She's here!

Audrey Camille Perryman
10.02.07 @ 11:43pm
6.14oz 18.5in

And now... our birth story...

Monday, October 1, 2007 was our dear daughter's due date. We went in for our check up, had an ultrasound done (she looked perfect!) and had an exam done as well. I was about 3-4cm dilated, and still sitting at about 70% effaced.
That day, we went to eat a late breakfast at IHOP (we ate there the night before Adeline was born, too!). The rest of that day was filled with mild cramping and light bleeding.
That night, James & I decided to do our best at helping things progress naturally. We did. It worked. And I started to have contractions that morning around 4am. They started hard and strong and fast. Coming about every 5-7 minutes. Then, as the morning went on, they slacked off to about every 20 minutes. Around 4pm, I started running a low grade fever and was just burning up. I called my doctor's office and left a message. I was worried about having an infection and something being wrong with Baby Girl. The nurse called me back and said to go on to L&D. They'd probably wind up keeping me, so bring my things.
So, I packed.
We went to eat at Sonic (we ate Sonic the night Adeline was born). And we dropped Adeline off at my parents' home. I had a huge vanilla milkshake on my way up to L&D.
It was about 6pm when we go to the hospital. I was only 5cm dilated at this time.
I was told to walk around the hospital for an hour to see how I would progress. We walked and walked and walked. I was 8cm when we got back to the room.
They put me on the monitors, but I kept detaching them to go sit on the potty. Man, does gravity help move things along! And man does sitting in a bed really make contractions a million times worse!
No one came to check my dilation from about 8pm until right before Baby Girl came. Which kind of irritates me now, looking back.
At 11:30, I told James that I just couldn't take the pain anymore. I was ready for my epidural and I wanted it right then. I told him I was going to the bathroom and that I expected everyone to be ready with that needle. I just couldn't do it any longer.
I sat on the potty, had a major contraction, tried to pee a little bit, but then my water broke. And man - was there ever some pressure! It felt like I had the world's largest hemroid! But the more I thought about it the more I wondered if it was the baby's head coming out!
So, I yelled for James to come. I screamed, "The baby! It's the baby!" and for whatever reason, he dropped down on his knees, like he was going to catch her... Silly guy.
Sara (my good friend and neighbor) had been hanging out with us most of the evening, so she ran out to the nurse's station to tell them what was going on. Two nurses had to help me back to the bed and told me to stay put. Not to get up again. They were rolling me over trying to get the monitors back on and telling me to not push. Man, was that hard!
I was laying on my right side, James was leaning down to me, helping me breath through these never ending contractions. I told him that she was coming out and I couldn't hold her in any longer.
The nurses put my legs in the stirrups and told me not to push. I told them (err.. kind of screamed) I couldn't help it! I screamed one of those holy crap she's coming out you'd better catch her! screams. And with only one push (while the nurse had only one glove on and no doctor was to be found!) Baby Girl Perryman entered the world at 11:43pm on October 2, 2007.
She weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 18.5 inches long.
A head full of dark hair and just the most adorable little thing.

The most painful part of her delivery was having to deliver the placenta and being stitched up afterwards. The little numbing needle hurt so much! And I hated not being able to just lay back and enjoy watching the nurses mess around with the baby. I didn't get to hold her for a while because it hurt so much while they were messing with my goodies down below. I was too scared I'd drop her. But James got lots of snuggle time with his new baby daughter.

It wasn't until later on Wednesday when we decided on Audrey Camille. Audrey meaning of noble strength, and Camille after my great Aunt who passed away from cancer in 99.

I'm so blessed to have two such amazingly beautiful girls. Adeline just adores her baby sister and loves to kiss and touch her all the time. I am truly thankful.