Introducing Haylea Irene Finch...

So it is the end of day 6 and I am just now getting around to posting our birth story! I have had it saved for the last 3 days trying to get the pictures organized and I never get a chance to finish! The days just fly by and there seems to be no time to do these little things. We are exhausted but so happy and amazed with our daughter. She is perfect in every way and we are loving getting to know her.

Monday evening 8/17 we went to the hospital for our induction. We got to the hospital at 6pm and got all hooked up to the monitor and got an IV started and labs drawn. Then I got the pill that would help to soften my cervix. The plan was to start pitocin in the morning around 7:30 am to start the labor process but during the night I started dilating and was having regular contractions. I couldn't feel most of them but they were showing up on the monitor. I went in dilated to 2 cm and had been that way for 3 weeks. The nurse checked me at 1130 pm and I had dilated to 3-4 cm. I had been a three before and sort of closed back up after my false labor at 36 weeks. I started getting more contractions and she checked me again at 3:30 am. I was 4-5 cm according to the nurse at that time and more effaced. She called my OB and they decided since I was progressing early to go ahead and start the pitocin to get things moving along faster. That was started then and she increased it every 30 minutes. I sort of stalled then with dilation but was getting stronger and stronger contractions. I called my family around 7:30 am to make sure they were on their way since I had progressed alreayd. My OB came in about 8 am and broke my water. I was still a good 4 cm according to her. As soon as my water was broken my contractions began to be more and more painful. I was checked again in an hour and still only4 and beginning to think it was going to be a long day. I had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep during the night so I started thinking about getting the epidural so I could rest before it was time and I was in so much pain during the contractions that I knew I wouldn't rest. I got the epidural at 9:15 am and was so happy! I couldn't even feel the contractions. Each time I was checked I was still 4 cm but effacing a little more each time. I was checked at about 11:30 am because I told the nurse I could feel some rectal pressure with each contraction. By then I could feel the pressure of the contractions but they weren't painful because of the epidural. Of course I was 4cm and so she had me turn on my side to try and see if a different position would put more pressure on my cervix. All of a sudden I could feel the contractions getting stronger and stronger and a lot more painful. The epidural was wearing off and the rectal pressure was getting more and more intense. I was starting to feel like I wanted to push but just 30 minutes ago I was just 4 cm so I thought there was no way I was that close. The nurse came in during a contraction and saw my pain and said she would check again. I thought she was crazy because she had JUST checked me. But her face said it all...I went from 4 cm to 9 in 30 minutes! She said I barely had a lip of cervix left. So she called my OB at about 12:30 (who was at the office 15 minutes away) and had her come asap. Before she checked me I had asked for her to call anesthesia to get another bolus of my epidural thinking it would still be a while but when I knew I was at 9cm I decided not to get it so that I could feel to push. I am really glad I did. So for about a half an hour I had to NOT PUSH during contractions until my OB got there. That was the hardest part. My body really wanted to push and the contractions weren't so bad but the urge to push was incredibly painful. Finally, she showed up at 1:00 pm and it was time. I think I pushed throuh 5 or 6 contractions. They were frustrating to me though because the contractions were kind of far apart...at least it seemed like an eternity, I am not sure exactly how far apart they were. I felt like each time waiting between them was just undoing all the progress I had done in the previous push. Finally my sister convinced me to use the mirror...I didn't want to at first but it helped so much! Seeing her start to crown really motivated me to use my pushes effectively. It was amazing watching every moment and when she was born she just melted my heart immediately. I scanned her for fingers and toes and hair...and of course made sure she was a girl! She had a few little cries but didn't really scream. She pinked up immediately though and was just so calm laying on my chest. Brian got to cut the cord and I just held her on my chest. I had a 2nd degree tear and my OB was stitching me up and honestly I didn't feel it one bit because I was so concentrated on my perfect little baby. I kept her on my chest for a while but the blanket was wet and I was afraid she was getting cold so I let them take her to the warmer and dry her off better and wrap her up. Brian got to hold her then too and I fell in love with him all over again seeing him so happy and in love with our daughter.

There are tons of pics...I had a very hard time narrowing it down to just these!