Colbie's Birth Story

36.5 weeks, heading to the hospital



My cheering squad



First Family Photo

This story is for my memory and may contain details that are of no interest to you.....so feel free to skip it!

Around 3:00am on April 17^th I had a strange feeling that my water may have broke, there was definitely no puddle of water like on the movies, but a little something unusual happened as I was using the bathroom.  As it was 3am and 3.5 weeks early I convinced myself it was nothing and attempted to go back to bed.  I laid awake until about 4am then decided to read my "What to Expect when Expecting” book to see if this could convince me of whether or not I was in labor.  It didn’t help.  Around 5am I began having pains which felt like cramps and were in my lower stomach and back.  These as described in the book were consistent with "False Labor" stating that true contractions start at the top of your uterus/stomach and move down ( I never had any contractions like this). 

The pains began to get worse and around 6 am after playing many mind games with myself about what to do, I decided to wake up Kristin and Nichole who were sleeping in Colbie's nursery.  That's right my best friend and amazing sister were here visiting for the weekend for one last weekend together without kiddos.  I new Jon wouldn't be much help about labor signs so I was grateful to have 2 mommies at my house.  From about 6-7am the three of us discussed my signs and still had a difficult time deciding whether baby was coming or not.  The look on Nichole's face told me she new today was the day, but Kristin and I were still looking for signs of False Labor as we weren't really wanting Colbie to arrive so early.  We decided to call the nurse at the hospital and she suggested I come in just in case.  I woke up Jon at 7:30, I took a shower, Kristin and Nichole packed my hospital bag and off we went......Jon and I were nearly positive we were those first time parents who go to the hospital too soon and would be heading right back home.  Nope.

We arrived at the hospital at 9am; they planned to give me a quick swab in order to run a test which determines whether or not my water had broken.  During the quick swap test my water fully broke (just like the movies).  I was dilated to 3 cm and almost fully effaced.  Jon’s head dropped.  He grabbed my hand and we both had a moment of panic.  I called Nichole, Kristin and my mom and they all headed to the hospital shortly after.

The rest is a bit of a blur, it all happened very quickly.  I switched rooms and our fabulous nurse Linda had written a "Happy Birthday Colbie" sign with her birth date of April 17th 2011.  I did not think my baby would have an April birthday as she was due May 11th.  It was all very overwhelming and I began to really worry about her health being 3.5 weeks early.  My sister also delivered Ryder exactly 3.5 weeks early and although he is a happy and healthy boy it was definitely a stressful first 2 weeks of his life.

Jon made sure I received the epidural promptly which helped with the pain at first.  I quickly dilated to 7cm, not a typical first time delivery!  It seemed like forever until I reached 10 cm, the pressure was extremely uncomfortable and baby was face up and we had to attempt to move her face down.  The doctor tried rotating her manually, which was not fun, this did not work.  So I was placed in a position which often helps baby move on her own (on my side with my hips twisted slightly).  Even with the epidural I could feel Colbie trying to move into position.  She eventually turned and I was ready to push.

I pushed for only 30 minutes; the doctor complimented me often asking if I ran marathons.  She asked if I would be willing to give pushing classes to other moms.....no thanks! Finally working out 5 days a week throughout the pregnancy paid off!  I just wanted Colbie to arrive so I could see she was healthy.  She arrived at 4:31pm, weighing 6.5 and 18.5 inches!  She was very bruised on her face but overall happy and healthy.  She did not cry right away but opened her eyes and looked right up at me when I held her for the first time and I felt so relieved.

Jon was amazing through the entire delivery!  Colbie and I are so blessed to have him in our lives.  He truly was my labor coach; holding my leg and back, counting through my contractions, never leaving my side, making sure I was as comfortable as possible, and instantly connected with Colbie.  He asked to touch her the second she came out, goo covered and all, and has hardly left her side since.  Unfortunately Colbie had to head to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a 6 hour observation.  This was very hard for me, but Jon visited her constantly and they let me hold her a few times.  She past all her tests with flying colors and we were happy to have her in our hospital room with us for our first night as a family.  Other than having jaundice Colbie was very healthy and strong.

I truly believe she arrived early because she wanted her Auntie's (Nichole and Kristin) to be there when she entered the world.  Kristin and Nichole both have kiddos at home and knew it would be nearly impossible to make it to her delivery any other time.  It was so special to me to have them there.  They (and my mom) were a huge help.  They did laundry, cleaned our house, put up her Pack and Play, finished hanging stickers on her wall, sterilized bottles and much more.  It was so amazing to come home to a baby ready house after a long 24 hours in the hospital.

Colbie is now 11 days old and we love her more than words can express.  There truly is nothing like becoming a parent to something so precious.  We are so lucky to have such a healthy, amazing daughter.