So Harper's 1st Birthday is fast approaching and after talking to my Mother In Law tonight I decided I better sit down and write out the beginning of Her Story so that when she gets older and maybe has a child of her own she can know exactly what happened the day she was born...This will be very long, I'm just warning you! :o)
So we were kind of expecting Harper to be born that day. I'd had an ultrasound the Thursday before showing Harper to be 9lbs 3oz and my OB told me that day that he would not let me go past my due date which was Thursday the 28th (Abbey's 1st Birthday) so he told me to come back on Monday. It was also Wesley's Uncle Hershel's birthday and he had told me months prior that our Sweet Baby Girl would be born on his birthday and of course he ended up being right!
Well that morning we were supposed to meet Dr. Greenwell at his office and then he was going to send me to the hospital. When we arrived he wasn't there! His mother had passed away over the weekend and he had of course taken some time off. Dr. Estepp was there in his place. I had never seen her and was instantly disappointed because I just knew she wouldn't induce me. Wesley of course told me to calm down that it would be fine. The nurse took my blood pressure and for the first time in my whole pregnancy it was high, from being nervous about the Dr change I'm sure. So we go into see Dr. Estepp and she walked into the room and instantly I liked her! She was very nice and looked a lot like one of my best friends Brandye so it instantly calmed me. Dr. Estepp asked me how I was feeling and I told her other than being nervous about my Dr being gone and the heartburn I had had for the last day I was fine. Dr. Estepp asked me what Dr. Greenwell's plan for that day was and I told her I was going to be induced. She checked to see if I was dilated and I was! Apparently the heartburn I had been feeling the day and night before were actually contractions! She told Wesley and I that we were to leave and head to the hospital and she would meet us there in about an hour to check on us. I was so excited and told Wesley that it looked like Harper would be born on Uncle Hershel's birthday and Dr. Estepp told me not to get my hopes up that for a first time mother labor can easily last over 24 hours. I told her Harper HAD to be born that day and she would be!
So Wesley and I got into the truck and made a few important phone calls to our parents! Then we headed towards the hospital, with one small pit stop! I made him take me to McDonald's for a bacon egg and cheese biscuit so we stopped at the McDonald's next to the hospital and shared breakfast for the last time while Harper was still tucked away in my belly.
We then left and drove across the street to the hospital and checked in at about 9:30. We walked into our room and I went into the bathroom to put on a gown. When I came out Wesley was standing over the warming bed holding the hat. He kept saying that he couldn't believe his baby girl was going to be wearing that hat. So the nurses came in and started my IV and hooked me up to all the monitors and started my Pitocin. Of course my phone kept ringing and one by one everyone started to show up. My sister was the first one there then shortly after my Mom, Daddy, Makinley and Teresa.
Dr. Estepp came by to check on me and said I was dilated enough to have my epidural around 12 The worst part of having Harper was the epidural if I had known it was going to be that bad I wouldn't have gotten it. The anesthesiologist came into the room and told everyone they had to leave except Wesley and that it would take less than 15 minutes so they didn't have to go far so everyone left to make phone calls to update everyone. An hour and half later they were finally let back in the room. The anesthesiologist had A LOT of trouble getting the epidural line started. Wesley and I eventually stopped counting but she stuck me at least 11 times. The whole time they were trying to start the epidural I had to sit on the edge of the bed and lean over onto Wesley while he helped to hold me up. Not only was it painful to sit that way but every time she stuck me she would hit a nerve and my leg would either kick Wesley or my Sweet Nurse! Finally the epidural was in and shortly after that my water broke and we were really on our way.
One thing that I really enjoyed during labor was Facebook! I could pretty much update EVERYONE instantly and let them know what was going on. It was also so nice to get so many sweet and encouraging messages all day from my wonderful friends! Back to Harper!
About this time she decided she would start to give her Mama some problems. Every time anyone would come into to check and see how dilated I was or do anything that required me to lie on my back I would pass out. In between the nurses coming into check on me and me begging everyone to sneak me a root beer (which no one did) we spent a lot of time talking with our families.
