Taislee's Birth Story

{thursday night}

Around 8pm, we headed over to my moms house to drop Brans off for the night. I couldn't believe I was dropping my little boy off as an only child & the next time I saw him, he would be a big brother! That still sounds so weird to me (: Anyways, we stayed & visited for a while, and spent a little bit more time with Brans - although, he was more interested in playing with Cam, than us. haha. We left around 9:15 & headed out for one last date before we had TWO kids keeping us busy. We had both been DYING to see 'Fast Five', so we decided to go to that while we still had the chance. {Awesome movie, by the way!} About 15 minutes before the movie ended, I started getting some crazy painful contractions. They were intense enough to make me think I might just go into labor on my own! But. Just like they always do, they stopped :( After the movie, we headed home for a second, before making a quick trip to Walmart to get a few last minute things. It was after midnight, but I didn't care... I needed to do something to pass the time! haha. When we got home, Ry packed his bag & went to bed. I cleaned up a little bit, played around on the computer for awhile, triple checked to make sure I had everything I needed, then finally decided I should at least try to get some sleep, around 2:30am.

{friday}

I woke up to my phone ringing at 6:30am. Even though I was still half asleep, I sat up real quick, & got super excited, because I knew exactly why my phone was going off when my room was still dark. I answered very excitedly & the lady on the other end told me they were ready for me down at Labor & Delivery & asked me how long it would take me to get there. I told her we'd be in in half an hour! I woke Ry up, then went to get ready so that we could head to the hospital! Did my hair, put some waterproof mascara on {since I already knew there would be tears..}, put everything in my bag that had to wait until I was done using it, got dressed, put everything in the car & we were off! (: We arrived at the hospital right at 7am. {the same time we got there to have Bransyn:) } We went & got checked in & they took us to our room... #320, the same room I had Bransyn in! I thought that was kind of cool (: From 7-7:30, I was just filling out paper work, answering questions, getting my IV hooked up... ya know, all that fun stuff. I even had a good cry session while I was filling out the paper work, because they told me Bransyn wouldn't be able to come see Taislee after she was born. Apparently they had changed the rules to no kids under 14, even if they're siblings during RSV season. Since when is it still RSV season in MAY?!?! I was so upset. I was really looking forward to seeing his face when he walked into the room to see his new baby sister for the very first time, and I really wanted him to be the first to meet her. It took me a good 15 minutes to settle down & just accept that very lame rule. The nurses felt really bad for me & told me that on the way up to my room, we could have my mom meet us by the waiting area & we could stop for a second so Brans could see the baby. I guess that was better than nothing.
Around 8am, they finally started my pitocin. I was having contractions kind of sporadically already, nothing too bad & they definitely weren't regular. I was ready for some pain! haha. They started the pitocin out at a 4 - which was NOTHING compared to how high it was with Brans! My contractions kind of started getting more regular, but still not very close together. They still weren't very intense, either. Dr. Lunt came to check me & break my water at 8:30am. I was at 4cm & completely effaced. I was a little bit scared for him to break my water, because I made them wait until I was completely numb to do it when I had Brans. I was scared it would hurt. Which, it really didn't, I didn't feel it at all. I just heard a quiet 'pop', then felt a LOTTT of warm fluid flooding out of me, haha. It was the WEIRDEST feeling ever. About 15 minutes later, at 8:45am, I felt my first painful contraction & they started becoming quite regular, at about 4-5 minutes apart. I decided that I should text my photographer & let her know that my labor was actually starting, just to give her a heads up so she would know to be ready to come to the hospital soon. Amanda came to the hospital at about 9am & stayed for awhile to keep us company. Shortly after, my photographer Cassidy Miller arrived. We all just kind of hung out, I facebooked for a bit to keep my mind off of my contractions, which were getting more intense with each one - but definitely still bearable. I was still able to talk through them & even laugh. Even though I wasn't in very much pain yet, Ryan was right by my side for every contraction, holding my hand & helping me through it. About 10am, Ryan's dad showed up. My nurse also turned my pitocin up to 8 around this time.
