Laurel's Birth Story

We were in Knoxville for a date day and decided to go see the new James Bond movie, all day I had noticed my belly getting tight and had felt some little cramps. Mid movie I decided to start timing them and they were about 5 minutes apart. I waited till we got in the car to let Andy know this had been happening all day and they had gotten closer during the movie, and he immediately wanted me to call the doctor. I thought this had to be it, but I was wondering why they didn't hurt. I called the doctor and we decided to wait and see what happened in the hour and after that we then headed to the hospital to get things checked out. At this point I had been contracting for 4 hours every 5 minutes When I got there they determined I was sill at 4cm and 90% effaced (I was like this for at least 3 weeks before Laurel was born) and was not continuing to dilate. So, they sent me home with the contractions and said to come back when they were painful. We were a bit disappointed that night to say the least, but knew it was best for this to happen in God's timing. At my 39 week appointment they had offered to admit me and "get things going". I was a bit perturbed at the offer as they knew how I wanted things to go. I decided that having a baby around a holiday makes doctors do things they might not normally do so they can spend time with their families too. Later that night the contractions began to get further and further apart and I finally got some sleep. So that was hospital trip #1.

Hospital trip #2. A couple days after my first trip to the hospital I started to notice some leakage. Not enough to say that my water broke, but enough to know it wasn't the norm either. I knew a slow leak wasn't a good thing to have happen and could lead to an infection of the baby and me. I called my sister (she's a nurse) and asked for her advice and she said if nothing had happend by the next day I needed to get it checked out. At this point I knew it wan't normal for me to be leaking for 3 days or to wake up and have a wet spot in the bed, I did not pee in the bed! So, we had a peaceful breakfast at home that Friday exactly a week after our first hospital visit and did a few things around the house just incase this was THE day. We headed to Knoxville and had lunch at KFC, love those crispy chicken tenders, and we were at the hospital by 12:30 and released about 45 min. later. They do a litmus type test to determine if your water has broken and mine was negative. I had already done some research on this before I went to the hospital, and knew that sometimes they give a false negative if there isn't a trickle at that exact moment. So at this point I'm sticking to the fact that I did not wet the bed! This was black Friday by the way, and after we left the hospital we did a little shopping at Belk (Andy got a corduroy sports coat for 35.00), Sears, and Sams. I was determined this baby was going to come soon if not that night, so we walked, and walked, and walked some more, and if that wasn't enough, we put up the Christmas tree when we got back later that night.  Well, it must have done the trick because a couple hours later I started to notice more than just tightening of my belly but some extra pains in my back as well, but nothing to alarming considering I had been contracting off and on like that for about a week.  We went to bed around 10:30 that night and I woke up at 1:11 (yes, I remember the exact time) and felt menstrual like cramps that didn't seem to be going away, but I wasn't sure it was the real thing since our last two trips were false alarms. So, I drank some water, walked around, went to the bathroom, and back to bed thinking they would probably go away soon. I couldn't sleep through them, but was able to breath through them for the next hour in bed till I couldn't lay comfortably anymore without being twisted into a ball. So, at 2:15 I got out of bed and walked into the living room and started timing them. They were every 5 min. again and I let that go on for close to an hour till they started to get closer together (every 3 min.) I called the doctor and got ready to set off on hospital visit #3. Third times the charm right?

Hospital trip #3. I woke Andy up at 3:30am and said "You ready to go see a baby." He was very groggy and I think he was pretty skeptical because of all the false alarms. But, off we went to Knoxville about a 35 min. drive. We got to the hospital and I was a whopping 8-9cm. and they also determined I had a high leak, hmmm.... imagine that. I immediately asked if a epidural was even possible, and this is when the nurse looked in my chart and stated that I was going all natural according to my preferences. I told her my preference was to see how things went before I jumped into anything. The nurse said if they could get 2 bags of fluids in me and get blood drawn and labs back they could then do an epidural. So they admitted me around 4:30am, got fluids going and blood drawn and not long after the anesthesiologist was there and pain relief was on its way. I am very thankful we were the only ones on the L&D floor at the time and got first priority. I have to say the epidural was the worst part. It wasn't even the actual epidural that hurt, but the position they made me get in that scared me, I just couldn't breathe and felt my heart slowing.  They made me get indian style on the bed with my head bent over around my watermelon of a belly while the nurse and Andy kept me pushed in that position for what seemed like a unnecessary amount of time. Other than that, I was one happy girl after the epidural! For about an hour they let me rest and get fully dilated and another hour and 6 min. later of pushing and our little lady was here.
When she came out, they immediately put her on my chest and I was amazed at how pretty she looked. I was expecting a cone shaped head and tons of white goo and blood, but instead God surprised us with the prettiest shaped head and nice pink skin from the start. Her cry was more than enough to make me and her Daddy cry, it was a beautiful sound! She is a wonder and I will be giving thanks for her for the rest of my life. I do have to remind my self that she is God's little girl first and formost and He has entrusted us this while to help watch over her and guide her to one day put her faith and hope in God as her heavenly father.

Laurel Emery Henard

Born 11-24-12 @ 7:26am

6.14oz

19 1/2 in

Mimi and her sweet girl.

Nana and Pappy meeting Laurel for the first time.