I realized over the Memorial Day weekend that it's going to be awhile before I get to actually relax at the pool and possibly ever get a tan again. Mack is Mr. Adventurous in the water and requires constant watching since he has no fear. Ruby is still eating every 2-3 hours and can't be in the sun that pretty much means I get to stay in the shade with her. And we think we want to have 2 more kids in about 3 years just when everyone can be in an inner tube and splash around without me we will start all over so I guess i'll just get tan in 7 years. :)
I wanted to write Ruby's birth story before she gets too old. Meeting Ruby was such a different experience than meeting Mack. I don't know if it was because Ruby's labor was shorter and much more painful so the moment wasn't as surreal but of course it was special in it's own way. Towards the end of my pregnancy with Ruby I was so ready to meet her! I just wanted to get started down the path of life with two kids and stop being limited by my pregnancy. I walked a lot and did lots of foot rubs trying to induce labor. I had millions of contractions and at my 37 week appointment was dilated to a 3+ but Dr Cannon wouldn't strip my membranes until the next week but she did think that doing that would put me into labor. That weekend we went to the pool and I swam laps which what was put me into labor with Mack. Swimming laps is one of the only things that actually feels good when you are that far along. It was Presidents weekend so we enjoyed having Sam around. Sunday night my contractions really started to pick up- they weren't painful just frequent. I kinda felt like if I got up and walked around that I could them going and put me into labor but I really didn't want to call someone in the middle of the night to come for Mack and then have it be a false alarm so I tried to sleep. Finally at 5 AM I decided to get up and walk around and time them. They were regular and about every 2-4 minutes but still no pain so I wasn't sure what to do. Mack woke up and we made breakfast together and played on the floor until Sam woke up. Then we cleaned up the house and showered and decided to run some errands and see how I was feeling and maybe go to the hospital. After walking around target we decided to just go to the hospital and see what happened. The hospital was hopping. We arrived with another couple and there was only one room available so they put me in the monitoring room- which I had been in that room multiple times with Ruby already. We waited 30-45 minutes for the nurse and Mack enjoyed all the buttons and snacks. Finally the nurse came and checked me and the baby. I was dilated to a 4 and having regular contractions but they weren't strong. She called the Dr. on call since it was a holiday and she said to check me in an hour. At that point Sam took Mack to my moms and I walked the halls of the labor and delivery thinking about having another baby and my world changing forever. I was pretty sad and uncertain about having Ruby that day. It was about two and a half weeks early and I wasn't sure I was ready. I was sad to think about how Mack and mine's relationship would change. I contemplated not walking the halls and laying down instead hoping to keep me from progressing. After a little walking and lots of contractions I was dilated to a 5 and they decided to keep me and let me have my baby. Since my contractions weren't strong they wanted to break my water to help move things along. I asked for my epidural after that and I was behind 2 other girls. It didn't take long for my contractions to get really strong and uncomfortable. I was in so much pain and had no idea how to deal with it. I couldn't get comfortable and wasn't getting much rest in-between each one. Since I was waiting for my epidural I was hooked up to saline and the water was just going straight through me, it was so uncomfortable. Sam was trying to help but couldn't in anyway. Finally after about an hour the anethiesologist showed up for the epidural. He tried to small talk but I was pretty straight forward that he needed to get going on placing it. It was so hard to hold still but he got it in and then I had to wait for it to kick it. Right after they placed it the nurse checked me and I was ready to push the baby out. I should have had her check me before the epidural because I would have just gone without and pushed her out and not wasted all that time. However it was nice to be so numb after the delivery. I could actually be comfortable in bed. After that everything just was a whirl. They were rushing to get the room ready, dr. Cannon showed up and 10 minutes later Ruby was there. She had a little trouble breathing so a specialist came but she worked it out on her own. Right after I was done getting stitched up Preston and Liz showed up, Kim and Jason arrived right as I was being transferred and a little later that night my mom came. Ruby brought the sweetest spirit with her and instantly it felt right to have her there.
I feel like I always need a nap after delivering before I can really enjoy my babies. The next morning I couldn't wait to have her back from the nursery and start getting to know her. After each baby I have walked away with a new insight and learned something new. Ruby's was so fast and uncomfortable but her recovery was so much easier and my body did it itself. I loved having her during the day so people could meet her right away.
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