About 15 minutes later, the contractions intensified. Again, still bearable, but not the most comfortable thing ever. This is when I had to start concentrating on my breathing to get through them. They started to hurt more & more. I finally decided that I wanted a little something to help with the pain a bit, but I didn't think it was time for an epidural. They gave me Nubain through my IV. It didn't necessarily take the pain away, but it helped me relax & took my mind off the pain. It also made me just a tad bit loopy ;) I was able to lay down & close my eyes to get a little bit of rest - I didn't sleep, but it did help me to be more energized to deal with each contraction. I guess I must of been pretty relaxed, cause no one knew I was having contractions until they looked at my face, haha. After awhile, both Amanda & Ryan's dad left. They left at the perfect time, because around 10:30, the Nubain started to wear off & I wasn't so relaxed anymore. The contractions were, of course, getting worse. I got checked again & I was at 6cm. I was to the point where I couldn't pay attention to anything else during a contraction. I was also to the point where I was squeezing Ryan's hand tighter & tighter each contraction. Looking back now, I'm surprised I wasn't in tears. I'm also surprised I wasn't begging for an epidural. The pain was pretty bad, but I think I was just so focused & determined to get through it. One contraction at a time. Some contractions were worse than others. I remember getting SO mad, because I would get a REALLY bad one, look at the monitor & it looked like it was a small one. Then the ones that weren't AS bad, showed up as bigger ones, haha. Ryan continued to be amazing. He talked me through each contraction, he held my hand & let me squeeze it as hard as I needed, he let me lean against him - anything that helped me, he did. And not only Ryan was helping me, but Cassidy was also such an amazing support. Whenever I would start to get a contraction, she would look at the monitor & tell me, 'Okay here comes another one' Then she would tell me how great I was doing, that the contraction was almost over & remind me that with each contraction, I was that much closer to meeting my baby. That was VERY encouraging. She also gave me some tips on how to get through each contraction.
Around 11:15am is when things started to get crazy. Everything is kind of fuzzy from this point on, because I was in so much pain & just trying to focus. I remember my nurse coming in & putting the oxygen mask on me, because the baby's heart rate was dropping a little bit every time I would have a contraction. She said it wasn't anything to worry about yet, & the oxygen helped it not happen anymore. It also helped me to breathe better, so I was okay with having it! I started to get lower back pain with every contraction. At first it just hurt. I kept asking if she was posterior, because I heard back labor is PURE HELL & I didn't want to deal with that, on top of my contractions. I decided to sit myself up to see if that would help the back pain. It did help a little bit, but the pain was definitely still there. After awhile, squeezing Ryan's hand was just not enough pain relief for me. So I tried out one of the tips that Cassidy had given me & I started humming through each contraction. Crazy thing, it actually helped! A little bit later, that just wasn't doing it for me anymore either, & it kind of turned more into a moan. That also helped! I'm not exactly sure what time it was, but I remember them checking me again & I was at a 7. Ryan & Cassidy kept telling me, 'You're SO close, you're almost there! Only 3 more to go! You can do this!' After I got checked, the pain intensified by 1000. NOT KIDDING. The back pain became absolutely excruciating, even worse than the contractions... which were BAD! I decided that I wanted to try out another one of Cassidy's tips & have Ryan push on my knees, putting pressure on them & I push back. Oh goodness, I thought people were crazy when they said this helps, but it does help for sure! My back was still pretty bad, but it definitely helped the contractions. I kept saying how bad my back hurt, so Cassidy offered to put pressure on it as well. It still hurt, but the pressure definitely helped. It seriously is crazy the things that help the pain during labor! I could not believe how bad back labor was. And I can not believe that I STILL was not in tears, or begging for the epidural.
