our story

**Pictures will be added later. I have a little something taking up my time these days! :) **

This may be a little bit of a longer post, but I really want to document this story for me. So, it won't hurt my feelings if you choose not to read it :)

On Tuesday, December 1, we had one last sonogram and our 39 week appointment. We were excited to see our little girl one more time before we got to meet her and received a great report from the ultrasound tech once again. She was perfect. So, we headed over to see Dr. G. We had a feeling from some discussion at our appointment the week before that she might want to induce because of Micah's size. Sure enough, we talked with her and decided that our little girl would enter the world the next day starting around 6:00am. Needless to say, we were pretty excited! So, we headed home talking about all the things we wanted to get done that afternoon {pick up the house a bit, take a nap, etc.} and planned to go on a nice date to dinner and rent a movie before finishing our packing for the hospital. We would end the night by trying to go to bed early while dreaming about our little girl.

But, Micah had other plans. I started feeling pretty crampy after our visit to the doctor, but that had happened before. I didn't worry too much about it because I figured it would pass. Around 3:00pm, I was feeling pretty crummy and thought maybe if I just laid down and slept, it would get better. After laying down, I realized these were not just cramps but actual contractions and told Chris we better start timing them. They were coming about 5 minutes apart and were getting pretty painful. We called Dr. G after an hour or so, and she told us to go to the hospital. So, we put our plan in high gear and raced to pick up the house and pack for the hospital. We left the house around 4:50pm and picked up a little dinner for Chris "just in case." We also called our families on the way and told them they may need to head out a little earlier than we originally thought.

We got to the hospital, checked in, and headed up to labor and delivery. I got changed into a gown and hooked up to all the monitors. After watching me for about 30 minutes, they decided to just keep me in the hospital that night in case things started progressing, and if they didn't, the induction would continue as planned the next morning.

7:30pm - Contractions are really starting to hurt, so I get some Stadol. Holy cow, that was some crazy stuff. I think Chris found it quite entertaining because I was talking a lot, but my words were totally slurred. But, it definitely helped take the edge off of the contractions.

9:45pm - My parents get to the hospital, and we enjoy some conversation with them. Stadol is still working pretty well, and my parents also get a good laugh out of me.

10:30pm - My water breaks {craziest feeling ever!!}, and I immediately start feeling different. Contractions get a little worse, and I start feeling sick. My night nurse, Emily, convinces me to order my epidural right away {thank goodness!}.

10:45pm - I get my epidural, which was NOT bad AT ALL, and start feeling great almost immediately. I also get some phenergen to help with the nausea.

10:45pm-4:30am - I cannot feel anything from the contractions {bliss!}, and Chris and I even get to nap for a couple of hours. I am making steady progress, about 1 cm an hour.

4:45am - I started feeling a good amount of pressure from the contractions and get another dose put in my epidural. It helps a lot! Our families start making their way back to the hospital because I am dilated to 8 cm.

6:00am - I started getting some pitocin because I am getting stuck at 9cm.

9:00am - They come in to check me and say I am ready to push. FINALLY!!! My epidural is beginning to wear off, so I can feel lots of pressure now. I am ready to have this baby.

9:51am - After 45 minutes of intense pushing, Micah Elisabeth Field entered the world. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on her or the first time I heard her big cry or the first time I saw her daddy hold her or the first time we laid hands on her to pray. Unforgettable.

After Chris and I shared a few minutes as a family, he went to the waiting room to break the news that she was here and finally reveal her name.

The rest of the day was filled with introducing our sweet Micah to family and friends.

It was a great day and one I will always remember. {It even SNOWED right before I began pushing!} Happy Birth Day, Micah Elisabeth! We love you!