Keith and I headed to Columbus Regional Hospital at 7am on December 10, 2009 to be induced. My due date was two days before that but I was so anxious to meet our little one that we got induced as close to due date as possible. I had been having contractions for weeks before the induction although they were not very regular. By then we were going to OBGYN every week and I was SLOWLY (in my opinion) dilating. We checked into the hospital and I changed into their lovely gowns. The nurse started the pitocin drip through an IV and they checked my cervix. I was only at 2cm. Now it was time to wait. Something I’m not very good at but I didn’t have a choice. My mom was there with us so she and Keith took turns hanging out and keeping my company. Keith’s parents and great-aunt came later in the day and so did my dad. They all stopped in to say hi. Because of the intense cold and flu season, the hospital had restrictions on the number of visitors in the room at one time. So everyone had to take turns coming and going.
The nurses would check my cervix every few hours and I was making progress but it was slow. About 2pm the anesthesiologist came in to see if I was going to be getting the epidural. Apparently since Keith and I had arrived at 7am they had had 8 babies born. Many of whom came in after us. So, needless to say he was a busy man, and he wanted to give me the epidural before he got busy again and then I’d have to go without it. So we put it in but didn’t start the meds right away. Although I can’t remember exactly what time we did start it. I know around 3pm they gave me some pain meds in my IV because the contractions were starting to get more painful. Those meds knocked me OUT! I couldn’t stay awake. I keep telling Mom and Keith to make sure and wake me for the birth! I was so afraid I was going to miss it! LOL. They checked my cervix again at 4pm and I’d made it all the way to 4cm. I was still out from the pain meds so I just went right back to sleep.
Keith and Mom took turns eating supper and watching over me. I can’t remember exactly what happened but I remember Mom getting the nurse because she was concerned about something. Maybe my blood pressure or breathing, but everything turned out fine. The nurses came back at 7pm to check me again. I was still at 4cm! My OBGYN left for the evening and told Keith that the nurses would call her when it was time but she didn’t think it would be until between 1-4am. Well, I proved her wrong. LOL. At 8pm I woke up and was in quite a bit of pain. I asked Keith to get the nurses because I thought something was wrong. I’d had too much pain medicine to be in pain. Well, the nurses checked and I was fully dilated and the baby was starting to crown! All of a sudden our room was BUSY! Nurses came from nowhere and were hustling and bustling to get things ready…they made a few adjustments and my bed converted to be ready for labor. The RN came in and we started the pushing process. While we were doing that another nurse called my OBGYN and had her return to the hospital. I’m not sure of the timeline of all this but things were moving very quickly. I would push and then when it was time to take a break I’d almost go back to sleep! LOL. Keith would help me stay focused and get me some water, and then it’d be time to push again. The doctor had arrived and she got ready. When she came in she looked and said that the baby’s head was crowning and she could see hair. I’d push and push but felt like I was making little process. She finally decided to do an episiotomy. After the episiotomy, I only had to push at the next contraction and the baby came right out. Although when you’re in the moment it seems as though things are going so slow; in the delivery world, things progressed very quickly. I started pushing just after 8pm and Kamryn Claire Barber was born at 9:10pm. She weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and 20 inches long. She was born with blue eyes and brown hair. They handed her to me and one look at her and I started crying! I looked at Keith and he was so amazed! It was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen. The nurses needed her back. They assured me that everything was fine but they needed to get her cleaned up and listen to her lungs and heart and such.
Keith and I couldn’t wait any longer….we started calling people! I called my mom first because she was dead set on us having a boy. She didn’t believe me! I heard her telling everyone in the background. Keith was on the phone with his mom at the same time. They were all cheering and sooo excited! We made a few other quick calls and asked them to help spread the word. The doctor got me sewed up and cleaned up while we finished up our phone calls. We had Keith’s parents come in first since they still had to travel the 2 hours back to Washington and by this time it was almost 11pm. They got to spend a few minutes with their first granddaughter before they headed home. I was glad they got to stick around and be there. Then my parents and brother came in to meet Kamryn. Although it was a VERY long day we were all so happy and excited that we forgot how late it was. After my parents left the nurses asked if we’d like to send her down to the nursery. By this time it was after 2am and I was completely exhausted. Although I dreaded letting her go, we decided to try to get some sleep and send her to the nursery. That was a great decision! They brought her back at like 8am. My parents and brother came back to visit after visiting hours started at noon and spent the day on and off with us. They would stay with me and let Keith get out of the hospital room every now and then. It really helped so that he didn’t get cabin fever.
