My birth story, day 1!

I invite you to join me as I recount my labor and birth and celebrate the arrival of my beautiful Anna! <3

Day 1: Sunday, April 22, 2012

 This adventure, the greatest of my life, began on Sunday, April 22, 2012. I had been waiting with bated breath for something to happen. I was trying to prepare myself for going past my due date, which wasn't really a happy prospect, but I knew Anna would come right when she was meant to. There was a wedding that day; Andrew's cousin Jenna was getting married. I started having my first real contractions that afternoon, about an hour before we we had to leave. With a quick consult with my midwife, we decided that we would go to the wedding, if only to keep my mind on something other than the contractions. We sat in the back row, and even then I felt rather conspicuous, in the middle of a wedding trying not to make it obvious that I was in labor. Several people even came up to me after the ceremony and asked if it was "the day." We didn't stay long for the reception, since the contractions were steadily getting closer together and more intense. When we got home, we called Donna, my amazing midwife, and she gave us with strict instructions to get as much rest as possible. We went to bed with feelings of excitement and joy, but also with a lot of nervousness and anticipation about what was to come. There was a lot of prayer by both Andrew and I that night. Neither of us knew what lay ahead, but we were readying ourselves for the wildest ride we had ever taken. 
    It didn't take me long to figure out that getting rest while having steady contractions is not really possible. I was so exhausted, and I knew I would need lots of energy for the trial ahead of me, but unfortunately sleeping through steady contractions is not an easy feat. Every time I would fall asleep, I would immediately be woken up by my body telling me that my baby was on her way. I spent the whole night laboring in a hot shower (luckily for me, we have two water heaters, so when the upstairs shower ran out all I had to do was go downstairs!). By the time morning came, I was exhausted, frustrated, and ready to get the whole thing over with. Little did I know, it was only the beginning!

Please come back tomorrow for day 2! Till then!