AveryAnn's Birth Story

So after we got down to labor and delivery I was hooked up to all the monitors to see if anything was happening.  We chatted with the nurse and just hung out.  I was having a lot of contractions but they weren't too painful so I wasn't sure if I was making any progress or not.  Patrick went to get Barrett and I settled in to watch Friends on tv while I waited to see if I had progressed enough to have a baby that afternoon or if it would be the next day.  I thought I would be more nervous.  But I was mainly just relieved.  Dr. Crowe came in around 1:00 and decided I'd progressed enough to have a baby that day.  I called Patrick and told him to hurry back.  She said she'd see me at 4:00 in the OR.  The nurse started my iv and started getting everything ready.  I was so ready and so excited.  Patrick got back around 2:00 and we were able to relax and just soak in what was about to happen.  I'm so thankful for that time with Patrick, just the two of us before both kids birth.

After being prepped in the triage room, it was finally time to walk down to the operating room.  I started getting a little nervous, which I imagine is pretty normal.  I was finally going to meet my baby girl.  I had to leave Patrick and Crystal (my friend and photographer) in the hall while they did the spinal block and got me all ready.  The anesthesiologist  made small talk and asked what lipstick I was wearing because it still looked great at 4:00 in the afternoon.  Before I knew it they let Patrck and Crystal in and everyone was in place, it was time. 

It didn't feel like it was long until I heard Dr. Crowe say "She's huge!  She looks like a 3 month old!"  The anesthesiologist told Patrick to stand up and look.  He was not interested in seeing anything gross so he reluctantly stood up to see the doctor pulling her out.  It felt like an eternity before she cried and I couldn't hold back my own tears.  I don't think there is a sweeter sound in the world than hearing your baby cry for the first time.

 

They finally brought her around for me to see.  I thought she looked so much like Barrett and she had a head full of dark hair. They weighed her and everyone just laughed when they announced she was a whopping 10 pounds and 4 ounces. 

 

 

Two pounds bigger than her brother.  They brought her back and I got to really check her out and then Patrick held her while they finished putting me back together.  It was time to wheel me out and
 they let me hold her for the first time. 

Then I started feeling sick so I gave her back to Patrick for the ride down to our room.  My parents arrived pretty quickly with Barrett after we got into the room.  You forget how much goes on right after birth.  It was a flurry of activity.  I got to do skin to skin and she immediately wanted to nurse.

 Not long after that Barrett came in to meet her and he was intimidated by all the commotion and everything hooked up to me.  He stayed glued to his daddy, which I totally expected.  He gets overwhelmed so easily, I knew this was going to be a lot for him to take in. 

We let him go and get my parents to come in a meet his sister for the first time.  He was excited for everyone else to meet her.  When my older brother came in with his family, Barrett couldn't wait to show Harper and Porter his baby. 

Patrick's parents and John and Hope and Madelyn came to see us too.  I loved seeing Madelyn and AveryAnn together.  It was so funny because AveryAnn was so much bigger than Madelyn. 
I was so hungry and begged the nurse to let me eat.  They let me have some water and said if I could keep that down I could eat.  Well I didn't immediately get sick so I begged them to let me eat.  I'm sure my nurse that night hated me.  I was a pain.  I started getting really hot and begged them to let me take off the compression things on my legs.  They said not yet.  My brother and dad were fanning me and it was terrible.  I got sick.  I'm pretty sure it's because I ate but I got sick after I had Barrett too and I thought it was because I didn't eat and they were giving me pain meds.  So who knows.  After I got sick I started to feel better.  After everyone left the nurses came in and made me get up and walk.  Patrick and I watched the end of the Bachelor.  I just sat and tried to soak in every newborn inch of my baby girl.  I was so happy to finally have my girl on the outside.  She's much easier to carry around in my arms.

We are so in love!

All photo credit goes to my friend Crystal Bailey who did an amazing job!  I'm so in love with all these pictures.  I was so thankful it worked out for her to be there.