Updates...

Well, it has been over 2 months, but I am back. As I logged onto my account and was reading through my last few entries, I am amazed at all that has changed since I posted in January! Of course, there is way too much to write about in just one sitting, so I will focus on the main event first and for today...Evie's birth story :)

The previous post was written on Sunday, January 17. That had been a rough day for me - I was very nauseated and had even thrown up. Because of those things, I was beginning to think that the end was in sight. Little did I know that we were only a week away! The following day, Monday, was MLK day and we had a dr. apt. At that time, she basically told me that I needed to quit working - she predicted that I wouldn't make it to my next apt on the following Monday and that I needed the rest. I was dilated to 1.5 cms at that point. So, Tuesday, Jan. 19, was my last day of school. Luckily my sub was all lined up and she had observed my classroom the previous week and shadowed me all day on Tuesday - so, that was all ready to go. It was nice to be able to say an actual goodbye to my students and colleagues and feel like I left them on a good note.

Then the waiting began. It was very difficult for me to be done with work for a few days before having the baby. I am not someone who likes to give up and it was very challenging for me to just stop work when I felt like I was able to do more and could have kept going. The few days that I was home, though, did prove to be helpful and restful. I was able to cook a bit and freeze some things, I cleaned, and walked a lot. I journaled a bit and was able to mentally prepare for our baby. It was a nice break.

On Friday of that week, I was getting pretty ansy. Andrew and I had read about a restaurant in the Los Angeles area that is known for its "maternity salad." The salad has a special balsamic vinegerette dressing that has put many women into labor within 24 hours of eating it! So, we were anxious to give is a try! So, on Friday, I walked down and visited Andrew at his job and then we drove out to Studio City for a late lunch at Caioti's Italian Cafe. The salad was nothing special - good, but nothing too fancy! I ate the salad around 2:30 PM and had to sign the guest book and everything! We also went to Bob's Big Boy for a piece of apple pie :) That evening, Andrew went out for drinks with David and Chris to celebrate his upcoming dad-hood! I began to feel like, at that point, that I may be leaking some amniotic fluids, but nothing major, and went to bed...

On Saturday, Jan 23, Andrew and I got up and walked around the Rose Bowl (3.2) miles. While we were walking, a mom pushing a stroller passed us and said, "You have such a nice husband to walk slowly with you!" I told her that I thought I was a mere hours from going to the hospital...just a feeling that I had! For lunch that day, we had In 'n Out Burger and then went to visit our friends, Luke and Nikki. They have a daughter, who was born last June, and as we were leaving, she patted my belly and we said "Your friend wants to meet you!"

When I got home, my friend/neighbor, LB, was outside and said "So, the salad hasn't worked yet?" I said. "Well, it hasn't quite been 24 hours yet, so I am still giving it a little time..." As I was saying that, I felt a pop and a gush of fluids! "Actually," I said, "it just worked! My water broke!" And then the flurry of activity...Andrew panicking and running around to pack, LB telling all the friends, me laying on the couch and calling all the parents! It was great.

I checked into the hospital and I was in my room by about 2:30. I got all hooked up to the monitors and we just waited. I wasn't having any major contractions and wasn't in too much pain. Soon, though, things started moving along. Within a few hours, I had progressed to a 4, but was moving slowly. I hadn't had any pain medication and was doing pretty well - Andrew was very helpful and got me through most of the contractions. Verdugo was an excellent hospital and there was only one other person in labor during this same time, so we had the attention of some wonderful nurses. It was quiet and peaceful. As time continued, my back labor intensified...baby was "sunny side up" - facing the wrong direction - and causing a ton of back pain. By 9:30, or so, I was in so much pain and couldn't relax between the contractions, that I finally called for the epidural. I was only at about a 5 or 6 at that point and thought we might have a long night ahead of us - so, I wanted both Andrew and I to be able to sleep. The epidural was the worst part. I was still in active labor and having contractions, so I would flinch when one would start, and then the doctor would yell for me not to move because she might paralyze me - working with a needle in my spine! It was so stressful. Finally, though, I had relief and could rest a bit.

This peace and quiet lasted only for about an hour, though, because then my hear rate kept fluctuating and the baby's heart rate would drop really low...the nurses weren't sure what was happening. Finally, they realized that the baby had dropped really fast and was in position for delivery. I had gone from a 5 or 6 to a 9.5 in a matter of an hour! The baby's movement was causing her heart rate to go up and down. The next hour or so was pretty stressful - I was on oxygen, an internal monitor was put on the baby and the nurses were somewhat concerned about both of us...causing, of course, Andrew to be concerned. I was kind of out of it and had to lay on my left side - looking away from all the monitors - so I didn't really know what was going on, but I could tell from Andrew's face that he was worried. The nurses started to talk about a c-section and said to get the "salad tongs" and "vaccuum" ready to get the baby out fast. They were getting more worried because they also realized that her chord was wrapped around her neck. I was getting more stressed out and putting more stress on the baby...

I really did not want a c-section, so when it was time to push, I pushed like crazy to get that baby out. I really only had to push for about an hour - and we waited between each pushing for a contraction to pass before trying again...allowing enough time for our heart rates to rise again. The epidural kept me from being in too much pain - but I could feel the pressure of the contractions and knew when to push. At 2:30 am, Sunday, Jan 24, Evie Dena Daraliene Wright finally made her appearance into this world! She was so small and wide awake! Evie had a lot of fluid and gunk in her throat, so she didn't cry right away, but looked all around! She was perfectly healthy and had an APGAR score of 9.

We got to spend about an hour together before she was taken to the nursery to get cleaned up. Andrew went with her then and I got cleaned up, too, and brought down to post-partum. I think we maybe slept for an hour at that point, but I just wanted to see my baby!

It was a beautiful day and everything turned out so well. Evie was happy and healthy and Andrew was glad that the labor and delivery were over. It was perfect. We are so thankful for a healthy delivery and a healthy girl.

Now, looking back, I really don't remember labor being horrible. Painful, of course, but manageable. I remember looking out my hospital window at a street light as my focal point! I am still amazed at the human body and the ability that it has to give birth. I kept telling myself that "my body knows what to do...even if I didn't do anything, I would have this baby!" God has designed us in such unique and amazing ways - made for having a baby! What a miracle.