I'm not exactly sure what time it was, I'm guessing around noon, or a little bit before, but the nurses started getting everything ready. I felt relieved for about half a second, because I knew the end was near. But then I realized that I still had to push this baby out of me before it could end. I was also going through the 'transition phase' of labor... that's when you know it's getting close. Dr. Lunt came in to check me & they told him it was almost time. I was at 9+ cm when he checked me, almost completely dilated. He started getting everything he needed set up & removed the end of the bed. He told me I needed to lay down to get ready to push. Literally 2 minutes after he checked me, he told me I was ready to start pushing. I told him that I couldn't, because I felt like I was going to pee! hahah, he told me it was completely normal & if I didn't feel that, then I wasn't ready. So we waited for my next contraction & they had me push. Pushing helped the contractions (but unfortunately for me, NOT the back pain) But about 2 seconds into my first push, I screamed & stopped. I felt what I have heard described as 'the ring of fire' um. OUCH. I told them there was NO way I could do this & I NEEDED something for the pain. Dr. Lunt told me they could get me an epidural, but it would take 15-20 minutes for it to kick in, & who knows how long we would have to wait for the anesthesiologist to get down there! So I told everyone I was ready to push again. & I pushed as hard as I freaking could, despite the pain. I kept saying that I needed to be numb because I was scared of tearing, so Dr. Lunt gave me a shot to just numb the skin. Which I am SO thankful he did, because I ended up needing a small epesiotomy & feeling that is one of my biggest fears when it comes to childbirth. The numb-ness kicked in right away, but I could still feel everything else, which is really what I wanted. I remember Dr. Lunt telling me to get mad to help me push harder. So that's exactly what I did. Once her head was almost out & we were waiting for another contraction to come, Ryan & Dr. Lunt informed that she did indeed have lots of dark hair & asked if I wanted to feel her head. Shortly after another contraction came & I was back to pushing. I didn't know it at the time, but Ryan later told me that she was out in only 3 pushes. I do know that it was no longer than 5 minutes, though. It was SO painful, but also the most amazing thing to actually FEEL my baby come out of me. At 12:24pm, just 3 hours & 40 minutes after I felt my first 'real' contraction, Dr. Lunt pulled her out & held her up for us to see. The tears started rolling down my face & I just reached for her & kept saying 'My baby!' I fell in love the instant I layed my eyes on her & every bit of pain I had felt just 1 minute before, was completely gone. They placed her on my tummy & I just wrapped my hands around her. I quickly told them that I wanted to wait until the cord stopped pulsing to clamp & cut it, because of all the benefits I had heard comes from doing that. Then I kept asking 'Is she a girl?! Is she a girl?!' because I was still scared all the MANY ultra sounds could of been wrong ;) They reassured me that I did indeed have a daughter (: After the cord stopped pulsing, Ryan cut it & they were able to move her up closer to my face. I was finally able to get a good look at her, & I said 'Hi baby girl! You look just like your brother!' & she definitely did! Even before she was cleaned up, I could tell she looked just like Brans. The nurse continued to wipe her off, while me & Ryan just stared & talked to her. Ryan put his finger by her left hand & she instantly grabbed it. I put my finger by her right hand & she grabbed mine right away, too. She just sat there staring at me, holding both of our fingers & was so content. It's amazing how they just know who their parents are so quick. While I was getting cleaned up & everything, they took Tais over to get cleaned & weighed. Ryan went with her & stayed by her side the entire time. I called my mom to let her know that everything went okay & she had a granddaughter! (: When they first weighed her, the scale said 8 pounds something... I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped! I heard a few of the nurses say 'There is NO WAY she is over 8lbs! We need to do it again!' So they took her off, reset the scale, put her back on & she weighed 7lbs 7.7oz, which was rounded up to 7lbs 8oz! They also measured her & she was 20.5 inches long. After getting cleaned & wrapped up, Ryan brought our little bundle back over to me. I was all cleaned up at this point, so we thanked Dr. Lunt, got picture with him, then pretty much everyone left the room! About 25 