Introducing Emma Grace

Better late than never.


Emma Grace was born on May 17, 2009 at 5:57pm weighing 7 lbs and 3 oz and measuring 20 in long.




I started having contractions at church on Sunday, May 17th. They started just as we sat down in service and were 10 minutes apart. About the last 10 minutes of service (as soon as Pastor Craig started praying) they jumped to 2 minutes apart. My friends, Andrea and Rachel, suggested I go to the hospital. I was hesitant because the contractions were not that painful yet. We decided to go ahead, just to be safe, figuring the worse case scenario is I'll be sent home.


We dropped off Ethan at Grams and Papa McGuire's and arrived at the hospital about 11:45am. They put me in a room and hooked me up to a monitor. I'm pretty sure my nurse said, "You really are contracting." Um...didn't I already say that? I began drinking water and more water to see if the contractions would stop. Eventually they started me on an iv to get fluids in me faster. The contractions didn't stop.


About 1:15pm, the doctor on-call decided to come to the hospital to break my water. She arrived at 2:00pm. Later she suggested some pitocin to speed things along and shortly after the craziness began.


Something about the way the pitocin made me contract made Emma's heart rate drop. Before I knew it, the nurses were in my room rolling me over, putting me on oxygen and readjusting the monitors. I could hear her heart rate slowing in the background. They took me off the pitocin immediately and gave me another medicine to help and I remember it made me shake. An internal monitor was attached to Emma's head to get a better heart reading. Brian and Mom both put on brave faces for me but the doctor and nurses...not so much. My nurse asked me to take off all my jewelry and what kind of dental work I've had done. I knew they were thinking about a c-section. Fortunately, after I was off the pitocin, her heart rate stabilized. I'm not sure why my natural contractions (that felt the same intensity as with pitocin) didn't affect her but I am so thankful they didn't. We later found out her cord was around her neck which caused her heart rate to drop with each contraction.


After the drama was over I just labored on my own for a few hours. About 5:45 I felt a lot of pressure. My doctor came in and checked me then said I could push with the next contraction. Meanwhile, Mom, who text Dad and Lacey to go ahead and leave to get dinner, was texting to say DON'T LEAVE.


With one push they could see her head throwing the nurses off guard. My room was ready for delivery at all! Two more pushes and Emma Grace entered the world at 5:57pm. It was so fast and so sudden. I was surprised to see her laying on my tummy. Of course, after pushing for over an hour with Ethan I never expected to see her so quickly.



Here are some pictures!

She is a great baby! We are truly blessed. I love being the mommy of a little girl. Ethan can't keep his lips off of her. He just wants to kiss her all day long. I guess I don't blame him ;)