Lillian Norma

Well it has been one month since Lily arrived! Time does fly by so fast with a baby!

Lily was born at 2:12 pm on February 11, 2011. She was 8lbs and 80z and 22 inches long. Her full name is Lillian Norma Reinhard. We chose her name because we thought she looks like a Lillian and she is named after her late Grandfather Norman Reinhard.

Labor and delivery did not go the way I thought it would go. First off, I had to be induced. On Feb. 10, I had an ultrasound done, and the technician thought that Lily was going to weigh 9lbs and 10oz. Plus, they thought that I was leaking amniotic fluid and I was barely dilated a fingertip. I went to the doctor's at 2:30pm and at around 4:30pm I was admitted into the hospital.

It was weird. When I got there, they monitored my contractions. After being induced, almost immediately, I started having contractions, but I did not feel them. After an hour or so, I really started feeling the contractions and was finally getting dilated. My last meal was all liquids, which unfortunately did not stay done.

By 11pm, I was about 3cm and needed my epidural. Unfortunately, that didn't help. I needed the anesthesiologist to inject 3 additional doses and it still didn't work. By 7am, I hadn't slept at all. I was only 6cm and my pain level was a 10! All night the anesthesiologist kept telling me that my options were to get the epidural re-administered or to increase the dosage. They kept telling me that I could have something blocking the catheter, causing the medicine from working correctly, and that re-administering the epidural could still be blocked again. So when my nurse came in to check me at 7am, she started to mention having the epidural re-administered. She barely got the words out when I interrupted and told her to get the anesthesiologist. My thoughts were...what could be the worst that happened...I just stay in pain...but there is a chance that it works.

Oh did it work!! I got a new anesthesiologist...a woman who just came back to work from having her own baby. I remember her telling me that she was going to remove the catheter and the tape that held it to my body. I remember thinking, just do whatever you need and do it fast! I felt nothing that she did...not because the meds were finally working, but because I was having a contraction and I was concentrating on breathing! But after she was done, I really didn't feel anything because it worked!! I ended up getting a couple hours of rest and I think I even told the new anesthesiologist that I loved her!!

By 12:45pm, I was able to start pushing!!! Luckily, I only had to push for about an hour and half, which the nurse kept telling me that was pretty short time.

At 2:12pm, I got my second wind!! I went from complete exhaustion to elation! They put Lily on my belly and I remember thinking what a beautiful baby!! She didn't look all gross like some of the pictures I had seen during the parenting classes. She looked amazing! And her little cry was music to my ears!! Looking at Lily at that moment made me forget everyone in the room!

Now throughout all this, Brian was incredible! He got me through the labor like a trouper! His mind started racing when we got the news at the doctors office, but once at the hospital he was calm and supportive. Even when I threw up on him he was Mr. Calm! He held my hand and even counted out loud when I was pushing. I couldn't ask for a better partner!

I am so grateful for a safe delivery and a wonderful little family!