She's Here! - Labor Story & Pics

Mackenzie Ann

finally decided to join our family on Tuesday, October 20th at 5:10 pm. She was 8 lbs. 2 oz. 19.5 in. Labor went really well and was only a little more than 3.5 hours long compared to the 20 hours with Zack. Mom and Mackenzie are doing well and we want to thank everyone that has been so supportive and helpful during this last week.

Check out her web page from her hospital photos:

http://www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?pg=baby&action=view&BabyID=102009mad

This is the first time Zack gets to see Mackenzie in person, when we are taking her home-the hospital wouldn't let anyone under 14 in the hospital because of the swine flu problems

The labor story (short version):

So, Monday I go to the doctor in the morning to have my membranes stripped. He says it could take a couple hours or not even helping me start labor. I am dilated to a 5. By 10 pm I am having contractions about 10 minutes apart. Not sure if they are really contractions because I thought I was having them before and the nurse at the hospital told me they weren't contractions. Anyway, I sleep that night thinking I might have to go in the middle of the night, but oh well. I'll at least wait until my water breaks. Morning comes and I am having one consistent "pain". Paul goes to work and tells me to call after I decide what I'm going to do. I am in so much pain I can barely stand up and can't even walk. I tell Paul to finish up his deliveries and to come home to help me get myself ready as well as Zack since I can't very well do it on my own. 12:30 we drop Zack off at my mom's and we are at the hospital. They check me and tell me my contractions are about 5 minutes apart. I tell them not to send me home so the nurse tells me she'll just call my doctor and tell him that I'm at a 6 - even though I'm still a 5 - and that they are going to keep me. At 1:30 I have my epidural. I really don't remember it hurting like that with Zack, but I guess it just depends on the way the guy does it. The epidural is working really well. I can't even move myself back to my back by the time they are ready to move me. Lots of waiting going on now. At about 4:30 the epidural starts wearing off and I'm very uncomfortable. The doctor ups my dosage. Does not work. I'm still in pain. At 4:50 Paul left the room for some reason. 4:55 the nurse calls my doctor and says we're starting to push. 5:05 my doctor shows up. 5:10 pm, Mackenzie is born. We get no sleep because Mackenzie is quarantined in our room because both Zack and I had bronchitis and Mackenzie had a stuffy nose and they didn't want the other babies to get sick. Totally understandable. She's slept really well until last night when I think I may have gotten about 2 hours of sleep. I think she has her days and night mixed up.