I was getting ready to leave work just before 5pm when Allison called and said she was on her way home from picking up Owen at daycare and having some pretty hard contractions. She thought they seemed different than the ones she had been having earlier in the week, but wanted to wait and see what happened. Honestly, I didn't think much of it, but got my bag together and left for home.
I have almost a 30 mile drive home, and about halfway, Allison called again.... out of breath this time... "You need to hurry because this is the real deal.... " So I picked up the pace..
While I was busy breaking speed limits, Allison called around and made plans for Owen. Her brother Eric was able to come over and take Owen back to his house until her mom could make her way down. Owen was so excited to ride in Eric's truck and watch one of his "Popular Mechanic's for Kids" videos with his cousins.
We left for the hospital about 6:15pm and on the way over, Allison was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. We spent all of about 5 minutes in OB triage before they checked Allison at 6cm and made the decision to send us right to the labor & delivery floor. And this is where the coincidences started getting humorous.
Keep in mind that 4 years ago almost to the hour, we were arriving at the hospital to welcome Owen into the world. Fast forward to present day and we arrived on the L&D floor, where we were taken to the very same room that we delivered Owen in: R 222.
It took just over an hour to get settled and check blood work while Allison was hammering out contractions every 3 minutes or so. The point of humor occurred when, as part of the intake questions, the nurse asked Allison what level of education she had, and followed that question up with "are you happy with how you read?" Go figure why this is critically important to a woman in labor, but I'm sure Allison contributed to the statistical majority of women with bachelor degrees that are happy with their reading skills.
Anyhow... once the labs were received and approved, Allison had an epidural administered at 7:45pm by the Dr. on call, who happened to be Dr. Early, the same anesthesiologist that put in the epidural for Owen.
Here's Allison enjoying some pain free contractions!
Our goal was to try to and have a baby before midnight, so our little girl wouldn't have to share the same birthday as her brother... So after the epidural settled in, Dr. Ghoubrial broke Allison's water and the countdown began.
Around 8:15, Allison was feeling a lot of pressure, so Gigi checked her and surprised us by saying we were ready to have a baby! At this moment, Allison and I just looked at each other in amazement at just how fast everything was going...
Dr. Ghoubrial, Dr. Metzgar and the nursing staff were absolutely wonderful during the labor process and after just about 15 minutes of pushing, we welcomed our baby girl into the world.
Here she is sunning herself in the warming tray right after delivery. She kept stretching her legs and toes, fingers and hands... it was so cute to watch her enjoy her new-found freedom of movement.
The formal weigh in at 7lb-5.7oz.
Gigi and Holly admiring their new little friend Molly.
Here's Molly getting her footprints.
And bundled up for the very first time.
Molly was so content after the birth, letting out a few yells, but mostly looking around and taking in all the sights. Here she is after the delivery with the best mommy in the whole world.
After the delivery we had Molly to enjoy to ourselves for almost an hour. It's an experience that cannot be expressed well in words... cuddling your new baby girl for the first time.
Thankfully, we were moved later in the evening to the New Beginnings floor and a much more comfortable bed. The labor beds are something right out of a transformers movie with how they move and contort... which unfortunately makes them not so comfortable for sleeping.
After several months of a strict diet that came along with gestational diabetes, before we called it a night, I ran out and got Allison a big Frosty from Wendy's. Not usually the milkshake or desert of choice, but at the moment in her words... "this is divine".
I wonder what the world will be like when she's old enough to care... this new little person, unaffected by the great unknown. I listen to her breathe as she sleeps in my arms and it's almost hypnotic. She is the picture of perfect peace... something we lose all to soon as we grow in age. When she's awake, her eyes are constantly looking around, taking in new sights and giving the occasional stare. I think she smiled at me today. I hope and wish I can give this beautiful girl the best life she deserves.... to be there when she needs me, give her the freedom to learn from mistakes, and provide a home filled with unconditional love.