That evening Dr. Estepp once again stopped by to see us and sat down on the bed beside me so she could have a chat with Harper. She rubbed my belly and told Harper that she was going to go home and have dinner with her husband and son and stay to tuck her son into bed and that Harper should just hang out and wait until then! :o) Dr. Estepp said she'd be back around 9 but that she felt it would probably be a long night with Harper being born in the morning.
Everyone else left in shifts to have dinner and relax and get ready for a long night. Around 9:00 Dr. Estepp got back to the hospital and checked to see how far along I was and I was dilated to a 10! I don't know who was more shocked because at 8:30 I was only a 7. Dr. Estepp said it was time to PUSH! About that time Tyler arrived with the cigars! So we ran everyone out of the room except for Wesley, Lesli and Teresa.
So I had Wesley on one side and my sister on the other and Teresa at the foot of the bed watching the monitor telling me when I had a contraction. Then Dr. Estepp told me to start pushing, I literally remembering deciding very suddenly that I wasn't ready. I didn't feel ready and I had no idea what to do when she said push. After about a minute of panicking and Wesley having to calm me down we started, I say we because I couldn't have done it without my support system. This was at 9:30.
So I pushed and I pushed and I pushed and Harper must have thought that she was just better off where she was because she sure didn't want to come out and meet her Mommy and Daddy. Dr. Estepp was wonderful! She's the only OBGYN that I have ever heard of that stayed with me throughout the whole delivery. Even our nurses said that most OB's don't come in till the Baby is crowning. She only left once and that was around 10:30 to get a cup of coffee, she also told me later that she had a chocolate chip cookie too! She tried to get me to take a 15 minute break while she was gone but I didn't want to stop so the nurse stayed with me and we kept pushing. I had Wesley at one side telling me I was doing such a good job and rubbing my head and then my sister on the other feeding my ice (I don't know why they wouldn't just let me have a cup of water!) and Teresa counting out each contraction for me and telling me when they were starting and when they were over. When Dr. Estepp said she could see her head I asked the question I had been waiting 9 months to know the answer to. What color is her hair? Dr. Estepp said, "She is Blonde!" They were all also counting out loud with me while I pushed through each contraction. The closer it got to 12:00 the more determined I was to have this baby before midnight. I didn't know it at the time but Dr. Estepp had talked to Wesley and told him she would not let me go past midnight and that if Harper wasn't here by 12:00 I would be having a C-section. She had mentioned a few times that she doesn't like to let moms push more than 2 hours and I had already been at it 2 and a half. I was bound and determined though that I didn't want a C-section and that I knew I could do this on my own. So with a little more encouragement from my Hubby I gave it all I had and our Sweet Baby Girl was born at 11:49 PM (on Uncle Hershel's birthday!).
Dr. Estepp laid Harper on my stomach and Wesley cut the umbilical cord. I couldn't even begin to tell you how I felt. It was like seeing love for the first time if that makes since. Then they took Harper to the warmer to weigh her and clean her up. Weslyn Harper Yarbrough weighed 9lbs 8ozs and was 20.5 inches long. The hat that they had for was not big enough so they had to go upstairs and get her a bigger hat. :o) While they were getting her warmed and cleaned up Granny and Aunt Lesli were taking plenty of pictures and Daddy was just staring at her and crying. He told me shortly after we found out we were having a girl that I was the prettiest woman in the world and that after Harper was born she would be the prettiest women in the world and I would be the second prettiest women in the world. And he looked at her like she was. He will quickly tell you that he loves me and the Boys but there is just something about that Baby Girl that has his heart. He says he is wrapped around her finger and tied in a bow. I can tell you he is and that it has been that way since the instant he laid eyes on her for the first time.
The nurse handed Harper to her Daddy and he held her. Then Aunt Lesli held her for a minute and by then I was able to hold my daughter for the first time in my arms. After that everyone else was allowed back in the room to meet Harper! She was absolutely lovely and went to everyone. She was wide awake and soaking everything in. She would look at whoever was talking to her and seemed to be studying everyone’s faces to figure out who was who. After all she had been listening to us for 9 months. When my Dad came back in he brought me a Snickers which I started eating until the nurse caught me and threw it away. :o( Apparently you cannot eat or drink anything until they move you to the nursery floor. After everyone spent a little time with Harper they headed home for the night and Harper was taken to the nursery for her checkup and we were moved upstairs to our new home for the next 2 days.
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