She's Here!!!!

Audrey Jean Sinyard was born at 7:29pm on June 20th. She weighs 8lbs 6oz and is 19 3/4 inches long. Below are some details about our last few days, mainly to help us remember. Read on for more, or if you'd really rather not know, just skip to the links at the bottom of the post for pictures!

Without having gone to sleep yet, I started having contractions at 2:00am on Saturday morning. For a long time, they were coming every forty minutes to an hour. Though we tried to sleep in between, we were way too anxious and excited. I kept moving, doing a little housework and even giving David a haircut at 4:00am (he needed it and we had nothing else to do!) At around 11:00am, I called the doctor. My doctor was out of town, so his fill-in called me back. I asked if I should be concerned about the lack of progress. He said no, it was normal, and to call back when they were five minutes apart or my water broke. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait for long! At around 2:00pm (I think - this part starts to get a little blurry!), my contractions were coming every 6-8 minutes. We were expecting a more gradual transition, but I guess she was getting impatient too! We loaded the car and called the doctor on the way to the hospital.

We got checked in and saw a triage nurse around 3:00ish (again, time had no meaning at this point, so I could be off!) I was 5 cm dialated and the contractions were coming fast and furious. I was worried I wouldn't be able to hold still long enough to get an epidural. Turns out, that wouldn't be the issue. They moved us to a labor and delivery room and asked a million more questions during the check-in process.

When they examined me again (4:30ish), I was 7cm and the anesthesiologist was on her way. However, when she got my labs back, my white blood cell count was extremely high. They were worried that meant I had some type of infection in my body, though I wasn't running a fever and had been feeling fine. They still made the call that an epidural was not worth the risk, as it could have caused the potential infection to spread to my spinal cord. So, they broke the news that we were moving on without one.

It was at that moment I was certain I was not going to make it. The pain was unbearable and I still had a whole lot more work left to do! They did give me some IV meds to "take the edge off" but explained they would let the meds wear off before I began pushing so the baby would be alert.

The doctor showed up and around 5:00pm. Again, since my doctor was out of town, this was a guy I'd never even met before. At this point, however, I DID NOT CARE!!!! And as it turns out, he was an amazing doctor who did a fantastic job. God was watching over us.

They broke my water at 5:30pm, and I was fully dilated and started pushing at 6:15pm. The IV meds made me drowsy and dizzy, but did very little for the pain. David, as usual, was my rock. He was so supportive and encouraging every step of the way. He truly believed I could do it when I had my serious doubts. And of course, I did do it. And it was all worth it. By 7:29pm, our angel was born.

Our parents came back for a quick introduction. The nurses had to take her away to the nursery all too quickly, so they grandparents went and supervised her bath and tests through the window while they prepared to move me up to the post-partum wing.

By the time we got in our new room and got settled it was close to 10:00pm. That made 38 hours straight of being awake. And needless to say, we barely got more than 20 minutes (yes, literally) of sleep that night. My adrenaline was pumping like crazy and even though she slept a little, I could not! Every noise was so new and precious. And when there weren't noises, I was leaning over her making sure she was breathing. And, of course, there were constant check-ins from nurses.

Sunday morning came quickly and we started David's first official Father's Day. I have a feeling that this year's will top all others! His parents came by and enjoyed a more thorough introduction of their first grandchild. My parents, grandmother, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew soon followed. David's grandparents drove all the way from Alabama and threatened to immediately take her back with them. His aunt, uncle, and cousin also stopped in for a quick hello. She slept through most of it and had no idea she was the center of everyone's undivided attention and the hilarious "can you spot her dimple?" game. Her pediatrician, a lactation consultant, the doctor that delivered her, and the usual barrage of nurses also came and went.

Needless to day, yesterday flew by and suddenly it was nighttime and we tried to settle in for bed. Audrey, on the other hand, had a very different idea. She succumbed to what is known as "second night delight." This is a phenomenon that we learned about in parenting class when the baby becomes more aware of her new strange environment and has trouble getting adjusted. Hence, night number three of zero sleep.

This morning dawned and my regular OB came by. He apologized for missing the delivery and reassured us about the white blood cell count issue. Apparently it just happens to some women during labor. I'd since been retested and the levels had begun to drop, so all is well. The doctor gave us the clear for checking out.

After he left, I slept for almost two hours straight and felt like a new woman. We spent most of today getting ready to leave the hospital and finally checked out this afternoon. We got home, introduced Audrey to her new house, and took a 30 minute nap before dinner. Since then, we've tried to rest but haven't had much success. Hopefully tonight will be much better than last night and we'll get some sleep.

As exhausted as we are, though, we couldn't be more head over heels in love with our new daughter. Everything she does is amazing (yes, we've officially become "those people" that brag about the tiniest of feats she achieves, including poopy diapers!)

Though the delivery and experience since have been drastically different than we planned or thought (I'm still shocked about no epidural and trying to quickly forget it!) we're learning to roll with it. God has watched over us every step of the way and we are blessed beyond words to have this healthy, gorgeous gift.

Please pray for us as we continue getting settled into our new family of three! I'll update when I'm able, but of course it won't be as often as I (or most of you) would like. Just know we're home, we're healthy, and even though we're beyond exhausted, we're crazy happy.

Remember to check out the pictures! Click on either link below to view the same album. The Facebook link has a few captions, but may be blocked if you're trying to view it at work so I'm posting the Picasa link as well.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hsinyard1/AudreyJeanSinyardSArrival#

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2212353&id=22619877&l=49d9885bda

You can also access them under "Links" on the right side of this blog then "Our Photos" then click "Audrey Jean Sinyard's Arrival" when the Picasa website opens. Enjoy!