lets be best friends!

To my sweet, sweet Tenley:

It was Sunday, April 26^th, late in the evening when I started having contractions. Even though I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions almost my entire pregnancy with you (these are like practice contractions), these contractions were different and were about 10-15 minutes apart. I went to bed and slept on and off throughout the night. When I woke up the next morning, the contractions were getting more consistent, at 7-9 minutes apart. I had an appointment with Dr. Medlock at 9:30am so I figured I’d let him know when I got there. I also texted your daddy who was at work to give him a heads up. When I got to my appointment, they told me to go straight to the hospital. I had to call daddy’s work to have someone radio him in as he had already taken off in the helicopter with his students. I also called Granna who immediately left Virginia and drove all the way to Pensacola, FL! I drove myself, parked myself, and walked up to labor and delivery triage all while in labor! The nurses got me on the monitor and my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They gave me fluids, took my blood and urine sample. I signed a bunch of papers and waited. Your daddy got to the hospital really quick and soon after the doctor came in. He checked my cervix and I was 1-2 centimeters dilated, 50% effaced and -1 station. He told me to walk the hospital for an hour to see what happens, so daddy and I did just that. Afterwards, the doctor checked me again and I went up to 90% effaced. At 2 PM, he called Dr. Medlock and he said to admit me! They took me to our labor and delivery room and that is where I met our new nurse, Dava. Dava was special because we had so much in common, including the fact that her family owned a beach house in Duck, NC which is where your daddy and I got married! In the meantime, my contractions were getting more intense and closer and closer together. They started a little bit of Pitocin to intensify them because I was still only 2 centimeters dilated. At this point, all I was feeling were really bad cramps so I was getting pain medication every hour until they decided to break my water (that is the sac of water that you lived in for 38 weeks and 1 day!). As soon as they broke it, I decided to get an epidural because I was warned that the contractions were going to pick up and mommy didn’t want to feel any pain. So at 7:15 PM, Julie, the nurse anesthetist, came in the room to give me my epidural (daddy left the room because he wasn’t sure he could take it). I also got another nurse at this time because it was shift change for the nurses. In walked Anna! Anna had been my nurse in triage when I was 23 weeks pregnant with you and I was having some contractions that needed to go away. I was so happy to see her and that she was my nurse! Anna checked me about an hour after my epidural and I had progressed to 7 centimeters, 100% effacement, but you were still at a -1 station (you didn’t want to come out!). I was placed in all sorts of different positions to help get you to come down! In the meantime, my epidural wasn’t working in a few places, these are called “hotspots”. But, Julie came to my rescue every time I had a hotspot and gave me more medicine to help with my pain right away. Eventually I couldn’t feel a thing from my lower back to the tip of my toes! I was 10 centimeters so I started practice pushing for a few minutes, which was weird because I couldn’t feel a thing! But, I guess I did a good job because you were making your way down pretty quick. I even played “tug of war” with a towel and another nurse to help me push! We had a photographer, Jordan Burch, come to capture your delivery. This was one of the best decisions mommy has ever made because I have everything in pictures from one of the best days of my life. Around midnight, they called Dr. Medlock to come because you were right there and ready to come out! I stopped pushing until he got there and in the meantime we admired all of the hair you had on your head. When Dr. Medlock came, you were out in just a few pushes! You came out sunny side up, which means you were looking at the ceiling when you were coming out. This is pretty uncommon and everyone was shocked I only pushed for 30 minutes to get you out in that position! At 12:18 AM on April 28^th you were born. Dr. Medlock let mommy pull you out the rest of the way and there are no words to explain the overwhelming happiness and joy I felt when I laid my eyes and hands on you. Mommy cried and cried (happy tears!) and was in disbelief that you lived inside of me for all those months. You were beautiful, with a head full of hair and beautiful big eyes! You did not cry very much and I remember asking if you were okay so many times. All you wanted to do was look around to see what was going on! They laid you on mommy’s chest for a little bit then took you away to weigh you, you were 6 lbs 13.7 oz. Then daddy got to hold you for a little bit on his bare chest! Your birth was the most incredible experience I have ever been through, and I would do it over and over again if I could have the same people in there with me.

*a HUGE thank you to Jordan Burch Photography for capturing the most incredible experience of our lives to date. If you are in the Pensacola, Florida are (Northwest Florida), I highly recommend her!