Emilyn Grace Vining, August 20, 2010

Emilyn Grace Vining Born August 20, 2010 at 9:00pm. She was 7lbs 14oz, 21in, and scored an 8.5 on the APGAR. She came fast, naturally, and is healthy!

Little Miss Emmy is 4 days old in this picture, and cute as a button!

So, how'd it all happen? Friday morning I woke up at 2 not feeling well, felt a few contractions, but after an hour was able to go back to sleep. Then woke up at 5am and said, nope, these are real contractions and they are not going a way! So after counting them... I was having contractions about 2-3 min apart and lasting about 70 sec. Knowing that I was already at a 5cm and that I was having a lung test later that morning, I thought I should still call my doctor and ask what he wanted me to do. So, he had me go get monitored and another exam just over by St. Joe's Hospital and sure enough I was a 6 and my contractions were consistent enough to keep in the hospital, so we left and went Scottsdale to check in! Knowing I wasn't going to be able to eat, we stopped by Taco Bell... nothing new there! Needless to say, got checked in, was set up in a laboring room, got all situated & all the contractions went away! But I was already checked in, I was already at a 6 pushing 7, so they had to keep me! My doctor had also scheduled to have me induced the next morning so, they said it was his call. Well, he was in surgery with another patient that afternoon, so he said just to wait until he was out and then he'd come up and see what he'd do. So, he got up to the hospital at 6pm, broke my water, started me on pitocin at 6:30pm, upped it every 30 min (which was horribly painful), then at 8pm, I was checked and they said I was an 8 but could stretch to a 10cm, at that point I was really looking forward to some pain killers, like the narcotics they put in the IV not an epidural... but the new nurse said it was too late for that. I was never told there was a time limit on that, I was mad, I really wanted to take the edge off and was told I could, then for no real reason I couldn't anymore? But needless to say I went on laboring and Shaun kept on and on about getting the epidural, and I finally said to knock it off, I didn't want it and to leave it alone. At 8:30pm they upped the pitocin again, and I said I wanted to push, I could feel her trying to come out, and again the nurse said no, I was still at an 8. So then I said, fine give me the epidural, if I can't push now, then I am done with this all, give me the epi... yet again, I was too late, I couldn't get it, I said that was a CROCK, she had said I could get it up to an 8 and that's where I was, so give it! She then told me, that I didn't have enough saline/ IV fluid in me to be able to get the epidural... so I wasn't allowed. UHhh, then I said again I was feeling like her head was right there and I felt the urge and need to push... again she said no, but that she'd call my doctor. So, sure enough I decided to push anyway, the oncall doctor said he'd be there just in case my doctor didn't show up in time, and so he stood there waiting, the nurse then said my doctor was on his way, and I was standing up pushing against the bed! At 8:45pm, my doctor walked in and said I was ready and she was already coming, so I kept on pushing per his requests and she was born right at 9:00pm!

After all the clean up, after birth stuff, and such that needed to happen, we tried to call as many family members as possible since it was super late in Michigan and getting late in Arizona... so we looked crazy calling people so fast, but it was important to let everyone know Emilyn was here! We were moved down to our recovery room and did the first bath and got to bond! Here are a few pics from the 20th...

So the next morning we started getting lots and lots of visitors! Aunts, grandparents, friends and the BIG BROTHER all came to welcome the newest little arrival to our family! It was great and so nice to have so many come to see her.

Then on the 22nd, Sunday morning, we were on our way to being discharged and the pediatrician decided that Emilyn couldn't leave, she had a small case of Jaundice. They were too concerned about it, but she needed light therapy to treat it, so that it didn't get worse. It was kind of hard to hear that she had something, small but still, wrong with her. She was such a fight to get here, I thought that everything would be fine once she got here. But in the grand scem of things, this was nothing and not a big deal, it was just a little saddening to me. So, she underwent the "Billi-Light". She wasn't allowed to come out but for a few things and for a short while, so we couldn't hold her, I couldn't nurse her, she was naked under the light and lonely for 18 hours! So, it made it hard for me with my milk coming in, but none the less, we got through it and Monday the 23rd she was released to go home! Here are some pics of her first pair of shades and our release!

Finally HOME! So, we finally made it home on Monday and got a few little pics of getting out of the car for the first time, the big brother holding his new little sister, and she is in love with her little lamb bouncer! One of the treatments we have to do in order to help her jaundice is to take her out into the sun, let me tell you how hot it is! So, we went to the mailboxes, we went to the 'lake', and showed her off to the neighbors... the nurses also said to keep her in front of the windows or doors and let the natural light in to help her too. Well, we have UV Protected glass with tint, so that doesn't work too well, but we still try!

So, now we are onto the day to day life; laundry, errands, household responsibilities, etc! I am still a little shocked as to what to do and how to manage 2 kids, but I am starting to get the hang of it. Shaun is taking some time off of work, so it is nice to have him home, but he still is busy and has things he has to do, so, I am getting a small dose of how to and what to do with a newborn and a 4 year old! Life is great though and I feel very blessed to have what we do, I am so happy that we have our little Emilyn Grace! She is such a sweetie and so good!

We welcome this little one with open arms and hearts!