Lively's due date was November 18th, and when that day came and went I had become more than impatient. I had in my head that she was going to come a little early, so I was not happy when I got to my due date and still had no signs of her coming anytime soon. I literally had no real contractions until the night I went into labor, so I had no idea what to expect. I had some Braxton Hicks contractions occasionally throughout my last trimester, but they were nothing that indicated that labor was near. A few days before my due date, Brett and I were becoming less and less patient. We were so ready to meet our little girl, and because my hospital was booked for the next week, we would not be able to be induced for another week. We both were focused on me going into labor naturally so we did not have to wait another week. I had nested for two weeks, and I was out of things to do or prepare for Lively's arrival. We were ready.
After googling just about every way to naturally induce labor at home, we decided to go walking at Firewheel the night of November 19th (Tuesday) after Brett got off work. After three miles I told Brett to take me to the store where we bought a large container of pineapple, some raspberry leaf tea, and a bottle of castor oil. (I know... we were desperate at this point.) I had read up and heard that all of these helped some women go into labor, and I told Brett that this was my last attempt to naturally induce my labor. I said, "If it doesn't work, then I will be patient and wait til next week to have her."At about 10:20 PM, I downed the pineapple, tea, and gulped a couple tablespoons of the oil (which tasted like liquid wax... gross). I decided to take a bath and lay down for the night. I was so anxious about seeing if my efforts had worked that I laid in bed for two hours wide awake. At about 12:45 AM, now Wednesday November 20th, I realized that I was having what felt like a normal Braxton Hicks contraction. I decided to time it on my contractions app and see if another would come. Sure enough, about five minutes later another one came, lasting about 30-45 seconds. I waited until I had several consistent contractions before telling Brett, who was working in his office late that night. I came out at about 1:30 AM and told him I was having contractions. We decided to continue to time them until 2:45 AM before calling the doctor. They were consistently coming at 45 seconds-1 minute in length and 3-4 minutes apart, and they were slowly getting stronger but still manageable.
The doctor told me to come on to the hospital! Brett and I decided to get the house in order. We made the bed, did the dishes, and took out the trash. Then we got dressed and loaded the car with our bags that had been waiting for nearly three weeks by the door. By the time we got to the hospital it was 3:30 AM, and the contractions were now at a more painful stage. The nurse checked me and told me I was dilated to a 2cm and 70% effaced. She said they would monitor me for an hour and then check me again. They told me if I didn't progress then they would send me home. I told Brett he better start praying because I was NOT going home. About 45 minutes later, it was 5:15 AM at this point, we heard what sounded like an explosion on the monitor. Both Brett and I jumped and then I felt a gush of water. My water broke! We were definitely not going home now. Brett called our families and told them today was the day!
Shortly after my water broke, the nurse offered me my epidural. I had decided early on in my pregnancy that I wanted an epidural, because I had been sick for so long in my pregnancy. My body was weaker than normal due to the weight I lost early on, and I realized I just wanted a peaceful calm delivery. The contractions were really painful at that point and so I was grateful to get relief early on.
About 6 AM, our friend Michelle arrived. She would be in the delivery room as our photographer during the birth.
Obviously, I don't look like I am in labor... Once I got that epidural I felt awesome and was able to enjoy the moment. They checked me at 7 AM, and I had progressed to 4cm and 90% effaced. My doctor told us we would have the baby by noon. I was skeptical though. Our families arrived around 8:30 AM and got to visit with us the entire time up until it was time to push. It was nice sharing the moment with everyone. The nurse checked me again at 10 AM, and I was already 9 cm and 100% effaced. They informed me that my doctor was in a c-section surgery, and when she finished it would be time to start pushing. Our nurse came and prepped us around 12:30 PM, and we did some practice pushes while waiting for my doctor to arrive. She got there around 12:45 PM.
Lively Hope Gilpatrick was born at 1:18 PM, weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz., and was 21 inches long.
One of the reasons I wanted to have Michelle photograph the birth was for pictures like these. I wanted to capture our reaction to when we first saw our Lively girl. I am so happy we made that decision.
Meeting for the first time.
If you read my post about the story behind Lively's name, Behind the Name , then you know that her name is in 1 Peter. We decided to have her feet stamped above the verse in my Bible. I love this picture of Brett and Lively. He looks so proud.
This is our first family photo, and I love it. Even though we had both not slept for about 36 hours, we couldn't have been more happy to have our sweet girl in our arms finally. My birth was exactly what I prayed for. I had asked the Lord for a peaceful and calm delivery and never doubted that I would have just that. It was perfect, and a day that I will never forget. I love our little girl so much, and she is truly my inheritance from the Lord. Praise the Lord for this life we get to live.
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