She's Here!

Hi, guest blogger Courtney here...

Gabrielle Grace was born at 7:32pm on May 23.

Baby's stats:
~ 9 pounds 6 ounces, 21 inches
~ gorgeous!!!!
~ blond hair! (pretty sure that came from Tim's side of the family)

Baby is doing great. She was able to nurse soon after birth - has a wonderful strong voice, she was cooing and gurgling as Mommy and Daddy cuddled her.

Mom had quite the rough time of it. Once the pitocin really got going labor came on STRONG and fast. Michelle is amazing - way stronger than she thinks she is. And Tim - he did a fantastic job supporting his wife - I love watching the two of them together.

Afterward Michelle had quite a bit of bleeding - no, she had a lot of bleeding - to the extent that she eventually had to have surgery and a blood transfusion. She's tired, weak, but getting better.

Keep Michelle, Tim and kids in your prayers as she recovers...

btw - did I tell you that Gabrielle is GORGEOUS???

Finally!

Well I'm writing from my hospital room. We finally got admitted this morning and will be induced very shortly. I appreciate you prayers as this is so different than going into labor on your own. I am a bit nervous and also excited to meet our baby girl. Will keep you posted! Blessings to all of you and thanks for all your encouragement!!!

Oh and we happen to be in the same room that we had Samuel in!!!

It's gotta be soon.

So, my prayer was that I didn't have to make any hard decisions about induction, right??? Well, I made a plan and figured I'd put it in God's hands. We were supposed to go in for an induction this morning but no beds. So, they you keep calling back every 3 hours to see if a bed is open. Not today!!! So, here I am pregnant still and will repeat the process tomorrow. I am hoping that the desires of my heart will be answered and I'll go into labor over the next day without any medical assistance. I am trying to find the humor in the whole thing. Maybe she will truly have her daddy's temperament. (This can be a very good thing when we hit the teenage years) He came 3 weeks late with a castor oil induction and to this day is never in a rush to do anything or go anywhere.

No birthday present yet...Big decisions

Well she decided that it would be no fun to share her birthday with her mother. Can you blame her??? Contractions petered out and the day has gone on. I am still having much stronger contractions but they just don't pattern. I still can't believe this little girl has stayed in so long.

I had an appointment with my midwife today and we've decided to set an induction date for this Thursday. I've already tried some natural induction methods which obviously have not worked. So, I am accepting that this might be the plan. Baby's got 48 hours to decide. I basically chose Thursday based on the midwife that is on call that day. I really like her approach to things and felt a lot of peace while chatting with her. Hopefully there will be a room available for me Thursday morning. If not, then I will have to wait until there is room for me, which could be Friday or even later. Friday I will be 14 days over my due date.

I really have struggled with the entire induction situation since I truly desire a natural, unmedicated birth. Honestly, the more time goes by, the harder this pregnancy becomes on the whole family, our finances and other such things. Plus, things get a little sketchy for a baby that goes over 42 weeks gestation. So I am accepting that induction might be in the cards and I actually feel better that we have a plan. I feel God's peace over the whole thing.

So now I am praying that baby will come on her own in the next day and a half and my body will do naturally what it has done once before. If induction becomes the last resort, then I will need wisdom on the approach. My cervix is very ripe and ready to go, so they don't think it will take much. Baby was at 0 station today so she is low but she has been a dipper. Dipping down into my pelvis and then coming back up. This is typically of second pregnancies. If she stays down in my pelvis, they can just break my water and chances are labor will ensue quickly. She would have to be down in my pelvis in order to not take the risk of a prolapsed cord. My midwife feels things would move along rather fast and I would not have to be on a constant fetal monitor. However, there is something to be said about keeping that bag of waters intact - protects the baby from stress, infection and helps the baby get into position. The other option is to start a Pitocin drip. My midwife said she thinks it would just take a little pitocin and my body would kick in on it's own and then they could back it down. They have a portable fetal monitor so I could still have mobility and go into a bath tub. It is rare that women are able to endure contractions with Pitocin so epidurals are the norm. However, my midwife thinks I would need so little pitocin that I could possibly still have an unmedicated birth this way. This is a tough decision for me and I'm hoping I don't have to make it myself. Any thoughts???

Birthday Present???

I have been having some good contractions since 3am. It is now 6am. I am hopeful that we may be on our way to having a baby today. And today just happens to be my 34th birthday. Do you think she was waiting this long just to give me a spectacular birthday present??? What a sweet baby. Please pray that today is the day!

Keeping me going...

Well, I had my non-stress-test yesterday and all is well as I predicted. They also did an ultrasound to make sure my amniotic fluid levels were good, which they are. They measured her up to get an approximate size and came up with 9lb 3oz. And then they surprised me with 4-D real time viewing of my little girl. Instant tears!!! And of course, she looks like Tim!!!! Anyway, it made me want to see her even more and at the same time gave me a little bit to keep on going... tomorrow will be 9 days past my due date.

Still Waiting...

Still pregnant here. Boy are things different this time around. Who would have thought??? I am officially 1 week past my due date and the impatience is growing again. I just can't wait to meet this sweet little girl in my belly. I have no signs that labor might start soon or at least none that I am familiar with. I will go today to have my amniotic fluid levels measured and have a non stress test. I'm sure all is well but it's routine at this point to check the functioning of the placenta. I am certain that my due date is accurate b/c I had to have an ultrasound at 6 weeks to check the viability of my pregnancy due to bleeding. Ultrasounds that early in pregnancy are usually right on the money. The ultrasound technician also came up with a May 9th due date. Thankfully my midwifery group is rather conservative when it comes to going over a due date. They really want your body to do things naturally and so do I! I must admit at times I am tempted to give in to something - like having my membranes stripped - so we can get on with things. But my convictions about natural childbirth take over and I continue to wait. If I am still pregnant in another 5-7 days then I might have to make some hard decisions regarding to induce or not. Tim and I were both 3 weeks late and we were both fine. He was a 11 lb baby and his mom still delivered him naturally. Applause!!!

Have any of you gone way over your due date? I'd love to here your story.