Our newest addition...

On Tuesday September 14th, 2010 at 10:57 pm, we finally got to meet our little princess, Miss Marley Claire Lee Begonia. Its taken me a few days to catch my breath from the last few days activities but here's the recap:

Monday Sept 13th: I have my doctor's appt at 9 am and he confirms that I've started labour but I'm only 1cm dilated. He says to go home and come back to the hospital later that night for another check up. After spending the day walking and getting ready, we go back to the hospital at 11:oo pm for my "check up" and end up back home at 3 am (that's how long it took just to find out I was at 3 cm dilated) to return the hospital the following morning.

Tuesday Sept 14th: 9am - we arrive at Mt Sinai after some more painful and regular contractions and I'm thinking I'm well into labour. Disappointed to find out I'm still at 3 cm and they want to induce me. They break my water at noon and give me until 3pm to start active labour on my own before introducing Oxytocin (to induce). By 3, I've felt more contractions but apparently they weren't "regular" enough so the drugs are started.

4-5pm - I've reached 6 cm and the contractions are 2 mins apart. I've gone up to this point with no drugs but it was getting extremely intense and I didn't have enough time to rest in between. The pain is excrutiating and I feel nauseous, like I'm going to black out so decide to go for the epidural.  Luckily the anesthetist arrives quickly and I'm able to get my epidural before the lady in the other delivery room who ends missing her opportunity and has to deliver without one!! Once those drugs kicked in, I was in heaven, much more relaxed and able to progress much faster.

6-7 pm - I'm fully dilated to 10 cm and they let me know that I'll be pushing soon. They give me an hour or so for the baby's head to descend further down.

8-9pm - With Gerwyn and the nurse each holding one leg, I start to push. At this point, I can't feel anything so I have a hard time getting it exactly right but Gerwyn is able to see baby's head. Unfortunately the head retracts after each push and the nurse calls in the dr to see if the baby needs to be turned

10pm - Dr. Barkin and the resident come in and take one look at my pushing and the baby and decide I will need the vacuum and forceps, they tell me to stop pushing and they bump up my drugs to prepare for the apparent trauma of both vacuum and forceps

10:57 pm - After 2 more big pushes, an episiotomy, additional tearing (of my uretha) and the vacuum, Marley Claire Lee Begonia is born! Woo hoo! What a relief. I have never been so completely exhausted in my entire life but of course, as soon as they put that slimy, messy baby on my chest, I'm so overwhelmed and every minute has been worth it.

We've spent the last few days getting to know each other, things started off well, she was actually a relatively quiet and well behaved little girl in the hospital but now that we're home and someone is getting spoiled rotten, she's seem to have found her lungs and loves to use them every evening. We are blessed and so happy to have this new addition in our lives, each day is so new and we can't wait to see what happens next.