Baby Leah is Here!

It's already been one week!

Actually... to be honest... it's a mix of that and...

It's only been a week? lol

Anyway, here's my birth story!!!

Rewind back to last Tuesday, July 5.

I was at work and around the afternoon, I started feeling crampy, which was pretty much the first time I've felt like that - assuming they were contractions. It lasted about an hour and I ended up coming home because I felt so cruddy. On my drive back, my eyes were like half open... took me back to my "fun" period days. I laid on my couch for about another half hour and it went away.

Wednesday, July 6.

I woke up around 6:30am and my lower back was hurting. At first, I thought it was just back pain from being pregnant, but it was coming and going. Sometimes, my lower abdomen would cramp with my back. I thought it would go away by the time I had to leave for work, but it was just getting worse, so I stayed home. So did Justin lol And what a great choice that was hahaha

At first, I thought the cramping pain would go away again, but nope! They were there to stay. Those were definitely the beginning of my contractions and it scared us into finally packing our hospital bag.

I remember during the morning, I was just in bed drifting in and out of sleep while Justin was folding laundry, doing dishes, packing, etc.

The contractions were definitely getting worse around the afternoon. Maybe coming every 7 minutes and lasting about a minute or two. I had a doctor's appointment that day at 4pm, so I just decided to wait it out to see if I was actually dilated.

By this time, I couldn't really talk during my contractions. I would just try to breathe lol

By the way, I was having almost all back labor, and maybe half the time, my stomach would be contracting with my back.

Anyway, we arrive at the doctor's, and the doctor checks my cervix.

FOUR cm and fully effaced!

What?! And he stripped my membranes... holy painful... for reals...

He also said to go to the hospital if the contractions were continuing...

I knew they weren't going away, so the hospital was just around the corner.

And I'm pretty sure the doctor stripping my membranes made my contractions like 1000x more painful.
Because Justin and I didn't eat since breakfast that morning, we decided to stop by Subway.

Good gosh, the pain kicked in by that time and while Justin was ordering, I couldn't stay still during my contractions hahaha

We decided to go home and try to wait it out a little more, so Justin ate half of his sandwich, while I took two bites because I was just in too much pain...

Then I said... we should go to the hospital now...

We got to the hospital around 5:30pm, went into a room, changed into a hospital gown and they checked my cervix and I was at a 5 1/2! Whoo! 1.5 cm in an hour and a half.

More than halfway there!

I was admitted. Thank goodness.

The nervousness kicked in, obviously haha

We made the announcement to our families with this picture...
My face of excitement and nervousness at once

And they reacted like this...

KAHNG Family

 

 LEE Family

The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural, and she asked me when I wasn't having a contraction, so I actually started to second guess myself, thinking I didn't need it then LOL

But... I said, yes :)

The anesthesiologist came in around 6pm and was done in maybe 10-15 minutes?

I kept flinching when he would touch my back, because I have like a ticklish spot, so he had to give me the numb shot like twice or something.

Anyway, the epidural was amazing~ Whoo! 

But it was making me shaky for a little bit because of adrenaline.

Then, it was just a waiting game.

I had too much excitement going through my body that I couldn't really focus on anything else, but Justin and I turned the TV on and watched The Longest Yard haha

I can't remember when they broke my water, maybe around 7pm? 8pm?, but I was still about a 5 1/2 right before that.

But breaking my water moved things along pretty quickly, and by 8:45ish pm, I was dilated to a 9!

WHAT?! 

Then, by 9:15pm, I was at a whopping 10.

Time to push!

I started pushing at 9:35pm, about every other contraction, because Leah wasn't liking me pushing her so often, I think. The nurse asked me if I wanted to see through the mirror, and I was like, No Thank You! But Justin was looking and they were saying she had lots of hair!
The pushing continued...
I was actually feeling like I could take naps in between the pushing lol
The doctor came in around 10:30pm.

Just a few more pushes and baby Leah was out at 10:40pm!!

She cried right when she came out, and the feeling was refreshing.

Like, taking a big one in the toilet, ya know? hahaha

I felt like I was dreaming when I finally saw her and I shed a few tears heh
Justin, on the other hand, shed no tears... but he was excited hahah

The nurses took her right away because there was meconium when my water broke, but luckily, Leah was just fine~

Got stitched up, finally got to hold Leah :)

I know I'm extremely lucky and blessed to have had such a smooth delivery.

I seriously think about that night every day, and it actually brings me peace hahaha

The nurses and my doctor were amazingggg~ For reals.
I hate doctors, hospitals, etc., but this experience actually makes it not so bad.
It was so nice that I actually miss it sometimes..

All our siblings came really quickly after we told them Leah was here hahaha

The feeling was so surreal at that time... 

I had a baby.