She's Here!

We had our baby! She decided to come 3 weeks and 2 days early! All of our children have decided 40 weeks is way too long to stay inside a belly. They can't wait to see the world and have to come out 3 weeks early to experience it! I don't mind one bit!

So, now for the labor story. This is mostly for my benefit so I don't forget, or maybe I do want to forget! Anyway, I started to have contractions at about 10:30 p.m. but figured it was too early for her to come. I mean, I didn't have a bag packed, her room was not finished, and it was time to go to bed! We counted contractions every 5-7 minutes for about an hour and then they stopped, so we went to bed. At about 1:30 a.m. they started up again, only this time they were a bit more intense. I woke up Michael and said we'd better get ready to go to the hospital. He said to just go back to sleep! I reminded him about last time and how I knew he didn't want to deliver this baby at home. So he called his parents and I frantically packed things while breathing through contractions.

His parents came and we left for the hospital. Thank goodness for family to help out, or my friends would've gotten a rude awakening! Anyway, we got to the hospital at about 2:15 a.m. and I knew I was pretty close. They wheeled me into the delivery room and I started throwing up, the tell-tale sign that I'm almost to 10 centimetres dilated. I hurried and got my gown on, hopped into bed and then they checked me. I was at a 9 1/2 and my water still hadn't broken. The contractions were pretty intense by then until they broke my water. Then all that pressure was released and I hardly felt the contractions after that. Then it was time to push. That's when it got ouchy. I pushed a couple of times and she was starting to come, then she got stuck. Her shoulders wouldn't come out. I pushed a couple more times and Michael said the doctor had to bear down and really yank on her head to get her out. He was scared because she was pulling so hard. When she came out, she wasn't moving her left arm. After about an hour or so, she was moving it and everything was fine.

She was born November 12, 2008 at 2:54 a.m. She was 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches long. After a day and a half, we named her Mia Rae Taylor. Mia is another form of Michael, and Rae is her grandma and aunt's middle name. She had hair on her ears, shoulders and back and was bruised from her nose down to her chin. Poor little thing. It's amazing they come out in one piece! What a little miracle! We feel so blessed and thankful that she got here safe and sound. Now let the fun begin!