Our Birth Story

I woke up at 6:42 AM on January 16th, 2013 to what felt like a really strong cramp. I wasn't super concerned about it because I'd had braxton hicks a few times before and I just figured that I was having another episode of that. I got up and grabbed a glass of water and laid back down. When Jesse got up to get ready for work at around 7:30 AM I had already had 3 or 4 more (I decided to time them after the second one just to be safe), and when he got out of the shower I told him he might want to call his boss and tell him he could be a little late for work. So we hung out at home until 10 AM, at which point my contractions were averaging out to around every 4-5 minutes. I decided to call the hospital, and they told me to come on in and they'd check me out.

When we got to the hospital it was around 10:30 AM. They hooked me up to the monitors for the baby and for my contractions and ran a few tests while they waited on my Doctor's decision. The nurse made it seem like they were going to send me home because I was only 75% effaced and 3CM dialated, but my Doctor said to keep me because my contractions were close enough together and he was sure I'd just have to come back. So they moved Jesse and I into a labor and delivery room and started a pitocin drip to regulate my contractions. By the time they got the IV in and started the fluids and pitocin it was about noon and the Doctor said he'd be back in about an hour to check how dilated I was and discuss breaking my water.

Around 1:00 PM he popped back in and checked my cervix. It turned out that I was dialted to 5 CM already, and my water broke as he was checking me. Now, up to this point I wasn't in a huge amount of pain. The contractions were strong, but not unmanageable. I was actually thinking to myself, "I don't need an epidural. I can totes magotes do this!" Then my water broke, and I can only describe my body's reaction as shock. haha I was literally shivering and chattering, and it got way worse when I had a contraction. So of course I said, "Where's this epidural we've been talking about?" and in popped my savior the anesthesiologist. By 1:30 PM I had the most amazing epidural that anyone has ever had in history.

The nurse came back in at about 2:30 PM to check me and put in my catheter, and I was only about 6 CM dilated. As soon as she put the catheter in my contractions intensified again and I told Jesse I felt like I had to push about 30 minutes later. She came back to check me again about 3:45 PM and I had dilated to 10 CM so she called the Doctor and got me ready to push. After about an hour I was ready for the Doctor to come in and deliver, and he showed up around 5 PM. At 5:34 PM little miss Emily Caroline Hillius was born, and the first words her Daddy said to me were "She has huge feet!"

A few minutes later, my baby girl was in my arm and I was the happiest (and most tired) Momma who ever lived. :) Plus, thanks to my awesome epidural the birth was a snap. I told the nurse who wheeled me into recovery that I would do it again, and she looked at me funny, so I explained that the anesthesiologist was amazing and I had basically felt slight pressure, and no pain. She said I was the only person who ever told her immediately following labor that I would do it again. haha Go figure.
 

And that's how our little cupcake made her arrival into our lives. :)