My "due date" was the 9th of February. Two of my friends here, who had due dates close to mine (the same day and the day before), had their little girls on the 6th and 7th of February. This left me super anxious to meet my baby. I had a feeling I would go past my due date, which I thought was fine. My mother had me at 43 weeks; not that I wanted to hold on to my baby for 3 more weeks! I actually had a class I wanted to do the next week and it would have been easier if I were still pregnant.
Well on my due date, the little town we live in Leesville, was celebrating Mardi Gras. Bryan and I didn't register for the 5K because we were unsure if we would make it, pending baby. I was still pregnant so we ran the 5K. I hadn't planned on running. I guess I was just super excited with all the runners around me that I was able to run about 2/3 of the course. Bryan did really well. He got 7th place overall, but because we didn't register it didn't get recorded.
After the run, we went home and changed to get ready for the Gumbo Cook-off and Mardi Gras Parade. Surprisingly, this little town knows how to put on parades. We got thrown tons of beads. I think we got 12 total and would have collected more, but we shared with the little neighbor kids around us.
The Pink Flamingo. This float had 20 old ladies with pink hair. It was awesome.
Like the mask?
Saturday night, we went to our wards Valentines Party. I guess I was willing to do anything to help this baby make an entrance into the world. We had fun dancing and eating Valentines treats.
When Sunday came, I was still pregnant. I was getting depressed. I didn't want to go to church because I dreaded the, "You're still pregnant" comment. Plus all the advice to induce labor. I will tell you first hand, nothing works. I tried the herbal teas, the running, the squats and lunges, the hanky panky, ect. ect.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday rolled around with zero contractions or signs of labor. I was able to go to my nursing course on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday (February 15), I decided it would be okay to have my membranes stripped. I really wanted everything to happen naturally, but it was time to get something rolling. I didn't want to carry 43 weeks like my mother!
Around 1030pm, I started to feel some contractions. I figured they were a figment of my imagination, since I pretended I felt some the whole past week. They started to get stronger and more frequent. Bryan started timing them, and then the poor daddy fell asleep. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a bath and watch a show. Around 0100am (16 February), the contractions were getting pretty intense. I woke Bryan up and told him it was time to go to the hospital. "Already? I thought you wanted to do most of the laboring at home?" "Honey, the contractions are like every other minute, I think it is time."
When I got to the hospital around 0200am, I was dilated to 5cm and was admitted. My nurse, Angela, was amazing. She helped me tremendously through an unmedicated delivery. I was so grateful to be on intermittent monitoring (I only had to be on the monitor every 30 minutes to check the babies heart rate with the contractions) so I could walk around, squat, do the birthing ball (which I hated), get on my hands and knees, and take a shower. Around 0500am, my contractions were pretty intense. Bryan laughs at me because I would tell the nurse I was a 10 on the pain scale, but apparently I looked like I was more at a 7 to him. I told Bryan I don't think I can do this anymore, it is really painful. He told me to do something to distract me, so I decided to get off the bed and use the restroom to maybe help relieve some of the pain and felt like maybe my water broke (Bryan was a really good coach through the whole process). Angela checked me and I was dilated to 8-9cm. She told me she needed to go get the delivery cart because the birth was progressing so quickly. She also said the doctor would be in a c-sections, so they were calling the midwife to come in and help with the delivery. All I could think about was, what... I am already ready to deliver? That can't be true.
I then began to have urges to push. I went to the bathroom because sitting was the most comfortable position at that time. I felt like I had to push with each contraction, but I knew I probably shouldn't because no one was in the room and I was sitting on a toilet. Haha. After about 3 pushes I went back to the bed on my hands and knees. No baby of mine should be birthed in a toilet. I tried not to push through the next contractions, but that was worse. Finally, Angela came into the room with another nurse brought up from the ER. Then the midwife showed up and 3 pushes later Kate Nicole Ahlborn was born at 0604am. She came out wailing with an abgar score of 9 and 9. She was put directly on the chest and stayed there for the next 2 hours to bond and nurse. And we fell in love. I still couldn't believe she was a she. Bryan and I thought for sure it was a boy!
Around 0830am, she got weighed and measured and daddy got to hold her. Seven pounds 9 ounces. twenty inches long. She has most of Bryan's facial features (widows peak, brown eyes, big bottom lip, eyebrow/forehead structure). She has my chin.
There is nothing more special than a newborn, heavenly sent. Pregnancy, delivery are well worth the results of a beautiful, healthy baby. It is amazing that you forget about the past nine months as soon as you hold that infant in your arms. I can't believe I am thinking about more children already. Kate and I have had many tender moments together. She is such a sweet, heaven sent spirit. I am so blessed to be a mother. It has also been tender to watch Bryan become such a protective and caring daddy. He couldn't be more proud. I love him and can't believe we created something so perfect, so cute. We are in love with our little Kate.
The Ahlborn Family leaving Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital.
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