How this little miracle arrived

For those wondering, this is how little Teagan made her entrance into this world...

I left work early for my 39 week appointment on Monday, September 16, 2008. I was actually about to see a patient for one of the ENTs when I realized I was going to be late for my own appointment. So I snagged an intern and asked my coworker Dawn to supervise her so I could run! Little did I know I wouldn't be back!

At my OB appointment, I met midwife Jeannie Prins for the first time. She told me I was 3 cm dialated and asked if I was having any contractions. I told her no, because I didn't know what they felt like. We joked that she was on call at the hospital on Wednesday and we would make it a date to have the baby then.

Chris was playing basketball at the time of my appointment and I told him I would only interrupt him if I was in labor. So I didn't tell him until he got home around 6pm. Needless to say I had to call my family and tell them she might be on her way even if it really could have been another week. I hadn't been measured internally prior to that appointment so there was no way of knowing how long I had been 3cm dilated.

Tuesday morning I woke up with menstrual cramps. I took a shower, but they didn't get any better. So I called out of work and Chris worked from home. The cramps persisted throughout the day but went away that night.

Wednesday I woke up without having had any cramps all night. So I took a shower to get ready for work. I wasn't going to let anything stall labor this point! After my shower though, the cramps came back. I went downstairs to eat, but couldn't finish my cereal because the cramps got worse. I never felt tightening or constriction, only intense pain, like cramps, in my lower belly. They started occurring more intensely every 10 minutes. I grabbed my exercise ball and rocked on it while I wrote an e-mail to work titled "Cara's loose ends". It was only 6:30am, so no one was in to answer the phones yet. Meanwhile, Chris was upstairs getting ready for work. I almost went up and grabbed him a couple times. The contractions were still pretty short though.

When he came down, I told him I thought I was in labor. So he worked from home again. We monitored the contractions as they got more intense and closer together. By 9:30am we called the midwife because they were 5 minutes apart and a pretty good intensity. I couldn't handle them on my own. So every time I got one Chris had to be my leaning post and help me breath while I rocked side to side or on my exercise ball. I got put on hold by the OB's office! So I said let's just go to the office. By the time we passed the mall (on the way), they picked up the phone and I told them I thought I was in labor. The generously told me to "come on in". When we got there we probably waited at least 20 mins for someone to see us. Chris was wondering if they missed the message that I was in labor. Midwife, Stephanie Rhodes checked me and said I was 6 cm dilated and 80% effaced. So she sent me to the hospital. She also noted the baby was probably about 7lbs based on her feeling my belly.

So by 10:30am we were checking in the hospital. To our dismay, the L&D room did not have a DVD player, only a VCR. Since the only movie we brought was Christmas Vacation, that was what we put in! It's a classic. My mom, aunt Susan, and sister, Brooke came down to the hospital while I was still in labor. Susan arrived first and chatted with me while Chris was making calls and getting different things from the car. By the time my mom and Brooke arrived, contractions were pretty intense. By about 2:30pm, the contractions were on top of each other and the "lulls" in between were seconds of less intense pain. I was scared of the epidural because I didn't like the thought of not having control over the movement of my legs. BUT WOW! When you are hurting that bad for over an hour, you can reconsider a lot! So I endured 8cm dilation for about an hour before I told Chris I needed help. They checked me again and said I was still 8cm but 100% effaced. I asked for the epidural as they said narcotics were not an option at this point. The nurse folded me in half basically and Dr. Payne gave me the good stuff. I had such relief afterwards. I was able to nap for an hour when I woke up to pressure. The midwife, Jeannie, checked me and said we were ready to have a baby! So our date really did happen that Wednesday. Chris cued up "Breathe" by Sia on the CD player and hit repeat. So I got to listen to my favorite song while giving birth. They set up the mirror down below and the party began. I pushed for about an hour and a half. The epidural doesn't take away a lot of the pain during the actual pushing! And wow did I feel the episiotomy incision. Also, no one told me I had a button I could push for an extra bolt of relief until they were stitching me up! The nurses kept telling me to look at the mirror to see the baby's hair! And I was, but only for a second before I had to close them to push. Apparently some people can focus on the mirror and pushing. I am not one of them. Chris got to hold one of my legs, which was a little more than he bargained for, but he did awesome. He even cut the cord once she was out. Then he was exposed to the aftermath which made him nervous. But it was all under control soon enough. I couldn't stop shaking right afterwords. They covered me with warm blankets, which helped even though I wasn't cold. More likely my body was in shock, for good reason. I kept apologizing to the midwife trying to stitch me up that I was sorry I couldn't stop shaking for her. I also felt every stitch! That was awesome too!

I held little Teagan after she popped out but she was drowsy and didn't want to nurse. So we spent a little time together and then they took her to the nursery. I was stunned by all the dark hair. Since she was an 8 pounder, they were worried about her sugar levels, but she was fine. The sad part was that I didn't see her again until 9pm that night. Meanwhile, they brought me dinner. Family came back in, including my nearly 39 week pregnant sister, Rachel, whom they were likely making a chart for at the nurse's station. She later delivered, Jacob Christopher, two days later.

It was a busy day, but ended in quite a blessing - Teagan Isabella.