Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Baby Hannah Avery Nepple Arrives!!
On January 20, 2009, we were blessed with the arrival of the most precious bundle!! I went into school that morning, and on my way into the building, my pants became very wet! Feelings of excitement flooded over me. I did have a little thought of, "What if I just peed in my pants?!" I walked straight into the office and into the closest bathroom. As I walked into the bathroom, I said, "Hannah is deciding that today is her day!" After a short stop in the bathroom, I called Jeff on my way to my room and said, "I think Hannah is coming today. I'm pretty sure my water just broke." He said he would be there to pick me up. Luckily, his night float shift was ending, so he could leave almost immediately. However, we do have to mention that right before leaving, he was asked many questions by the attending who didn't realize that his mind was swarming with thoughts of his baby daughter arriving! :) There were many teachers that stopped in my room to check on me and share the excitement! I really felt pretty good, just a few crampy feelings.
I made it downstairs to the lounge with the help of teachers walking in front of me and behind me to help me hide the water. Every time I stood, I felt a rush of more water! And I was afraid that I wouldn't know that my water broke!!!! Jeff arrived promptly (after calling me to ask if he should stop at home to change--to which I answered no! I needed him with me!) Over the walkie talkies, the teachers outside in the parking lot for morning duty said, "Dr. Nepple has arrived!"
Walking to the car was exciting and very cold! My pants were definitely quite a sight!
We headed to the hospital where we were admitted into a labor and delivery room. I changed into my gown. From that point on, my sister and parents visited and Jeff took a little nap. I had to have pitocin to help increase the intensity of the contractions, and let me tell you--it definitely worked quickly! I spent some time on the birthing ball and then some time with my knees on the floor and head resting on the ball. This was my positioning as I moaned, "Can I have an epidural now?" Fortunately, they worked quickly in having the anesthesiologist come in. Epidurals are amazing! I immediately felt the relief and from then on I could only feel the pressure of a contraction, but not the pain. It was kind of fun to experience that part of labor, because I could tell everyone, "Ok. Here is another one" and still have a smile on my face :) I was concerned that I hadn't really endured labor for very long, but when they checked me I was 5 cm, so I was glad to hear that I had done some work on my own :)
Hannah's head still hadn't descended like it should have, so my labor nurse had me move into some positions to try to help. Around 8:30, I started pushing to try to help move her down. Unfortunately, there were some scares because her head still wasn't moving, and her heart beat was decreasing every time I pushed. Jeff and I found out that a c-section looked like it was very possible. I was pretty upset. I think all of the emotions from the day were all accumulating, and I was bothered because I had worked all day to have a "normal" delivery. With some tears in my eyes, Jeff reassured me that everything would be ok.
God was watching out for all of us. I kept pushing to see if we could make anything happen, and it did! Hannah's heart beat remained normal, and she was positioned for delivery. I remember Dr. Ladd saying, "One more push, and we'll have the baby out!" Jeff was by my right side whispering words of encouragement. Hannah was born!
I have to say everything was so surreal! I actually watched the birth in a mirror, and it was pretty amazing. When they handed Hannah to me, I had a rush of emotions. Immediately, you feel an incredible amount of love towards the new baby you are holding. As the nurses took Hannah to her warming bed to do their work, Jeff followed with the camera. A very proud Daddy!
About an hour after delivery, after all of the cleaning, assessing, and feeding, Gammy, Papa, Aunt Amy, Uncle Alan, and Aunt Sally came into the delivery room. They were all so happy to see our new little angel!
Jeff, Hannah, and I all rested in the room until around 1:00 am. At this point, I paged the nurse to ask if I could use the restroom. I had to move very carefully, because my right leg was still numb from the epidural. It was kind of crazy feeling! We were moved into our postpartum room. Hannah ate again, and then she spent some time in the nursery, while daddy and I got a little sleep. We were all exhausted from the day's events! I went to sleep in a dream-like state. We had a wonderful, miraculous little baby girl who we were in love with from the very instant we met her.
Our stay in the hospital was a marvelous experience. My nurses were wonderful, and Jeff and I were a proud Mommy and Daddy showing off our angel. She was by far the cutest baby around! ;) The second night, I walked down to the nursery to see our baby girl. I woke up on my own around midnight, and wanted to go see how she was doing. There were several other babies in the nursery. She was facing the window, and when I peeked in, one of the nurses came to the door and asked me if I wanted to take her back to the room. I said, "Yes." While I was wheeling her back, I was thinking about how proud I was to be her Mommy. I felt so blessed, so thankful for our little family.
