Vallery's birth story...
Our little lady knew what she was doing with her timing coming into the world because it couldn't have been more perfect. She stayed put until after the wedding and let mom and dad get a full nights sleep before she started her big journey.
My parents were in town for Jenna's wedding which ended up working out great because Josh and I were a little worried about what we were going to do with Bo if I went into labor in the middle of the night or on a weekend when we wouldn't have daycare.
Sunday morning we woke up around 730 feeling pretty good. At 845am I had my first contraction, which at first I wasn't too concerned because I had contractions before but nothing consistent. But after I had 3 contractions in 30 minutes I knew something was different this time. I called the doctor around 945/10 and asked when was a good time to go into the hospital. She had told me when they get to be about 5 minutes apart. Well, after I had showered and Josh showered and packed his bag my contractions were anywhere from 7 minutes to 12-15 minutes apart. Josh thought it was a good idea for us to stay at home as long as possible because I would be more comfortable at home. Around 11 the contractions started to get stronger and stronger. It got to the point to where Bo would look at me in pain and start crying because he knew I was hurting. I started putting a pillow over my face so he couldn't see what was going on. But in the meantime of all the contractions I managed to run the vacuum through the house, fold some clothes and do some last minute picking up...nesting up until the very last minute! Josh was giving me a pretty hard time when he saw me bust the vacuum out.
Well, finally around 1230 we decided that we should probably head in there. My Dad was parked behind us so we were waiting for him to leave and for Bo to finish lunch. We left the house close to 1pm and during the car ride to the hospital my contractions went to 5-6 minutes apart and even stronger. When we arrived another couple was checking in so we were sent to the waiting room where I continued to have more contractions. After finally getting to a room it was about 130, so they started all the questioning and got my IV put in. The nurse checked my cervix at about 145 and I was dilated to a 7! That's when all the fun began. Before we knew it there were about 6 nurses in our room getting everything set up for delivery. The nurse gave me a dose of fentanyl to take the edge off, that lasted about 20 minutes and I asked when I could have more and they said I could have more an hour after my first dose....oh boy! We were waiting for my labs to get done from my blood test before I could get an epidural (they have to check your platelet count before they will give you an epidural). I was dilated to an 8 by this time.
At about 220 the doctor came in and said that I would be in pain for a shorter amount of time if she would break my water and I would deliver naturally. To say I was scared was an understatement. If it hadn't been for Josh being my rock the entire time giving me a short pep talk before it all began...something along the lines of "You can F*cking do this, I know you can"....I couldn't have done it without him. He was the absolute best support during the entire labor. The nurse came in and broke my water and after that it was game on. I had 3 contractions in about 5 minutes and 3 big pushes and she was here! I remember the doctor telling me the 2nd time of pushing that one more and she would be here. At 2:44pm we finally got to meet our baby girl! The nurse told me during the 3rd push to look down she was here, but it took every ounce of me to push her out. It was such a great experience and looking back I am so glad I did it naturally. It was worth every ounce of pain. And I didn't need 1 stitch! Thank you baby girl:). We named her Vallery Ann Rhamy. Vallery is my Great Grandmother's maiden name, Eugenie (Vallery) Boyett, and Ann is my middle name, my mother's and my grandmother's middle name.
Right after delivery and Josh cut the cord the nurse put her on my chest. She rested there for quite awhile the doctor did everything she needed to do and then she was off to get weighed etc... She weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 19.5 inches long. After getting weighed the nurse brought her back to nurse for the first time. She did great and it came so easily for both Vallery and myself.
After we got down to the post partum room it was time for Big Brother Bo to meet his sister for the first time. Gramma prepped him the whole way saying he was coming to meet baby sister. He had "baby" and "sister" down by the time she was here! It was the most precious thing to see how excited he was to meet her. He was a little hesitant at first but it didn't take long for the kisses to come.
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| first picture as a family of 4! |
Getting settled in with our newest addition!
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| Mommy snuggle time |
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| first bath at the hospital |
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| Daddy snuggle time |
During our stay at the hospital we kept her in the room with us most of the time. The first night Josh stayed with us, but the 2nd night we both thought it would be a good idea for him to sleep at home so one of us got a full nights rest. Vallery went to the nursery at night, but she was brought in every three hours to nurse. I definitely wanted to take advantage of the help while we had it! :)
