Hey everyone!!! Oh wow am I ever excited to write these next few posts about our Quinn coming into the world. Thank you all for your sweet welcoming words for her 🥰. It’s crazy we have only been with her almost two weeks and how my heart seems to have expanded to a size I did not know was possible. So many memories and treasured moments in this short time. My favorite two weeks ever!!! I feel like I’m going to be quite rambly (not a word, but I think it works) these next few posts. Our lives have very much changed in the best way since my last recap.

I have my girl sweetly sleeping on me while I write this post on a notepad on my phone.  I think I have maybe written one post on a notepad before so we’ll see how this goes 😅. Mr. Moose is also curled up at my side. Life is good.

So, let’s get to it!

So naturally, it would make sense to recap my labor and delivery first! I actually loved my whole experience beginning to end. People say everyone’s experience is unique, and I couldn’t have predicted or planned how this would go if I had tried. And even though it did not go as I had planned, I reflect so fondly on it.

Oh wait wait wait! I have to back up! *Rewind tape noise*. A couple things happened the week leading up to delivery that I want to make sure to mention too.

On May 2nd, I went to L & D for a second time because I was uncertain if my water had broken, although this time I had no contractions. They did a pretty extensive workup, said it hadn’t yet, so I went home.

On May 4th, my amazing coworkers surprised me with a baby shower. They are the best 😭. I was totally surprised- goodness gracious they spoiled me and my fam!!! It was the sweetest thing.

May 5th is a funny day. So around 2 AM I started having those darn contractions again, very similar to the ones I had the week prior. Thankfully I wasn’t scheduled to work this day. I timed them, and they met most criteria to go to L & D, except they weren’t a full minute in length. I figured these were likely just latent labor contractions again, and I didn’t want to go to L & D unnecessarily for the third time in a week.

Anyway, I had scheduled a mat pad cleaning under the carpet around Moose’s crate (we had such a hard time getting the urine smell up in that area of the living room and realized it was the mat under the carpet that needed cleaned). We also had an electric fence installation scheduled that morning (our solution to the trespooping situation since we can’t build one). I know I probably *should* have cancelled the appts., but I really wanted to get that stinkin’ (quite literally) carpet mat cleaned and fence installed. Plus it was hard to get it all scheduled initially to begin with.

When the electric fence guy answered the door I warned him I was having contractions every 4-5 mins. The look on his face was hilarious. Poor guy probably thought he was going to deliver my baby 🤣. When he was explaining to me about the electric fence box, I had a pretty intense contraction come on and had to sit down. He asked if I was ok with wide eyes, and I just tried to act like it was no big deal and said it would pass soon 😂. I asked him if this was his first time installing a fence for a lady in labor and he said yeah- and then asked me if it was my first time in labor 🤣. The carpet guys came soon after that. It was quite a scene. Me having my contractions every few minutes, the raucous from the fence being installed and our living room in disarray to get that mat cleaned.

I messaged my mom-in-law and asked if she was around in case this was the real deal (I insisted DJ go to work until things progressed because I was still convinced this was latent labor). She came over right away just to hang out and in case things did get more intense since they weren’t subsiding. Once the fence was installed and the carpet was cleaned, we took Moose to camp bow wow since there was no way I was able to walk him that day to get his energy out. Also if we needed to go to the hospital he would be taken care of there. On the way there and back the contractions definitely got more intense, but still not quite a full minute. When we got back we ate lunch (I ate a huge lunch thankfully since, unknowingly, that would be my last meal for a while). I so enjoyed my time chatting and hanging out with my mom-in-law despite the contractions coming in more intense waves.

That afternoon, before getting in the shower, I noticed a trickle of fluid down my leg. No denying it was probably time to go to L & D. I was so grateful my MIL was there. She drove me to the hospital where we met DJ. Sure enough, my water was broken, and I was going to be admitted. The first thing my OB said when he saw us was “Third time’s a charm” lol. Since I was only 1 cm dilated, I had to be induced. With wanting to try to go unmedicated, I realized this may be a little more unrealistic with an induction (not impossible, but I was way more open to an epidural with pit on board). So now the game plan was just go as long as possible without the epidural. We were taken to our L & D room and got settled in.

Seeing the equipment for baby girl SO real!! She was going to be here so soon!

The rooms were nice and spacious, and DJ and I just chatted through contractions, and I even painted my nails early on. The Pitocin was started at 4 pm, and the contractions were manageable for a while. I had some jasmine essential oil on a cotton ball that was very calming and made the room smell glorious (a little went a long way!). The exercise ball in the room also helped tremendously early on. Then after a while we started walking the halls which was the only thing that helped with the pain. That, and DJ massaging me with counter pressure, which he did through every contraction.

I hit a point where I could imagine handling the contractions a few more times, but not a few more hours. I wasn’t dilating as quickly as I’d hoped, so I requested an epidural around 10 pm. The anesthesia team was all held up in the OR, so I ended up getting the epidural until closer to 1030/1045 pm. At this point I started to get the labor shakes and the pain was so tremendous for the last couple contractions I started screaming. The epidural got on board right on time. Wow, I have never experienced such blinding pain before as I did those last few contractions. Also, with the pitocin on board, there was no relief.It felt like there was just one wave coming quickly right after the other. Once I got the epidural, I experienced pure bliss. I am so glad I got it because I truly enjoyed the rest of the labor. And I’m grateful I experienced the contractions to the point I did just to have an idea of what unmedicated labor is like. I would definitely do it this way again!

Quinn did have quite frequent late decelerations toward the end of my labor, which were scary to see (she did end up having a nuchal cord, but, thankfully, it didn’t ultimately cause any complications and she came out crying). Our nurse was absolutely incredible- I can’t rave about her enough- she was very reassuring, confident and helped made sure our baby girl was okay the whole time.

Around 11:45 pm I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. I pushed until 1:43 AM when on girl was born! I didn’t mind the pushing phase at all and nearly fell asleep between pushes a couple times 🤣. I’m telling ya, that epidural was magic. I avoided using the on demand button for extra doses so the epidural could wear off a little bit for more effective pushing , and I think that did make a difference.

When she finally made her grand entrance, the feeling that we both experienced was like nothing I could ever explain. Greatest moment of my life (besides every subsequent moment with her). I am all teary eyed writing about it now. DJ cut the cord, then Quinn and I did skin to skin immediately. She latched to breastfeed so quickly, and nursed for 50 minutes the first time! It’s so mind-blowing how they just innately know what to do.

One of my favorite parts was watching the way DJ looked at her and doted over her. I knew he’d be an amazing dad, but wow, seeing him be a dad to her is the cutest thing ever.

And would it be a true post around here without a food recap? First meal postpartum- a burger, fries and milkshake post delivery from The Burger Den (thank goodness they were open!). Someone told me food would be the last thing on my mind during labor, and lemme tell ya, I was thinking about my next meal with every one of those pushes 🤣. I was so hungry! The burger combo meal hit the spot and then we were off to our postpartum room.

I’m so grateful for a smooth delivery and, most of all, that Quinn is healthy <3.

I’ll recap the rest of our hospital stay in the next post 🙂

<3,

Mackenzie