It's a GIRL!

It's been 3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours and 2 minutes since I heard Esch tell me in the delivery room, "It's a girl!" When I'm 80, I will look back and remember that as one of the most exciting moments of my life, and certainly the happiest. September 25, 2012, and November 9, 2009 were the very best days.

The day before our beautiful baby arrived was my 30th birthday. I had taken William to the park in the morning, and we'd skipped naptime as a special treat to go to a movie (Finding Nemo in 3D). Looking back, this was the perfect way to spend our last day together with WW as an only child. We were the only people in the theatre, which seemed a little bit symbolic. I had so much fun watching my big boy (who looked very small in the huge seat in the empty theatre) with his 3D glasses, shoveling popcorn into his mouth and asking cute question after question about the movie.

That night, we thought about going out to dinner, but I just didn't have the energy, so we got take-out. I had a spicy Sante Fe chicken salad (for posterity's sake - this ended up being the last meal I had before going into labor) and it was a usual evening in our household (besides the birthday cake and singing and candles). Put William to bed, and Esch and I went to bed pretty early, too - around 9:00 if I remember correctly. I was a little bit grumpy when going to bed that night, because I'd really, really been hoping to share a birthday with the baby. I thought it'd be fun, and it was looking like that was not going to happen. I was so ready to meet this little one.

I'd been having contractions for a few days, but they were not painful. I'd time them just for the sake of it, and they ranged from 8 to 20 minutes apart, but would always fizzle out.

At 11:35 p.m. I woke up and felt something happening. I called the on-call OB, who told me to head to the hospital to be evaluated. JOY! I was SO happy and thought that this was it. Woke up Esch, and we called our neighbor, who was nice enough to come sit in our living room and watch TV while William slept. I called my parents, who got in the car and headed our way. The plan was that our neighbor would stay until Mom & Dad arrived to spend the rest of the night and take care of W while we were in the hospital.

The ride to the hospital was a little bit surreal. I was in a great mood and the contractions were still not very painful, so we talked the whole way. After the 25 minute ride, we entered at the ER and walked to the 3rd floor - Labor & Delivery. I was hooked up to monitors, a midwife checked me and... nothing. There had been no progress since my 39 week appointment a few days prior. We stayed for about an hour, and they decided that since I had not progressed, and since the contractions were not close enough together, that we should go home. I COULD NOT believe it. I had been so sure that this was "it" and it really felt like things were happening. Very unhappily, I got out of my hospital gown, dressed, and Esch called my parents, telling them to turn around and head home. I felt terrible that we'd made them wake up and drive all that way in the middle of the night. They were already all the way to Harrisburg.

On the ride home, my contractions picked up. They were only 4-5 minutes apart and felt stronger, but I knew that I was not supposed to call or go back to the hospital until they were under 5 minutes apart consistently for over an hour, and that they were supposed to be painful.

We got home a little after 2 and, embarrassed, sheepishly thanked our neighbor who went home. We got in bed, and Esch fell right asleep. However, my contractions were now seemingly coming very often, and were starting to be noticeably stronger. I didn't fall asleep - just stared at the clock and timed them. To my amazement, an hour passed fairly quickly and I had just had a solid 60 minutes of contractions at the "right" time interval and pain level. I crept out to the hallway, kind of pacing around, and then decided to wake Esch. I will never forget that when I said, "I think it's time to go back," he groggily raised his head and said, "Huh? Where?" (Where do you think?!)

Called the OB again and they told me to head back. This time, we decided not to call my poor parents yet, or the already-abused neighbor. While I sat on the couch timing contractions, Esch called our wonderful friend Liz. She woke up and came to get William. She lives about 15 minutes away, so by the time she arrived, it was after 4 a.m. Esch got poor, confused, sleepy William out of bed and put him into Liz's car. I heard my poor little guy crying for Mommy and Daddy outside.

We loaded everything back into the car - overnight bags, nursing pillow, cameras, etc. and were on our way. Again. I hoped so badly that there was not going to be ANOTHER "walk of shame" out of the hospital that night.