minutes after she was born, Ryan stepped out into the hall for a minute & I heard him talking to his dad. He came back to see how things were going & didn't even know she was born, since we hadn't told everyone yet! haha. Our original plan was to not have any visitors until we were up in our room, out of delivery, but since he wasn't able to be there when Bransyn was born, we told him that he could come in & get the first peek at her. He only stayed for a few minutes, he knew we needed our time with her, but I have to admit... it was nice showing off my beautiful baby girl for a sec ;) After he left, I decided to try & nurse Taislee before they came to give her her bath. She latched on instantly & was eating like a champ! I didn't even have to work with her, she just knew exactly what to do! I couldn't believe I had gotten so lucky again, as Brans did the exact same thing. She nursed for about 15 minutes, (& mama got some lunch, too!) then I unwrapped her & we did skin to skin bonding for a while. Then one of the nurses came back in to do her footprints & bath. She wasn't too happy about having her body washed, but she calmed right down while she was getting her hair washed! (: When they were in the middle of washing her hair, Amanda came to see her before she had to go to work. She got to be the first one to hold Tais & she was definitely a proud auntie! (: While she was holding her, Taislee started 'rooting' (turning her head while opening her mouth, trying to find food) So I nursed her again for awhile. After she was done, it was time to get moved up to our room! My mom was already at the hospital waiting with Brans, so I called to let her know that we were getting ready to head towards them. Amanda & Ryan gathered all of our things while the nurse helped me into a wheel chair. I could not believe how EASY it was to get out of the bed by myself & walk over to the wheelchair. I felt no pain at all, unlike the first time I stood up HOURS after Bransyn was born. I felt SO good! After we had everything piled up, we were ready to go! I was SO excited to finally be able to see my sweet little man & tell him he was a big brother! We went through the doors out to the waiting room & waiting for us was Brans, my mom, Camden & Ryan's parents! Ryan wheeled Taislee over to them in her little bed. I said Hi to Brans & gave him a hug & kiss, then he went over to get a quick look at his new baby sister! I didn't see much, because the nurse that was pushing me in the wheel chair didn't turn me around very much to see & I was a couple feet away from them all. But everyone told me that Bransyn said 'hi' and 'i love you' to Tais (: Camden was super excited & apparently kept calling her baby sister! haha, So cute. The nurses only let us stay there for about 2 minutes, then we headed up to our room, #460! (:
This birth experience was absolutely amazing! I never EVER thought I would be able to have a natural birth! Even with all the pain I felt, I would not change this experience for ANYTHING & I would definitely do it again! Recovery has been SO easy this time & I feel great!
Ryan was extremely amazing & supportive through the labor & delivery, I couldn't have asked for a better labor partner. He was by my side the whole time & he definitely helped me get through it. He never gave up on me & did nothing but give me love, support & encouragement. I couldn't have done it without him. He has also been wonderful with Taislee. I can already tell how much he loves her & he has been helping with her the whole time!
And as for our sweet little Taislee Ella... I am completely, head over hills in love with this sweet baby. I didn't know how it would be possible to love another child as much as I love Brans, but it definitely is! She has been a complete angel since the minute she was born. She is so calm & has hardly cried! She fusses & squeaks every once in a while, but for the most part she is pretty content being a quiet little thing (: She is definitely gonna be a little porker, she loves to eat. She also likes her binki so far, hopefully it will stay that way! I didn't get much sleep last night, mostly because I just wanted to hold & stare at her, and of course I was freaked out when she didn't wake up every so often to eat. But she also already knows how to get her way & didn't want to be put down to sleep (: I know I'll probably kick myself if she gets used to this, but I was just fine holding & cuddling her while we slept. There's just nothing better than snuggling with your brand new baby (:

She is absolutely perfect & I could not be more proud to be this little lady's mommy! I love my kids & Ryan more than anything! I am so lucky to get to spend my life with them ♥