D-Day, Pt. I: How Kristina Earned Her Mom Stripes

D-Day - May 21st, 2010.

4:30 am - Alarm goes off.


5:00 am - Call the hospital and confirm 6:00 arrival time.


5:30 am- Stuck in major traffic jam due to some idiot driving the wrong way down a major highway (I-4, for you locals) and smashing into someone else. The entire highway is blocked off and I need to merge over through non-moving traffic to get off the next exit. This luckily only makes me 20 minutes late at the hospital. Brian is still at home getting Cannonball ready for school and anxiously waiting to meet up with me.


6:20am - Arrive at the hospital, check in, and am led to my delivery room (which is huge and extremely nice; much like the recovery room photos shown, only larger), in my hospital gown which they do not make for small people, so I look like I'm wearing a blanket.


7:20am - My doctor arrived and broke my water, and then the nurses begin doping me up with pitocin. My hard ass decides no drugs for now....let's see how far I can get. Much of this decision made based on the fact that I felt nothing with Alayna's birth and thought I shouldn't be cheating myself out of the whole birthing experience. Let's say the first hour went really well. A little crampy, but no big deal.

8:15am - Brian had arrived quickly and we sat there somewhat bored, while our nurse trained an intern from the local nursing school at our expense.


9:00 - 10:00am - As the nurses up my doses of Pitocin, contractions start coming quicker and harder. Of course at this time I'm really thinking I should be asking about drugs. When I'm finally unable to handle the pain any longer, the nurse decides to check me first before calling the anesthesiologist and finds me around 4-5 cm.


10:00am - Now the fun begins, because within 10 minutes I jump to 8 cm and can no longer sit still or sit up for the doctor who has just entered with the epideral. I'm shouting for them to give me something....anything. But, of course, they're all rushing around preparing for delivery 'cause it's obvious drugs are not happening.


10:05 - 10:15am - Within another 5-10 minutes I decide it's time to push cause that's what my body is telling me. The nurse of course is begging me not to push and yelling for someone to get the doctor. While waiting for the doc to arrive, I manage to pee all over the nurse while attempting to hold the child in.

Yes, all my modesty is out the window now.

10:15 - 10:21am - I couldn't tell you how many people were in the room at that point, but it was quite a few. Most of them trying to adjust my bed (in this new section of the hospital that no one is use to yet). Brian is coaching me along - how to breath, to hold on for the doctor, etc. (and of course feeling terribly cliche about it). It was much needed, 'cause my focus is out the window by this point. The child is coming!


Much like Cannonball, and much not due to the pain factor, this child comes out in 3 pushes.


10:21am - Abigail Mae Hough is introduced to the world.



She came out looking as blue as a smurf, weighing 6 lbs. 4 oz. and measuring 19 inches in length. I get to see her for a few moments before nurses rush her off to the nursery because of fluid trapped in her lungs, which of course ticks Brian off because he didn't get his pictures and video shots of her in the incubator. Once again, no privacy, no modesty, as the room is filled with doctors and nurses seeing to me and the baby.


12:30pm - Not to worry about little Abby though, she is fine and we end up in our awesome recovery room. She has since proved to be a fabulous eater and quite the squeaker. Yeah, she frequently gets hiccups and sounds like a squeaky mouse when she does.



Doesn't look anything like Alayna, but is still rocking the Hough toes, so dad is proud.



We're still not quite sure who she is resembling, but she's beautiful nonetheless.


Everybody is mentally and physically exhausted, but we're hanging in their. We were fortunate enough to webchat with Brian's parents tonight, but haven't spoken with too many others.



The hard work is done, and we are anxiously awaiting for the last bit of lab work to be done so we can get home tomorrow and settle into our new routine (and also some much-needed sleep).

Meanwhile, the Cannonball is staying the night at Adam and Lindsay's watching tons of Yo Gabba Gabba and has no clue what's in store for her when she finally gets to meet her baby sister.

We'll update everyone tomorrow with more news and more photos.

Enjoy the pictures....

- Kristina