Ellia's Birth Story

Ellia's birth story begins early on the night of November 16th.

Our doctor had spoke about inducing the 16th, but since it was the day of my sister in laws bat mitzvah so we asked if we could hold off on the induction a day or two, so long as it didn't pose as a danger to the baby.  Since Ellia was no longer brain sparing & our no stress test/ultra sound went well Friday the 15th, they scheduled us to come in the evening of November 17th.

Saturday was spent running last minute errands, doing last minute laundry, and getting ready for our newest little addition!  That evening, while getting ready for Lexie's Bat Mitzvah, I started having some pain down my legs, especially in my thighs.  I didn't think much of it, I had body aches the entire pregnancy, but this time it was seemingly more painful than previous aches I'd had.

As the night progressed, the pain in my legs became more and more unbearable.  I couldn't stand for longer than a 30 second period without feeling the need to burst into tears.  I told Michael I was having some pain, so we decided to leave around 10:30.  I cried the whole way home and for the following hour.  The pain in my legs not only worsened, but also I began to have severe pelvic pressure and became pretty sick (I also got really sick right before I went into labor with Beckett).
Though I wasn't having contractions, we decided it was time to call our doctor.  The on call nurse felt it was necessary we go in to be checked.

Michael grabbed our half packed bag, I packed a little bag for Beckett and we piled into the car.  My in laws are on the way to hospital so we dropped B off there on our way.

Of course, as soon as we got the hospital, most of the severe pain I was having had subsided, though I was stilling experiencing extreme pressure in my pelvis.  Honestly, I figured they were going to check us out, tell me I was fine and send us home (which was fine with me, because I hadn't packed half the things I wanted in our hospital bag lol ;))

Once we were settled in our room, they hooked me up to the contraction machine just to inform us what we already knew, I was not having contractions.  The nurse said she figured there was no need for us to stay, but would call our doctor and see what she wanted to do from there.  This was when I insisted on a pelvic exam, the amount of pressure I was having couldn't have been normal.  The nurse immediately validated that E was extremely low, I was 80% effaced and 4 cm dilated.  A big change from my appointment I had the previous day.  Our doctor confirmed that it was best we stay and that if contractions hadn't begun by the following morning, they would induce by using pitocin.

What followed was possibly the worst nights sleep I've ever gotten.  We got to the hospital at 1am, confirmed we needed to stay at 3am and following that we were consulting with nurses about paper work and what not every 30 minutes or so.  I'm pretty sure I got about 45 minutes of uninterrupted sleep.

At 7am I still had yet to experience a contraction.  So our nurse started the pitocin drip.  She told us contractions would likely begin quickly, but that she would continue to increase the dosage every 30 minutes until they began.  1 hour went by, no contractions, 2 hours went by, still no contractions, and then 4 hours went by with, you guessed it, no contractions.  So the doctor broke my water in an effort to get things going.

My husband and I had discussed the epidural ahead of time and during the 4 hours we waited for the first contraction to pop up.  Since the labor process seemed like it was going to be a lengthy one, I wanted to hold off on getting the epidural until I was at least 6 cm dilated.  (and my husband was 100% on board because he didnt want to miss the bronco's game haha)

The time between my first contraction and hitting 6 cm was small, much smaller than expected.  And contractions began to get more and more intense more and more quickly.

Right around the time things started getting uncomfortable.

Is it terrible that I just want to smack that smile right off his face??  

Haha just kidding... but seriously. 

When the anithesiologist started the epidural I was 7 cm dilated, when he finished I was 9 1/2 and our doctor announced that it was time to start pushing.

This is when I lost it.  I yelled for the anithesiologist to up my epidural & he explained that epidurals aren't an on/off switch, they're really more of a dimmer & it was going to take time to kick in.  Then a doctor I don't know walked into the room ready to deliver E in case our doctor didn't make it in time.  Like I said, I lost it and begun spewing profanities at every person in the room.  There was NO way I was going to start pushing.

I've gone back & forth about sharing this, but in the end I'd like to have some of these memories documented.  I was so upset with Michael I actually made the statement: "I'm going to kick you in the balls so hard, you'll never be able to find them!"

What can I say... labor really brings out the best in me?

I also insisted someone bring me waffles throughout the labor process & let it be known, I was in fact promised waffles, but after E was born the nurse informed me I couldn't have them because they stopped making them at 10 am.  Rude.

The next half hour or so was spent pushing & I honestly don't remember very much of it.  I do remember how supportive and amazing Michael was :) he kept reassuring me we were almost there and helped me keep going when I felt like I couldn't.

"She's here!  You did it babe!"

Hearing E's first cry was certainly unforgettable :)  They skipped her measurements and immediately set her on me.  Seeing her, hearing her cry, & knowing she was okay took such a weight off our shoulders.

(I know I shouldn't laugh, 

but E's face kills me here haha 

she looks so displeased! 

It's totally a "put me back where I came from" kind of face ;))

Ellia Elizabeth Alpert was born November 17th at 12:16pm 

She was 5 lbs and 5 ounces

The next hour of snuggling our sweet baby girl was pure bliss :)  Our families came to meet her, Beckett met her (although, he was much more interested in pressing buttons on medical machines haha) and wouldn't you have it, my epidural was finally in full force!  So for the next 4 hours while I was 100% immobile we snuggled our sweet girl, introduced her to Beckett and our families, and geared up for the Bronco's game, of course :)

Thumbs up from big brother!

Watching the game :)

Those 2 days in the hospital were just as amazing as I remember them being with Beckett.  Not a worry in the world besides loving on our sweet newborn.

Melt my heart!

Words cannot describe how grateful we are to have two beautiful, healthy babies.  Before Ellia was born it was so hard to know what to expect.  How would Beckett handle having a sibling?  How would we handle parenting 2 under 2?  Truth is, we still don't know what to expect.  We have a lot to learn, but our hearts are full and we can't wait for the adventure ahead :)

I've had a lot of inquiries asking how Beckett is handling our newest little addition.  Truth is, he has blown us away.  That doesn't mean we haven't had our moments, it just means he's handled it much better than we (I) expected him to.  He gives Ellia kisses, calls her 'El-Yah' and loves to hold her hand, it's so so sweet!  He's even got the sharing thing down.  You can imagine how thrilled I was to see him shoving his sippy cup in her face so she could have a drink ;)  He has filled the role of being a big brother perfectly & we couldn't be more proud.

Also, before I go I think it's important to give a shout out to my amazing husband.  He has truly just blown me away over the month.  From the second we stepped into the delivery room to this moment now, he has done nothing but cater to my every beck & call.  Vacuuming, dishes, laundry, diaper changes, grocery shopping, you name it, he's been on top of it.  He's made sure to take complete care of our dogs which currently includes acting as their body guard on morning and evening potty break because of the pack of coyotes that's moved in behind our house.  Thank you, hubalicious, for making my job a little easier while our family transitions from 3 to  4 :) (or a family of 7 to a family of 8, if you count the dogs ;))