Can I just tell you how much I love you!
Today you are 18 days old! I can't believe you've been here for that long! It seems like your daddy and I were just timing my contractions!
We started timing them at about 9:00 on June 19th. I had just called your Grandma Sandra at about 8:30. She said that after we got off the phone, she told Grandpa Jim that she just knew I was having you that night. So they took 45 minutes to pack, then jumped in the car and drove ALLLLLLL night long! And Aunt Aub left with them.
We went to the hospital at about 3:00am. The contractions were so painful! I called my mom again and when she answered it sounded like she was driving! Turns out, they were!
They started getting me hooked up to things so they could monitor us. I was 3 centimeters. So we waited an hour and after that I was still at a 3. The only reason they admitted me was because my blood pressure was high - thank goodness! - which was weird because I have never had a problem with my blood pressure before. But it was good that they admitted me because I would have punched someone in the face if they had sent me home!
So at about 4:45 I got my epidural. I have since decided that there is not an amount of money in the world that could make me give birth naturally. The pain is just not worth it for me!
Guys, that epidural was amazing.
Then they told me they would start pitocin and then a little after that, they'd break my water. At this point my parents were 3 hours away. I know I'm crazy but I asked the nurse if we could hold off on speeding things up. I really wanted my mom there and if we could just do the lowest pitocin and wait to break my water then my parents might make it!
So thats what they did! And about 15 minutes after they broke my water, my parents arrived at the hospital! And about 15 minutes after that, I started pushing!
Well Kacie, you were born at 12:14 PM on June 20th 2013. You weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces and you were 20 1/2 inches long!
I'm not sure how you came out of me but your dad was there and he tells me you really did. At that point, daddy went with the nurses to watch you in your first minutes of life. He got to hold you first (besides the doctor and nurses) and he was so proud to have you in his arms!
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| Look at that squashed head!! |
Your Aunt Aubree stayed with me for a bit while everyone went and admired you. It was so good to have her helping me out. She was such a big help getting you here!
Then I got to hold you!
I wish I could say I remember it clearly but really the next 4 hours are a blur! I don't really remember specifics, just that it was so amazing to have you in my arms. Oh, and that I totally wet the bed. TMI? Well it's the truth!
Then they moved us to our room that we would be staying in and then grandma, grandpa and Aunt Aubree came back to hold you again.
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| Grandpa reading Kacie her first story |
I guess I don't really remember much of our hospital stay. Learning to nurse, holding you, trying to sleep, and trying to take care of myself took up a lot of my brain and then Heavenly Father helped me forget some things too cause giving birth is kind of a big deal and apparently not something I really want to remember specifics about!
I just know there was a lot of crying... and unfortunately it was me crying, not you!
Well, daddy took us on our first 'family date' on Friday night. Basically we pushed you around the hallways and critiqued all of the art work on the walls. Artwork in the women's center of a hospital is just a little weird! But with our limited options, it was a wonderful Friday night date night!
I guess the thing I remember is your jaundice issue. I wasn't feeding you enough and so you weren't pooping enough and so your jaundice wasn't getting better! It wasn't even that bad but I just had a terrible time learning to nurse (that's what all the crying was from). It was so stressful but we have gotten the hang of it now, mostly...
My family was here for a week and then your dads family came Friday June 28th and stayed for that next week. It was so wonderful having my mom here. She was such a great help to me, calming me down and teaching me.
I accidentally drugged you the first 5 or 6 days of your life. I was taking Percocet for my back (from the epidural) and it was knocking you out! you basically slept all day everyday, through feedings and changings and visitors and everything! It made me really sad and emotional. It was like we were so close for 9 months and then when you were born and sleeping all the time I missed you a lot! As soon as grandma Sandra realized I was on Percocet and told me that it was putting you to sleep I stopped taking it! Things drastically improved after that!
In a movie called
What to Expect When You're Expecting someone says "You don't know true love until you've wiped someones butt!"
Well, I'd like to change that to:
"You don't know true love until your daughter shoots poop across the changing table, gets it on the floor and all down dads shirt and you still think she's the cutest thing ever!"
We love having you here so much, even though we are so tired!
Love,
Mom and Dad
