Annie's Birthday

So this is a long time coming and I'd love to think that you all are interested. I'm mostly blogging this for myself since I don't keep a journal and this is the next best thing.

At about 36 weeks pregnant, my doctor started checking for dialation/efacement. He noticed at the time that I have a small pelvis but we all just crossed our fingers that, that would change in the coming weeks. At week 37, he checked again. I was dialated to a 2 and about 80% efaced. This was good news, the bad news...still a small pelvis. My doctor stressed the fact that hospitals typically frown upon inducing before 39 weeks but he has delivered 2 or 3 Griffin babies before and he knows they typically come big. We decided to do an ultrasound to try and estimate how big Annie was. Mind you, this really is not accurate, they can only guess so much from an ultrasound. He guessed that at the time, she was between 6 to 7 lbs. He decided to schedule me to be induced. And then instructed me to go into labor soon ;)

Funny story behind this picture. Jared had actually snapped one just before this but didn't tell me he was taking the picture. Much to my dismay as I was looking through the pictures my butt was totally hanging out! Good thing I had him take another one!

By June 10th, I still had not gone into labor. My doctor wanted to give me the chance to have the baby naturally so that's why he decided to have me induced at 38 weeks. So my parents arrived on June 8th and at 7:45 AM on June 10th Jared and I checked into the hospital. By 9:30 am the doctor had already broke my water, the nurses had me all hooked up and the pitocin was doing it's business.  p.s. How women do this labor thing without an epidural is beyond me. After I was dilated to a 4 I was READY for the epidural. Before the epidural, Jared said the machine charting my contractions was at a 50, after the epidural, he was telling me that it was topping out at over 180 (don't ask what those numbers mean...I don't know).

Around 4:45pm and many episodes of The Price is Right and A Baby Story, the doctor had checked me for the 5th time and I was fully dilated and effaced. The problem? The baby wasn't descending. My doctor decided it was time to push. So after about 9 pushes my doctor told me she wasn't getting past my pelvis. He gave me the option to keep trying but he really didn't think she'd come out that way. So we decided to head to the OR. I was so grateful that I had been given the warning that this might happen, or else I think I might have just had a heart attack.

So I was wheeled into the OR and they began all the preparations. They doubled the amount of anesthesia in my epidural so I couldn't even move my legs...very odd sensation. Jared faithfully sat at my head with the anesthesiologist as they started the surgery. This moment was so surreal to me. The anesthesiologist just kept saying we're almost there...they'll have her out soon...any minute now. It got me so anxious! Then it happened all at once. Jared was standing with the camera at hand and they held up a mirror so I could see her being born. She started crying...I started crying...Jared had a HUGE grin on his face! The nurse brought her to my head so I could catch a glimpse of her before they whisked her away. The operating room is kept at such a cold temperature that they can't keep her in there for too long. I noticed a look of anxiety on Jared's face. He wanted to go with her. But if he left, he couldn't come back in the OR with me. So I just told him to go (I would have wanted to go). Plus, the anesthesiologist kept me company. We just chatted away as he explained what the doctors were doing and how beautiful our baby was and that she looked just perfect...I couldn't have said it better myself.

Poor little cone head. This is the result of me trying to push her out. That's about as far as she got. Poor thing. Luckily it went away really quick.

So at 5:41pm on June 10th, little miss Annie Opal (sweet pea as I like to call her) was born. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 4 oz and was 19.5" long.

 

I love this picture because it shows how strong she is. She was gripping Jared's finger so tight it was making her fingers turn white!

After they stitched me up, I was wheeled back to my labor and delivery room and I mostly remember how cold I was. I couldn't stop shaking. My internal temperature had dropped to 95 degrees. The lovely nurses brought 4 of those amazing heated blankets to put on top of me and then brought in this heater thing that blew warm air on me to warm me up. Then they brought Annie, I couldn't hold her I was so numb but they placed her on my bed and I couldn't have been happier. She was beautiful!

Her face is so swollen in the picture but I have to note. Jared honestly stressed about the bow on her head. He said they had a million to choose from. He said it took him forever to pick out the perfect one.

Just after they wheeled me out of the OR and brought Annie to me!

Grandma and Grandpa Griffin!

Grandma and Bumpa!

Visits from our friends!

This was funny. Jared was so eager to change her diaper. The nurse started laughing cause he changed a perfectly clean diaper.

Though entertained as I was, Jared wasn't so thrilled when he went to change a miconium filled diaper and just as soon as he got the first diaper off, she filled the second, third, AND fourth diaper. I was laughing so hard. We had to call the nursery for a new bassinet 'cause she had messed herself all over and in the bassinet. Jared had to bathe her. It was so funny!

Loves from her daddy!

Great Grandpa Rix! He was so happy to be holding her. He even sent Grandma Annette with some fresh roses from his garden for Annie.

 

Picture with new cousin Nicholaus! Their birthdays are just 6 weeks apart.

 

I just love how little she is!

Kisses!

First family picture!

Poor thing, Dad accidentally took her blanket down to the car with all our bags and we had to use the car seat cover as a blanket :)