March 21, 2010

So many thoughts flood my mind as I think back to the day(s) leading up to Reese's birth. I haven't really journaled about it. There are many things I'd like to forget. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and words like, "We are never doing this again" and "Reese is going to be an only child" just might have come out of my mouth. At the same time, as hard as it was, I love to look at all of the pictures surrounding her birth and think...that's when we met you! This was the day the Lord determined for us to learn who our daughter was and she finally was here and no longer an idea or curiosity. Many of you have seen these pictures from facebook but I wanted to post them here one more time. It was a precious, exciting, exhausting and emotional day to say the least! 

A walk during pre-labor...trying to get things going!

Waiting out contractions at the Birth Center

Matt brought us lunch and the people at Arby's
went a little overboard with the sauce. We had a good laugh!

She's finally here! 6lbs 13oz and 20 1/2 in long!

After working through about 37 hours of labor that just would not allow real progress for Reese to be born we decided to be moved to the hospital right across the street from the birth center to see what some medicine would do! Literally after 1 hour of being on the smallest dose of pitocin and an epidural to relax (well a little...I had a hotspot which instead of having complete relief moved all the pain of the contractions to my right side where I still felt it) she was born! I went from 5 cm to 10 cm in an hour and then pushed for 30 maybe 40 minutes. We praise the Lord for a very healthy, vaginal delivery. There was concern that because of how exhausted I was we could have faced a cesarean. We had so many people praying us through this event and seriously saw our God's hand at work in all the details. 

Getting acquainted with our daughter

My mom and Matt...the best birthing coaches there are!

Our first visitors...Papa and Marmee Mehringer

Daddy and his girl

Getting ready to go home