The next few days were blessed with lots of family and friends to come visit and meet Kamryn. We had to wait until Saturday the 12th of December to be released from the hospital. The weather wasn’t too bad but if we left before the 12th we’d have to return to get Kamryn’s 48 hour checkup. We didn’t feel like driving all the way back into town so we stayed and rested up. We were discharged at 10pm on the 12th of December. We got to the house and gave her a bath fed her and put her to bed. I had a bit to eat and went to bed also! Things were very busy over the holidays. I can’t remember all of the details but we had lots of visitors and lots of great food too! But don’t worry, I’ve been writing it all down in her baby book :)
We had to go to the doctor’s office on December 15 for a quick visit to weigh her. She was already past her birth weight at 7lbs 7oz!! We went back to see the actual doctor on the 22nd to do a quick checkup and see how things were going so far. Kamryn had gained more weight and even grew in length too! She was up to 7lbs 10oz and 20.5 inches! The doctor looked her up and down and gave her a clean bill of health. She’s perfect! (But I already knew that)
I had to go back to work on January 21st. Our original childcare plans didn’t work out so we now take Kamryn to a licensed daycare just up the highway from our house. I took her there for a ½ day on the 20th because I knew it was going to be really difficult and hard to let go. I was right. I’m so glad I took her there the day before…it made my first actual day back much easier. I still missed her like crazy and cried when I dropped her off but it was better than the day before. I think I was waiting (maybe even hoping) they’d do something I didn’t like or agree with so that I could stay home with her, but then as the days go by she’s fed, changed, has her belly full, and overall happy. This daycare isn’t a permanent situation but it’s working for now. The longest she’ll be there will be one year…then I’d like to get her to a more structured childcare that has a curriculum and will teach her so many wonderful things! But being only 2 months old, this will be just fine.
Before I close this extremely long post I’d like to write down a couple fun facts about Little Miss Kamryn Claire—
*Today (February 10, 2010) Kamryn is 2 months old!!
*Her eyes have changed color. They can’t decide what color they’re going to be….some days they are blue, or grayish-blue, or just gray, or even a brownish green. I’m excited to see what they end up being!
* Kamryn is getting much better at following objects with her eyes…she would get cross-eyed for the first few weeks
*She has an amazing grip…if she gets ahold of you…she’s not letting go
*Kamryn has a love-hate relationship with her pacifier! LOL…she either wants it and only it or she gags on it if you try and give it to her
*Kamryn has been able to hold her head up for a few weeks now and even tries to pull herself to a sitting up position. Especially when she’s really angry LOL
*At 2 months old, she can still wear newborn size clothes. She is wearing some 0-3 months also though. She still wears newborn diapers. The size 1 diapers are HUGE on her!
*We joke and call her “squeaker” because since the day she was born she always makes this squeak noise…especially when she’s stretching
*She was on only breast milk until almost 6weeks old. Then we started integrating formula for when she went to the daycare. Now at 8 weeks, we are finishing up our frozen supply of breast milk and switching to only formula. Kamryn could care less…as long as you feed her she doesn’t care what it is…LOL
*The last week of January (don’t remember exact date) Kamryn started smiling on demand!! It melts my heart every time she smiles when I’m talking to her!
*Sleeps thru the night, and has for about 3 weeks now. Sunday February 7 she spent her first night in her crib. Slept all night and had every night in it since. It’s been WAYYY harder on me than it has on her!
Kamryn Likes:
*Sleeping
*Swinging in her swing
*Eating! She’s already using stage 2 nipples
*Loves being patted…rather hard too
*Being held facing out so she can see the world around her
*Car rides…falls asleep in her car seat every time
*Being held and talked to
*Headbands and bows…well she doesn’t dislike them...she’ll wear them all day if I let her
Kamryn Dislikes:
*Tummy time
*Waiting for her bottle to be ready
*HATES hats…she gets it honest…neither daddy nor mommy wear hats
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