Katie Grace Arrives Early!

The LAST preggo pic with Katie Grace

38 Weeks

 

This picture was taken just a few HOURS before going into labor.  

I claimed I would wear high heels throughout pregnancy, but never would have guessed I'd be rocking 4" stilettos the night I delivered!

Ok, so obviously, we're jumping ahead from the last post.  I will go back and post the rest of the pregnant pictures, but the most important thing is that KATIE IS HERE!!!  

So, let's talk about THAT because it's way more exciting!

Here's the scoop on how it all went down:

The picture above was taken on Tuesday, July 24th.  We had dinner with Clay's parents at Fearing's in the Ritz Carlton and joked with our waiter that I was due to deliver any hour.  We also assured him we'd do our best not to make a scene.  Oh don't worry, I didn't go into labor in the restaurant.  We just had one heck of a last meal before KG's arrival.  

(Thank you, Randy and Cindy for such a delicious meal and for filling our bellies so we'd be ready for the VERY eventful night we didn't know was ahead of us.)

I need to give a bit of back info before going into the events of the evening.  

There were 2 occasions within the 36th & 37th weeks that I had false labor symptoms.  We never went to the hospital with them because they never progressed.  

The most recent was on Sunday, July 22nd.  This one was pretty intense and lasted about 8 hours.  It started while Clay and I were swimming.  We did call our midwife this time and she was prepared to go to the hospital with us if the contractions progressed.  She wasn't surprised because she had already guessed that Katie Grace would come early.  She was hoping we could make it to 39 weeks.  Obviously, the contractions subsided after a while, but I was grateful to have my helpful hubby during those 8 hours.  He helped me to relax and rubbed my back.  We even took a walk to see if we could get things going.  

Now looking back, Clay and I think the 2 false labors were very productive.  

As of 37 weeks, I was already 3 cm dilated and Katie was low in position.  So, we figured that after Sunday, who knows how much further along I was. 

 You should also know that Clay's grandmother guessed on Saturday that we would go into labor on Tuesday.  She has a tendency to be right about these things and so we were all on pins and needles!  I was trying not to put too much hope into it because I was trying to mentally prepare in case I had to wait until 40 weeks to meet our little girl.  I remember thinking at dinner that I hoped Mother was right, but I sure didn't feel like I was about to go into labor!  I was just enjoying the night with Clay and his parents. 

SO, we're back to Tuesday night.  

Clay and I went to sleep with full bellies and lots of plans for the next day.

At 3:00 am, I woke up with immediately intense contractions.  Already they felt different than previous contractions.  Still, after having a couple of false alarms, I decided to wait 1 hour until waking Clay up.  Sure enough, at 4:00 am, I realized it was time.  Clay claims he has been waiting for my "Oh boy" (<Censored version) face to know if it was the real thing.  I guess he saw it when I woke him up because without hesitation, he said "Call Cecily" (our midwife).  

I called her and said I would try to labor at home as long as possible.

Clay immediately started putting our things in the car, making PB&J sandwiches and getting everything ready for us to leave.

The whole time he did this, I was laying in bed just breathing through contractions that were about 5 minutes apart.  I started to really think this was "it" because I could not even conceive of getting up and washing my face or even getting dressed.  This indicated to me that I was not in early labor because they say you are able to get up and do things to distract yourself.  That was what I did on Sunday.  This time -- much different story.  

At 5:00 am, I told Clay... "Ok, we really need to leave now."  I was not sure how much longer it would be before Katie came, but I knew I didn't want to feel any worse for a car ride than I already did.  Clay helped me get dressed into some comfy clothes and we got in the car.  We had joked during pregnancy that I would HATE the speed bumps at our apartments while I was in labor and I was right!  Geeeez!  It was not ideal, but thankfully I was already in "the zone."

