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| leaving for the hospital |
My due date was February 20th and since I had reached week 40 and still no sign of baby, I had to go to the hospital for a check up and Fetal heart monitor. I was not dilated at all and of course had no signs of contractions. I spent the rest of the day being uncomfortable. I had reached the point where I couldn't breath and every time I walked, I just got too tired. I had gained 27lbs which was 5 more than I gained with Valentina. I hadn't had THAT much weight on me in 2 years so my body was not happy with me.
The 21st came and still no sign of anything. By the time dinner was over, I was exhausted and told my mom I was going to lay down because I wasn't feeling very well. I had my first contraction but it wasn't anything to get excited about. As the night went on, I started to get some random contractions. Carlo made me a hot water bottle to help with the back pain.
At 12:50 am, I got up to go to the bathroom. I came back and told Carlo to be on Stand-by. I had just lost my mucous plug and the contractions were starting to get regular. By 3am, I was awake and trying to relax as much as possible. I sent text messages to my siblings letting them know to keep their phones near by. I made a snack and then went to bed around 5 am. By the time, Carlo woke up, I told him to stay home because it was probably going to be THE DAY. We woke up calmly and just stayed home.
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| saying goodbye to Valentina |
I told my mom that I was probably going to be going to the hospital so, we did last minutes checks on the phone, computer and a quick Skype training session. My MIL came over as well to help my mom out and Carlo and I just sat and waited until I gave the green light.
I kept having regular contractions every 4 minutes but they weren't enough to send me to the hospital. In fact, I kept saying, "Let's wait a bit." "They're not strong yet." or "They're not regular anymore, let's wait until they get regular again." At 11:30, we called a taxi and said good-bye to our Moms and to Valentina. We've been telling her for over a month about Elisabetta so, she already knew there would be a new addition to the family. So when I said, "We're going to go get the baby!" all she said was "Bye!". I wanted to cry as I left her. We've NEVER been apart since she's been born and I was going to miss her probably more than she missed me.
We got to the hospital and I was hooked up to a fetal heart monitor at 12:15. I got a quick exam and was at 3cm. I changed into my gown and was taken to my room. This time, I shared with 2 other girls. An Italian and... A GYPSY! We saw her wandering around the halls and Carlo and I were hoping not to be in the same room. I labored and walked around the hallway for a few more hours. At 6pm, I was examined again and I was almost at 6cm. They took us to the labor room but not before they asked us to get the baby's first outfit and ALL valuables to take with us. (again, the Gypsy in our room)
She (the gypsy) was actually already in the labor area but I'm sure her people were roaming around our room. Once I got into the L&D area, I was hooked up again to the monitor and I laid in bed as the contractions got stronger. Carlo, my wonderful supportive hubby, was by my side holding my hand, helping me breath and reminding me that it's ok to scream and cry.. if I wanted. The OB came in and broke my water but the baby was still really high and they said I would have to stand up for the reminder of my labor to get the baby to drop. After a few minutes of really intense pain, they came back in to check me and I was already at 8cm. They literally rushed me into the delivery room and told me not to push yet. Housekeeping was still cleaning up from the last delivery when they brought me in. They hurried and helped me up onto the bed. They kept telling me not to push. Carlo came in all dressed in his gear and was by my head.
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| after delivery- delirious and exhausted |
I huffed and puffed and breathed through the pain while everyone around me was getting their gear on. All of a sudden, I felt the need to push. I told them I needed to push but they told me to wait and not to push yet. When it finally came time, I was too tired. This time around, the delivery was longer and much more painful. I'm not sure how long I was pushing but at 7:57pm, a little slimy, wiggly baby was born.
They immediately took Eli to clean her off while they wiped down the entire floor. Like Valentina's birth, they barely ruptured my water so when she was born, all of my water came rushing out. Once they cleaned the floor, the OB returned to clean me up and to remove the placenta. Then it was time for stitches which of course I felt every. single. one. of them. While all of that was going on, I could hear Carlo in the hallway, calling his mom, then my mom, and sending text messages. What seems like forever, I was finally able to sit up and walk back to my labor room and rest for the next 2 hours. I was extremely exhausted but I managed to call my mom, my brothers and sister, my friend Jill and send a few text messages. Afterwards, I feel asleep but I was still listening to what Carlo was saying. I know I spoke back but I'm not sure what I said. I was delirious. I asked him to take a picture of me so that I could remember that moment of pure tiredness.
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| Elisabetta Kate |
By the time, I knew it, it was time to go back to my room. I decided to keep Eli with me since I didn't have a chance to really look at her or hold her. Once I settled in the room, Carlo left and I tried to get some sleep. One of the nurses came in to see how we were doing. I slept pretty good that first night since Eli slept most of the night. When she did wake up, I got to finally hold my little bundle of joy. We really thought she would be smaller since she measured on the small side. However, I really packed on the pounds the last month so, she ended weight a little bit more than Valentina. The next day, our visitors began showing up which is always nice. Of course our first visitors were Nonna, Abuelita and the BIG sister! Valentina looked at me a bit strange as if to say, "Where have you been MOM??" One look at Eli and she knew that her little sister was finally with us. From that moment on, Valentina has not wanted to leave her little sister. If I'm feeding her, she's right there next to me. If she's in her stroller, she goes right up to her and says "hi" then wants to hold hands with her. We're really lucky that she's not jealous at all!
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| The girls! |
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| Carlo's Mom, Valentina and me |
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| My mom and Eli |
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| Valentina brought me a candy bouquet |
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| walking home from the hospital- 4 days later |
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| My girls! |
