Achaia at 6 days oldAnd here's the story about the days leading up to Achaia's birth. I had a doctors appointment about a week and a half before she was due. The doctor asked if we wanted to schedule an induction for a few days before her due date. We agreed and had it scheduled exactly a week later.
That night I got really sick. I wasn't sure if I had the stomach flu or if I was actually going to be going into labor. I had heard of some people who get really sick before labor, but it was a week and a half before my due date. So I convinced myself it was just the stomach flu.
The next day I was still a little sick but since I hadn't eaten anything, it wasn't too bad and I was able to get up and work on some homework. Then in the afternoon, I started contracting. It came on pretty quick so it was hard to miss. I went over to my sister-in-law, Tenille's house so I could have someone to keep me sane until Caleb got home from work and school. I started timing my contractions at her house and for the next hour they were consistent and long enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Caleb was already on the alert but he had to stop in to take a test before he got home. He called me after his test just as I asked Tenille to take me to the hospital.
So Tenille drove me the few minutes to the hospital and stayed with me while I got admitted and taken to my room. Then Caleb caught up with us and Tenille returned home. The nurse and checked me out and told us that she would check me again in an hour to see if I was progressing. She said I needed to show some progress in order to stay at the hospital or else I needed to go home for a while longer. Luckily for me, because the contractions were getting strong and more painful, I progressed in that hour and they allowed me to stay. Then I got an IV and some pain drugs until they gave me the epidural. By this time it was late at night.
Turns out I was in labor not quite 24 hours and at the hospital a few less hours than that. I am very grateful for the epidural because I was able to be comfortable for most that time. During the last hour, however, the epidural started to wore off and since I was so close to delivering, I didn't get another dose. I learned how low my pain tolerance is and was glad it was only an hour! Achaia Jane was born at 2:00 in the afternoon and weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. She is a perfect Angel and we love her so much!
My pregnant belly at 38 weeks or one week before Achaia was born
Achaia's very first picture
Achaia and I shortly after she was born
Achaia and my mom- the proud new grandma