'm a wimp and needed the anesthesiologist now.

Me: Is the anesthesiologist here? Tell him to wake up! (said in kind of a kidding voice, but I wasn't kidding)

Nurse: I'm sure he's in the building.

Me: Well, tell him to wake up! I need him! 

I was in more pain than I remember being in with Owen and Reid and I was not prepared for it.

Jared was so helpful and let me squeeze the death out of his hand the whole time. He was my best cheerleader through the whole thing.

It of course took about an hour for us to get checked in, settled and prepped for my epidural. I told them my water broke at home, and they didn't believe me. They kept trying to do a test to see if my water really did break and couldn't get a good read. Luckily, I was a 4+ so they let me have the epidural and stay admitted.

I felt nauseated which made Jared nervous. He throws up when people around him throw up. :) Fortunately, the epidural kicked in and my nausea subsided.

My doctor came and checked me and confirmed that my water did indeed break at home and that I was a 7. She predicted that it would be another 1-2 hours.

One or two contractions later I felt a TON of pressure. The monitor that was tracking my contractions showed that it wasn't letting up. But I didn't really need the monitor to tell me that. I have prided myself on never needing to press the epidural button before, but boy this time I did not hesitate.

Me: Um... I feel like she is going to fall out.

Nurse: The baby will NOT fall out.

Me: Okaaay.

The nurse decided to check me just to be safe. And sure enough, there was a head. Everything was prepped in a matter of minutes. I pushed a handful of times through three contractions and she was born March 9 at 2:22 am.

Oh and she was so beautiful. I never seen a newborn so clean and beautiful before.

More than one nurse commented that she was "perfectly baked," not in there too long and not too early. They handed her to me but had to be careful because the cord wasn't long enough.

Jared snipped the umbilical cord and then they weighed her. She turned right over to her side...crazy chica.

Then I got to hold her to do some skin to skin, which was not an easy task considering I was shaking uncontrollably from the adrenaline. Also a first for me. I have never shaken like that before. I think it was from delivering so fast.

The nurses agreed they were glad I came in when I did. Although they were skeptical at first, I have to give them credit. They probably see all sorts of situations and women at their worst. I could hardly believe how fast everything was happening myself.

They let us stay and just soak our new baby in for about an hour. Then we were wheeled to our room for her first bath. Jared did the honors as he did with our other kids, but this time he was able to do more of the bathing and I got to watch, which was a first as well.

By this time we hadn't figured out a name. We had discussed Natalie and later Nora.

But we were not ready to commit. Funny enough, the mom that was in our room before us was named Natalie.

They hadn't checked her out of the room in their computers so they kept mistaking me for her when they would come in to administer medicine, draw blood, bring me meals. We kind of took it as a sign.

 The view from our hospital room...beautiful.

I called her by other names, and they just didn't fit. So Natalie it was.

And day by day we fall more in love with the name and with her.

At 5 lbs. 13 oz. She was considered small. The three pounds a week I was gaining at the end...you heard me.- 3 lbs! I gained almost 40 lbs. with this girl. Almost 12 lbs. more than I did with Reid. And she was our smallest baby.

Since she was so small they took extra precautions to check her vitals more often and to prick her heels for a blood sugar test. She scored way over the recommended level for blood sugar every time, she maintained good body temperature and she was nursing great. She is a fiesty little fighter she is.

And like I mentioned before, her bilirubin was WAY below the low risk line.

I received minimal injury during delivery. With Reid his head and part of his shoulder came out at the same time because he was posterior...ouch. Natalie was posterior too but the doctor flipped her without incident and the rest was pretty easy.

I couldn't have asked for better circumstances for Natalie or for me. We were really, very blessed.

 Beautiful flowers from my parents and a card from Owen.

Jared stayed with Natalie and I until about 6 am Friday and then went home to help get Owen off to school. Jared remarked that he's never been so happy and so tired at the same time.

We got a sitter for Reid so Jared could get some sleep and join Natalie and I for lunch, just him. It was so nice.

The rest of the time Jared stayed home with the boys and scrubbed the house clean. I couldn't believe all the work he had done...the laundry, the bathroom, the van {he fixed our broken door! yay}. He was amazing.

He brought the boys to come visit a couple of times.

As you can see. Reid is already completely smitten. :)

We got another sitter after the boys went to bed on Saturday night so Jared could pick Natalie and I up. It was nice to come home to a quiet house and get settled while the boys were asleep.

 Our home from the hospital set up. 

She now sleeps in bed with me and Jared sleeps on the couch so he can get sleep.

 We plan on breaking that habit in a week or so.

Since then, the boys have really been loving having Natalie around.

It's been an adjustment for sure. We have had to say "no" a lot and I hate it as much as they do. We especially have to watch Reid around her. He just loves her so much...yeah. :) I think it will be more fun for everyone as Natalie gets older and less fragile.

This was basically Nat's come home outfit. I made the skirt...which is still too big for her and I crocheted the booties.

She's a great eater and sleeper so far. I swear her cheeks already look chunkier than these pictures.

Natalie smiles often. Really...like 20 times a day. I know they aren't supposed to be able to intentionally smile yet, but I swear it seems like she does. We also suspect that she's laughed. She has made a throaty "ha" noise accompanied with a smile a few times.

She smiles most often after she has a full belly and is drifting off to sleep, or when she hears/sees me and Jared.

I like to think she's inherited her Dad's kind, cheerful personality.

 She's our little ray of sunshine baby. We're so happy she joined our family.