On the drive, I was in more pain but still able to talk, and I asked Esch what time he thought the baby would be born. My guess was 10 a.m., and Esch said, "Six." I said something along the lines of, "Oh my gosh, don't even say that! It's almost 5, that would mean it'd be crazy-fast and probably no time for an epidural." Little did I know that this was actually an almost-exact prediction.

When we pulled up at the ER entrance this time, Esch asked if I wanted a wheelchair. I said no, because I wanted to walk up - I thought that any time walking and spent on my feet would help things move along. So we started up, and shortly I realized that I DID need that wheelchair. Esch pushed me the rest of the way. When we got to the L&D desk, some of the same nurses were there, and this time instead of a triage room, they sent us right to a delivery room. It didn't seem to be because they necessarily thought I would be having the baby, but because the other rooms were full - 2 people had apparently just had babies in the triage room, just minutes after arriving. Sounded like a crazy night in the wing.

I put on my gown and Esch and I waited alone in the room for a while (probably 10 minutes) before anyone came. It was 5:00 a.m. A student midwife checked me, and sure enough, there had been progress since I was there a few hours before. She - or maybe it was another nurse - things start to get a bit fuzzy from here on out - told me, "Honey, you won't be leaving again... you're having this baby." I looked at Esch, it sunk in, and then I cried a little. I was SO excited and of course also pretty nervous/anxious. They asked me what I'd like to do for pain, and I said I'd like an epidural.

Well.

I don't think anyone realized how fast things would happen, because they took their time getting an IV, etc., and suddenly the contractions were crazy and I was in a lot of pain. I was breathing through the contractions,  and Esch was helping, watching the monitors and telling me when they were starting to wind down. At some point, it became clear that I was not going to be able to get any pain relief. I was checked again and it was almost time to push. I was terrified, and though not my proudest moment, I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. I told Esch I couldn't do this, and there had to be some way they could get me an epidural... and then another contraction would rear its head. I remember saying "Oh no, oh no," and tensing up when I could feel another one coming on. There is nothing like the dread of that feeling!

Suddenly I told them that I could feel the baby and was ready - and things started happening more quickly in the room. They called for more help and "a table" and through mostly closed eyes, I saw that there were at least 4 people around me, not counting Esch. The nurses were great, and were encouraging but also firm in telling me what to do, and that I COULD do it no matter what I was saying. I remember one of them telling me that in 10 minutes, I'd have a baby. That both terrified and helped me. Esch was trying to give me something to work towards by saying that soon we'd know if it was a boy or a girl. Finally (this was all VERY fast, but of course felt like an eternity) at 6:09 a.m. (just an hour after we'd arrived!) they handed me our brand new, warm, dark-haired little baby. Esch was the one who told me, "It's a girl!" and I held her on my chest immediately. I couldn't believe it. I felt instant relief and I do think that, as I'd heard, that there is a natural high that comes with a med-free delivery. I felt great. I was in absolute heaven holding my baby (GIRL! couldn't believe it!) immediately after she was born. They didn't take her for almost 2 hours - I held her, she nursed, Esch and I just looked at her, each other, and couldn't believe that she was really here. I still can't believe how fast it happened, and HOW it happened. What an experience.

We called our parents - mine were back home in bed, poor things, and were shocked to hear that not only were we back in the hospital - the baby was already here. Just like when William was born, I will never forget those phone calls! Esch called his parents, and got to tell his Dad, "Your grandDAUGHTER wants to wish you a happy birthday!" (Gwen shares a birthday with her Pop Pop!) I got to talk to my Nain and my Gran - Gwendolyn Faith's two namesakes, and those were also conversations that I will never forget.

As I type this, our beautiful little one is asleep on my chest in her baby sling. She's the absolute most precious thing I've ever seen. I of course have tons of photos and many more updates until I "catch up" the blog on her first few weeks, but I wanted to be sure to record her birth story first. It was really the most amazing day of my life. The first day of hers.

Gwendolyn Faith McCombie
6:09 a.m., Tuesday, September 25, 2012
7 lbs, 12.5 ounces, 19 inches long