11-23-09

Wow. I don't even know where to begin!!! This post is a way for me to share the events of the day with anyone who is interested, but more than that, it will be a great way to remember Lillian's crazy arrival for years to come. Hang on...I think this will be a lengthy post!

Last night after church I was absolutely worn out, ready for bed at 9pm. After taking my trusty Tylenol PM, I headed off to dreamland, sure that nothing interesting would happen on the baby-front until Tuesday night with the induction. I ended up having a very realistic dream that I'd had Lillian and was holding her...it was so sweet...but clearly just my mind playing tricks on me. At about 6:15am, I woke up and realized I'd had a contraction. Sure that it was just more false labor, I laid there for the next 3 which came about 10 minutes apart. I still didn't think much of it, so I didn't bother to say anything to my parents (I've been staying at their house for the past week because it's much closer to the hospital than our house) and let them head off to work for the day. Slowly but surely the contractions started to come closer together, and they were feeling stronger than any I'd had in the last few weeks. My sister called to see what I was up to and I confessed that I'd been having contractions but hadn't told anyone else yet. She was going to get a few things done around the house and then take a shower a little later and come hang out with me, but I realized things were getting a bit more serious...and told her she should shower now and head over to mom & dad's.

In the meantime, I called Ed at work to give him a head's up just in case this baby stuff was for real. I took the opportunity to have a nice hot shower, and by the time I was getting dressed, the contractions were coming exactly 2 minutes apart. I began to wonder what the heck I was thinking when I sent mom and dad to work leaving me home alone!!! A quick call to Katie assured me that she was on her way - yes, it was time to go to the hospital. We loaded my bags in the car and took off, called Ed to meet us at the hospital, and called Grandma Mary to do the same. I can't remember exactly what time we got there, but maybe it was around 9am? In any case, I got checked in (thankfully had already filled out my paperwork) and was sent to triage. When the nurse did an exam, I was still only 2cm. Seriously?? What the heck was going on? She spoke to my doctor who wanted me to walk around - he really wanted to see some cervical change before actually admitting me to labor & delivery. So at 9:55am, the nurse told me to walk around the halls and come back at 10:45. Well, Ed and I started walking, but the contractions were getting more and more intense and even closer together. I was in so much pain during each one that I had to hang onto the wall rails for dear life. At 10:20 I told him there was no way I could keep going; we needed to get back to that room.

When the triage nurse checked me again, she had this strange, almost terrified look on her face. I was 5cm! Keep in mind that the entire time, I let the whole world know that I fully intended to get an epidural. Suddenly, the activity in my room went nuts. One nurse started the admission process while the other started an IV and drew blood for labwork. Ahhh, the infamous "labs." Over and over again I asked if there would be time for the epidural. My nurse assured me that yes, there was time, she just needed to get the labs back, which should only take 20 minutes. Famous last words.

A lot of the next hour was a blur of pain - crazy painful contractions, trying to breathe, moaning to get through each one, a lot of praying for God to give me strength, and not to mention a few times asking about the epidural. Each time they assured me that it was coming, we're just "waiting for your labs to come back." At some point, I started feeling pressure - the nurse checked me and I was 7cm. In that very moment, I KNEW the epidural was no longer a possibility - and I was NOT happy!!! I didn't think there was any way possible that I could actually give birth to a child without that pain medicine. But God had a different plan for me.

After just a few more contractions, the pressure was so incredibly intense I knew it was time to push. The nurse checked me and yes, I was "complete." She made me lay on my side because she knew that this baby was coming and the doctor hadn't arrived yet. By the time everyone was in place (yes, including the doctor), I was just about out of my mind. According to Ed, there were a ton of people in the room, but I had no idea because my eyes were shut the whole time, just focusing on staying alive. I'm not sure how many times I pushed, but maybe it was only 3 or 4 contractions? I've always been skeptical of this phrase because I didn't understand it, but the whole thing truly felt like an out of body experience. How I didn't split into a million pieces (or at least pass out) is beyond me. The moment Lillian was born was so incredible - I can close my eyes and picture it over and over again.

I don't even want to ruin the memories by trying to put them into words - just an absolute miracle straight from the hand of God.

Miss Lillian Grace Boso was born at 11:31 am, only a little over 5 hours after I had my first contraction. She was 8lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long with a set of lungs that could knock you over. She looks incredibly similar to Edwin when he was born, yet has her own distinct look. My husband was amazing through the whole process - I don't know what I would have done without him (sorry about almost breaking your hand honey!)

There's so much more to say, but I can save that for another post. Thanks to everyone (again) for all the prayers and encouragement. I pray that all who read this blog will stand with me in awe of our amazing Creator. To God ALONE be the glory!!!!