Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The "Story"


I've noticed that people like to read birth stories. I am even fascinated by how each one is so different. So, here is Reagan's birth story. Not very exciting or dramatic, but nonetheless, it's our story.

For weeks on end I had been having contractions. They had all been ranging from mild to painful, but never regular. It was actually pretty frustrating. Friday morning I woke up at 6:00 am to contractions and decided I would stay home. They were 15 minutes apart and I really thought it was time. Then, around 9 am they completely stopped. I spent the day cleaning, trying to keep my mind off the fact that I was STILL PREGNANT. Jason came home for lunch that day and I cried the whole time. Poor guy. That was only the beginning. :)

Friday night when Jason came home from work we decided to venture over to my favorite place. TARGET!!! We had dinner planned out for the evening and bought a delicious dessert. Plus, it was nice for me to get out. The whole time I was there I was focused on everything I wanted to get for my house and not just "get this baby out of me". I guess both of those can lead you to being discontent. Hmm.... Anyway, we ended up having a great dinner and a great night as a family...watching the debates. Ah, it doesn't get more American than that.

Then, 10 pm rolls around. BAM! Contractions are from the devil. Seriously, it was like something had taken over my body. I was never in that much pain with Jackson. Around 2:00 am I told Jason I couldn't take it anymore and that we needed to get to the hospital. I didn't care if they weren't 5 min. apart for an hour. Thankfully, the doctor let me come in and when I got there they were about 3 min. apart. Phew... By 5 am, I had decided I wanted an epidural and was ready to go. We ended up getting about an hour of sleep and then things started to progress. With Jackson my epidural had completely numbed me. With this one, I was feeling a lot of....everything. It was weird actually. Around 9:30, they came to check on things and the baby was right there waiting to go. I wanted to look at the nurse and say, "duh, I've been telling you this for 4 hours". I don't think that would have gone too well. Around 10:15 am I started to push. Jason was a great coach. He was definitely there for me at all times. At one point I looked at him and told him to stop counting because it was annoying me. Ha. I am not even sure why it did. I feel bad about it now....but not so much at the time. 20 min. later Reagan was born!

Our hospital plays Brahm's Lullaby every time a baby is born and they did at the exact moment they put her on my belly. It was the most surreal and emotional experience for me. I couldn't believe that we brought another life into this world. Crazy!

Today we are home. We had a great first night. She slept the whole night, waking up every 3 hours to feed. I am lucky. Jackson cried the entire first night and didn't sleep at all hardly. I was in shock to see how good she was! I kept thinking that something was wrong. Jackson loves her so much and wants to be her "help" (he calls it). Jason will look at me every hour and say, "we have a family of 4!". All is well....God is good and I am once again reminded of His love and grace in my life.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

We're so excited for you guys! Reagan is adorable and I can't wait to see her again :) Aren't you so excited you're done being pregnant?! Glad you are all doing well. Love you!

Jason Powers said...

Baby, you were AWESOME!! I've never been more proud of you than I was on that day and than I am today.

Melissa said...

Congrats!! :) She's such a doll!! So glad she's sleeping well for you!

Michelle said...

That is a great story because it's YOUR story and you will remember it always. Even though we sometimes forget about the pain its all worth it in the end. I have to tell you when I read the part about you getting agrivated at Jason counting I laughed because I did the same thing. Stephen kept counting and when he did it was MUCH slower than the nurse so I had to tell him to stop!! lol
I'm so very glad Reagan is here and that she did perfectly the first night! I can't wait to see you all. Love you guys!!

Stephanie said...

Congratulations! "Mommy" one more time! I love all the photos, especially the ones Breanna took - Reagan is so precious! I keep hearing that she has a full head of dark hair, but I haven't gotten to see that yet...so hopefully, we will soon! I'm so excited for ya'll!

Jennifer C said...

Thanks for sharing the story. I love hearing all the details!:) We'd love to come see you guys soon. She is beautiful...so are you! Enjoy these first days with your baby girl.
Jenn:)

Our Story: Continued said...

Congratulations!! Reagan is so beautiful! I am so proud of you and excited about your new addition!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations!!! Thanks for sharing your story. I am certainly one of those people that like to read birth stories. And yours is not boring! It is perfect. I am so glad that everything went well and you and the baby are fine!