So, after we got through the dreaded speed bumps we were on our way... OR so I thought...  As we made our way down the street, I realized Clay was pulling into the turn lane to go towards the gas station.  This immediately made me laugh because at our birthing class, our teacher lectured the men that they should always keep a full tank of gas in the weeks before labor.  She warned that their laboring wives would be less than thrilled if they had to make a pit stop before the hospital.  Well, poor Clay knew the tank was low that night which is why we took his car to meet his parents for dinner.  He had planned to fill it up in the morning.  Of course, we had to take my car because it had the car seat in it!  Oh well!  As soon as I started laughing about pulling into the gas station, Clay just said, "Just go to another place, Baby."  Thankfully, I was already there and he got us back on the road as quickly as possible.

On the way, Clay was so cute.  He just kissed me and told me how excited he was that this was happening.  That filled me with happiness even though I was in pain.

We finally got to the hospital and I got out right at the door while Clay parked the car in the spot right by the door.  I started to walk in and got a contraction in the hallway.  I had to stop and grab the railing on the wall.  Thankfully, Clay got there right then and he braced my other side.  A nurse turned into the hallway and yelled down to labor in delivery: "Hey, there is a woman about to have a baby over here.  Can we get a wheel chair?"

Just hearing her say those words was so bizarre.  I thought, "She thinks I'm going to have this baby any minute.  She's just over-exaggerating."

I was SO glad she did call down the hallway because I did NOT want to walk the rest of the length of the hallway.  We wheeled over to the check-in desk and I vaguely remember attempting to fill out some paperwork.  I was glad that they let Clay finish the rest of the form because I just remember looking down and seeing that my name was barely legible on the paper.  After that, we were taken right back to a delivery room and about 2 minutes later, our midwife arrived.  

Cecily checked to see how far along we were and said "Well, I'm glad you came in because you're about 8 cm dilated!"  I was shocked... and happy!  Clay was the perfect coach.  He just held my hand and told me to breath.  He also was great about having me take breaks when I was wasting too much energy on pushes that I had nothing left for.  

We had planned all along to deliver naturally and I just remember thinking, "Is this really happening?  Am I doing this?  It all was happening so fast, I really had no time to process it all.

About 30 minutes later, Cecily told me I was 9-10 cm dilated and it was time to start pushing.  I pushed for about an hour and a half and at 7:32 am, KATIE ARRIVED!!

7 lbs. 2.4 oz. and 19.25".

I immediately put her on my chest and I think I was in shock.  I also burst some blood vessels in my eyes while pushing, so I couldn't see very well.  I just kept blinking and opening my eyes as wide as I could to try to see her better.  I looked at my proud hubby and I can safely say that was the most magical moment of my life so far. 

 We rested until about noon and spent some mommy and daddy time with our new little daughter.  Then, we opened the flood gates and our wonderful family and friends began to pop in to meet the beautiful Katie Grace.

So here are a few pics from KG's first few days with us at the hospital.

Thank you Abbey for the most precious pics that we will cherish forever! 

Hello world!

 My precious angel

 She was even too tiny for her headbands. :-)

 Auntie M! 

Clay called her at 5 am when we were heading to the hospital.

Monica immediately packed her bags, got a flight and was in Dallas by 2:00 pm.

She stayed for 1 week and SPOILED us.  Not only was it amazing to see her, but she took such great care of us.  She cleaned, cooked, took Zeppelin on walks, held KG when I needed a nap, made sure I always had everything I needed and gave KG all the loves she needed from her Auntie M!  I will always be thankful for how she cared for us.

 The fam! 

We were sad that Dad couldn't be here!  He was out of town and had left the morning before she was born!  What are the chances?!!

 Phil taking a peek!

 My little family (Minus Zeppelin)

bliss.

Family blessing for KG

 Auntie Abbey!

 CeCe!

 Seester!

 Uncle Matt!

Precious

 Love this one

 Proud daddy

I am so thankful all went smoothly for Katie Grace and me.  

We are both healthy and happy and we feel so blessed.  

Thank you all for your love and support through this journey!

Many, many more pics and stories to come!

Love,

Diana