On Saturday Feb 15 my husband and I went about our weekend we went shopping got me some clary sage essential oil and third trimester tea to hopefully help start labor. Had a nice lunch and went home. Well we walk in the door at 4pm I sat down on the couch and bam at 415 contraction but it was so different than my Braxton Hicks. They started getting more frequent and stronger. So I laid on the couch watching tv while my hubby loaded the car. I called our friends about watching our dog. My poor hubby was ready to go to the hospital but I wanted to ride it out at home for as long as possible. So he paced the house for hours. At 7 we decided to head to the hospital. I was hurting pretty bad at that point. Well they check me and I’m at 2cm so they had me walk the hospital for 2 hours and it took me the whole 2hours to make one lap. Contractions sucked 2-4 min apart. At midnight they checked me again and no change so I was sent home. We stayed at hotel cause we live 30 min from the hospital and I couldn’t handle to ride. I took a bath tried to eat . By 3 am I was screaming so back to the hospital we went. Praise Jesus I was a 4!!!! They admit me and I immediately got an epidural. This is when the fun begins. My left side was dead but I could feel my right. So they laid me flat and on my right side to help make that side numb. About 5 min into this I can’t swallow so I panic thinking of oh is my epidural to high am I going to quit breathing? They immediately sat me up very high in bed. The issue resolved but now I’m a nervous mess. My ob came in broke my water. I started to dilate a a good pace. Shift change happens my nurse was AWFUL. At 730 I started having intense pressure and need to poop feeling she basically looked at my hubby said I know I see her monitor and blew us off. So I lay there and wait. At 930 she comes in and says I’m going to bathroom then I’ll check u but I know your ready and we will start pushing. She didn’t come back until 1030 checks me and says guess what im holding I said my baby’s head!! So the get me set up I pushed 8min and my baby was here!! What an amazing moment. When I started pushing I was bawling and laughing everyone was like are you ok I said I’m just so excited!! My baby is beautiful and perfect and very healthy. So I ended up having postpartum hypertension. Bad chest pain that the nurse basically told me I was stupid over!! Y’all I’ve been an ICU nurse for $ years I’m far from stupid. So finally they move me to mother baby unit. I get there they are amazing. So at 5 my husband was going to get dinner I was trying to telll him what I wanted and my words were jumbled and made no sense and then I couldn’t speak at all!!! I freak out crying I just knew I was having a stroke. This episode earned me a cat and MRI! So then I can feel everything but my left lower leg. We think it’s just a heavy epidural. But 12 hours later still dead leg. It took 2 days of tests and crying about how I couldn’t walk or stand up to get my baby out of her bassinet. Turns out I compressed a nerve behind my knee cause this issue. I finally got crutches on Tuesday. So Wednesday they said I was good to be discharged I started having pains and tingling in my foot and some sensation I mean I could stand up with the crutches and actually know I had a foot. So we get in the car to go home and 10 min in the ride I had severe pain in my right knee and my foot went completely dead again 😭. So back at square one on that one.

So anyways despite all the issues I have the most amazing and beautiful baby girl. Every single issue and pain was absolute worth it and I’d do it 100 times over for her!!

Meet Gracelynn Annabelle born 2/16/2020 1038 AM 5 lbs 13 oz 19.5 inches. She already had an attitude and omg is just amazing I could look at her all day!!