She is absolutely adorable! Here are the hospital photos. Hospital Photos
She is just the cutest, most perfect little girl! It's amazing how much you can love someone who has only been with you for such a short time. Can't imagine life without her! :)
I made it downstairs to the lounge with the help of teachers walking in front of me and behind me to help me hide the water. Every time I stood, I felt a rush of more water! And I was afraid that I wouldn't know that my water broke!!!! Jeff arrived promptly (after calling me to ask if he should stop at home to change--to which I answered no! I needed him with me!) Over the walkie talkies, the teachers outside in the parking lot for morning duty said, "Dr. Nepple has arrived!"
Walking to the car was exciting and very cold! My pants were definitely quite a sight!
We headed to the hospital where we were admitted into a labor and delivery room. I changed into my gown. From that point on, my sister and parents visited and Jeff took a little nap. I had to have pitocin to help increase the intensity of the contractions, and let me tell you--it definitely worked quickly! I spent some time on the birthing ball and then some time with my knees on the floor and head resting on the ball. This was my positioning as I moaned, "Can I have an epidural now?" Fortunately, they worked quickly in having the anesthesiologist come in. Epidurals are amazing! I immediately felt the relief and from then on I could only feel the pressure of a contraction, but not the pain. It was kind of fun to experience that part of labor, because I could tell everyone, "Ok. Here is another one" and still have a smile on my face :) I was concerned that I hadn't really endured labor for very long, but when they checked me I was 5 cm, so I was glad to hear that I had done some work on my own :)
Hannah's head still hadn't descended like it should have, so my labor nurse had me move into some positions to try to help. Around 8:30, I started pushing to try to help move her down. Unfortunately, there were some scares because her head still wasn't moving, and her heart beat was decreasing every time I pushed. Jeff and I found out that a c-section looked like it was very possible. I was pretty upset. I think all of the emotions from the day were all accumulating, and I was bothered because I had worked all day to have a "normal" delivery. With some tears in my eyes, Jeff reassured me that everything would be ok.
God was watching out for all of us. I kept pushing to see if we could make anything happen, and it did! Hannah's heart beat remained normal, and she was positioned for delivery. I remember Dr. Ladd saying, "One more push, and we'll have the baby out!" Jeff was by my right side whispering words of encouragement. Hannah was born!
I have to say everything was so surreal! I actually watched the birth in a mirror, and it was pretty amazing. When they handed Hannah to me, I had a rush of emotions. Immediately, you feel an incredible amount of love towards the new baby you are holding. As the nurses took Hannah to her warming bed to do their work, Jeff followed with the camera. A very proud Daddy!
About an hour after delivery, after all of the cleaning, assessing, and feeding, Gammy, Papa, Aunt Amy, Uncle Alan, and Aunt Sally came into the delivery room. They were all so happy to see our new little angel!
Jeff, Hannah, and I all rested in the room until around 1:00 am. At this point, I paged the nurse to ask if I could use the restroom. I had to move very carefully, because my right leg was still numb from the epidural. It was kind of crazy feeling! We were moved into our postpartum room. Hannah ate again, and then she spent some time in the nursery, while daddy and I got a little sleep. We were all exhausted from the day's events! I went to sleep in a dream-like state. We had a wonderful, miraculous little baby girl who we were in love with from the very instant we met her.
Our stay in the hospital was a marvelous experience. My nurses were wonderful, and Jeff and I were a proud Mommy and Daddy showing off our angel. She was by far the cutest baby around! ;) The second night, I walked down to the nursery to see our baby girl. I woke up on my own around midnight, and wanted to go see how she was doing. There were several other babies in the nursery. She was facing the window, and when I peeked in, one of the nurses came to the door and asked me if I wanted to take her back to the room. I said, "Yes." While I was wheeling her back, I was thinking about how proud I was to be her Mommy. I felt so blessed, so thankful for our little family.
She is absolutely adorable! Here are the hospital photos. Hospital Photos
She is just the cutest, most perfect little girl! It's amazing how much you can love someone who has only been with you for such a short time. Can't imagine life without her! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)