Anticipation

The big day has come & gone and I can't believe how crazy it is to wait nine months in anticipation then all of a sudden she's here! I'm not going to blog the complete "birth story" in this post, but I'm sure it will eventually end up here. I'll tell you about some of the basic things that went on & hopefully not give too much detail for anyone who doesn't want to hear about it! hehehe

I started having contractions around 5:20 am the night before & didn't decide that I was actually in labor until about 9:00 am. Matt had just gotten to work when I called & told him it was "go time". One of our friends came to take the kids for us & we were off. We arrived at the hospital at about 10:30 and I was already dialated to a 4. It was such a relief to know that we could head to a delivery room. (you have to be at least 4 cm dialated before they will admit you-we got to our room at about 11:00)

I was planning on getting an epidural when I felt like I didn't want to deal with the pain anymore & actually ended up spending the best 30 minutes of the labor (11-11:30) in a hot bath before finally requesting one. The tub was seriously AWESOME & I was able to breath through the contractions so well that it almost felt like I wasn't in labor anymore. When I decided to get out I realized very quickly that I had been sorely MISTAKEN!! My midwife checked me & I was now 90% effaced & 5 cm dialated. The epidural kicked in around 1:10 and life was GOOD! I was so tired already & planned on getting in a good 45 minutes of nap time before the big event. My nurse mentioned that based on how my labor had been moving she guessed the baby would come by 2:30 or 3. Matt headed off to find some lunch & I chatted with the nurse a little until the contractions were starting to feel very different.

The nurse left to go get my midwife & while they were gone I started having the very distinct feeling that I needed to push. I was alone though, so I did my best not to, but man that was hard! They came back in & I explained my feelings to the midwife & she said it would be ok for me to push a little. "HA! push a little?" I thought to myself. I gave it a go & felt like my body would sneak in a little more "umph" at the end of each one of my pushes & I was concerned I was pushing too hard. Meanwhile Matt was still out finding something to eat! The nurse was going to try and track him down when he all of a sudden came through the door-phew! My midwife came to check things out & put my mind at ease about all the pushing when all of a sudden my water finally broke! (weird feeling BTW) After that it was like-GAME ON!-my midwife checked me & said that I could go ahead and really push. I had pushed once when I heard her say, "ok, now stop pushing for me." I REALLY hate when they say that! My epidural was long worn off & I wanted nothing more than to keep pushing......skipping a few details.....I got the ok to push again & she was here! (1:45) She was perfect & crying and they put her right on me, for skin to skin contact, and I just held her while they tried to wipe as much "goo" off as they could.

The next hour was spent much differently than I expected. I was able to keep Pasynne with me as they worked and worked to get my placenta to deliver. I won't go into detail, but I lost a lot of blood, had to have an ultrasound, experienced my first "manual uterine sweep", got a shot in my leg to encourage contractions, and got pooped & peed on several times while nursing Pasynne.Pasynne Evelyn Brown

8lbs 13 oz 19 1/2 in

Wednesday August 18, 2010

1:45 pm University of Colorado Hospital

Trinity was super excited to hold her and actually cried when it was time to go home.Brinley was also anxious to hold her baby sister and had the biggest grin as soon as Dad placed baby on her lap.Dad and his girlsGrayden was pretty tired and had no interest in seeing the baby until we put her right next to him. Then he wanted to kiss, hug, and even tried to lay on her belly. It was so sweet! "Baby Durl" he would say. The next day a few of Matt's soldiers made a surprise visit & gave Matt the chance to show off his newest princess.One of them gave us some pink cigars & the kids thought it was awesome that they were a huge piece of gum!!I love the time I get to spend with each child while staying at the hospital. The first few nights when they actually open their eyes and look around is so priceless.I threw together this blanket the day before as I waited impatiently for her to arrive, but I didn't get the edges quite finished. Matt saw it at home and brought it to the hospital for me not knowing it wasn't done yet, but I used it anyway because I thought it was so sweet of him.Miss Pasynne has lots of black hair just like all of her siblings did, but I'm pretty sure she has the most. I love being able to play around with it & Matt warned her that, "this is only the beginning".A good friend of ours took the three kids so that Matt could come and pick us up from the hospital to go home. We ended up being there a lot longer than we planned & was so glad that the kids didn't have to be there to wait with us. Matt got Pasynne all ready to go & helped me get all my stuff together too. Matt and the kids picked out and bought a going home outfit for her. Complete with a super soft blanket! It fit her so well & she was just the cutest little summertime girl in it.

We have been home since Friday evening & so far she is doing really well. Her sleeping pattern is all over the place, but she is a great nurser and puts up with all the poking and prodding of the other kids pretty well. We have to keep an eye on her for jaundice because she was right on the border line while we were at the hospital. I am hoping that it will clear up soon, and until then she can enjoy her sun-tanned look! :) We are so lucky to have been blessed with another healthy baby & love having such a sweet new spirit in our home.

PS. You pronounce her name pAce+N or Payson for all you Utahn's :)