Eli's here, and we couldn't be happier!

I finally went into labor. Here are the details, as I remember them...

On Thursday July 24th I woke up feeling contractions about 9 minutes apart. I got really excited thinking today is the day. YIPPEEE!! I was also a little sad because my doctor was out of town and he wouldn't be back until Friday. I really wanted him to be there, but if Eli was ready to come there was nothing I was going to be able to do to stop him. Well needless to say the contractions stopped and I was a little sad. Jacob's parents called and invited us over to their house for lunch. I started to get dressed and while I was getting dressed I noticed that my contractions came back and now were 6 minutes apart. I told Jacob, but told him not to tell any one else for fear that they would stop if I started telling anyone. I wish I could tell you Jacob was able to keep it in but with in 5 minutes of being there Jacob spilled the beans. Linda and Cecil were very excited to hear the news and could not wait to hear what I found out at my doctor's appointment at 1:50. Linda gave Jacob a hair cut, and I called my mom and sister to give them an update on what was going on. We even played a little joke on them and told them Linda had checked me and I was 5 centimeters dilated. We thought we were so clever, but they didn't fall for it. Then we were off for the doctor.

We arrived at the appointment and my contraction still hadn't stopped, but they also were 6 minutes apart and not painful. As I was getting weighed Jacob said, "Stacy Doctor Huish is here." I looked at the nurse and she informed me that he had gotten back that day!! This is when I got really excited Eli could come today and everything would be great!!! After being checked I was informed I was 90% effaced and 3 1/2 centimeters dilated. We decided to strip my membranes and see if that would help speed things up. I was told that stripping your membranes was really painful, but I was pleased that it wasn't that bad so I was really glad I did it.

As soon as we left the office my contractions started getting pretty intense and were 3 minutes apart. We decided it was time to meet up with my Mom and Stephanie as I was pretty sure our baby boy was going to be born that day. We met up with them at my parent's house. All the kids were there and they were going crazy with excitement. They couldn't wait for the baby to come. We decided all the kids around was a little too much so we left for Wal-Mart to walk around and buy a stop watch. My contractions continued to stay 3 minutes apart and were getting more and more intense. We then decided we should go get my hospital bag. We drove to my house got the bag and headed for the hospital. I was worried I was heading to the hospital a bit early but on the way there I had 2 really painful contractions and I was really glad I was on my way there.

Once we got to the hospital we finished registering. I had already pre-registered so it was nice that it went so smoothly. It went smoothly until the lady informed me there were no beds and I would have to wait a second. So I got to walk around the waiting room with all these people having pretty bad contractions. Just when I thought I couldn't take it any more they took me back to a bed in triage. The nurse I got was named Kennly and she started setting me up to all the machines after she set me up I told her I was very thirsty. Once I said this Kennly was concerned that I was dehydrated and that is why I was having such bad contractions. She didn't want to give me an IV because I was dilated to a 4 1/2 and she was afraid it would stop the contractions. So for the next hour Jacob and I just fought through the contractions hoping I would dilate more and they would keep me. I must say this part was the most frustrating because my nurse was not very informative and she made me feel like I had done something wrong. Jacob did a great job calming me down and reassuring me Eli was fine. After an hour we got another nurse and she was a lot more helpful with more encouraging information. I wanted to walk around to try and speed things up so that is what I did for the next hour. My mom and Jacob took turns walking around with me. The next time she checked me I was dilated to a 6 and I decided I was ready for my epidural. They called doctor Huish and he said that would be fine, and I was officially admitted to the hospital.

