Happy BIRTH-day!

(Posted by Stephanie)  Annaliese Joy Dollahite was brought into the world on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008.  The whole experience was entirely too much to describe - so much anxiety/pain/prayers/joy... but I'll try to sum it up.

After painful contractions woke me up through the night beginning Saturday, we stayed at home from church thinking "This is it!"  But alas, the contractions decreased in frequency.  Andy went to work on Monday, but was "on call."  More contractions on Monday, but not enough go to the hospital.  By that evening I was tired of watching the clock in pain (as well as exhausted from being woken up by the contractions for 2 consecutive nights), so we went to pick up the baby's crib which had just been received at the store in Clovis due to being backordered.  Andy set up the crib and the nursery was complete.  Finally, after another sleepless night (or rather 3-10 minutes of sleep at a time), we went to the birthing center at Sierra Kings Hospital in Reedley and arrived at 7:00 am with strong contractions 2-3 minutes apart.

We were glad to hear that I was at 6cm when we checked in and began to make calls to family thinking that the baby would be here in a few hours. Andy continued coaching me through the contractions, helping me to relax and reminding me to rest in between.  I wanted to drink something other than water and tried some cranberry/Sprite concoction, which promptly came back up.  My mom came to support us in the labor room and brought Andy lunch.  The pain was bearable whenever I remembered to relax and let my body do the work.  I had decided beforehand that I wanted to try it without pain medication.  I was disappointed to find that after the midwife broke my water I was still only at 8 cm at 2:00pm (more than 6 hours to dilate 2 cm!).  

Since apparently my contractions were not strong enough to continue the dilation/effacement fast enough (could have fooled me!!!), the midwife explained that I should be put on Pitocin to avoid causing the baby too much stress.  In less that 10 minutes after the Pitocin drip started the strength of the contractions tripled according to the monitor and my body began to push without really meaning to... the nurse said "Wait, wait! Let me check you!"  Then she said, "Okay, do what your body tells you to do."  At first, we were confused about what that meant, but then Andy clarified - we were finally at the pushing stage.  

I pushed for an hour and a half.  I couldn't believe how difficult it was.  I didn't think I could do it; I was SO EXHAUSTED!  The pain in my hips was about as unbearable as the pain of the contractions, although the pain in my hips did not let up between contractions.  Andy was such an encouragement to me throughout the whole time, but especially during the pushing phase. I ended up pushing and finally giving birth on my side due to the pain in my hips.  As the baby was crowning the nurse told me to wait so the midwife, Julie, could get her gloves on (because they had just called her a few seconds prior).  My thoughts at that point were, "Someone will catch the baby... because she's coming NOW!"

With that final push, our baby entered the world and Julie placed her on my stomach.  I was breathing so hard from the pushing but the pain melted away as I felt the weight of our child lying on the outside of my body for the first time.  I remember thinking a few things in those initial moments... that I couldn't believe it was over and she was really here and alive and crying!... that she was huge!! (the doctors thought that she'd be smaller, less than 7 lb, but she was 7 lb 12 oz.)... that I didn't recognize who she had gotten her nose from!  Her little nose had been pressed down in the birth canal and in a few minutes came into recognizable shape as my nose.  (One of Andy's first thoughts was "Oh good, it IS a girl!" since we had been told 3 times that it was probably a girl, but we had painted the room pink anyway!)

As they sewed me up from the second degree tear from her coming out with her hand by her face, and because I had not "slowed down" my pushing at the very end to "ease" her out slowly, Andy and I got to talk to and cuddle with our daughter in the first moments of life outside the womb.  We were enamored.  We named her Annaliese Joy, and truly she is and will be a joy in our lives - a gift from the Lord.