Welcome baby Lucy! My hospital story.

Lucy Elizabeth was born on April 14 at 4:45 AM.  She was 7lbs 2 oz. and 19.5 inches long.  She technically came 9 days early and completely shocked me.  We were caught off guard, and didn't have our camera (or anything) with us.  All the pictures from the morning of her birth are from my phone.

I have to back up and tell you what happened Saturday, April 13.  Jim had just received an email informing him that a broadway show that opened four weeks prior would have it's final (unexpected) performance that Saturday evening. AKA, the show was being shut down. This wasn't just any show, this was a show that was written and produced by Trey Anastasio, lead singer of Phish, which is Jim's favorite band.  Tickets were cheap and we are a 2-3 hour drive from NYC so I told him he HAD to go.  I was sad I couldn't go, and I even debated going myself.  After much debate and thought he decided against it.  I kept trying to convince him to go and even said "I am not having this baby today, so just go!"  He, thankfully,  followed his prompting to stay home because he might have missed the delivery and I might have had the baby at home because I would have been reluctant to go to the hospital alone.

I woke up around midnight with contractions, but I have had contractions since I was 32 weeks pregnant so it wasn't that out of the ordinary.  Around 1AM I decided I should maybe go in to the hospital, if anything to just get some pain killers.  Luckily my friend Tina answered her phone and came over to stay with my children.  We arrived at the hospital around 1:30 AM.  The doctor checked me and I was dilated to an 8 and everyone started freaking out.  I really have to say that was the most satisfying part of my entire pregnancy.  The doctors always treat me like I am overreacting and HA, I was not!  They asked me what my pain was on a scale from 1-10 and I couldn't think clearly so I just figured since I was dilated to an 8, my pain must be at an 8.  Then they gave me a shot of morphine. Morphine! Are you kidding?  You can have morphine when you're pregnant and not advil?

They then took me by stretcher to the labor and delivery room.  My main concern was not being able to have an epidural.  The doctors moved fast and I received a very painful epidural.  They gave me my first dose and my blood pressure dropped to 70/30 and I started throwing up.  Suffice it to say they turned the epidural off and didn't turn it back on.  Which means I was able to experience natural child birth.  Let's just say I have never screamed like that IN MY LIFE.  I have never experienced that kind of pain.  My voice was a bit hoarse for the following days from all my screaming. The details are already fuzzy and all I remember now is that little baby Lucy was born at 4:45 AM, just a few hours after being admitted to the hospital.

It was all completely surprising and shocking that she came 9 days early and very fast.  My other two deliveries were nothing like that and I had working epidurals on both births.

Lucy came at a perfect time and my mom was able to be there by lunch time Sunday afternoon. Jim's parents came to visit and so did some friends.  It was a great day, and they kicked me out of the hospital the following morning.  My mom stayed the week and took care of me, my house, and my family.  More on that later, but I wish my mom could come back!!

Hopefully I can post more soon, but we are completely sleep deprived parents just in survival mode.