Emi Alice A Birth Story

Ok, I figured I better write this since time and sleep deprivation are making my memory a little bit foggy. This is the birth story of Emi Alice- the good, the bad, the ugly, and the TMI's :) enjoy!

The Monday before Emi arrived, I was at work doing the oh so stimulating monitor tech job (can you sense my sarcasm?) when I felt like she was literally going to fall out of me. After asking a couple of coworkers what I should do, I got pushed to labor and delivery in my pimped out wheelchair (which by the way if anyone has a picture of it, I would like it for the baby book). After being monitored and checked, I was sent home and told the in deed my darling baby's head was pushing out, but my cervix was staying closed (huh, go figure). So home I went and "took it easy". Are you kidding me, I think I scrubbed my floors everyday that week hoping to get things started. Then Saturday came and I sent many texts to my coworkers (God bless them with my oh so TMI questions and comments throughout this pregnancy) about mucous plugs- thanks guys! Hey I warned you in the first paragraph :).
Well Sunday morning came and I woke up with a horrible back ache. I decided to take a shower (you would think I would have remembered Gracie's arrival with a back ache). So, like with Gracie, I decided to take a shower. I decided that the shower was not helping and maybe I should head to the hospital. By this time Ava comes into the bathroom and wants to take a shower too. I told her that I was only in there because I had a back ache. So I look out and Ava is sprawled out on the bathroom floor saying that she just needed to take a shower because her back hurt too (what a coincidence). I finally convince her to go wake up Danny, so he could take a shower and to tell him that it was very important. On a side note, why don't men ever get subtle hints? So Ava comes back and says that Dad didn't wake up, so she better just go ahead with her shower. Out of the shower I come bribing Ava along the way with a possible sleepover at Grandma's house. I wake Danny up and call my mom to tell her that we would be bringing Ava over. She was excited but, like I also told Danny, I would probably just be sent back home.
Ok, even if I did tell Danny that I would probably be sent home, you would think he would be a little bit scatter brained like you see in the movies. Not my man, no- he takes his good sweet time. He showers, gets dressed, and I get Ava ready. I tell them that I am going out to the car- again subtle hint to get a move on. I sit out in the car for five minutes- no hubby, no Ava. By this time I'm a little cranky with contractions and, well I'm not very patient, so I head inside. What do I find when I go upstairs? They are still in the bathroom! Not just that, they are experimenting what toys float and what toys sink in the water! "Are you kidding me!" and I stomp down the stairs. They must have finally gotten the hint, and away we went to Grandma's house.
On the way out of town, we turn behind my cousin's husband. Danny, "he's going to know what we are doing." On a side note, he was the first one to know about this pregnancy waaayyyy before anyone else in my family. He kept it a secret the entire time, bless his heart, but has been raked over the coals ever since by all of the female family members :). We try to act not obvious (we didn't want everyone to get their hopes up over a false alarm), but he waits for us at a stop sign. With a grin, "where are you guys going?" We finally confess, and he wishes us luck.
Once we get to Peoria, we park in the ED lot. We get wheeled up to labor and delivery and am attached to the monitor. After a little while, my contractions slow down- geez here we go again. (on a side note I was going to be induced the next day, so I was secretly hoping they would just keep me). I was also not even admitted yet and was laying in the triage room that has no tv- so Danny was bored. The same rules applied for him like Ava's birth. No talking, no laughing, no eating, no touching. Hey, I like to suffer by myself. By this time I have to go to the bathroom and when I come back I am having horrible back pain and a lot of pressure. I ring for my nurse to check me and tell Danny to go ahead and get our bags out of the car-mainly the camera. So Danny leaves, and the nurse checks me. I've dilated from a 2 to a 4 in a matter of ten minutes. Nurse, "ok, so it looks like you will be having a baby today." The baby must have heard this and decided to speed up the process. By the time they call my midwife, get my midwife, and wheel me to my room, I've dilated to a 7. My midwife comes into my room to check me, I'm a 9. WAIT! I don't have my epidural or my husband. Come to find out Danny got lost, and called my mom in a panic. Did he really think she could help him an hour away? Also note, that he didn't even know I was admitted yet, so nobody was told to start heading to the hospital. Ok, back to me, the midwife asks if she can break my water and I would probably have the baby in no time. Me, "no, I can wait for my epidural". (hehe, i'm more concerned about my epidural being there over my husband- hey natural child birth hurts like h%$&!!!!!!) Finally Danny makes it back to find the midwife going ahead and breaking my water. As soon as she breaks my water the contractions are TERRIBLE!!! It hurt, and (embarrassingly) I made sure everyone knew it. I remember hearing the midwife yelling at the nurse to get her gown, gloves, and some other things. I guess they weren't expecting her to come that fast. Well, the midwife managed to get her gloves on before I gave a push and out she came. It was amazing!!!! Here she was, this perfect little thing on my chest that I had worked so hard to keep. I was also so proud of myself for doing it without any pain medication (not that I ever, ever, ever want to do it that way again). I was worried because she wasn't crying at all, just looking around. The nurse kept telling me she was fine because she was nice and pink. I was a little confused that I got to hold her so long since Ava had to be taken away first before I got to see her. It turns out I was holding her so long because NOTHING was ready. Me, "what time was she born?" Nurse, "12:09". Me, "what? we only got here after 10:00!" I guess when she was ready to come, she was ready.
In the mean time, my mom decided to head on out since she hadn't heard anything. Danny called her once she was born and my mom was still half an hour away. She said he sounded panicked. I bet he was because he went from me just in triage to coming into the room only a couple of minutes before the baby was born. And my cousin's husband to his wife, "have you heard anything from Bethany?" My cousin, "what are you talking about?" Him, "well, I saw them driving to peoria." So needless to say he got in trouble again for not spreading the gossip.
After the great name debate, I just kind of knew that she was an Emi. She was perfect! I couldn't wait to call Ava and tell her the news. She was the first person to know her name. She was so proud and so excited. Ava to everyone, "my baby finally came out!" The next day she got to see her little sister. She was so proud and is still telling everyone, even strangers in stores, all about her little sister.
We are so blessed to have three little girls, two angels here with me and one angel waiting for me when the time is right.