Now came the bad news. They were in the middle of switching shifts and they didn't have a bed or a nurse for me AGAIN. They informed us I would have to wait and then they would take me over to Labor and Delivery. After about 30 more minutes of painful intense contractions I asked Jacob to go find out how much longer it would be. They said it would still be a while but my current nurse decided to start the IV so that I could get my epidural more quickly. More bad news... I was so dehydrated that my veins were so small they couldn't get the IV in. This has NEVER happened to me before. They finally got a tiny bit in but I had to hold my arm up so that it would drip. After that was over I got to meet my new nurse her name was Michelle and I was so happy to see her. Once I got to my room I met a lady named Candy and she was going to give me my epidural. Lets just say that I LOVE Candy. After about 5 minutes I can honestly say I didn't care about a thing. Everyone said it can be painful to receive the needle for the epidural but I found it painless. After Candy left Michelle checked me and I was dilated to a 7. I was proud of myself for lasting so long with no pain killers.

Now the waiting game started. The epidural slowed me down so I had a hard time dilating so they decided to give me patocine to help me out. My mom kept saying if she would get her water broken I am sure that would do the trick, but doctor Huish wasn't there so we found out that wasn't an option until he showed up. Once doctor Huish got there I was dilated to an 8 and they thought my water had already broken. I had no clue this happened (lets remember I honestly couldn't feel a thing or really move for that matter) An hour later Michelle decided it was time for me to start pushing.

I had to admit this part was so confusing for me. I wasn't sure how I was doing or if I was pushing correctly. My mom, sister and Jacob were so helpful at this point. I kept thinking I wasn't doing anything right but they said I was doing great. They were such wonderful coaches and helped me through the next HOUR of pushing. Yup that's right I said an hour. During one of my pushes I heard the nurse tell and show Jacob Eli's dark hair. When I heard this I instantly started smiling. A few minutes later I heard the nurse say I think it is curly. Again I really started smiling. This made me so happy because while I was pregnant I kept telling Jacob I hope he has dark curly hair! Once doctor Huish came back I pushed 2 more times and my little guy was here. It was amazing! The second I saw him I was overwhelmed with emotion. They placed him on my chest and I couldn't believe it was my baby was finally in my arms.

So after all that Eli ended up being born on July 25, 2008 at 1:53 a.m. They told us he weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. I kept saying he looks too chunky to be only 7 lbs. Even the nurse thought he looked bigger then 7 lbs. Later on we found out we were misinformed on Eli's weight and he was a whopping 8 lbs 7 oz!! What a happy healthy boy!!!

Things I want to remember...

1. My nurse Michelle was so nice she helped me so much. It was neat because she actually knew Ben (Jacob's brother in law) Between all her hard work and doctor's Huish's patience I have been able to recover from delivery nearly painless. Except that for a few days I seriously thought a horse had been kicking my tail bone. It seriously brings a whole new definition to getting your butt kicked!



2. Debbie's birthday is on the 24th and my dad's is on the 25th. Everyone was placing bets to see who would share their birthday with Eli. In the end my dad won and it was such a tender moment when my dad first saw him. My dad said it was the best birthday present ever and was crying!




3. I want to remember the spirit that was in the room while I was pushing. In the movies there is a lot of screaming and panic and running around. It was NEVER like that for me. Even before the Epidural we were calm and ready for our sweet angel. Once he was officially out and everyone joined us in the room there wasn't a dry eye in the room. What a tender moment this was.



4. I want to remember how wonderful Jacob was. He often made me nervous because he has such a hard time seeing me in pain. He even told me he was going to leave the room when I got my membranes striped because he couldn't take watching me in pain. I said if you can't take that how can you handle labor? I should have never doubted him. He was absolutely amazing and during some difficult times he really pushed me through.



5. Other then my husband my sister Stephanie is my best friend. Having her right there helping and encouraging me the entire time was so great. She is such a strong person and next to her I am a wuss, but she never once let me feel that way. She was so encouraging.



6. My sweet mother was awesome. She had just had a surgery earlier in the week and wasn't feeling 100% but she was there. She really knows how to comfort her little girl. Just her words and soft touch really helped me.

It seems so unreal that he is here. I feel so blessed by all the love and support we have received leading up to and since Eli's arrival. We have had so many people who love and care for us stop by. I joke that we have a revolving door right now, but it is nice to know so many people already love our sweet baby. I am so thankful to be a mom and have such a wonderful start to our little family.