The arrival of sweet Elsie Ann!(Part 2)

Let's get on to Elsie's grand entrance!

We got to the hospital. (Side note: I delivered at Alta View Hospital. They did an AMAZING job! I felt pampered, and well taken care of throughout the entire process. I was also impressed with how much care they took to ensure Clint was comfortable). I checked in and they sent me to a room to be checked. The nurse was amazed at how fast my contractions were coming, but told me I was only 1cm dilated. I about died! Seriously?? I was not about to go home, and I was making this baby come out no matter what. At this point, they said I could walk the halls for about 45 minutes to see if I could speed up the dilation process. If I progressed they said they would let me stay. I was happy to do it. I wanted to be able to stay. 

Walking the halls was interesting. I was dressed in a gown and those awesome socks they give you. We just walked around the same wing in a big loop over and over and over. The contractions were getting much more painful at this point, but I didn't care. I just kept on walking! There were pictures of babies on the walls. Clint and I looked at every picture as we walked by and commented on the portrait and the pose to keep us busy and focused. It hurt pretty bad to walk through the contractions. I had to stop once or twice, but that was it. I was determined to get the dilation process going. I was not driving all the way back to Lehi!

The walking ended--thank goodness! They checked me again and said I had dilated to a 2. They said I could stay and they would admit me. I was elated! So, they began the process of getting info from me and hooking me up to machines. All the while I was still having contractions every two minutes for a minute long. They would pause every time there was a contraction so I could just breath through them. I must say, I think I did pretty dang good. I guess I was picturing horrid movie birth scenes prior to this, and was worried I would turn into a screaming, sweaty, crazy monster. I breathed through them all really well and remained calm. After about 2 or 3 hours of being at the hospital, and breathing through my contractions, it was finally time for my epidural. That is what I had planned on doing from the beginning and I am glad that I got one. The epidural itself was strange and a little uncomfortable to get, but once it finally started working I felt so much relief. Little did I know Elsie would take FOREVER to get there, and I don't think I could have kept on just breathing through my contractions without my epidural. It was about midnight, and the nurses checked my dilation progress once more. I was at 2.5. This was going to be a long night. They turned out the lights and I tried to get some sleep. I slept a little bit, but was mostly really uncomfortable. Clint curled up in this tiny recliner. I felt bad for the guy, but he didn't complain and was a trooper. Things were starting to calm down, and then I felt like I was going to be sick. Luckily, we were able to get me a barf bag just in the knick of time!

A few hours later, I don't remember exactly what time, a couple of nurses came in. They looked concerned and worried. They told Clint and I that Elsie's heart rate was dropping extremely low. They told me they needed to get my doctor. They left the room, and Clint and I were stunned. Everything had been going so smoothly, and I thought, "How can this be happening?" The doctor came in. He explained that her heart rate was indeed too low, and that if it continued like this for much longer he would need to come in and talk to me about a possible emergency c-section. He was calm and collected, and said they would watch for a bit, and determine the next step. Fear overtook me. I was so worried for my sweet little baby girl. I was worried about a c-section. I asked Clint if he would say a prayer. He held my hand and we prayed together. He offered the most beautiful prayer asking for help and for comfort and faith. I don't know if he even remembers what he said, but it was perfect. The spirit flooded the room and I felt calm. I knew everything would be ok, and not to worry. We laid back down and just waited. The nurses came back some time after and said things were looking much better. I tried to go back to sleep. I remember offering a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father thanking him for taking care of everything and for watching over us.

Finally, around 7:30am they said I could start pushing. My doctor came in and checked on me and agreed it was time to start pushing. "Really? Finally!" was my thought. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and pushed........and you get the idea. NOTHING! I became so exhausted and was struggling to breathe. They put me on oxygen. I was still struggling and so I asked to stop for a bit. I also started puking again. My sweet husband held my hand and told me I was doing great. Elsie was just moving down pretty dang slow. I was starting to get nervous. "What if I can't get this baby out on my own?" Clint told me I that I was tough and that I could do this. He held my hand and kissed my cheek as tears of frustration started to come. He wiped away my tears and told me it would be done soon, and to not give up. With his motivating words, I said I was ready to try again. I was also breathing better at this point, but the nurses wanted to keep me on oxygen for the rest of the time. I started pushing and things finally got better. She started coming down faster, and finally the nurse said what I had been longing to hear for SO long (3 hours in fact). "Go get the doctor, she is right here and waiting to come out!" My doctor came in and asked me to push again. I pushed twice and Elsie finally made her grand entrance at 10:25am. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long.

What happened next is something I really can't even put into words. The moment my beautiful daughter entered the room the spirit was SO strong. They gave her to me and I felt so much love. I felt Clint's love, I felt love for Clint, and I instantly felt tremendous love for my daughter. I felt Heavenly Father's love so strongly for me, for Clint, and for Elsie. Clint and I were both crying and were both overwhelmed with the amazing moment. We were so grateful to be Elsie's parents. We were grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who allowed us to be trusted with her care. There was so much love in the room. It reaffirmed my testimony that God is indeed LOVE. And, as the Beatles say, "All you need is Love. Love is all you really need." I realized that nothing else mattered at that point. I have a loving Heavenly Father, an adoring husband, and a perfect newborn daughter. That's all I needed.