Avery's Birth Story

Avery was born on Friday, October 11 at 1:47 p.m. It was a fairly easy labor as far as labors go and delivery was the same way. There were a few differences between this time around and my previous kids. But that's all nearing the end of the story...let me back up and start at the beginning!

Actually, let me back way up to my 37-week doctor's appointment. I walked out of that appointment with the news that I was already dilated to a three and 80% effaced. Even though my doc warned me not to get too excited, I have to admit I didn't listen. I was excited. I was dilated to a three with both Sadie and Ellie when I walked into the hospital after hours of laboring. So three is big for me. I went home and packed my hospital bag right then.

Well, you can probably figure out how that part went. From that point on, my Braxton Hicks contractions actually slowed down. 38 weeks? Still a three. 39 weeks? Still a three. I got my hopes up, but it's like my body put on the brakes. By 39 weeks, I was thoroughly frustrated. This isn't the place to log my complaints, but suffice it to say I was done being pregnant. So when my doctor asked at my 39-week appointment how I felt about being induced, I didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely," I said.

The date was set for two days later. At our hospital, the policy is that you call at 5:00 a.m. on your induction date and they take your information, then call back when they have an open spot. When I called, however, the nurse told me they had a packed schedule and probably wouldn't be able to fit me in until the afternoon. Slightly discouraged, I went back to bed. To our surprise, though, the phone rang at about 7:40 saying they had a room ready for me. Yes! We went into a whirlwind of packing and getting ready. Luckily my mom had come the night before, so the kids were taken care of. We got to the hospital a little before 8:30, got checked in and settled, and prepared ourselves to have a baby!

They started me on antibiotics immediately since I was positive for one of the Group Streps, but not the normal Group B that affects most pregnant women (long story). I also got my small amount of pitocin. It brought on contractions, but not strong ones so Kevin and I hung out and watched Brian Regan. I know - it sounds random, but it's a tradition we started when I was in labor with Sadie. It wouldn't be a hospital stay without hearing his routine about the hospital and rating your pain.

A little before 11:30, my doctor came in to check on me. I had only progressed to a four during that time, but he decided to break my water anyway. Not two minutes had passed after he did that before I got my next contraction and boy, it was a game changer! I went from a 0 on that pain scale to a 6 or 7 in no time flat. And then they started to come in waves. I spent the next 45 minutes breathing through the pain and waiting for my epidural. It finally came at about 12:15 - blessed relief!! After that, time seemed to speed up. The next time they checked me, I was dilated to a nine and baby was moving steadily down. My epidural didn't seem to absorb as much as it normally does and I could feel contractions pulsing through my body. It was more pain than I normally like to be in, but nothing I couldn't handle. At about 1:20-ish they checked me and found that I was dilated to a ten and more than ready. (In fact, the nurse said that if it hadn't been for my epidural, I probably would have been having the urge to push.) They prepared the room, my doctor came in, and before I knew it, they were telling me to start pushing. It took pushing through just three contractions - my shortest ever - before Avery appeared. I was so focused on pushing and the unfamiliar amounts of pain (again, nothing over the top - I'm just used to being completely numb at that point) I was feeling that I wasn't expecting to see her so soon. I was shocked when her slimy little head popped up out of nowhere in the doctor's hands. Avery was here, with her perfectly round little head, covered with a mop of dark hair and her quiet cry that was nothing like the screams her sisters emitted in their first moments of life.

This was the first time I opted to have them give me the baby right after birth. Sadie and Ellie were both taken straight to the warmer, but I wanted to give this a try. I loved it! Instead of watching from afar and waiting for them to clean my baby before I got to hold her, I got to be the first one to hold her and talk to her. She was squirmy and slimy, but absolutely beautiful.

We've gotten a lot of "that's a pretty big baby!" comments, which have puzzled me. I don't think 8 pounds is that big. But then I look at this picture from right after she was born and the adorable little arm and leg rolls and I have to admit that she does look bigger than Sadie or Ellie did at that point.

Our families came to visit, of course, and no one was more excited than these two girls. Even Ellie showed more enthusiasm than I was expecting (just don't be deceived by her picture). They look like giants next to that bitty baby!

First picture of all THREE of my kids. (Yikes!)

And some grandparent gems...

And some more pictures of this pretty little creature...

And last but not least, here's our first picture as a family of five. Crazy stuff!

All in all, I'd totally do an induction again. I know some people are against inducing labor unless it's medically necessary, but I kinda loved it. My body handled the pitocin really well and I didn't have any complications from going too fast. And I really loved that I didn't have a slightly panicked, painful contraction-laden drive to the hospital. It was much more relaxed. Plus, it was nice to be able to plan for it a little bit - especially when we had two other kids to make arrangements for. Yep, inductions are pretty cool in my book!