Lydia's birth story

It was a Friday night, about a week and a half ago that I had just finished my wonderful meal from Outback (well, actually, I only ate the bloomin onion, I was too full to get to any of my meal...).  I was lying on the couch, watching Blue Bloods (our favorite Friday night event).  I had been having contractions that were progressing on and off all week, but Friday had been better than Thursday by leaps and bounds.  Jeremy and I still were hunching that the weekend was bringing BIG changes.
Saturday came, and J took Miriam to a bounce house place in town around 9 while I was at home, doing some small quick chores (put sheets in wash, make out grocery list, etc)...but I couldn't get comfortable.  Contractions really started around 9:15 or 9:30 or so.  I tried everything to talk myself out of believing that they were the real thing, and I started doing anything and everything I could to get them to go away. Finally, by 11, I decided to take a shower (it wasn't one of my "shower days") just in case I ended up at the hospital....and by 11:30, I finally called the on call doctor at the hospital. She returned the call, I explained what was going on, and she told me to go on in. So, Jeremy got Miriam home around 11:55 a.m., we packed her lunch and bags, and headed out the door.  J dropped me off at the hospital on his way to take Miriam to a sitter's house, and I went into triage.
After initially seeing the doctor and getting checked, I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced (I was 2 cm on Wednesday, just days before) and my contractions were certainly contractions (and not just braxton hicks with cramps from the land down under...).  So, I was admitted at 12:50 p.m. and given one dose of Procardia (a med to stop contractions that makes your heart flutter!!!) at 1 p.m., then another at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, I'm beginning to get a bit uncomfortable.  By 2:45 I admitted that I was a wimp and needed something to take the edge off while we waited....so the nurse was concerned, and checked me.  She looked a little confused and went to get the charge nurse.  When the charge nurse came and checked, I was fully dilated and ready to have a baby - WITHOUT AN EPIDURAL - WHAT????!!!!
That was definitely not in my birth plan, but nor was having a 33 week baby!  Unfortunately, the doctor was somewhere and I had to literally hold the baby in without pushing for about 20 minutes.  She walked in, I got situated, and a big contraction came....I pushed once, twice, then a third time and in less than a minute of pushing, sweet Lydia Elise was born, weighing 5 pounds and 6 oz and 18 inches long.

These pictures only seem "cute" to mom and dad...to everyone else, they look a little gross :)

The first time we got to hold our little sweet pea - at 3 days old

Unfortunately, her little body suffered some trauma and was in severe respiratory distress, so I was unable to hold her or nurse her and she was whisked away to the nicu and given oxygen and immediately needed to be hooked up to IVs, monitor cords, and a cpap machine. (potentially the SADDEST thing I've had to look at since my mother's suffering and death)
Ten minutes later, I was up and walking around, and moved to a room near the nursery.  I felt great and wasn't experiencing any pain at all, just a bit of uncomfortableness.  Honestly, the pricks for the IV and blood draws, along with the cramping that followed days after delivery were a whole lot worse than the actual delivery and stitching I received. Quick, short, simple....
Then, reality hit and Lydia's recovery became our intense focus.
We have been blessed by her presence and sweet body that we have gradually gotten to hold and love more and more in these last 10 days.
We anticipate her homecoming in the next 2-5 days....

Sweet face without any tubes, stickers, or cords attached to her face on day 5